December Movement Café:
Advent Worship
December 18th 2024
10am PT / 11am MT / 12pm CT / 1pm ET
Sponsored by the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement, the informal, virtual space of the Café facilitates conversation, connection, and community focused on creation care and justice issues.
Advent Worship
The December 2024 Movement Café offered an online worship opportunity with the theme, “Tending to Advent: Preparing the Way.” This service of word and music was offered to nourish our spirits and help us tend our souls. The texts for the celebration feature the character and witness of John the Baptist, who prepared a way for Jesus. We were excited to welcome reflections by Tyler VanderVeer and Shamiso Mupara. Tyler was just commissioned as an Earthkeeper last month and his project is an example of preparing the way for a new garden, food forest, and native planting area. Shamiso is the founder of Environmental Buddies Zimbabwe and has prepared the way for a whole generation of environmental leaders in her area. Throughout the service, we consider how God’s way is being prepared where we are and how that way is tended by the community of faith.
Attendees were invited to bring two vessels for water to engage with an activity during the service.
Worship Resources used during the service are linked below.
Scripture texts and hymn lyrics
Music Videos “God of Day and God of Darkness” hymn #201 in the Upper Room Worship Book, lyrics written by Marty Haugen, adapted by Richenda Fairhurst set to the tune “Beach Spring”
Speakers
Shamiso Winnet Mupara
Executive Director at Environmental Buddies Zimbabwe
Tyler VanderVeer
newly commissioned UM EarthKeeper and a member of the Kentucky Annual Conference.
Rev. Laura Baumgartner
newly commissioned UM EarthKeeper and chair of Earth Ministry/Washington Interfaith Power and Light will lead the service. Rev. Laura serves in the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference.