“The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5).

These are difficult times for people who seek peace, justice, and healing for our human family and for the whole community of life. In Los Angeles, as the devastating fires still smolder and toxins contaminate neighborhoods, rains threaten to bring landslides to the scarred earth. In Washington D.C., as the need for strong climate action increases, the new administration is canceling positive climate programs and has declared an “energy emergency” in pursuit of its goal to “drill, baby, drill.” Yet the science is clear: To stabilize the climate and prevent runaway climate change, we must phase out fossil fuels.

As United Methodists and as followers of Jesus, we are challenged to respond faithfully to today’s threats to God’s creation with resilience and hope. This issue of our newsletter includes several articles highlighting the tactic of fossil fuel divestment, one response among many to the challenge of accelerating climate change. It also includes announcements of two related events: the February Movement Café on Divestment with Fossil Free UMC and a Summit on Fossil Fuels Divestment in March organized by the California-Nevada Conference. Instead of “drill, baby, drill,” the slogan of the global fossil fuel divestment campaign is “It is wrong to profit from wrecking the planet.” Divesting  is a practical way to cease funding and profiting from the harm caused by the fossil fuel industry and to instead invest in a clean energy future.

As today’s painful realities sink in, the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement continues its diverse work with faithfulness and vitality, witnessing to the reality that the light of Christ is with us still, guiding us in the direction of a peaceful, just, and regenerative world. What grounds our movement is our faith in Jesus Christ, for God is right here with us, offering us light and hope in the darkness of our time.

Sharon Delgado is clergy, author, and activist and the Convener of Fossil Free UMC. She serves on the Coordinating Committee of the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement. The updated Second Edition of her book Love in a Time of Climate Change will be released later in 2025.