UMCJM Welcomes and Congratulates New EarthKeepers
On November 19th, United Methodists and supporters gathered on Zoom and Facebook Live to celebrate the commissioning of 67 new United Methodist EarthKeepers. These EarthKeepers came from trainings both online and in-person in Baltimore, Maryland, and St. Paul, Minnesota. Those called into EarthKeeping came from 30 different annual conferences. The 2024 class of EarthKeepers included both clergy and lay people, young adults, retirees, church members, and conference staff.
Those leading the service and blessing the new EarthKeepers included Rev. Jenny Phillips and Rev. Jonathan Brake, charged with overseeing the Global Ministries Earthkeeper program and fully committed in their own professions to sustainability and faithful stewardship within The United Methodist Church. Roland Fernandes, General Secretary of Global Ministries and General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, also attended and offered attendees both a global imperative for the work and prayer that the efforts of the new EarthKeepers would be fruitful.
Bishop Lanette Plambeck, resident bishop for the Dakotas-Minnesota Area, offered a reflection and led the commissioning liturgy.
Within the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement you will see many EarthKeepers. This 2024 training sees a trifecta for the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement Café, where the Movement Café Team, Cathy Velasquez Eberhart, Dawn Lewis, and Rev. Richenda Fairhurst are all now Earthkeepers. This coming December Advent Service will feature more new and established EarthKeepers, including Rev. Laura Baumgartner, Rev. Laurie Bayen, and the newly commissioned Tyler VanderVeer.
Tyler VanderVeet is one of three members of the Kentucky Annual Conference who were commissioned this month. He will join other EarthKeepers in leading the United Methodist Creation Justice Advent Service at the upcoming December Movement Cafe.
Pattie Sloan was involved for 30 years in global reforestation efforts. She is one of 67 newly commissioned EarthKeepers, and is from the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference.
One of the new EarthKeepers traveled from Oregon-Idaho to attend the training in person. Oregonian Pattie Sloan has been involved in global reforestation efforts for more than 30 years. During that time, her work took her to Madagascar and Nepal, where she learned forest practices and witnessed how restoration can change lives.
“My childhood in Dundee, Oregon, was immersed in nature and her beautiful cycles,” says Sloan. “Becoming an EarthKeeper was a no-brainer. Participating in restoring creation is what we should all be doing.”
Like all UM EarthKeepers, Sloan will do a special project. Her project is an example as to how EarthKeeping is not only about Methodists, but about neighbor and community. She explains, “My project is not within the church. I am trying to gather all faith groups in Salem, Oregon, and together, create programs that can be used in their churches. We also lobby the state legislature and have focused on recycling.”
As to what she hopes her training will help her do specifically as a Methodist, she says, “I hope to join with others to promote creation care in my conference. We have so much to do.”
The United Methodist Creation Justice Movement congratulates all new EarthKeepers and celebrates the growing call to creation justice within the church.