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!
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Embracing Creation’s Call: Reflections from the Kootenai National Forest
Cover photo: Sunlight shines over the Kootenai River in the Kootenai National Forest. Photo by Rev. Ross JanovecBy Pastor Ross Janovec04/30/2026Living and ministering in Libby, Montana, nestled within the vast expanse of the Kootenai National Forest, has very much shaped my understanding of creation justice and the sacredness of our shared home. Here, the towering Tamarac, rushing rivers, majestic mountains, and expansive skies are not distant backdrops but intimate companions for the lived experience of my daily life and ministry. This deep...
May 2026 Movement Café: New Feast Day of Creation
May 2026 Movement Café New Feast Day of CreationMay 20, 2026 9am AK / 10am PT / 11am MT / 12pm CT / 1pm ETSponsored by the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement, the informal, virtual space of the Café facilitates conversation, connection, and community focused on creation care and justice issues.New Feast Day of Creation The Holy Spirit is bringing something new! On September 1st, the church celebrates a new holy day, the Feast of Creation! For United Methodist calendars, this day will be called Creation in Christ Sunday. This new holy...
May 2026 Creation Justice Tips: Loving Nature
Uncommon care for our common green spaces—national, state, city, neighborhood, and pocket parks, greenways, biking and hiking trails—each a patch of Eden, calling us to tend and keepfor all creatures for all time.May 2026 Immerse yourself in nature. Try forest bathing (using all your senses to connect to your environment), hiking, enjoying a park, hunting for waterfalls and wildflowers, going to a botanical garden or arboretum, getting out on the water in a sailboat, kayak, or canoe. Renew your commitment to care for the nature that renews...
Creation in Christ! Ecumenical and Methodist Resources for the Feast of Creation
New! Creation in Christ Sunday/Feast of Creation is coming to churches September 1, 2026. See “What Is a Feast Day? Questions and Answers About the New Feast of Creation.”A brand-new Christian feast day, the Feast of Creation, comes to the worldwide church this year on September 1st. This new feast day is the culmination of years of discernment across Christian traditions globally, starting in earnest in March at Assisi, Italy, in 2024. For United Methodists and denominations following the Revised Common Lectionary, this new holy day will be...
Creation in Christ Sunday and the New Feast of Creation
Find out more about the new holy day observance for the United Methodist Church, Creation in Christ Sunday / Feast of Creation! Celebration of the brand new world-wide Christian feast day begins on September 1st, 2026. What is a feast day? Church world is abuzz with stories about a new Feast Day for Creation. So, what is a feast day? A “feast day” is a special day on the yearly church worship calendar. For Christians, feast days are holy days. These are days to praise God with special emphasis on events of the scriptures and the life of the...
Save on Your Energy Bill With a Phone Call
We would like to introduce a quick way to check your energy bills that might immediately help you save thousands of dollars. This comes from the Green Team at Mountain View UMC in Boulder. They were able to help Lafayette UMC in Colorado save more than $5000/year simply by making a phone call to their electrical utility. NOTE: We know that across the four states of our conference, there are multiple utilities to deal with. We have learned this simple savings from our work with XCEL Energy. We believe that this is available through other...
If the Ocean Has a Soul: Review
by Rev. Richenda Fairhurst There was so much to love about this book. Perhaps, though, I have to start with the stories. Rachel G. Jordan has a gift for sharing the insights and wisdom of her Christian faith alongside her true-life experiences as a marine biologist studying coral ecosystems and coral preservation. Each story she offers is both a faithful reflection and vibrant case study of God’s perfect cosmos. For Rachel, as a Christian and a scientist, the glory of God is reflected in every underwater inch of the creation, in every fist of...
The Nest You Leave Behind
By Dottie Yunger Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths (Psalm 148:7)There is a moment in the life of a sea turtle that feels, at first, like absence. She leaves the sea and comes ashore—awkwardly, heavily, out of the element that usually holds her. She searches, tests the ground, and finally begins to dig. It is not a graceful process. It is slow, deliberate, and exposed. And then, when the nest is ready, she lays her eggs. As they drop, she catches them in her hind flippers. One after...
New Creation: An Easter Reflection
By Sharon Delgado This post includes an excerpt from “Creation Crucified: The Passion of the Earth,” which is Chapter 4 of Sharon’s book, The Cross in the Midst of Creation “In the midst of suffering and death— be it individual, social, or ecological— the promise given to the Earth community is that life in God will reign. So speaks the resurrection.” — Cynthia Moe- Lobeda, “A Theology of the Cross for the Uncreators”Amid today’s threats to democracy, rule by corporations and plutocrats, escalating violence, economic suffering, environmental...
Clean Water/Clean Heart
By Gregory Waldrop Why do we call our planet Earth; most observers would look at its 75% fluid make-up and name it, more appropriately, Water! As the Creation stories suggest and evolution theorizes, when water arrives and finds its place in our world, life abounds. Once water shows itself, life happens full force. In our faith life, new life shown in baptismal waters requires everything water provides—cleansing, support, refreshment, nourishment, relief, adventure. Water makes life and holy water makes life new. Where in your...
Creation Care Sermon from Rev. Suzanne Calhoun in Cal-Nevada
“Broken Creation Care”From Broken Together Lenten Sermon Series by Rev. Suzanne Calhoun, Nevada City United Methodist ChurchCalifornia-Nevada Annual ConferencePreached March 8, 2026Scripture: Genesis 1:1-2:3Video available on YouTube ChannelNCUMC Church @nevadacitymethodistchurchAs we come to the place of broken creation care in our series, we are moving this week from the ways that we personally are broken, the ways that community is broken, to the ways that certain things about the world that we share globally are broken. And I thought that...
April 2026 Movement Café: Marine Ministry ~ Oceans and Discipleship
April 2026 Movement Café Marine Ministry: Oceans and DiscipleshipMarine EcotheologyApril 15, 2026 9am AK / 10am PT / 11am MT / 12pm CT / 1pm ETSponsored by the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement, the informal, virtual space of the Café facilitates conversation, connection, and community focused on creation care and justice issues.Marine Ministry: Oceans and DiscipleshipMarine Ecotheology The April Cafe will celebrate Marine Ministry: Oceans and Discipleship featuring Rev. Logan Jackson with Marine Ecotheology, Rev. Dottie Yunger...
April 2026 Tips: Sacred Waters
April showers bring May flowers. That little capsule of truth reminds us how interconnected we are, which is especially true related to water. What we do matters.April 2026 Through the waters of baptism, we are reminded of God’s renewing grace and gift of water that literally keeps us alive. Working to keep water safe, clean, and available to all is a sacred trust. Check out your own water usage with this tool at watercalculator.org, which also gives practical tips for reducing use. Drought is increasingly affecting all of us. Treat water as...
March 2026 Newsletter
March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb, so the common proverb goes. It is a proverb built as many proverbs are, around the natural cycles of things. It is a proverb that resonates for the church calendar this year, also, as Palm Sunday and Passion Week bring the Lamb into Jerusalem in readiness for Easter. This month’s newsletter includes this Lenten offering from the Creation Justice Task Force of the California Nevada Conference. Additionally, we encourage you to attend to the action alerts, pray for the sojourner and the...
Funding and Training: Two Ingredients for Progress
Granting Funds for Local Projects With a mission statement that guides us to “equip, empower, connect, and support God’s people as they respond to the sacred calling of creation care,” the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference Creation Care Ministry Team decided in early 2024 that “support” also needed to include funding. We developed a system that enables local churches to apply for grants up to $500 to assist them with projects, such as Food security and safety (e.g. installing an in-ground or raised bed garden, distributing food,...
Get Dug-in. Garden Growing with Noah Curtis
“Just being around plants is good for you.”—Noah Curtis Noah Curtis got dug-in to the garden from about four years old. His first experiences with fresh-growing produce came as a child helping his father tend the family garden. By junior high school he had claimed some of that family garden as his own, and by 24, he started his own farmstand business, encouraging people to get dug-in to their own gardens, and share that so-good produce with their neighbors. “When I was a kid, I was always outdoors,” says Curtis. “I was really into reptiles...
Delving Into Ethical Questions Related to Climate Change: Texas Impact “Changing by Choice”
“If we know how to address the climate crisis, why do we fail to act?” is not a scientific question, but an ethical one. But it might be the key to unlocking the potential of humankind to finally address this multigenerational scientific challenge. Texas Impact announces a new study resource for people of faith who want to go deeper in conversation with others about climate change. “Changing by Choice” is a series of five videos with prepared discussion guides to guide a conversation about climate change as a matter of faith. In preparation...
March 2026 Movement Café: Church Gardens and Land Stewardship
March 2026 Movement Café: Church Gardens as Land StewardshipMarch 18, 2026 9am AK / 10am PT / 11am MT / 12pm CT / 1pm ETSponsored by the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement, the informal, virtual space of the Café facilitates conversation, connection, and community focused on creation care and justice issues.Land Stewardship Join us in March for a Movement Café focusing on church gardens as land stewardship. Presenters in the Kentucky Conference, Western North Carolina Conference, and Northern Illinois will talk about about...
Hope Harvest: Sowing Community and Feeding Families in Central Appalachia
Cover: Conference leaders and members tending to the community garden. Located in Big Creek, Kentucky, the Central Appalachian Missionary Conference seeks to bring hope to rural Appalachian communities. CAMC’s Hope Harvest Initiative is one of the conference’s most tangible expressions of its mission to serve Christ by serving others, addressing hunger while nurturing community and stewardship across the region. Hope Harvest brings communities together through food distribution, sustainable gardening projects, and educational outreach rooted...
March 2026 Tips: Marching Onward
March holds us in the clutches of winter while spring beckons us to what’s new—including ways of living our covenant as stewards of creation. Move to a new level of appreciation of and care for Earth.March 2026 Plan for April’s Earth Day/Month. Consider visiting local environmental centers or setting up a resource fair with handouts, seedlings, samples, and crafts such as making seed balls or mobiles from nature items. Look for a service-to-Earth project, such as trail or invasives clearing. Hold an outside worship service with liturgy on the...
February 2026 Newsletter
Greetings, Beloved. It has been quite a month. Between ice storms and ICE swarms, among other complications, we are all quite a bit disoriented and distraught. Nevertheless the work to further love and justice in the world proceeds because we are doing it together! When one of us loses power or is overwhelmed by grief or violence, others step in to offer support and take up the work. Together we find clarity of purpose and courage to act. This newsletter is no different. With stories and resources from across our United Methodist Connection,...
Green Team Starter Kit Giveaways
By Rev. Anna Blinn Cole On the latest Green Team Zoom call, I shared a project we have piloted in Upper New York. Funded by a grant from Peace With Justice, we put together 100 Green Team Starter Kits to hand out for free at our 2025 annual conference. As we gave the kit, people left their emails from which we grew a conference-wide Creation Justice enews list. The kits contained helpful items for churches that want to begin engaging with creation justice. I'm including here the items we listed, a picture of the kit laid out on our...
Growing in Faithful Creation Care: Reflections and Stories from Our Church Community
(pictured above from left to right: Johnna Kosnoff, Mark O’Brate, Marilyn O’Brate, Jamie Long, Mary Beth Miller, Dane Evans, Chrissy Britton, Juli Ragan)First United Methodist Church Bentonville, ArkansasJohnna Kosnoff, Certified Lay Minister and Community Development CoordinatorWhen our Creation Care Team first gathered in August 2023, we began with three simple yet formidable goals: to educate ourselves about the wide-ranging impacts of climate change, to help our congregation live more sustainably, and to share what we learned with our...
2026 Jurisdictional Updates
Annual Conference leaders are making use of the UMC jurisdictional structure in the US to deepen connections, share resources and further the work of Creation Justice. Here are details for upcoming meetings. Jurisdictional groups are also available in the Global Ministries Creation Care Network. Church and Society Advisory Team Charts Path Toward 2026 Jurisdictional Gatherings for Justice and Peace:United Methodist who care about Creation Justice have been encouraged to partner with these leaders to help plan these exciting regional...
A Not-to-Be Missed Opportunity—Meet With Your Bishop About Creation Justice 2026 Update
by Karen McElfishCo-Coordinator, Annual Conference Organizing Team In this time of growing environmental and human rights urgency, we the people called United Methodists are rallying to work for creation justice, from the grassroots level to throughout the denomination. This work will require all of us, including our bishops. How do we begin to engage our bishops with us? The Coordinating Team of the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement, with love and hope for people and creation, gathered to write an Open Letter to The United...
February 2026 Movement Café: Conference Summits: Engaging Bishops and Church Leadership
February 2026 Movement Café: Conference Summits: Engaging Bishops and Church LeadershipFebruary 18, 2026 9am AK / 10am PT / 11am MT / 12pm CT / 1pm ETSponsored by the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement, the informal, virtual space of the Café facilitates conversation, connection, and community focused on creation care and justice issues.Engaging Bishops A number of conference green teams have been successfully building relationships with their resident bishops, and organizing conference-wide summits and other gatherings in their...
Black Earth Wisdom – Book Discussion
Leah Penniman (all pronouns) is a Black Kreyol farmer, mother, soil nerd, author, and food justice activist from Soul Fire Farm in Grafton, NY. She co-founded Soul Fire Farm in 2010 with the mission to end racism in the food system and reclaim our ancestral connection to land.The Global Ministries Environmental Sustainability program invites you to participate in a six-week book discussion on Leah Penniman’s book Black Earth Wisdom: Soulful Conversations with Black Environmentalists. The book is “a soulful collection of illuminating essays...
Bishop’s Climate Summit: For Such a Time as This…
Register here for The Bishop’s Climate Summit, April 18th gathering at Maple Springs United Methodist Church, 2569 Reynolda Road, Winston-Salem, NC 27106. Workshops on April 18th Learn more about the nine workshops and presenters who will be sharing during the Bishop's Climate Summit! After the Summit Ongoing resources and support will be available from the WNCC Creation Care Ministry Team to help congregations take next steps throughout 2026 and beyond.The Western North Carolina Annual Conference presents a one-day event on Saturday, April...
February 2026 Tips: ‘Tis a Gift to Be Simple
“ ‘Tis a Gift to Be Simple ‘Tis a Gift to Be Free…” These 10 simple changes will ultimately free up your life and help save Earth. This month’s Tips come from a teacherof environmental science classesfor 13 years. Now retired, she continues to share tips,for the love of God.February 2026 Heating our water consumes much energy. Consider these simple changes to reduce the cost to Earth (and yourself): Turn your water heater down to 120 degrees, purchase a new Energy Star water heater, install the tank in an enclosed space, or add a water...
Love in a Time of Climate Change: A Review
by Rev. Richenda Fairhurst Book Title: Love in a Time of Climate Change, RevisedPublisher: Fortress PressAvailable: January 13, 2026From the Publisher: In the revised edition of Love in a Time of Climate Change, Sharon Delgado offers hope amid the urgency and magnitude of the rapidly advancing climate emergency. Delgado guides readers on a faith journey inspired by love of God and neighbor, equipping them to respond to the climate emergency that wreaks havoc on humanity, especially the poor; threatens future generations; and devastates...