Image courtesy of journeyoftheuniverse.org
Mary Evelyn Tucker is a scholar at Yale University where she serves in both the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and the Divinity School. She and her husband, John Grim started the Forum on Religion and Ecology at Yale. Beyond this, her work has probed the intersection of religion and ecology.
For more information on Dr. Tucker, click here.
Image courtesy of letallcreationpraise.org
Let All Creation Praise is a website maintained by Nick Utphall a pastor in Madison, WI; Susan Zencka, a pastor in Stevens Point, WI; Alydia Smith, programing coordinator for the United Church of Canada; Leah Schade, a professor of preaching and worship at Lexington Theological Seminary (KY), and David Rhoads, director of Lutherans restoring Creation. The website has many resources for worship, and they are an advocate for supporting the Season of Creation which is an opportunity to add this season of four Sundays celebrating creation and the creator to the traditional church year.
You can connect to their website here or connect via facebook here.
Image courtesy of toledogrows.org
Toledo GROWs supports more than 125 community gardens by providing education, materials, volunteers, and tools to local community gardens, including faith-based community gardens. They also operate a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) available to local Toledo residents. In addition to the support they give to community gardens, they also offer workshops and programming to the larger Northwest Ohio community.
To learn more about Toledo GROWs click here.
Image courtesy of Sybil Lee via Faith Presbyterian Facebook Group
Faith Presbyterian is involved in many service and mission programs in Myrtle Beach where they are located. Their service work includes a community garden. They use the produce of this garden to support those who experience food insecurity in the Myrtle Beach area and to connect with God as creator. One of the ways that they share information about their community garden is through a Facebook page. Facebook pages or groups can be a great resource for faith communities who are beginning their own community gardens too.
To connect with Faith Presbyterian click here. To see their facebook group click here.
Image courtesy of asburyohio.org
The PIN Garden Ministry at Asbury United Methodist Church was started in 2007 to provide fresh produce to People In Need, a service organization in Delaware County. It is tended to by parishioners and intentionally includes children in the maintenance of the garden as a way to extend youth ministry into the outdoor classroom.
To learn more about the PIN Garden Ministry click here.
Image courtesy of irtfcleveland.org
The Cleveland based organization The InterReligious Task Force on Central America holds Environmental Human Rights as one of their primary issues. Throughout Central America, large companies are forcing native communities out of their land to exploit it for natural resources. This group works to fight against this attack which often results in negative consequences for the land and the people.
To access IRTF’s resources on Environmental Human Rights click here.
Image courtesy of irtfcleveland.org
The InterReligious Task Force on Central America (IRTF) was founded in Cleveland in the 1980s after four US women were killed in El Salvador. They gather across religious denominations and traditions to work for peace and justice in Central America. They expose the negative realities of globalization including the ecological destruction that has occurred in Central America. They advocate for human rights and in sponsoring fair trade they also support environmental stewardship.
In May 2019, they held two Food Action Forums, one on alternative food systems and another on alternative trade organizations.
To learn more about IRTF click here.
Image courtesy of factohio.org
A group of anti-fracking activists were meeting in northeast Ohio. Faith leaders at that meeting thought it would be beneficial to approach the issue of fracking from the perspective of faith. They have grown to now include members from 45 faith communities primarily in Ohio but West Virginia is also represented. They welcome anyone to join their organization regardless of background or faith. They work to provide education and advocacy materials on energy conservation and renewable energy for faith communities in Ohio. They also hold regular statewide meetings. Their website includes a blog that is regularly updated.
To be connected with FaCT click here.
Image courtesy of jhsph.edu
Started as an initiative of the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future. This organization connected with faith communities in attempts to improve food security and the food systems in the Maryland area. By connecting food to the ethics of faith, they offer many opportunities to reflect on one’s own earth stewardship.
To connect to the Baltimore Food and Faith Project including their resources from text studies, congregation toolkits, and gardening resources click here.
Training cohort from 2018. Image courtesy of mtso.edu
In May 2019 The Methodist Theological School in Ohio held a conference on sustainable food practices to fight poverty, hunger, and climate change. This conference was intended to support the education of faith leaders on current environmental issues led by Al Gore, Heber Brown III, and Aster Bekele.
To learn more about On Food and Faith click here.