Throughout Women's History Month, Creation Justice Ministries is honoring women who make a difference for God's creation. If you also would like to honor a woman, submit her information here. About Mama Lila Cabbil Mama Lila Cabbil was a lifelong activist and strong woman of faith. She was actively part of the Church of God in Christ and a leader in ecumenical and interfaith circles. Rooted in Detroit, and global in her impact, Mama Lila stood for racial justice, and respect for God's earth. In particular, she self-identified as a "Water Warrior." I had the honor of working with Mama Lila to put together a "Healing Waters Retreat" in Fall 2018 that brought together Christian community leaders and community activists on the front lines of Michigan's water crises. The retreat helped us connect with leaders involved in the Peoples' Water Board, which Mama Lila co-founded. Our collaboration to call the Church into action for water justice taught me so much. At the beginning of our retreat, Mama Lila exhorted all participants to resist the temptation to "other-ize" the problem of lost access to safe, affordable water. She challenged each of us to “find the we” in the interconnected stories of the water crises of Flint, Detroit, and beyond. What she meant by this is that not take long to recognize that some of the fundamental problems leading to the water crises in Flint and Detroit are more universal than we readily see. In mainstream U.S. culture, we view water as a “natural resource.” Rather than a gift from God which is necessary for all of creation to flourish, or a living relative with which we share kinship in God’s creation, most of us view water as a commodity. However, we don’t just do this to water: we do it to people, and to entire communities. Mama Lila actively challenged this destructive myth. Compared to many others who work in the water justice community, my relationship with Mama Lila was young. Yet her impact on me was profound. Mama Lila unexpectedly died in February 2019, and the news shook many of us who looked to her for leadership. I will carry her witness with me into all our future work to defend and restore safe, affordable water for all. Prayer for Mama Lila: Loving God, Mama Lila Cabbil has left this Earth and made a homecoming to You. Her love-of-neighbor led her to stand strong for racial justice and to defend water as a human right. Many people she mentored and taught remain to carry on her earthly legacy. We pray in gratitude for Mama Lila's strength and leadership. May she rest in peace and power. Recognized by: Shantha Ready Alonso
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I am writing to share the exciting news that we only have about $3,000 left to reach Creation Justice Ministries’ end-of-year fundraising goal. At this point in the fundraising campaign, our focus is on increasing the number of people who give. Every gift, big or small, will help. To motivate more Creation Justice community members to chip in, a generous anonymous donor will match every donation of $25 or less, made by December 17. I have helped lead our ecumenical mission since we first began in the 1980s. I’ve valued my experiences with Creation Justice Ministries, and that's why I invest my time, talent, and treasure here. I attend most of our meetings in my camper van, and it’s been a wild and holy adventure. Since I started with Creation Justice Ministries, I’ve:
Over the years, most of the people I've met from the Creation Justice community are not wealthy. Many of us work in church, health, nonprofit, or education sectors. We are parents, health nuts, wildlife enthusiasts, activists, and most of all, keepers of faith. Together, when we pool our resources, we make a bigger impact.
When you make a donation today, you will become an essential piece of our puzzle. (You can see the names on various puzzle pieces on Facebook.) The finished puzzle depicts the Peaceable Kingdom of Isaiah 11, a vision we as the Creation Justice community seek to cast for society. Blessings, Deacon Sergei Kapral Vice President, Creation Justice Ministries Ecumenical Representative, Orthodox Church in America
The Creation Justice Community's Unique Call As Christians, we are called to love this world as God does. If we act with a hopeful ministry of presence as God does, exemplified through the coming of Jesus into this world, we can each do our part. It is natural to feel fear, panic, and despair at times. Yet, as a practice of Christian faith, we can support each other to release the power of these feelings over our attitudes and behaviors. Hope is more than a feeling; it is the practice of being a reflection of God’s love for the world. I am entering this harvest season of gratitude, and looking forward to Advent, asking myself the question: What scripture can we meditate on to ground a practice of Christian hope? I look to the vision of the Peaceable Kingdom imagined in Isaiah 11:1-10. In this iconic passage which is the subject of many religious artists’ imaginations, we are invited to envision a wolf and a lamb, a calf and a lion, resting together, with a little child leading them. We are told the meek and the poor will have justice. This image invokes so many values our world needs today: community, Sabbath, peace, humility, and tenderness. In our work for Creation Justice, we too can embrace these values and participate in fostering God’s Peaceable Kingdom on Earth. I see members of the Creation Justice community living hope each day, casting a vision for the Peaceable Kingdom. I see this hope in the many who devote time, talent, and treasure to our shared mission educate, equip, and mobilize to protect, restore, and more rightly share God's creation. It is happening in congregations as well as in efforts to care for disaster victims, refugees, people suffering health challenges, and people who are hungry. Camp, conference and retreat centers are sensitizing families to our relationships with the natural world. In the coming year, plans are in motion to put a spotlight on the leadership of children and youth, as well as to educate our communities about the findings of this year's landmark Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report. We plan to support people on the front lines of coping with loss of access to affordable, safe water, including through holding our May 2019 board meeting in Flint, Michigan. We will also encourage people to celebrate Earth Day Sunday in April, Endangered Species Day in May, and the Season of Creation in September-October. As year-end comes upon us, you may be planning charitable giving. I hope Creation Justice Ministries is in your plan. We will leverage your year-end gift to fulfill our mission to educate, equip, and mobilize faith communities to protect, restore, and more rightly share God’s creation.
As a symbol of the Creation Justice community’s practice of hope and vision for God’s Peaceable Kingdom, for each grassroots financial contribution we receive, we will add one puzzle piece to an artistic rendering of the Peaceable Kingdom. We will update you on Facebook , Twitter, and Instagram about the Creation Justice community’s progress to complete 500-piece puzzle. Together, like the prophet Isaiah, in this time when predatory greed seems to rule, we can cast an alternative vision of hope for a Peaceable Kingdom of creation. Each member of the Creation Justice community plays an important role in casting a vision for God's Peaceable Kingdom. To add your piece to the puzzle, go to www.creationjustice.org/donate Grace and Peace, Shantha Ready Alonso Executive Director, Creation Justice Ministries
Throughout the day, the delegation had meaningful conversations with offices across the political spectrum about the importance of protecting these monuments, as well as touched on the specific importance of the legislation to ensure that national monument status cannot be removed at the whims of a president. At the forefront of many minds was the fate of Bears Ears National Monument, which recently saw a 60% reduction in size due to the existence of natural resources within this land. Faith leaders discussed the importance of protecting all of our shared history, from Indigenous Peoples to African Americans, and likened the reduction in Bears Ears to how we might feel if part of the Washington National Cathedral was removed to serve private interests. The message, in short, is that although these spaces may not look like what we expect places of worship to look like, we must respect and honor them as such.
The delegation received largely favorable responses regarding the likely national monument status for Camp Nelson and Medgar Evers. Many offices indicated the importance of these monuments, and recognized the need to ensure that these stories can be shared with all Americans. All in all, it was a great (albeit busy) day for our delegation. We are extremely thankful to Dr. Wayne A. Williams of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, Bishop Carroll Baltimore of Global United Fellowship and Creation Justice Ministries, and Rev. Dr. Don Gillett of Kentucky Council of Churches for taking the time to join us on Capitol Hill and share their valuable perspectives! The story of how I ended up at Creation Justice Ministries here in Washington, DC and what has happened since is truly a special one. Let’s go back in time to my Brethren Volunteer Service orientation at Camp Pine Lake in Eldora, IA. This is where my journey began. I went into BVS last September not really sure about what project I should take on. I had a few favorites, but there was no guarantee I would be placed at one of those locations. At orientation, each volunteer spends a significant amount of their time exploring all of the different project options available to them. There are several large boxes full of files on each of the potential projects, which certainly felt overwhelming. It didn't take long before I started to feel frustrated- none of the projects I really liked were working out, and I couldn't seem to find one that was calling me. Days passed, and as others gradually came to find the right place for them, I was still struggling. Then, at lunch, one day, Dan McFadden, the director of BVS, presented us with two new files. One of them was for Creation Justice Ministries. I immediately snatched up the file and began reading as I ate my lunch. I was very excited because earlier that year, I had met the director of Creation Justice Ministries, Shantha Ready Alonso, at a presentation in DC as a part of the 2017 Christian Citizenship Seminar. I was inspired by the work that CJM was doing, and I wanted to get in on the action. A few days later, I had an interview over the phone with Shantha. She let me know that my fate at CJM was resting on a grant proposal coming through and, in addition, her board approving taking on a second BVS member. This was not just any grant- it was an Appalachian regional organizing grant. Being from central Pennsylvania, I had a personal connection to Appalachian issues and was enthusiastic about advocating for a region that I knew and loved. At this point, people were starting to be officially accepted by their top choice. Meanwhile, I was anxiously awaiting my own confirmation. Days passed, and still, I had not heard back. There were ten people in my orientation group, and it came down to myself and one other person who didn't know where they would be serving. Finally, when our group was out for dinner in Des Moines, I found out that I was going to DC. I was relieved and overjoyed to be heading to work at CJM. Fast forward to today- I have spent months learning about the mission of Creation Justice Ministries and the justice issues that we take on daily. On the CJM website, our mission statement is as follows: “Creation Justice Ministries educates, equips and mobilizes Christian communions or denominations, congregations, and individuals to protect, restore, and rightly share God's Creation. Based on the priorities of its members, with a particular concern for the vulnerable and marginalized, Creation Justice Ministries provides collaborative opportunities to build ecumenical community, guides people of faith and faith communities towards eco-justice transformations, and raises a collective witness in the public arena echoing Christ's call for just relationships among all of Creation." A side note: we have a board of directors that currently includes our own Nate Hosler as the representative for the Church of the Brethren, one of 38 member communions or denominations of Creation Justice Ministries. Our team at CJM works on a variety of creation care issues, ranging from protecting national monuments and wildlife refuges to seeking justice for communities affected by pollution and climate change. One Christian education tool that our members count on every year is our Earth Day Sunday resource. This year's theme was "Sense of Place." The idea of a sense of place stems from the connection each of us has with the natural surroundings that make up the space we call home. Senegalese environmentalist Baba Dioum once made this remark: "We won't save a place we don't love; we won't love a place we don't know, and we can't know a place we haven't learned." I am always in awe of the wondrous things God created for us to take care of and enjoy. Psalm 104, verse 24-25 is a perfect representation of my awe: "How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number- living things both large and small." The more time I've spent advocating for creation at CJM, the more connected I feel to God. As per my opportunity to work at CJM coming from an Appalachian grant, I have dedicated most of my time here to Appalachian-related work. I helped organize the second State of Appalachia Conference, a regional gathering of faith leaders passionate about bringing justice to Appalachia. I drafted opinion pieces on the RECLAIM Act, a piece of federal, bipartisan legislation that aims to clean up abandoned mines and create new economic opportunities for coal communities across the country. One article even caught the attention of its target, Mitch McConnell- I must say, I'm pretty proud of that. I had the opportunity to travel to Charleston, WV to testify in front of the EPA in support of the Clean Power Plan. These are all amazing things I never imagined I would be doing in my time in BVS, and maybe not after that either. I'm not sure what I expected to come out of all of this, but I was surprised to find that I had created a renewed connection with my home in Appalachia and strengthened my own sense of place. Before coming to CJM, Appalachian issues were something that was part of my normal surroundings. Now, I had the chance to help change things for people from my own community. It has been a powerful and humbling experience, to say the least. I am truly grateful for this challenging journey of discovery and growth that I embarked on through Brethren Volunteer Service. I feel like I've been able to share God's love through acts of service- advocating justice, working for peace, serving human need, and caring for creation along the way. I can say with absolute confidence that I believe every day should be earth day, and that creation care is so important to life. That includes caring for our neighbors, especially those who are vulnerable and marginalized like Jesus did. This experience has certainly tested me and hasn't always been easy, but I am glad that I chose Brethren Volunteer Service at this time in my life, and more specifically, Creation Justice Ministries. They have helped me to travel a little farther down the winding road to discerning my calling. And I think that, in itself, makes it all worth it. This is the text of a sermon given by Chloe Soliday, Creation Justice Ministries Fellow and Brethren Volunteer Service Member, at Washington City Church of the Brethren on Sunday, June 10th, 2018.
At the close of the Department of Interior Comment Period for the Bureau of Land Management Methane Waste (BLM) Prevention rule, it was abundantly clear that the vast majority of commenters wish to uphold or strengthen the rule. It was also clear several religious leaders took issue with the lack of public notification and hearings about this proposed rollback to the rule, which had originally been crafted after three years of stakeholder meetings, public hearings, and comment collection.
In spite of the short comment period and zero public hearings, people of faith manifested their discontent with the proposed rollback in many ways – from the hundreds of faith leaders who signed and hand delivered a letter organized by Interfaith Power and Light, to eleven religious organizations, to top leaders of Historically Black Church communities, and numerous other individuals and organizations. Peter Severson, leader of the creation care team of the Rocky Mountain Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) noted: …we participated in the rule-making process in 2016 by sending people to testify at public hearings in favorof this much-needed rule. So far, there have been no public hearings about the rescinding of the rule. We request an explanation of why the Department of Interior made this decision. Pastors James and Kimberly Therrien of Lybrook Community Ministries in Counselor, New Mexico said of the process for the proposed rollback: Venting and flaring, as well as methane leaks, disproportionately endanger our community... We have not heard any announcements about this proposed rollback in our news channels. Nothing has run on the Navajo radio station, even though the Navajo Nation endorsed the Methane Waste Prevention Rule when it was created. It is wrong that our community had not chance to voice our concerns in hearings, and we urge your department to give us the chance. Dr. D. Edward Chaney, pastor of the largest Historically Black Church in Nevada, Second Baptist Church in Las Vegas, shared his view: Rolling back the Bureau of Land Management Methane Waste Prevention Rule will harm Nevadans and African-Americans specifically. It is an unseen threat deliberately designed to go unnoticed with no public hearings. Recent polling shows more than three out of four people support the rule, and an analysis of public comments conducted by the Center for Western priorities found that 99 percent of public comments were in favor of upholding or strengthening the rule, rather than rolling it back. One week after the close of the comment period, faith community leaders are still seeking a response from the Department of Interior about the lack of hearings. ### Creation Justice Ministries represents the creation care policies of 38 Christian communions, including Baptists, mainline Protestants, Historically Black Churches, Peace Churches, and Orthodox communions. Learn more at www.creationjustice.org We celebrate yearly the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his work toward social justice, civil liberties, and equal rights for all. A central theme that Dr. King threaded throughout the civil rights movement embodied the goals of freedom, equality and justice which, according to his immortal words, could not be secured for any of us so long as they were denied to some of us. Upon reflecting on Dr. King’s great legacy, nature and the environment are not the first topics that come to mind. The seeds for our nation’s environmental justice movement may have been planted by King’s legacy. Environmental justice is based on the principle that all members of a society have the right to clean air, water and soil. There are early indications of Dr. King’s ecological consciousness and environmental concerns visible through his many sermons and speeches.
Several of Dr. King’s quotes bring nature to civil rights such as: “It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one destiny, affects all indirectly. We are made to live together because of the interrelated structure of reality.” “Never, never be afraid to do what’s right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society’s punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.” “We have flown the air like birds and swam the sea like fishes, but have yet to learn the simple act of walking the earth like brothers.” “The cities are gasping in polluted air and enduring contaminated water.” King’s sacred view of nature, based in African American tradition, aligns with African and other indigenous tradition, mystical traditions and much of the eco-spiritual thinking that would later develop. King wrote, “Although God is beyond nature he is also immanent in it. Probably many of us who have been so urbanized and modernized need at times to get back to the simple rural life and commune with nature…We fail to find God because we are too conditioned to seeing man-made skyscrapers, electric lights, aeroplanes, and subways.” Dr. King voiced opposition to the ecological threat posed by nuclear testing and the specter of nuclear war in the following statements: “We’ve played havoc with the destiny of the world. Somewhere we must make it clear that we are concerned about the survival of the world.” “We cannot walk alone,” King said, because the common destiny of every American is “inextricably bound” to all the rest. Dr. King believed that the best hope for the future involved building mass, direct-action movements for justice. According to King, this would require connecting not only people, but issues and movements as well; expanding to encompass the planet itself. In July 1967, Dr. King stated, “It would be foolhardy for me to work for integrated schools or integrated lunch counters and not be concerned about the survival of the world in which to be integrated.” Dr. King’s statements on ecology and the environment, made before ecological thinking came into view, are not detailed through his various sermons and speeches; rather gives hints and glimpses. Although ecological themes were never fully developed, Dr. King’s vision was ahead of its time in linking social justice and ecological consciousness. Dr. Betty Whitted Holley is an Associate Professor of Environmental Ethics and African American Religious Studies at Payne Theological Seminary in Wilberforce, OH. She serves as the African Methodist Episcopal Church representative on the Creation Justice Ministries board. Today, religious communities sent a letter to the leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives expressing support for a bipartisan bill that could jump start economies in coal communities: the RECLAIM Act of 2017. The RECLAIM Act brings hope for real help for Appalachian communities most in need of economic revitalization. According to the Appalachian Regional Commission 2010-2014 poverty rate report, the combined Appalachian regions of Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia have a poverty rate that is 4 percent higher than the national average. Co-coordinator of Catholic Committee of Appalachia Michael Iafrate said of the legislation, “People in Appalachia have been working to change the dominant story we tell about the region in an effort of reimagining their communities and forging new paths forward beyond coal. The RECLAIM Act is a reasonable first step in assisting these communities to bring these efforts to life as we continue to have difficult conversations about our region and its place in this nation's history.” Signed by 40 religious denominations and faith-based organizations, the letter provides faith communities’ reason for supporting the RECLAIM Act: “...we are deeply invested in ensuring every person has the opportunity to reach his or her God-given potential. We also believe in our moral responsibility to ensure God’s creation continues to help future generations thrive. For these reasons, we urge you to look towards real solutions for a just transition for coal communities.” West Virginia Council of Churches Executive Director Rev. Jeff Allen said, “In West Virginia alone, the RECLAIM Act could help us work on an estimated $1.5 billion worth of abandoned mine clean-up work. The people and the lands of Appalachia have made sacrifices to provide energy for this country. It is a moral responsibility for our country to re-invest in our region for new economic opportunities and to heal God’s creation.” The letter called on House leadership to bring the RECLAIM Act of 2017 to the House floor for a vote as soon as possible. ###
Creation Justice Ministries represents the creation care policies of 38 Christian communions, including Baptists, mainline Protestants, Historically Black Churches, Peace Churches, and Orthodox communions. Learn more at www.creationjustice.org As a student from the UC Irvine in California, I was privileged to have the opportunity to spend a quarter in Washington, D.C. interning and living here for several months. I am truly thankful that I was able to spend my time interning here with Creation Justice Ministries, it has been a pleasure to be in such a warm and resilient space.
Creation Justice Ministries has provided me with a space to truly put my faith in action. Here I have been able to use my research skills to help the people we serve and expand my knowledge about environmental issues and the field. I attended various conferences and connected with clergy and many other environmentalists. Advocating for indigenous peoples rights and public lands became the large part of my work here. Since, I have been educating myself about indigenous peoples and have come to understand the benefits of public lands, and particularly the barriers for people of color. Before coming to D.C., I had never visited a national park and am planning to visit these lands that tell a rich history and positively impact one’s mental health. Being here has restored much of my personal faith because I was able to see all these clergy, who when I had conversations with them, I realized they were really just regular human beings that experience a lot of the same things I do. Yet these clergy have committed their lives to serving others and fighting for justice. Creation Justice Ministries is such an important organization because it provides a space for all these different groups to come together, from faith groups to environmental groups, but particularly because of the populations that we work with. As a person of color, I have found that many spaces are dominated with white folks in the environmental field advocating for the earth and few for persons of color. Few organizations are truly emphasize on the experiences that environmental injustice impacts communities of color, or if they do, they have little representation of us in the room involved in the core of the work. I was able to contribute my perspective as a Latina, and am grateful that Creation Justice Ministries focuses on protecting not only the earth and animals, but also the people being harmed by environmental injustices. It has been an honor to intern here and not only have taken a lot from my experience, but also having greatly contributed. Lastly, I am grateful for having worked alongside an amazing staff team Chloe, Megan, and Simon, and having support from my strong and incredible supervisor, Shantha. Yesterday, President Trump signed a presidential proclamation to diminish the size of Bears Ears National Monument by more than 85 percent, and a presidential proclamation to reduce Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by about half. With these proclamations, over two million acres of public lands are now more vulnerable to harm. President Trump’s two proclamations mark the biggest rollback of public land conservation protections in U.S. history. Resident of Torrey, Utah and Chair of the Mormon Environmental Stewardship Alliance Ty Markham said of the decision, “President Trump took away some of Utah’s greatest treasures. Public lands hold our collective memory of our spiritual, cultural, and natural heritage. They are places of Sabbath where we learn, play, and pray. We have witnessed a lack of reverence for the sacred.” President Trump’s decision puts tens of thousands of Native American sacred sites in southern Utah at renewed risk of looting and vandalism. It also threatens wildlife habitats, archeological sites, and breathtaking natural landscapes. President Trump’s reduction of Bears Ears National Monument is particularly an affront to Native Americans. Designated in December 2016 by President Obama with strong religious community support, the Bears Ears National Monument was the result of the leadership of the Hopi, Navajo, Ute Indian, Ute Mountain Ute, and Zuni. Obama’s proclamation establishing the monument created the Bears Ears Commission of Tribes, an advisory body of appointees from five tribes with ancestral ties to the Bears Ears region. In the Commission’s first meeting in March 2017, it explicitly requested the Trump Administration work closely with them, and uphold existing protections for the monument. When it became clear the Trump Administration was failing to take tribal leaders seriously, numerous high-level religious leaders, including the heads of the Episcopal Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the Presbyterian Church (USA), wrote to Secretary Zinke urging him to listen to the Bears Ears Commission of Tribes’ recommendation to uphold the monument. Rev. Judy Wellington, Akilmel O’odham and Dakota (Sioux), minister with the Presbyterian Synod of the Southwest, was part of an Indigenous Christian delegation that advocated for the preservation of Bears Ears National Monument with officials in Washington, DC. She said, “This action highlights an inability to honor what we thought was an improvement in relationship with our tribal nations. It is sad to see such disregard for the good work that established the Bears Ears National Monument and the Bears Ears Commission of Tribes.” Tribal leaders were quick to respond to Trump’s actions with a collective and forceful rebuke, and they plan to sue the Trump Administration. Their statement points out: “The national monument took more than 80 years to designate. The original proclamation by President Obama acknowledges a cultural landscape rich in antiquities, with hundreds of thousands of archaeological and cultural sites sacred to dozens of tribes. President Trump’s proposal to shrink the Bears Ears National Monument leaves tens of thousands of sacred sites vulnerable to looting and grave robbing—the very threats the Antiquities Act was designed to protect against—as well as to fossil fuel development and uranium mining.” Creation Justice Ministries Executive Director Shantha Ready Alonso said of the decision, “President Trump’s actions show great disrespect for our nation’s heritage and for tribes. Although President Trump’s actions cause our communities deep grief, we will continue to do all we can to stand with Indigenous peoples, as well as to protect, restore, and more rightly share God’s creation.” ###
Creation Justice Ministries is an ecumenical organization representing the creation care policies of 38 Christian traditions, including Mainline Protestant, Historically Black, Orthodox Christian, Baptist, and Peace Churches. |
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