Month: January 2017

Office of Social Justice: Climate Witness Project

The Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRC/CRCNA) has been working for over a year to develop the Climate Witness Project (CWP), which is a campaign designed to walk with congregations as they learn about the realities of climate change. There are advocacy links, resources and action alerts for communities and congregations to learn about what the CWP is doing and engage in related work. So far, over 200 CRC members from 35 congregations in the U.S. and Canada have come together to learn, act, and advocate for a safer and more just world.

The CWP offers their support with coaching and resources when congregations are reaching out to legislators in order to build relationships to help improve climate related policies. The CWP has resources on how to incorporate creation care in worship services, a guide to reduce energy consumption, as well as other resources to combat climate change and help reach the goal of the 2015 Paris Agreement. You can learn more about the Climate Witness Project through the Office of Social Justice website (OSJ), or get involved in communicating with public officials about common sense climate policy that will benefit the earth, people around the world who are poor and vulnerable, and future generations.

Engaged Organizations: Caretakers of God’s Creation

Caretakers of God’s Creation is a grassroots community of the United Methodist Church General Board of Global Ministries. Part of their central belief is the scriptural and Wesleyan theology that the earth belongs to God, not us, and we are given the responsibility to be good stewards of it. The caretakers are on a mission to reveal God to others through creation and motivate people to act on behalf of environmental wholeness and justice. Their website shares more of who they are and what they’ve done.

The General Board of Global Ministries recently launched their new Earthkeeper Program (or brochure) where individuals can engage the movement to face ecological challenges in their congregations and communities. The caretakers share their stewardship stories and encourage others to share their story about protecting and caring for God’s creation. They also provide films, books, information about other faith-based environmental organizations and other resources about how to care for the earth on their website.

Caretakers of God’s Creation will be having their Annual Caring for God’s Creation Conference on April 28/29, which will be folded into the People’s Climate Movement March.

Fossil Free UMC

We are United Methodists who believe it is wrong to profit from wrecking God’s creation.

The Fossil Free United Methodist Church is on a mission to get the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits of The United Methodist Church to invest in clean energy companies. Their website highlights what they are doing in their congregations and potentially your congregation.

On their website you will find their strategy to educate, support and converse with individuals, congregations, the General Conference and the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits. They’ve posted blogs of what they’ve done and progress that they have made on their mission to clean energy. You will also find a webinar that you can schedule with your group along with other resources to support the fossil free mission. Fossil Free UMC addresses the effects of fossil fuel divestments but promotes the long term benefits of investing in fossil free energy on their legislation page.

For more information on the Fossil Free UMC movement, email them at fossilfreeumc@gmail.com. You can also join them during the Peoples March April 28/29 in Washington DC. More info coming soon here!