Song of the Earth Movement Begins

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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 proposal/blueprint for partnering with churches to become rooted in the land they’re on, bringing them to a place where they are able to incorporate the local ecological crises into their worship and discipleship practices. This is a project I developed working with Dr. Timothy Eberhart in the MA in Public Ministry program at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. I’d love to hear from you if you’re interested in exploring this further!

The foundation of my project, called Song of the Earth movement, is about infusing our liturgical practice with more ecological theology so that congregations are better connected with the land and that their Christian practice includes caring for creation locally, right where they are. This process would begin with doing some educational workshops that root people in the land—drawing on the knowledge of local indigenous teachers, climate scientists, and ecologists that know about the details of the hyperlocal crises that an ecological community is facing. The second part of the project involves a collective, collaborative workshopping process for rethinking worship in a time of ecocide. The end goal of this workshop and ensuing work would be to infuse our worship with that local ecological knowledge—leading into creative projects like writing new hymns or rewriting the words of hymns we know so they better reflect a creation justice mindset, or adding some specific petitions in our prayers about the issues our ecological community is facing and about God’s call to us to address those crises. Then, these creative pieces, as well their eco-theology and ecological knowledge, will become part of worship, not just in the spoken and sung but also in some practical and embodied elements like outdoor worship or hands-on restoration work.

My hope for the development of this project in churches would be that some portion of the congregation (perhaps a small group or youth ministry) would get really excited about this work and want to dig deeper, adding an ecological practice into their discipleship journeys. At that stage, my dream is to help guide these groups in the process of taking on more significant/substantial projects, like using a corner of their yard or of the church property for a community garden or working on improving the energy usage of the church with solar installation. The possibilities here are endless, but the idea is that the process of learning about the land, including its voice in our worship, and then making it a hands-on part of our discipleship practice would help more and more people make the connection between our faith and our call to work for climate justice. 

If this sounds interesting, I’d love to hear from you! kristina.sinks@garrett.edu

Kristina Sinks is a clergy candidate in the United Methodist Church, a recent graduate of Garrett-Evangelical Theology Seminary’s Master of Arts in Public Ministry program, and a member of The Many, a progressive worship and music collective based in Chicago. Her liturgical, academic, and musical work focuses on climate justice and LGBTQIA+ inclusion.