By Harriette Cross   Justice leaders from across North Central Jurisdiction gathered for a time of learning and building community recently. About fifty people gathered from the NCJ Creation Justice Movement and the Advocacy group at Euclid Avenue United Methodist Church in Oak Park. Both groups received grants from the North Central Jurisdiction (NCJ) Mission Council and various annual conferences to host a gathering. The NCJ Creation Justice group also received funds from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary Center for Ecological...

By Sam Carter2026 Church and Society Summer Intern  July 4th, 2026, marked the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the document that formally announced independence from British tyranny and the beginning of the American experiment. The Declaration begins with promises that have never been fully kept: that “all men are created equal” and endowed with the unalienable rights of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”  The gap between promise and practice should urge us to reframe our understanding of...

By Darina Regio   Global emissions of carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels reached a record 38.4 billion tonnes in 2025, roughly 5 percent above pre-pandemic levels. That's coal, oil, and gas burned for electricity, heat, and transportation. The rate of increase has slowed to its weakest pace since 2021, which is real progress. But a slower rise is still a rise, and atmospheric CO2 concentrations hit another all-time high. A global sustainability index published in July found that almost no country is on track for net zero by 2050,...

Ann Mayer, a member of the Pacific Northwest Commission on Environmental Stewardship, stands next to a display showing the many churches and congregations in the PNW that are seeking grants and/or moving ahead with energy transition projects such as solar, batteries, heat pumps, and more.Highlights for the Pacific Northwest Environmental Stewardship Commission this year included solar and battery grants and installations, and the opportunity to host an EarthKeeper training! That training was inspirational, and a hearty recommendation follows...

The 178th Session of the California-Nevada Annual Conference has just concluded. The theme for this year was Healing the World, with the guiding Scripture from Isaiah 58:12: You shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in. During the session, we marked the 30th Anniversary of the Order of Deacons, the 50th Anniversary of United Methodist Volunteers in Mission, the 70th Anniversary of Women’s Ordination in the Methodist Tradition and the 200th Anniversary of Methodism in Tonga.Our Climate Justice Ministries...

The Creation Care Ministry Team of the Western North Carolina Conference had a wonderful opportunity at their Annual Conference event to spotlight their programming and introduced two petitions before those assembled. In their 15-minute presentation, six members of the team spoke variously about the following: Featured the WNCC Bishop’s Climate Summit held on April 18th and location of resources, including recordings of three pre-Summit webinars; Recognized five churches who earned the conference Green Church Award in the past year; Named...

West Ohio In West Ohio, two local churches received Green Church Certification awards on-stage at Annual Conference: Maple Grove UMC in Columbus and Faith Community UMC in West Chester. Both completed the Green Church Certification process, which includes signing a Green Church Pledge, filling out a sustainability audit, completing two green projects, and agreeing to complete at least one green project each year going forward.  During the West Ohio Connections Fair, the Green Church Movement gave away Green Church Kits to churches that signed...

Resolution III Call for Climate Change Adaptation emphasizes that God’s creation is “in peril” and that “caring for Creation requires us to address both the causes of climate change and the impacts of climate change.” The text of the resolution, written by the NC Conference Creation Care Committee, outlines a number of impacts to the state and overall impacts to issues including rising temperatures, droughts and wildfires, rising sea levels, increased strain for the socioeconomically disadvantaged, and the increasing risk to human lives. The...

DENVER, Colo., June 2026 — The Mountain Sky Conference of The United Methodist Church voted during its 2026 Annual Conference to affirm fossil-free investments for conference funds and a just transition for communities and workers connected to fossil fuel industries. The resolution aligns the Conference with The United Methodist Church’s 2050 net-zero greenhouse gas emissions goal and frames climate change as a moral, spiritual, and justice issue affecting vulnerable communities and God’s creation. “This action reflects our commitment to...