by Richenda Fairhurst
In the meeting tent, outside the veil that hangs in front of the covenant document, Aaron and his sons will tend the lamp from evening to morning in the Lord’s presence. It will be a permanent regulation for the Israelites in every generation.
Exodus 27:20-21
From its beginning, Methodism has been about how to be in the world, but not of the world. The endeavor for Wesley meant reaching as many people as possible with a message of salvation—that we as humans are so beloved by God, that God reaches for us, that God is even now in front of us, and that by the work of salvation—not just humanity, but all of creation—is saved.
As Wesley wrestled with what the work of salvation looked like, a concept rose up, that of “social holiness.” Wesley understood that something happened “when two or three are gathered” that invited the Holy Spirit. This invitation was a sacred thing, a holiness rising up, and a transformation that changed believers and put them on the path of sanctification.
For Wesley, signs that rose from the work of social holiness included care of neighbor, stewardship of creation, and a demonstrated, ready response to grace. Today, as we look at the environment, we revisit this teaching. In a time of climate change, many United Methodists seek to better understand what the outward sign of an inward grace looks like now.
Or, in reflective terms, what does it mean to “tend the lamp” in our churches today?
Pastor Ian urriola is one of those grappling with these questions.
Pastor Ian Urriola was raised in The United Methodist Church. Unlike many young people, Pastor Urriola stayed in the denomination, soaking up its teachings of social holiness and following a call to ordained ministry. He has served as a youth minister and a chaplain and is now Associate Pastor of Burnt Hills UMC in the Upper New York Annual Conference.
Pastor Urriola has also been to General Conference three times. He served as a reserve delegate in 2016, then as a young adult delegate for both the 2019 and delayed 2024 General Conference. And in serving in 2024 as a delegate, Urriola didn’t just vote on the various petitions submitted from across the denomination, he wrote a number of them. His petitions include two that encourage yearly emissions auditing by trustees for local church properties, as well as legislation that draws in the best of the Green New Deal type efforts to encourage United Methodists to mobilize for a green and equitable energy economy.
Pastor Ian Urriola authored two General Conference Petitions
Many people come to climate justice work from their love of the natural world and often a deep connection with wild lands and spaces. Pastor Urriola came to the work a little differently. His effort is grounded in the Great Commandments: to love your God with all your being and love your neighbor as yourself.
When Pastor Urriola speaks of climate advocacy, he speaks of two things: God and people. He speaks of the commandment in Genesis, that humans shall be stewards. And he speaks of the lives of people all over the world, especially the vulnerable, who are suffering because of the consequences of climate change.
“One of the first directives that God gives humanity about the new creation in the book of Genesis is, ‘I have given you this creation, and it is your job to steward it for me. Steward it and take care of it, not to exploit it for your own purposes,’” Pastor Urriola explains. “Another element is especially thinking about the poor among us. It’s always going to be the poor among us who are most disproportionately impacted.”
Pastor Urriola sees this work as essentially about people caring about what happens to other people. He gained this perspective in church. “My upbringing in the church instilled in me these values of caring for others,” he says. He credits John Wesley’s views on Social Holiness and Bonhoeffer’s Sanctorum Communio in offering him deeper theological reflection about Christ in human connection.
Whether he is connecting with a friend, or “someone living on the other side of the planet, I’m connected to that person. And though I don’t know their name, though they don’t know my name, I have a responsibility with the Christ that stands between me and them,” he explains, “and that’s something that haunts me, and so that’s what compels me to move forward.”
He grounds these high theological ideals deep into the practical matters of church life: local church property and a green energy transition.
He hopes the effort to achieve net zero will give a boost to local people grappling with big changes. He hopes it becomes a tool in the toolkit for local churches, green teams, and trustees.
“We’re going to do this from the bottom up, rather than the top down,” he says. He refers to a decision-making practice of the Haudenosaunee people, “We’re not going to decide on something unless we are aware of and sure that it’s going to be a benefit for our people seven generations down the line. It’s not my kids, it’s not my grandkids, but my great, great, great, great, great grandkids. Think about those people, because they’re going to inherit the world that we leave them.”
He hopes United Methodists will mobilize. Imagine United Methodists on fire with social holiness engaging a green transition in community! As Pastor Urriola sees human connection as a vital part of faith, and so, correspondingly, he sees connectionalism as a strength within Methodism.
He explains, “What I really love about our polity and our denomination is our connectional structure coming from our core governing beliefs that no individual, no one of us, no single pastor, no single disciple, no single congregation, no single annual conference can do this work on their own; but when we all come together and remain connected, that is when we can do amazing, radical things through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
This fire of social holiness is already at work across annual conferences from coast to coast.
One story rises from Federal Way UMC, a local church in the Pacific Northwest Conference that recently received a grant award for $872,000. That amount—$872,000—is a huge grant for a local church and evidence of the kind of support available for local churches seeking energy equity and community ministry.
Ann Mayer, a UM EarthKeeper and lay leader at Federal Way UMC, shares that she is “passionate about working toward healing our relationship with the earth.” Her story of how her local church was able to achieve that grant is all about initiative and connection.
The idea sparked when a nearby church went solar. From there she gathered a team. When the project got big, she brought in reinforcements including conference staff and energy experts at other local churches. The project now includes solar and batteries, so the church can serve as a resilience center, and “hopefully it will connect us more with the community,” Mayer says.
“The battery storage will allow us to continue to have heating and cooling when the power goes out,” Mayer explains. “This project will help with community resilience by allowing the church to act as a warming or cooling station in times of extreme heat or cold.” Team members are excited and continue to wrap their heads around the scope of the project.
“In all,” says Mayer, “I hope this will help us be better stewards of God’s creation and nudge us to do even more.”
Read more and reflect on the path to net zero in The United Methodist Church in the Net Zero Study Guide.
Rev. Richenda Fairhurst is here for the friendship and conversations about climate, community, and connection. For more conversations, see the team at the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement Cafe. Find Richenda in Southern Oregon and at JustCreation.org.