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 ecumenical tool for education and motivation of the adult laity of faith groups, including green teams. Using it is an opportunity to bring your group together, move members to a common understanding, and motivate meaningful action.
As the developers, we believe that, as people better understand the existential crisis of these times, many will want to take actions that will impact and avert the worst consequences of the climate crisis. Social change research has shown that creating grassroots understanding and action is critical to success. This curriculum is an attempt to aid in that creation. Faith groups represent a large part of humanity; often have adult study programs, places to meet, people who can talk to and learn from one another; and spiritual teachings that call for the care of creation and for justice.
The anticipated participant outcomes of studying this curriculum are:
- A foundational understanding of what most of today’s climate scientists agree is happening to our world
- A greater ability to critically evaluate information on the climate crisis and related justice issues
- A deepened understanding of the breadth of the problem and the breadth of opportunity for action
- An enhanced ability to talk with others about the climate crisis
- An understanding of how our faith impacts this existential moment
- A desire to join others in taking action
The curriculum is introductory in nature. Given the complexity and interrelatedness of many environmental and social problems, as well as the complexity of the physical world, we have tried to simplify for a broad understanding of the situation. We hope participants will find what awakens their hearts and go on to learn more and join others in action.
An overview of the six classes:
- The introduction lays the groundwork for understanding the curriculum.
- Class One draws from the Bible, the Social Principles of The United Methodist Church, and letters from faith leaders of the UMC to lay a foundation for why people of faith are called to care for creation.
- Class Two explores how we have gotten to this point in history and what the current scientific understandings of the crisis are.
- Class Three looks how our lives intersect with the climate crisis and how our daily choices can make a difference.
- Class Four explores how justice is connected to the climate crisis.
- Class Five examines the roles and responsibilities of societal groups (the United Nations, governments, non-governmental organizations (NGO’s), corporations, businesses, organizations, agencies, and churches) in saving creation.
- Class Six identifies sources of hope and how each of us can move to action.
Each class includes learning objectives, videos, opportunities for discussion and sharing, and concludes with creation care tips.
Facilitators for this curriculum need no expertise in climate science. All materials are provided. Each class can be conducted in 1 to 2 hours, depending on the amount of study and preview between classes.
We wrote this curriculum as our gift to creation. It is free of charge. Currently, you can access all class materials at www.wakeupworld.earth. You can contact us at adygertgearheart@hotmail.com if you have questions or need help with the facilitation. We are also available to do introductory talks via Zoom or, in some cases, in person.
Bob and Anita Dygert-Gearheart have retired from pastoral ministry and social work, respectively, and as UM EarthKeepers have found a new passion and ministry helping the world wake up.