Wealth of Opportunities for Creation Care

Crisis Watch March 3, 2021

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A United Methodist Insight Column

The global climate crisis poses the greatest challenge to humanity’s survival in millennia. Around 95 percent of the world’s scientists agree that the climate crisis is real and that human activity, such as burning fossil fuels, has caused the critical environmental threat.

This reality caused me nearly two years ago now to enter United Methodist Insight in the Covering Climate Now journalism project organized by the Columbia Journalism Review and The Nation in association with The Guardian. In addition to getting access to increasingly enhanced worldwide stories on the crisis, we’ve benefited from CCNow’s weekly newsletter, The Climate Beat.

This week’s issue of The Climate Beat newsletter brought especially sobering news, which I am quoting verbatim because of its significance:

“An ocean-sized reminder of the climate emergency

“March 3, 2021

“Laypersons call it the Gulf Stream. It’s the current of relatively warm ocean water that flows from the Gulf of Mexico across the Atlantic ocean to Europe. And it’s a big part of why the British Isles and the rest of Europe enjoy the temperate climates they do, even though their land masses are as far north as icy Newfoundland, Canada. Without the Gulf Stream, it’s questionable whether northern Europe would ever have supported as many human inhabitants as it does.

“This week, The Guardian, CBS News, and other Covering Climate Now partners reported that the Gulf Stream—or, as it’s technically known, the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation—is the weakest it’s been in more than a millennium, with climate change the likely cause. The Gulf Stream could weaken even further, experts say, if humanity fails to counter global heating by reigning in emissions. Such additional weakening will lead to punishing extreme weather in Europe and worsening sea level rise on the US East Coast. Decades down the line, it could even lead to a 'tipping point' that tosses global weather systems into chaos.

“But climate breakdown like this is not a foregone conclusion. As CBS’s Jeff Berardelli writes, ‘The decisions we make now in terms of how quickly we transition away from fossil fuels will determine the outcome.’”

I'm pleased to report that United Methodists are leading faith-based efforts to respond to climate emergencies through advocacy and to climate care through training and tending. The latest newsletter from UM Creation Justice Movement brought a wealth of opportunities for United Methodist individuals and congregations to join in the effort to save Earth from climate disaster.

Topping the list of opportunities is the return of online training for the EarthKeepers program sponsored by the General Board of Global Ministries May 7-22. EarthKeepers offers one of the best expressions of United Methodism’s mission for Jesus’ disciples to transform the world. Here’s UM Creation Justice’s description:

“Global Ministries seeks U.S.-based United Methodists to lead grassroots environmental projects that are action-oriented, anti-racist, bold and entrepreneurial. Global Ministries EarthKeepers is a training program that equips US-based United Methodists to launch and grow environmental projects in their communities. Topics include eco-theology, anti-racism, community organizing, and project planning. All participants plan a project during the training. More Details and Application Information Here.

“This will be the second online Global Ministries EarthKeepers training and the 11th training since the program began in 2016. Participation is limited to people who are actively involved in United Methodist churches in the United States. Application Closes: April 12, 2021 or when spaces are filled.”

United Methodist Women’s Just Energy for All campaign ranks with EarthKeepers as another top response to the climate crisis. The second and third sessions of a three-part webinar series, “Just Energy for All 101,” take place on March 8 and March 22, 2021 at 3 pm ET. A recording of the first session held Feb. 22 is available to those who register, and the series is open to everyone, not only UMW members. The UMW website says: “These 90-minute webinars will include presentations, breakout sessions, and opportunities to connect with other UMW members and people of faith. You don’t need to be a United Methodist Women member to join us—all are welcome! Register here.”

Climate advocates also can join United Methodist Women every third Wednesday of the month at 3 pm ET for “Just Energy for All Monthly Strategy and Capacity Building Sessions.” Says the description: “These monthly 90-minute sessions are intended to provide an opportunity to network, share best practices, and support United Methodists in advancing just energy for all at the local, state and national levels. The format will vary from month to month and may include various speakers, capacity-building, peer-coaching, breakout groups by themes/region and updates from the National Office. Again, participants don’t need to be a United Methodist Women member to join us—all are welcome! Register here.”

There are also ecumenical efforts with Christians of other denominations to care for creation. Climate Justice Ministries, an independent group that began in 1983 in the National Council of Churches, will hold an important webinar, “Climate Justice on Sacred Ground – The Role of Church Lands in Resilience and Adaptation,” on Thursday, March 25, 6-7 pm ET. The webinar will focus on how faith communities both must react to the climate crisis and prepare for its effects on church property and ministries. Says the newsletter: “Whether a church community has a large facility, land, social capital, or something else, those assets can be channeled into building climate resilience in preparation for the coming physical and spiritual storms of the climate crisis. Previous webinars from this series and other resiliency resources available at www.creationjustice.org/resilience.” Register Here.

The biggest public policy event this spring will be Ecumenical Advocacy Days April 18-21, 2021. Historically held in Washington, D.C. for face-to-face meetings on Capitol Hill, the event has moved to a virtual format because of the coronavirus pandemic. This year’s theme for the annual gathering of Christian activists is “Imagine! God's Earth and People Restored.” Registration details will be announced soon. In the meantime, more details can be found here.

United Methodist Women and the National Religious Partnership for the Environment also are organizing virtual visits to Capitol Hill to urge Congress to make climate justice a top priority. Sign up to receive updates from United Methodist Women “about this and other opportunities to get involved in advancing climate justice and just energy for all,” says the UM Creation Justice newsletter.

For pastors who need a post-Easter preaching break, the General Board of Global Ministries offers Earth Day Sunday worship resources for use in April, including video recordings of scripture reading, litany, and a sermon from Rev. Jenny Phillips on Luke 24:36b-48. Materials will be available at this link later in March.

For those who’d like a deep academic dive into climate issues, consider the free 8-week online course called "God, Country, and Climate Change: A Christian Perspective on a Global Problem" offered by Houghton College. The course, to be taught by Climate Caretakers' founder Brian Webb, will feature guest lectures from top global experts. The course runs March 17 – May 5 and will include topics such as creation care and climate theology, climate science and solutions, climate change in the American mind, and the context for global climate action. Visit www.houghton.edu/climate-course to learn more or to register for the free webinar.

To keep up with the latest developments in creation care, check out these resources from the UM Creation Justice newsletter:

  • “The UM Creation Justice Movement has a YouTube Channel. Visit it to find a collection of videos from recent webinars, past Creation Justice Summits, and more!
  • “Join the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement Facebook Group. Share articles, resources, events, and read what others are sharing.
  • “Join the Global Ministries Creation Care Network at creationcare.umcmission.org.”

Please keep those masks on, friends

I live in Texas, where Gov. Greg Abbott has just lifted the statewide coronavirus mask mandate and declared all businesses can operate at full capacity, to the horror of all who fear the deadly COVID-19 plague. The governor of Mississippi has made a similar declaration that public health experts everywhere are denouncing vigorously. With the nationwide death toll well above the 500,000-mark, we are nowhere near ready to drop the protocols that have begun to decrease the infection spread.

Much secular journalism on coronavirus re-opening has the public seesawing between optimism and skepticism, but United Methodist leaders are adamant: until public health figures show significant improvement in the numbers of infected cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, our churches are well advised to avoid in-person gatherings and to maintain strict regimens of wearing masks, physical distancing and handwashing/sanitizing.

Another of UM Insight’s regular resources, Jonathan Allsop who writes Columbia Journalism Review’s The Media Today newsletter, gives what I think is good counsel not only for journalists but for anyone making decisions about coronavirus protocols: “We need constantly to interrogate how our baselines have shifted—not just in terms of what we consider to be high numbers of cases and deaths, but also in more positive contexts. … The best thing we can do to guard against whiplash is to situate optimism and pessimism not as contrasting poles of a coverage debate, but compatible—indeed, unavoidable—facets of this same everything story we’re all still living.”

Allsop noted that President Biden, in announcing the new one-shot vaccine Johnson & Johnson, tempered the good news with a caution: “This fight is far from over.” I sincerely wish Texas Gov. Abbott understood that reality. Even though I’ve had both COVID-19 vaccinations now, I intend to continue masking, distancing and sanitizing for the sake of others not yet protected.

Texas congregation aids flooded mosque

In today’s last environmental note, let’s hear it for First United Methodist Church of Denton, Texas, a small city about half an hour north of Dallas, which has raised some $55,000 to help the Denton Islamic Society repair its building after freezing pipes caused catastrophic flooding Feb. 13, according to  the Denton Record-Chronicle.

Faraz Qureshi, the president of the board of the Islamic Society of Denton and a lifelong member, told the Chronicle, "David Smith, from First United Methodist Church of Denton, asked his sister-in-law, who is on our board, if he could start a GoFundMe. We were dealing with the damage and discussed it in a Zoom meeting. We decided to accept the help and we're very grateful."

The Rev. Jonathan Perry, FUMC’s executive pastor, told the Chronicle that his church has a “longstanding friendship with the Islamic Society of Denton.” The newspaper quotes him: "We've been there for each other at important times and have built some good relationships and friendships between our congregations."

May other faith communities everywhere follow the Denton folks’ good example in future crises.

Media Mentions as of March 3, 2021

Brook Community Meals serving more than 300 meals a week during pandemic – Newsbug.info

What I learned by listening to women pastors during the pandemic – Baptist News Global

Conservative United Methodists announce new name, logo, website for planned denomination – Religion News Service

QAnon and conspiracy theories are taking hold in churches. Pastors are fighting back – Los Angeles Times *

Dozens of houses of worship, one DC street, a nine-year photo project – Religion News Service

South Carolina shows where the anti-abortion movement is headed – The New York Times *

* Paid subscription required.

Cynthia B. Astle serves as Editor of United Methodist Insight, which she founded in 2011.