Creation care is practiced in all workplaces whether in rural, suburban or city locations through regenerative acts. The witness of this careful, loving stewardship encourages community members to honor the Creator.
Featured Story
smallTall Music Delivers
Homegrown Songs
You’ve heard of Community-Supported Agriculture, but what
about Community-Supported Music?
Brian Moyer Suderman, Willowgrove, Ontario, is a different
kind of recording artist. He recognizes that much about the lifestyle of a
professional musician can be damaging. Constant travel to long-distance
concerts is hard on family relationships; it also consumes fossil fuels and puts
carbon dioxide in the air.
Suderman’s approach to making a living as an artist is
different. He chooses to perform primarily in his local community and runs a “CSM”
entitled smallTall Music: Songs of Faith for Small and Tall. In Suderman’s
version of Community Supported Music, households or congregations with an
interest in his music pay an annual fee to receive regular deliveries of new
songs, fresh from the producer.
“Community Supported Music is a way of structuring the
artist-supporting community relationship, Suderman explains. “It is predicated
on notions like enough and sustainability; viability at a small scale and real community, in stark contrast to the underlying assumptions of the
celebrity system.”
Suderman’smusic grows
out of a love for God, a passion for the church, and delight in singing with
all ages. Folk music traditions from around the world influence his work. To
learn more about smallTall music, go to http://www.smalltallmusic.com/
On this
web site, you can hear samples of Suderman’s songs, sign up to become a member
of the smallTall CSM and read a thoughtful blog about Suderman’s experiences as
a musician.
Suderman lives on a farm with his wife and
son. They are members of Community Mennonite Church of Stouffville,
Ontario.
Action Steps:
Support local artists.
Invite your congregation to join smallTall music.
Consider CO2 emissions when deciding what arts events to attend.
Share a Story!
This web page is intended to be a resource for people in the work place and in communities across North America. As a network, we seek examples from Mennonite's in all professions that are
practicing environmental stewardship.
Stories of creation care actions you are practicing should be sent to
. Selected examples will be published on this website to encourage
other in work places and in communities to engage more deeply in caring for creation.
