This year, churches around the world from many traditions are adding a new days to the calendar. The Orthodox Church has celebrated the Feast of Creation in Christ on September 1 and now Catholic and Protestant churches are joining them. The Revised Common Lectionary will include new texts for Years A, B, and C for this celebration, starting with 2026. There are many ways that the new observance may take place: First, consider celebrating the Feast Day itself on September 1 with an ecumenical gathering in person in Seattle, WA, or by...

The Worship Team of the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement has developed extensive worship materials for several years for the Season of Creation. Although the resources were created during a particular year, the resources are appropriate for any year’s Season of Creation. These worship helps are inclusive of children’s learning styles and present a variety of experiences and discussions that fit the theme of the curriculum as a whole. If you want to focus solely on the material geared to children, these offerings are for you. They...

By Tura Foster Gillespie    Picture books capture the attention of all generations—it’s amazing how quiet a room can get when someone starts to read a picture book aloud. Picture books are also a great way to distill big ideas into smaller understanding, start discussing a tough topic, or simply create an intergenerational moment. There are SO MANY good books out right now about appreciating God’s Creation and what humans can do to help preserve and protect it. Below are some favorites. Need a children’s moment? Try these books that are...

By Bob Downs   Located in the West Ohio Conference, our church draws membership from a largely suburban community. Our Green Team is over 15 years old and actively promotes creation justice in the congregation, conference, and community. In 2020 we established our Giving Garden to raise fresh produce for local food pantries. Over the past few years, we have involved Sunday school and preschool students in viewing the garden growth, helping to harvest vegetables, and planting seeds. Seeing a child discover that potatoes come from the...

By Harriette Cross   Justice leaders from across North Central Jurisdiction gathered for a time of learning and building community recently. About fifty people gathered from the NCJ Creation Justice Movement and the Advocacy group at Euclid Avenue United Methodist Church in Oak Park. Both groups received grants from the North Central Jurisdiction (NCJ) Mission Council and various annual conferences to host a gathering. The NCJ Creation Justice group also received funds from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary Center for Ecological...

By Sam Carter2026 Church and Society Summer Intern  July 4th, 2026, marked the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the document that formally announced independence from British tyranny and the beginning of the American experiment. The Declaration begins with promises that have never been fully kept: that “all men are created equal” and endowed with the unalienable rights of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”  The gap between promise and practice should urge us to reframe our understanding of...

By Darina Regio   Global emissions of carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels reached a record 38.4 billion tonnes in 2025, roughly 5 percent above pre-pandemic levels. That's coal, oil, and gas burned for electricity, heat, and transportation. The rate of increase has slowed to its weakest pace since 2021, which is real progress. But a slower rise is still a rise, and atmospheric CO2 concentrations hit another all-time high. A global sustainability index published in July found that almost no country is on track for net zero by 2050,...

Ann Mayer, a member of the Pacific Northwest Commission on Environmental Stewardship, stands next to a display showing the many churches and congregations in the PNW that are seeking grants and/or moving ahead with energy transition projects such as solar, batteries, heat pumps, and more.Highlights for the Pacific Northwest Environmental Stewardship Commission this year included solar and battery grants and installations, and the opportunity to host an EarthKeeper training! That training was inspirational, and a hearty recommendation follows...

The 178th Session of the California-Nevada Annual Conference has just concluded. The theme for this year was Healing the World, with the guiding Scripture from Isaiah 58:12: You shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in. During the session, we marked the 30th Anniversary of the Order of Deacons, the 50th Anniversary of United Methodist Volunteers in Mission, the 70th Anniversary of Women’s Ordination in the Methodist Tradition and the 200th Anniversary of Methodism in Tonga.Our Climate Justice Ministries...

The Creation Care Ministry Team of the Western North Carolina Conference had a wonderful opportunity at their Annual Conference event to spotlight their programming and introduced two petitions before those assembled. In their 15-minute presentation, six members of the team spoke variously about the following: Featured the WNCC Bishop’s Climate Summit held on April 18th and location of resources, including recordings of three pre-Summit webinars; Recognized five churches who earned the conference Green Church Award in the past year; Named...

West Ohio In West Ohio, two local churches received Green Church Certification awards on-stage at Annual Conference: Maple Grove UMC in Columbus and Faith Community UMC in West Chester. Both completed the Green Church Certification process, which includes signing a Green Church Pledge, filling out a sustainability audit, completing two green projects, and agreeing to complete at least one green project each year going forward.  During the West Ohio Connections Fair, the Green Church Movement gave away Green Church Kits to churches that signed...

Resolution III Call for Climate Change Adaptation emphasizes that God’s creation is “in peril” and that “caring for Creation requires us to address both the causes of climate change and the impacts of climate change.” The text of the resolution, written by the NC Conference Creation Care Committee, outlines a number of impacts to the state and overall impacts to issues including rising temperatures, droughts and wildfires, rising sea levels, increased strain for the socioeconomically disadvantaged, and the increasing risk to human lives. The...

DENVER, Colo., June 2026 — The Mountain Sky Conference of The United Methodist Church voted during its 2026 Annual Conference to affirm fossil-free investments for conference funds and a just transition for communities and workers connected to fossil fuel industries. The resolution aligns the Conference with The United Methodist Church’s 2050 net-zero greenhouse gas emissions goal and frames climate change as a moral, spiritual, and justice issue affecting vulnerable communities and God’s creation. “This action reflects our commitment to...