Hillcrest UMC Tree Planting
Cadence Cobb (left) and her mother, Megan Cobb, dig at Hillcrest United Methodist Church, Nashville, Tennessee. 75 volunteers from the congregation and the surrounding community planted 250 native trees as part of a Creation Care effort. (Photo by Kathryn Spry courtesy of ReThink Church)
Creation care along with justice has become central to our understanding of our faith commitment as United Methodists. People are increasingly feeling called to serve both in the church and in communities in ways that express this commitment. However, many struggle to find support in this calling. Securing a livelihood can often be a challenge. Moreover, people can feel isolated without institutional and organizational support.
The UM Creation Justice Movement is currently developing a project to support those who feel called to creation care. We are exploring ways that both the denomination as a whole and we as a network can help people realize their call.
It is unlikely that we will have the resources to provide direct funding or placements—but we hope we can help people identify funding and placements. We also hope to work with our Boards and Agencies and Annual Conferences to find ways to robustly support those who feel this vital calling. We hope to provide workshops and other resources. Finally, we hope to develop a community of care for those in this ministry and mission.
Calls to this ministry can take on a variety of forms throughout one’s life. Here are some of the ways this calling can take shape.
All of us in the church have a general call to creation care and justice. Some, though, see this as a form of intensive service and witness. Our initial focus will be on those whose primary work is this form of service. We would like to hear from you if you are engaged in or are exploring this primary call. Please email us at umcreationjustice@gmail.com.
We are in the early stages of developing this project; so we may not have immediate answers. However, it is our hope that this newly emerging project of the UM Creation Justice Movement will help many realize their call so we can all help God’s precious creation to flourish.
Daniel Joranko
Dr. Daniel Joranko
Dr. Daniel Joranko serves as a lecturer at Vanderbilt Divinity School in Nashville, Tenn., and chairs the Nashville area group of UM Creation Justice Movement. He can be reached at nashvillecreationcare@gmail.com. This post is republished with permission from the movement's February newsletter.