Creation Justice Blog
News and Stories From Across the MovementSearch by topic for resources to help you make creation justice a priority in your community. We add new topics all the time so check back frequently!
Most Recent
The How of Christmas: Tips for Greening Your Christmas
“Love came down at Christmas, Love all lovely, Love divine.” Whether we sing that carol or not, as Christ followers we know our faith and our...
Online Global Ministries EarthKeepers Training Coming in March
New EarthKeepers Commissioned 57 New Global Ministries EarthKeepers were commissioned online in November. Click here to read the story and watch...
November 2023 Newsletter: Engaging the Local Church
The leaves are changing color, but in this month’s edition of the Creation Justice Movement’s newsletter and at the Movement Café, we are...
December 2023 Tips: Christmas is Special
So, here is your Special Editionof Christmas Tips. This month you have 40 tips to choose and use. Share these Tips with your family, friends, and...
November 2023 Café: Green Teams and Local Church Engagement
November Movement Café: Green Teams and Local Church EngagementNovember 15th 2023 10am PT / 11am MT / 12pm CT / 1pm ETSponsored by the United...
Green Teams Resources
Green Team Tips These 10 paragraphs can guide a new team quickly and smoothly from forming to performing. Start small; regard your pastor as a...
Topics
Annual Conferences
UMC Solar in Action
Here are some inspirational solar stories from across the connection. If you have a UMC solar story to share, please pass it along to umcreationjustice@gmail.com. Thanks!Hamline Church Green Team video about sustainable practices at Hamline Church United Methodist, St...
2023 Annual Conference Season Updates
This past spring, leaders in the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement drafted eight model resolutions and held a 3 part webinar series about them. In response, at least nine annual conferences introduced versions of those resolutions in their conference sessions...
Western North Carolina Annual Conference 2023
This is Karlah Burton, Delegate At-Large, Northern Piedmont District of the Western NC Conference, UMC! As a commissioned Global Ministries Earthkeeper, I bring you greetings in Christ from Saint Matthews United Methodist Church in Greensboro, NC, where I also serve...
California-Nevada Climate Justice Ministries Task Force: Connecting, Educating, Advocating, and Acting
Header Image: Cal-Nevada Clergy and Laity at a Banking on Our Future Action By Sharon Degado and Joan Pell The Cal-Nevada Climate Justice Ministries Task Force, established by the 2022 Annual Conference Session as an ongoing subcommittee of the Advocacy and Justice...
Rio Texas Conference: The Creation Care Connection
By Abel Vega Observed since 1970, Earth Day (April 22) initially drew attention to the increasing amounts of air pollution in the U.S. from leaded-gas for automobiles. In 1990 Earth Day burst into the global arena, which propelled the convening of the United Nations...
Minnesota Transformational Land Acknowledgement Journey
By Cathy Velasquez Eberhart The Hopeful EarthKeepers team of the Minnesota Annual Conference has undertaken a transformational journey towards land acknowledgement over the past several years. “A Land Acknowledgement is a formal statement that recognizes and respects...
Callings
Online Global Ministries EarthKeepers Training Coming in March
New EarthKeepers Commissioned 57 New Global Ministries EarthKeepers were commissioned online in November. Click here to read the story and watch the commissioning service Online Global Ministries EarthKeepers Training Coming in March On November 20, 2016, Global...
Circle Up for 2023!
By Rev. Richenda Fairhurst This month we celebrate a new year, 2023! This celestial action is measured, as the years of Jesus’s life were themselves measured, by our moving, spinning Earth. The revolutions and natural workings of this good planet are a gift of the...
Song of the Earth Movement
While my introductory framing of the August 2022 newsletter was somewhat abstract and theoretical, there are real practical applications and ideas behind it that I’m also hoping will continue to take root across our Methodist connection. One of those is a...
Charge From the Land
Charge From the Land By Jacqueline Anderson I wrote this charge (or blessing) as one of three for the opening of the Center of Ecological Regeneration at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in the spring of 2022. I felt drawn to the invitation to write from...
An Introduction to Arrayed
By Lizzy Case I’m excited to share a little of the story of how I launched my Christian apparel brand, Arrayed. In the summer of 2013, I learned to sew. I had just gotten out of a 6-year relationship that left me reeling and in need of stability. I had inherited my...
A Call to Creation Care Ministry
Author: Martha Lyle Ford I grew up “in the country” near a small town an hour from Memphis, raised in a house surrounded by agriculture fields, woodlots and pastures, and in the First United Methodist Church of the county seat town, in the midst of an extended family...
Children and Youth
The Unjust Impacts of Climate Change
By Dr. Richard F. Gillum Children in countries least responsible for climate change face greatest losses from the impacts. Climate shocks continue to ravish vulnerable communities and nations around the world. For example, severe drought in the Horn of Africa,...
Eco-Justice Youth Mission Trip to Buckhorn Camp
On June 4th three vans of youth and their leaders traveled from their respective churches to an elevation of 8,000 feet to participate in an Eco-Justice Mission Trip at Buckhorn Camp, a UMC camp of the Mountain Sky Conference in Bellevue, Colorado. The group spent...
August 2021 Creation Justice Update Newsletter
This month’s newsletter focuses on actions we can and must take now, to protect our children. It sheds light on the effects climate change has on children and youth. But it also highlights ways our children and youth can become involved in climate action now and in...
Global Mission Fellows seeks creation care placement for young adults
Photo courtesy of Asti White The Global Mission Fellows Program is seeking a creation care project partner to serve as a two-year host to full-time Fellows in mission service between the ages of 20-30, and young adults to apply for the program. The US-2 track...
Creation Justice Resources for Children & Youth
A collection of stories, educational materials, and virtual experiences for engaging children and youth in caring for God's creation. Hear from United Methodist Earthkeepers working on making creation care fun and exciting for kids and families! If you know of any...
Partner with Girl Scout Tree Promise
Faith has been a part of Girl Scouting since Girl Scouts was founded in 1912. As part of the Girl Scout Promise, Girl Scouts pledge to serve God and to help people at all times. By partnering together, faith-based organizations and Girl Scouts build compassionate girl...
Disaster Preparedness
Disaster Preparedness and Response Stories From Annual Conferences
Disasters are daunting. Here are some stories from UMC Annual Conferences to offer guidance, examples, and inspiration for dealing with disasters. Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference Stepping Into the Challenge: Statement by Bishop McAlilly Desert Southwest...
UMCOR Disaster Responses
Featured Photo Credit: The Footprint Project Author: Rev. Jenny Phillips Senior Technical Advisor, Environmental Stability jphillips@umcmission.org UMCOR, the United Methodist Committee on Relief, is the humanitarian response arm of The United Methodist Church...
Emergency Communication Plan for Houses of Worship
Author: Mel Caraway Emergency Communication Plan for Houses of Worship Growing up as I did in New Orleans, we lived each year with the possibility of disasters, both hurricanes as well as flooding. As I moved around the Southern United States over the first 30+ years...
When Disaster Strikes, What Is the Church Doing?
Author: Christy Smith Many years ago, I heard a climate scientist say that “global warming” was too sweet, too gentle, too pleasant a term to be used to discuss the calamity already affecting the Earth. He lifted up, as an example, the horrendous experience of the...
Food Security
Community Gardens
Through the Kindness of Volunteers
By Karlah Y. Burton Meet Tiana Hargrove, Volunteer with the Community Garden at Saint Matthews UMC A rising senior at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University majoring in social work, Tiana began working with us in our community garden in February....
Regenerative Agriculture Advocacy Toolbox
The Backstory Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple featured a grumpy, disheveled sportswriter sharing a New York apartment with a sharp-dressed, cultured photographer. Humor and belly laughs abound in the clash of the neat-freak and the adult version of Charles Shultz’s...
Fall Blessings from the Creation Care Ministry and Community Garden of Saint Matthews UMC – Greensboro, NC
By Chairperson, Karlah Y. Burton, CNMT, BS, BA, North Carolina Earthkeeper So far in 2021 the Community Garden at Saint Matthews UMC in Greensboro, NC, has donated over 200 pounds of produce and flowers to Share the Harvest, Guilford County NC, Greensboro Urban...
May 2021 Creation Justice Update Newsletter
As we enter May, new possibilities and visions for our movement are being planted and nurtured. This newsletter shares the exciting news announced on Earth Day that a group of 11 United Methodist agencies have committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 through...
Gardening Stories From Across the UMC Connection
A collection of articles and videos Featuring Church Gardens Growing Good Food and Good Ministry, St. Matthews UMC, East Greensboro, NC https://umcreationjustice.org/growing-good-food-and-good-ministry/ Sanctuary for the City Video, Hamline Church, St. Paul, MN...
Saint Matthews’ Summer Garden 2021
Caption for photo at the top from left to right: E Albertina McGirt, Karlah Burton, Adrian Fleming (seated) Happy Summer! On behalf of the Creation Care Ministry (CCM) and Community Garden at Saint Matthews United Methodist Church (SMUMC) we are delighted to...
Agriculture
Take and Eat, Taste and See: Called to Loving Communion
Adapted from Timothy R. Eberhart, Rooted and Grounded in Love: Holy Communion for the Whole Creation, Wipf & Stock, 2017. A sower went out to sow wheat in central North Dakota. His farming operation, though twelve times larger than the 160-acre homestead his...
Food Security in Oaxaca, Mexico
A graduate student's essays on food security in Oaxaca, Mexico Kiera Lane is a second-year Master of Arts in Public Ministry student at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. Her concentrations are in both ecological regeneration and pastoral care and counseling....
Agriculture and Gardening Resources
Recommended Books The Art of the Commonplace: The Agrarian Essays of Wendell Berry by Wendell Berry Soil and Sacrament: A Spiritual Memoir of Food and Faith by Fred BahnsonThe Green Good News: Christ’s Path to Sustainable and Joyful Life by T. Wilson Dickinson Rooted...
Regenerative Agriculture Advocacy Toolbox
The Backstory Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple featured a grumpy, disheveled sportswriter sharing a New York apartment with a sharp-dressed, cultured photographer. Humor and belly laughs abound in the clash of the neat-freak and the adult version of Charles Shultz’s...
Global Stories
The Unjust Impacts of Climate Change
By Dr. Richard F. Gillum Children in countries least responsible for climate change face greatest losses from the impacts. Climate shocks continue to ravish vulnerable communities and nations around the world. For example, severe drought in the Horn of Africa,...
Food Security in Oaxaca, Mexico
A graduate student's essays on food security in Oaxaca, Mexico Kiera Lane is a second-year Master of Arts in Public Ministry student at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. Her concentrations are in both ecological regeneration and pastoral care and counseling....
Energy Efficiency, Buildings, and Human Movements Around the World
by Josh Richardson, photo from UM News Service As churches in the United States (US) continue to do the important work of reducing their energy consumption, faith communities and other environmental movements across the world can provide inspiration and guidance to...
October 2021 Creation Justice Update Newsletter
This October newsletter celebrates stories from across the Global United Methodist Connection. As we have just celebrated our community with Christians around the world through World Communion Sunday on October 3, take some time to reflect on the articles featured in...
Creation Justice in the Global United Methodist Church
Geoelectric survey conducted by FIEA in Rocafuerte region, Ecuador. PHOTO: FIEA – ECUADOR By Lizzy Case with Rev. Jenny Phillips, Senior Technical Advisor for Environmental Sustainability at United Methodist Global Ministries “Now there is a way of having light in our...
Young African Leadership Development Helps Young People Transform the World
Young African Leadership Development (YALD) is an international organization which undertakes activities with young African people to encourage the spirit of cooperation , development and mutuality assistance in the society. Founded in 2018 by young United Methodist...
Infrastructure
Just and Free! Fossil Free UMC
By Sharon DelgadoTo continue on the way of salvation, that is living in harmony with God, we should begin “by doing no harm, avoiding evil of every kind, especially that which is most generally practiced...”I am the convener of a group that is reviving and revisioning...
UMC Solar in Action
Here are some inspirational solar stories from across the connection. If you have a UMC solar story to share, please pass it along to umcreationjustice@gmail.com. Thanks!Hamline Church Green Team video about sustainable practices at Hamline Church United Methodist, St...
An Interfaith Solar Journey: Why YOU Need to Attend the October Movement Café
By Lou Stagnitto In Salem, Oregon, at First United Methodist Church, David Cox sat amongst familiar faces in his adult Sunday school class. Over the years, their discussions often gravitated towards the escalating climate emergency. While they regularly...
Individuals Can Make A Difference
By Andrew Hartley Following Jesus means loving God and loving others, and protecting the earth is all about love: For God, who created Earth as a beautiful masterpiece; and for people, who depend on Earth being clean and healthy. Knowing that, many people say...
Clean Energy Infrastructure Permitting
By Andrew Hartley The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 allocated billions of dollars to the deployment of clean energy infrastructure: solar and wind electrical generation, electrical vehicle charging stations, energy efficiency upgrades for buildings, and more....
Inflation Reduction Act and Churches
By Dawn Lewis Passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in August 2022 was great news for all engaged in Creation Care and concerned about the impacts of growing climate change. This act has the potential to help reduce America’s carbon emissions 40% by 2030. ...
Seasonal
Advent & Christmas
Joy to the World!
By David BeersI grew up “low Methodist,” meaning we sang Christmas carols during Advent. One of my favorite hymns to sing between Thanksgiving and Epiphany has been “Joy to the World.” Singing it is easy and fun, upbeat, and full of rejoicing. The title itself...
December 2021 Creation Justice Update Newsletter
This newsletter once again offers glimpses of how the Spirit is working in our denomination for healing and justice for God's Good Creation especially during this Advent and Christmas Season. We hope it gives you the courage you need to embody Hope, Peace, Joy and...
Opportunities to Support United Methodist Creation Justice efforts
Below is an incomplete list of Creation Justice related Advance Projects and Programs in the United Methodist Church that have been approved for financial support. Please contact us umcreationjustice@gmail.com if you have a project for us to add to the list. Advance...
Shop First for Your Values
By Crys Zinkiewicz Giving gifts is one of the five love languages. But, culturally, it has been enshrined as the premiere way to celebrate Christmas. As Christians, followers of the Christ, we live counter-culturally, keeping God’s gift of love central as best we can;...
The “Gift” of Christmas
An excerpt from Garbage Theology by Rev. Caleb Cray Haynes Have you ever noticed the cans of waste awaiting pick up on the first trash day after Christmas! Each December our landfills are overrun through the celebration of the birth of our Lord. How does any of this...
Advent and Christmas Worship and Devotional Resources
There are a number of beautiful resources for Advent and Christmas with Creation Justice themes. Here are just a few. Please share others you would recommend by sending them to umcreationjustice@gmail.com All Earth is Waiting: Good News for God’s Creation at Advent by...
Plastic-Free July
July 2021 Creation Justice Update Newsletter
Summer is in full swing and so is Plastic Free July! This month’s newsletter focuses on ways individuals and churches can reduce plastic consumption and waste. Feature in the July newsletter is a special edition of our Creation Justice Tips focused on going...
The Elephant in the Room
There has always been a close relationship between my faith and my responsibility to care for Earth. Maybe the connection flourished on those family camping trips or perhaps in elementary school or Brownie Scouts, but the idea of the earth as God’s gift to us and our...
Plastic Free July: One Church’s Plan Can Easily Be Yours
With relatively short notice and global help, West End UMC in Nashville put together their Plastic Free July (PFJ) plan. You can too. The global help has come from Australia, where eleven years ago one woman’s frustration with the plastic problem spawned a now...
Season of Creation
Wake Up, World! New Curriculum, New Opportunity
By Anita and Bob Dygert-Gearheart Is your church looking for a way to learn more about creation justice and the climate crisis? Is your church developing a green team? Wake Up World: A Curriculum on the Climate Crisis for Faith and Community Groups provides an...
Creating Eco-grief Focused Worship Experiences—worship and music videos from The Many based on the elements of Creation
The Many, a progressive, justice-focused Christian band, and its umbrella group Plural Guild had the opportunity to work with The BTS Center to put together a series of “Lament with Earth” events. These virtual experiences provided a sacred space to express grief for...
Song of the Earth Movement
While my introductory framing of the August 2022 newsletter was somewhat abstract and theoretical, there are real practical applications and ideas behind it that I’m also hoping will continue to take root across our Methodist connection. One of those is a...
Charge From the Land
Charge From the Land By Jacqueline Anderson I wrote this charge (or blessing) as one of three for the opening of the Center of Ecological Regeneration at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in the spring of 2022. I felt drawn to the invitation to write from...
September 2021 Creation Justice Update Newsletter
This month’s newsletter focuses on celebrating the Season of Creation, typically held in the month of September and ending on October 4 (the feast day of St. Francis) with a Blessing of the Animals. It highlights worship and liturgical resources for planning services....
North Carolina Annual Conference Shares Season of Creation Webinars
The North Carolina Annual Conference put together a series of webinars on the Season of Creation to engage United Methodists in the worldwide, month-long, ecumenical celebration of God’s creation. Scroll through these videos to find inspiration and encouragement to...