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Creation Care Network E-news
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Dear friends,
This has been a whirlwind month!
I was excited to hear that the resolution “We Are Still In” passed unanimously at diocesan convention on October 28. Thank you to everyone who supported it! The resolution honors the Paris Climate Accord by asking us to do three things: make decisions of moral integrity in our energy choices; preach about climate change; and be bold in proclaiming the urgency of the climate crisis at the local, state, and federal levels. Shalom Kristanugraha, our Diocesan House intern, created a
7-minute video clip of the convention’s response to the resolution.
I relished watching it!
I had to miss this year’s diocesan convention because I was on a preaching trip to the Pacific Northwest. I preached about climate change in two cathedrals (Vancouver, B.C., and Seattle, WA), led a three-day retreat about climate change for Anglican clergy in British Columbia, and, in Seattle, spoke on a panel and led a retreat about spiritual resilience in a time of climate crisis. (The texts of my sermons are posted on my Website,
RevivingCreation.org
.)
I took a risk for the Jesus Movement. Inspired by our Presiding Bishop, Michael Curry, who led us in singing “This Little Light of Mine” during his recent sermon at Christ Church Cathedral, I sang “We Shall Not Be Moved” while preaching at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Seattle. That was a first.
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On Saturday, November 11, I will lead
a day-long retreat in North Andover on Christianity and Creation care
. At this special event Christians of many different denominations will gather to pray and reflect together on how our faith in Jesus gives us hope and strength as we address a changing climate and other challenges to our planet’s health. The retreat will be held at Rolling Ridge Retreat & Conference Center, which Boston Magazine just named one of the top seven retreat centers in New England! To register,
please visit here
. I hope to see you!
We have several opportunities this month to urge our Governor to take a bolder stance in addressing the climate crisis.
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I hope you will consider participating in one of the Reclaiming Our Future rallies in Northampton and Springfield. I plan to join the #StandUpCharlie event at the Boston State House on November 16. If you’d like to join me there, please be in touch.
I am still relishing the memory of St. Francis Day at Agape Community, “Listening to Native Voices: Standing Rock is Everywhere.” The event was attended by hundreds of people, including Chief Arvol Looking Horse of Standing Rock, other Native leaders and elders, and our own Bishop Doug Fisher. I wrote a blog post about what it was like to present an award to Chief Looking Horse and to lead a Christian ceremony of burning the Doctrine of Discovery. You can find the blog post
here
.
It’s not too late to celebrate the Season of Creation in your congregation! The season extends through the end of November. If you haven’t done so already, please take a look at our
Creation Season Webpages
, which are full of ideas for remembering and protecting the sacredness of the natural world.
Last of all, I heartily commend to you a book that I just finished reading, Kathleen Dean Moore’s
Great Tide Rising: Finding Clarity and Moral Courage to Confront Climate Change
. This book was just named a finalist for the Oregon Book Award in nonfiction. “In this probing and lyrical book, Moore reminds readers of the inter-relatedness of all living things through time, and she offers a clarion call to summon the moral courage to 'rage against the dying' of the Earth. An impassioned and well-reasoned cry for 'great rising tides of affirmation of justice and human decency and shared thriving.'” – Kirkus.
Amen to that!
Blessings,
(The Rev. Dr.) Margaret Bullitt-Jonas
Missioner for Creation Care
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Opportunities for Engagement
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Climate Action NOW, Arise for Social Justice, and Springfield Climate Justice Coalition have jointly organized a series of actions in Springfield and Northampton this November to urge Governor Charlie Baker to stand up against Trump's destructive environmental policies and implement an
executive order against building new fossil fuel infrastructure
. These direct action events are to be executed in tandem with actions in Boston. The timing of these actions intentionally coincide with the United Nations Climate Talks being held in Bonn, Germany. You can join their efforts:
- On Sunday, November 5, at 5:30 PM, for a march and rally with candles and banners from Northampton High School on Elm Street to City Hall.
- On Monday, November 6, from 12:15 to 12:45 PM, to stand out in front of Charlie Baker’s Office in Springfield and deliver a list of demands aiming to make Massachusetts a fossil fuel-free model for the country.
- (Provisionally) on Thursday, November 16, from 12:15 to 12:45 PM, to go back to Charlie Baker’s office on Dwight Street and demand a response if nothing has substantially occurred up until this date.
For more information, check out the Facebook event
here
.
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How can Christians wholeheartedly and boldly work out their environmental responsibility? What is required for the transformation of our hearts and minds to hear and act upon the call of earth and the poor? Join the Rev.
Margaret Bullitt-Jonas and fellow Christians across all denominations on November 11 at
Rolling Ridge Retreat and Conference Center, North Andover, for a day of learning and prayer focused around these questions. Registration is $48, and overnight accommodation is available upon inquiry. For more information and to register, visit
here
.
When:
Saturday, November 11, from 9.30am to 4.30pm
Where:
Rolling Ridge Retreat and Conference Center,
660 Great Pond Road, North Andover, MA 01845
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If you've missed the Sustainable House of Worship Workshop in Longmeadow last October, it is not too late! You can still join in with various faith leaders and learn about practical and actionable ways to decrease your congregation's carbon footprint (and save money all the while)--
two more workshops are coming up this month near the Boston area.
The locations and times are as follows:
Saturday November 11, 2017
8:30 am - 12:30 pm
United Parish of Brookline
210 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA 02446
Saturday, November 18, 2017
8:30 am - 12:30 pm
Edwards Church of Framingham
39 Edwards Street, Framingham, MA 01701
Two
attendees per house of worship
are encouraged to attend. Workshop fee is $20.
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LEARN
The River Cried, "Mni W'Coni!"
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Focus Locus, a project of Northampton Community Television, is hosting a screening of "The River Cried, 'Mni Wiconi!'" on November 14th. This short film presents the personal reflections of two water protectors, Jehann El-Bisi and Art Desmarais, on Standing Rock. It is "an invitation to explore some of the messages given by the Lakota people, as guiding principals, in an age of struggle for sustainability, environmental justice, and decolonization."
This film screening presents a great opportunity to learn about Standing Rock, the most influential environmental justice protest in the past decade, from a first-person point of view. Following the showing there will be Q and A with director Jehann El-Bisi. Free. The Facebook event can be found
here
. Check it out!
When:
November 14, from 7.00pm to 8.00pm
Where:
The Parlor Room, 32 Masonic St, Northampton, MA
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LEARN + ADVOCATE
How to Let Go of the World
(And Love All the Things Climate Can't Change)
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With the temperature dropping and days getting shorter, it is easy to get stuck in the blues--and even more so as news about natural disasters of unprecedented scope continue to roll in. In a climate rapidly changing, what remains?
This is the question that filmmaker Josh Fox, director of Gasland, asks in his newest documentary
How to Let Go of the World
. As he travels across 12 countries on 6 continents, investigating the impact of climate change and engaging with those among us who are most affected, Josh is driven to uncover the answer to a difficult and fundamental question: what is it that climate change can't destroy? What is it that we have deep within us that cannot be shaken, even if the worst consequences of climate change are unavoidable?
All in all, this is a film that is simultaneously sobering and exuberant, presenting honestly the reality of climate change as well as the heart that remains in us as human beings. You can more information about the film
here
. You can individually buy the movie through Amazon, ITunes, YouTube, xfinity, and other
online platforms.
If you are interested in hosting a screening at your church or local community, check out
this page
and
read the guide
.
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If you've enjoyed this newsletter, please feel free to forward to one or two friends you think may also be interested! Blessings.
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MBJ Photo credit: Tipper Gore, 2014
St. Mark's Cathedral (Seattle) Photo credit: Robert A. Jonas, 2017
Standing Rock Protest Photo credit: Leslie Peterson, 2016
Paris Climate Accord Protest Photo credit: Spencer Platt, 2017
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