Global Ministries Environmental Sustainability Program Update January 2023

It was a full year in 2023 for the Global Ministries Environmental Sustainability department as we got back up to speed from pandemic disruptions. Two online Global Ministries EarthKeeper Trainings saw 29 newly commissioned laity & clergy prepared for carrying out exciting new projects across the country. You can read about these services and stories here: 

https://umcmission.org/april-2022/new-earthkeepers-focus-on-island-communities/

https://umcmission.org/september-2022/29-earthkeepers-commissioned-for-service/

 

In September, the Environmental Sustainability department added another person to work with Rev. Jenny Phillips. Rev. Jonathan Brake was one of the first Global Ministries EarthKeepers commissioned in 2016. An ordained UM Elder from the Western North Carolina Conference, his primary foci as the Environmental Sustainability Program Manager at Global Ministries will be to oversee the EarthKeeper program as well as the Creation Care Network online platform, work with the grant program for EarthKeeper projects, develop more online learning opportunities and a variety of other tasks. 

 Rev. Jenny Phillips was one of several United Methodist leaders who attended COP27, and on Nov. 10 and 17, 2022 hosted discussions live from Egypt. The webinars were a joint effort of these United Methodist agencies: Church and Society, Global Ministries, United Women in Faith, Wespath and United Methodist Communications. You can learn more about the work of our church and agencies with international Climate Emergency efforts here: https://www.resourceumc.org/en/topics/creation-care/cop27-webinars

 

We are also helping to bring clean energy to relief efforts through the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) in an effort to impact health and climate in more sustainable ways by deploying solar microgrids and equipping first responder trailers with their own solar energy production: https://umcmission.org/october-2022/united-methodists-bring-light-and-hope-to-florida-with-solar-energy/

 And in Mozambique, Global Ministries is involved with developing farmers to sustain churches, communities, and families through the Yombasu Agriculture Initiative – https://umcmission.org/eoy-2022/yambasu-agriculture-initiative-takes-root-in-mozambique/

 In 2023 we will be offering two more Global Ministries EarthKeeper trainings, one online in the spring and a new model for training in the fall (still under development). A new partnership with the Liberia Annual Conference will bring solar power to our medical clinics during the year in hopes of becoming a model for other areas of the continent. And similar efforts are underway in the USA for partnering with Annual Conferences for clean energy and energy efficiency projects. We will also be working on ways to celebrate and tell the stories of what United Methodists are doing at EarthKeepers and other efforts to address creation care, creation justice, the climate emergency, and more. 

 

Submitted by Rev. Jonathan Brake