BP disaster gives
overture new meaning
By Edward Terry, The Layman, June 11, 2010
When Bayou Blue Presbyterian Church authored an overture advocating for coastal wetlands and successfully guided it through South Louisiana Presbytery and on to the General Assembly, they had no idea that the context would completely change a few weeks later.
Up for consideration at this summer’s Presbyterian Church (USA) General Assembly in Minneapolis, Minn., will be an overture that calls on the denomination to generate resources on the destruction and loss of coastal wetlands. Assigned to one of the social justice committees, the overture just might be a hot topic in light of the ongoing BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. 
Members of Bayou Blue Presbyterian Church pose for a photo
Related Story
Blue Bayou looks for God’s light admist disaster
“It just makes it even more meaningful,” Bayou Blue’s pastor the Rev. Kristina Peterson said. “We really need to understand more fully God’s creation and what that means for ourselves and for all of God’s creation.”
Pointing to migratory birds and the fact that Louisiana’s wetlands cleanse the waters of 36 states, Peterson hopes that Americans realize a regional disaster can have far-reaching effects. A long-time environmentalist, Peterson said the effort the overture advocates is even more critical than ever before.
Though it certainly will have emotional appeal while the current environmental disaster is still fresh in GA commissioners’ minds, it does not include cost estimates or funding sources for the effort.