KAIROS’ new Advent 2012 resource, 'Seeking Shelter: An ecumenical Advent justice journey', is now available! Inspired by Mary and Joseph’s search for shelter, the resource is based on Las Posadas, a Central American and Mexican tradition in which actors playing Mary and Joseph walk through town searching for shelter, accompanied by local church members singing and carrying bright lanterns. Turned away again and again, they finally find householders who welcome them in. Today, that search for shelter is a reality for many in our world, whether the shelter people seek is fair wages, land rights, or clean water. What is our response?

1. First Sunday in
Advent, 2012
Our Advent journey
through Hope,
Peace, Joy and Love
can also carry us
along on a search for
justice and right
relations. KAIROS
invites you to an
Advent search for
that shelter in the
spirit of Mary and
Joseph’s journey.

2. Mary and Joseph relied on the welcome of strangers
when they arrived in Bethlehem after a long journey.
In today’s world, who is seeking shelter?
Who is seeking freedom from fear?
Who is seeking freedom from want?
Who is offering shelter to our battered Earth,
God’s creation and our only home?
What is our response to the knock on our doors?

3. KAIROS member churches believe climate change
caused by human action is a reality.
Canadians’ energy use per person is almost the
highest in the world - higher than many other cold-
climate nations.
Climate change has a major impact on the poor and
on communities near the sea, Northern/polar
communities, and agricultural communities.
Greenhouse gases are still disproportionally created
by wealthy nations. The poor are hardest hit by the
impacts of climate change.

19. Who says justice
isn’t fun?
Matawatchan, ON:
Ringing the bells for
climate justice in a
global action begun by
the World Council of
Churches. Faith
communities rang in
this action and made
their own
commitments to
reducing energy use
and pressing
governments to live
up to the Kyoto
Protocol on Climate
Change.

20. In the late 1990’s
Canadian
churches pushed
hard for the Kyoto
Protocol, the first-
ever global
agreement on
scaling back
greenhouse gas
emissions. Where
next? How do we
as faith
communities
speak truth to
power? How can
we make our own
carbon footprint
smaller?

21. What are very specific ways your faith community can
reduce its carbon footprint?
What climate justice local initiatives can your
community support?
How might you talk elected officials, from a faith
perspective, about measures Canada must take to
curb greenhouse emissions?

22. Share your story. KAIROS is gathering stories of hope
that demonstrate how deeply Canadians care about
climate change and want to make a difference. Tell
us about a local project or local action that you have
taken, individually or as a congregation, to reduce your
carbon footprint or prepare your community for climate
change. We’ll post many of them online on our
“Resilient Communities” blog that will be launching
in 2013.

23. What kind of
world do we
want our
children to
enjoy?
Guided by the
belief that the
Earth is God’s,
faith
communities can
bring many
practical and
thoughtful ideas
to the difficult
conversation of
climate change.

24. KAIROS is:
A network of over 20
global partners
Supportive local
churches (KAIROS
Communities)
Ecumenical and
interfaith Communities
Individual Companions
Local and regional
partnerships

25.  The Anglican Church of Canada
 The Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace
 The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops
 The Canadian Religious Conference
 The Christian Reformed Church in North America (Canada
Corporation)
 The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
 The Mennonite Central Committee Canada
 The Presbyterian Church in Canada
 The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF)
 The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
 The United Church of Canada

26. Check the KAIROS website, Facebook group and
Twitter feed for resources and perspectives that add
to your work for social justice.
Bring your faith community’s perspective and energy to
the KAIROS ecumenical justice journey.
Join us locally and regionally for events, workshops and
worship. Contact us at info@kairoscanada.org