Climate Justice Ministries May 2023 report

May 04, 2023 | by Sharon Delgado

 
Faith-Inspired words for climate justice:
May God’s grace purify our reason, strengthen our will, and guide our action. May the love of God, the peace of Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit be among you, everywhere and always, so that you may be a blessing to all creation and to all the children of God, making peace, nurturing and practicing hope, choosing life and coming to life eternal. Amen. 
-From the 2009 Bishop’s Resource, God’s Renewed Creation.
 
The Rev. Dr. Jim Antal, a climate justice leader in the United Church of Christ and author of Climate Church, Climate World –(Revised & Updated 2023) delivered an inspiring keynote address at the UCC’s 2023 Inaugural Earth Day Summit, with the theme of “Stories of Hope.” He outlines the story of life on earth, the “de-creation” that is happening now, and God’s new hope-filled story that we are invited to live into. Here is the link to his talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPfx7lACSYM
 
Connection:
We are putting together a display for Annual Conference in June, and we would like to include what you or your congregation is doing. Email us stories, reflections, and photos of what you are doing in your church or community related to creation care, environmental justice, or climate justice. You can join our climate justice email network at climatejustice@cnumc.org. You can also “Follow” and “Share” our Climate Justice Ministries Facebook page. If you haven’t yet taken our survey, you can do so here: https://forms.gle/APsoX3d8jLv3UYme9
 
United Methodist Creation Justice Movement Café
Connect with United Methodists across annual conferences who are concerned about creation care and climate justice through the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement (UMCJM). 
UMCJM is now offering a Movement Café, which is an informal, virtual space to facilitate connection across the denomination, education, and conversation about creation care and climate justice. Each third Wednesday (10am PT), and occasional evenings, the Café features a topic and/or a speaker and generates hope for our good earth. Go to the Movement Café website to watch videos of the February, March, and April Movement Cafes and to read the announcement for the upcoming May Café, which will feature Jessica Gamache of UM Camping and Retreat Ministries. By connecting, we become stronger! You are also invited to dig into the resource rich updates, boosts, and news that Richenda Fairhurst, host of the Movement Cafes, shares through Faith4Future. 
 

 
Education:
 
No Faith in Fossil Fuels: A Climate Summit, hosted by Greenfaith.
From May 8-11, people of faith will gather to learn about how banks and asset managers continue to invest in the fossil fuel industries that are destroying communities in the U.S. and around the world – and then find out how to hold these financial institutions accountable. Together, we can commit to taking the bold steps necessary to effect real change. Register for this virtual summit here: https://actionnetwork.org/events/no-faith-in-fossil-fuels-a-climate-finance-summit/
 
Certificate for Climate Justice and Faith, Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary (PLTS). This fall the Center for Climate Justice and Faith at PLTS in Berkeley is offering a certificate in climate justice and faith. For info or to register go to: https://centerforclimatejusticeandfaith.org/programs/certificate-in-climate-justice-and-faith/
 
 
Thursday, May 4, 2023 “This is Where we Fall Down: On Climate Grief and Hope” (9:00 am - 10:30 am PST). Hope thrives at all costs. This will be the Berkeley-based Democracy and Belonging Forum's next event in the ongoing series, “The Edges in the Middle,” where celebrated climate activist Naomi Klein, Indigenous scholar Dr. Yuria Celidwen, and OBI Global Senior Fellow Bayo Akomolafe will explore climate grief and hope, and the invitation nestled within the idea that to stand a chance, we might need to fall. Register here.
 
Advocacy

 From United Women in Faith: Tell Elected Officials to fund the U.S. Fair Share for International Climate Finance Programs. The need to increase climate action and protect God’s people and creation is urgent. The United States' role in advancing climate action at the international level has been far from desirable. We need foreign policy that appropriately funds our fair share of climate responsibilities.  https://p2a.co/4KgnTYz

From Interfaith Power and Light: Use IPL’s template to call on California and Nevada Senators to vote in favor of the bipartisan “Recovering America’s Wildlife” bill, which provides historic levels of funding for wildlife conservation for states, tribes and territories through proactive collaboration on the ground. The customizable letter begins like this:  

“Dear Senator/Representative, As a person of faith and conscience, I believe in being a good steward of the Earth and caring for all Creation. Right now, we’re in a race against time to avert a looming wildlife extinction crisis. Congress must act to provide dedicated funding for state-led efforts to restore habitat, help wildlife at risk, and protect communities.” Find the full letter at: https://interfaithpowerandlight.salsalabs.org/rawaaction23/index.html
 
Action
 
Take Action on Plastic
If you have enjoyed videos from “The Story of Stuff,” you may be interested in this short video about plastic pollution, which is created by fossil fuels that cause carbon emissions.  If you scroll down after the video, you can sign a petition for a UN bill that is being worked on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoHCkniPt9w. For another animated short on plastics, see:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iO3SA4YyEYU&list=PL77CE8943362CB9B0&index=13
 
Banking on Our Future:  The largest part of your carbon footprint may be your bank, and the best action to cut your carbon footprint may be changing to a community bank or credit union. The four biggest banks (Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Citi, and Chase) finance new fossil fuel infrastructure projects that lock in fossil fuels dependency for decades. Here are some reports and photos from Third Act’s March 21 Banking on Our Future Day of Action, when people rallied at banks and some closed their accounts, including some photos from Cal-Nevada Third Act Faith actions. https://thirdactfaith.substack.com/p/acts-of-faith-special-issue?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
 
Other Resources, Events, and Opportunities
 
 
Creation Justice worship resources for use between Easter and Pentecost in 2023 called “New Life is Breaking Forth” from the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement. The series focuses on lectionary gospel texts for inspiration and provides resources for planning your Earth Sunday worship, an Eastertide series of services, and/or other coordinated events.
 
Sign up for our Climate Justice Ministries Newsletter or send articles for the newsletter to climatejustice@cnumc.org.  
 
 

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