Jurisdictional Zoom gatherings will be held in the 5 US jurisdictions during February with a goal of continuing quarterly for mutual support and inspiration. Topic for discussion in February: Net-Zero Campaign in the Annual Conferences (Commitment and Implementation). Use the buttons below to jump to the details for each gathering.
Northeastern
Good Morning friends,
It was a joy to meet you in our first gathering a three months ago, we hope to gather quarterly to check in and connect around our jurisdiction with opportunities, visions, and actions of our conferences on Climate Justice. Please share this invitation with anyone who would like to be connected!!! The more the merrier!
Please join in as you are able on Zoom
Topic: NEJ Climate Justice UMC
Time: Feb 7, 2022 11:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Meeting complete
South Central
We are excited to be planning the next SCJ Jurisdictional meeting of the Creation Justice Movement, scheduled for February 8 from 3:00-4:30 CT. Please join us for more lively conversation, information on upcoming opportunities and time for reflection on goals for this new year!
Please let us know if you are able to attend. We will send out the zoom link as we get closer to the meeting date.
See you then.
Karen McElfish
Mel Caraway
Contact us: james.mcelfish@verizon.net
Western
Dear Friends,
My name is Courtney Randall and I am going to be coordinating the Western Jurisdiction Creation Justice Group. I am a missionary that serves as the Mission Advocate for the Western Jurisdiction. Prior to being called into ministry I served as a Middle School Math and Science Teacher. My passion for creation care comes out of an understanding of the natural world God created and a call to justice for our hurting world.
You are receiving this invitation because you are involved in some way with the Creation Justice Movement in the Western Jurisdiction. Some of you attended the November Meeting and I am inviting you to attend a meeting in February. We are going to meet quarterly for an hour. I am thankful for the guidance and wisdom of Mary Beth Downing and Richenda Fairhurst to provide structure and insight into the organization of these meetings.
The Mission of the UMC Creation Justice Movement:
The mission of the UMC Creation Justice Movement is to participate with the Spirit of God in connecting and supporting groups within the United Methodist Church and beyond for the work of creation care, justice, and regeneration. We seek first God’s new creation of the world in which all creatures, places, and earth systems are fully alive through loving, sustaining, and just relationships.
The Purpose of the Western Jurisdiction Creation Justice Group
As a movement we need to make sure that we are moving in the direction that leads to the work of creation care, justice, and regeneration. We are called to resource Annual Conferences and Local Churches, make educational opportunities available, provide theological grounding and be in mutual accountability with one another. We can be a resource and an encouraging connection to the local church.
Topic for discussion: Net-Zero Campaign in the Annual Conferences (Commitment and Implementation)
Contact for Zoom information:
Courtney Randall
Mission Advocate for the Western Jurisdiction
Global Ministries, United Methodist Church
crandall@umcmission.org
+1.720.236.2534 (text/call)
North Central
Good news – we have a date for our next North Central Jurisdictional networking gathering—Tuesday, Feb 15, 2022 3:00-4:30 pm Central Time—using the following Zoom details. Please mark your calendars. In addition to catching up on each other’s activities, we plan to spend time exploring ideas for building off of the Bishop’s recent Climate Crisis statement with a possible net-zero campaign for our annual conferences. Please also let us know if you (or other Creation Justice allies) are delegates to Jurisdictional or General Conference. Thanks!
Contact for Zoom information: umcreationjustice@gmail.com
Bob Downs, West Ohio Conference
Cathy Velasquez Eberhart, Minnesota Conference
Connie Wieck, Mission Advocate for the North Central Jurisdiction of the UMC
Southeast
Greetings SEJ Annual Conference Leaders in Creation Care
We hope you are well and successfully navigating the challenges of a changing climate as well as Omicron. It’s been over six months since we last met to get acquainted and share our concerns for God’ Creation and climate justice. In the interim, our Bishops renewed their call to hope and action, numerous church agencies and one annual conference committed to net-zero carbon emissions, and climate disasters have continued to set records. Creation groans and as God’s people, we are called to respond in partnership with the Creator to redress wrongs and heal God’s earth. We can only accomplish that result through comprehensive and cooperative action. To that end, we are scheduling the first of what we hope to be quarterly meetings of Annual Conference representatives from the Southeast Jurisdiction to provide mutual support, share ideas and spawn wild and crazy thoughts as to how we can accomplish this mission of creation care/justice.
We will gather via Zoom on Feb 23 at 3pm ET so get it on your calendars and we’ll send a reminder and Zoom information closer to the time. Our agenda at this point is fairly loose as we mainly want to hear from everyone but as we come together as a group, if you have items you want to make sure we cover, please respond to this email and I’ll make sure we bring any of your concerns up at our gathering.
We so look forward to gathering with you once again and hope you can join in!
Contact for Zoom information: NashvilleCreationCare@gmail.com
Take care,
Dan Joranko
Pat Watkins
804-357-7098