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May 9, 2024
Dear friends,
As the spring continues to burst forth here in Southern Maine, the world feels alive with the abundance of birdsong and blooms. After the long winter, the color and (almost) warmth feels like a gift. We drink it all in eagerly. And yet, we know that the more-than-human world is not only for our consumption, and that we must cultivate a relationship of reciprocity with this place in which we live. We hold the rampant suffering of the world — where the latest news from climate science indicates that we are pushing past 1.5 degrees of warming, and where war is taking innocent lives and brutalizing humans, the earth, and all beings — even as we revel in the joy of spring. To love the beauty of the world while not turning away from the profound pain and loss — we must hold each other in community as we practice this stance.
In the programs and gatherings we offer, we seek to cultivate that spirit of reciprocity. As we offer resources and spaces for connection, we learn from each of you and the ways in which you integrate what you receive in our programming in your own communities and contexts. We love seeing the ripples of the work we do as you interpret it as your own — and we love how the work you are doing sparks our own imaginations! In that spirit, as we move into spring and summer, we hope to see you in one or more of our upcoming programs.
In just two weeks, on Wednesday, May 22, we'll be offering a public conversation with renowned climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe, author of Saving Us: A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World. We hope you'll join us for an evening of thoughtful conversation about Collective Honesty and Complicated Hope with Dr. Hayhoe and an incredible panel of conversationalists.
Next week, we have another conversation from our Climate Conscious Chaplaincy Initiative, this one exploring Spiritual Caregiving and Ecological Grief, presented in collaboration with Chaplaincy Innovation Lab. These conversations have been robust and thought-provoking spaces in which to explore what it means to accompany one another in this climate-changed world.
And there is still time to register for our first Green Teams Gathering, in person in Cape Elizabeth, Maine in just a over a week. If you're within reach of Southern Maine and are involved (or would like to be) in congregational climate work, this in-person offering might be for you!
We wish you moments of abundance this spring and beyond.
With best wishes,
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