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• Engaged Organizations: Green Muslims

  Green Muslims is a resource for the Muslim community to help promote spiritually-inspired environmental education, reflection, and action. They offer programs to help share knowledge, different community actions, and leadership development. Their website includes tool kits that they develop to teach practical tips on protecting the environment and volunteer opportunities for youth. Green Muslims has also put together a project called Green Scripture, which is a resource that includes verses from the Qur’an and sayings of the prophet Muhammad relevant to aspects of nature and environmental stewardship.
• Profile: Marti Hunter

  Marti Hunter is the Communications Consultant for Ohio Interfaith Power and Light. She has a background in both religious education and communications work. “One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.”-William Shakespeare
• Profile: Sara Ward

  Sara Ward, Executive Director of Ohio Interfaith Power & Light since August of 2011, is one of its original steering committee members and previously served as the Advocacy Chair of the Board. She is a recipient of the 2013 Living Faith Award and is a Green Faith Fellow, a comprehensive education and training program to prepare lay and ordained leaders from diverse religious traditions for environmental leadership.
• Profile: Jessica Shimberg

  Jessica K. Shimberg, joined the board of Ohio Interfaith Power and Light in 2014 as a natural progression within her “rabbinistry.” A lifelong learner, advocate, and partner with the earth, Jessica has long been associated with Jewish organizations that offer environmental education and advocacy and assist Jews in recognizing Judaism’s sacred relationship with the environment. She is fond of noting that before we were a “People of the Book,” we were a People of the Land – the Hebrew word for man (adam) shares its root (aleph-dalet-mem) with the word for earth/land (adamah). And although very comfortable in sacred indoor spaces, she feels most connected to the Divine Source of Life when among the trees or in the desert southwes
• Profile: Rev. Meribah Mansfield

  The Rev. Meribah Mansfield has been involved with Ohio Interfaith Power and Light since its initial meeting in October 2007. She served on its founding board from 2008-2011, and rejoined the board in 2016. Care for creation is fundamental to her faith…
• Profile: Jared Howard

  Jared Howard is a 3rd year Master of Divinity student at Trinity Lutheran Seminary and Pastoral Intern at Peace Lutheran Church in Gahanna, Ohio. At Trinity, Jared is actively involved in the Eco Justice and Spirituality group, SEEDS (Sustaining Earth and Environment Daily and Sustainably), serving as a Student Intern
• Profile: Rev. Frank Edmands

  Born in Massachusetts, Frank fell in love with Creation wandering the woods and exploring the beaches of Onset and Buzzards Bays, fishing and sailing. As a sonar technician in the US Navy, deep ocean sounds, chirps, clicks, and whale songs introduced him to marine science and oceanography… Father Edmands has served primarily in parish ministry in upstate NY, PA and Ohio for the past twenty-one years and has enjoyed being a chaplain, assistant coach and teacher of Biology, General Chemistry and Religious Studies for three years at Trinity Pawling, Pawling NY (a boys boarding school) for three years
• Profile: Rev. Deborah Conklin

  The Rev. Deborah Conklin is pastor of Peace Lutheran Church, Bowling Green Ohio and is the Executive Director of a transitional housing program for homeless women recovery from chemical dependency. Her advocacy work began in 1988 working for the Toledo Metropolitan Mission where she led an Employment Readiness and Placement project for African American young men, the highest unemployed population in most communities.
• Profile: Rev. Dr. William H. Casto, Jr

  Bill is a retired United Methodist Minister from Ohio. He spent much of his ministry teaching at MTSO (Methodist Theological School in Ohio). He is a graduate of The Ohio State University (B.S. in Educ. and Ph. D.) and of MTSO (M. Div.). His involvement with the Climate Justice Movement began in 2014. During that time he has been active on the Creation Care Taskforce of The West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church and in Fossil Free UMC.
• Bowling Green Church Installs Solar Panels

  Peace Lutheran Church in Bowling Green has installed solar panels on the south side of the building that are expected to save up to 25% of their utility bill. The solar panels are one of three projects that are a part of the churches mission of Creating Christ Connected Community. The other two projects include helping a Syrian Refugee family and building a new playground.
• Center for Spirituality in Nature

  The Center for Spirituality in Nature is a center located in Arlington, Virginia, that offers spiritual experiences in nature with the aim to draw people closer to their relationship with God. They offer programs that explore the theological, spiritual, and ecological connections between the Earth and all its creatures. They are partners with the Wild Church Network and their work has been mentioned in The Washington Post and Interpreter Magazine.
• Engaged Organizations: The National Wildlife Federation: Sacred Grounds

  For over 40 years, The National Wildlife Federation has been assisting congregations and faith-based organizations in creating wildlife friendly yards and landscapes through their program Sacred Grounds. Sacred Grounds was created to give people of all faiths the opportunity to connect with nature at their place of worship. They do so by offering an online certification process about proper gardening and other tips to connect with nature.
• Stations of the Cross: Climate Change

  Stations of the Cross is a project created by artist Mary Button to engage viewers in a greater understanding of social injustices through Jesus’s execution. In 2016, the topic was Climate Change seeking to explore the torments of the Earth and also act as a call to action. The work is comprised of fourteen drawings that illustrate deforestation, desertification, and ocean acidification using hands to tell the story of Passion through gestures. These drawings have been made into a coloring book which can be purchased as a whole or as individual pages.
• The National Caretakers of God’s Creation Conference

  The National Caretakers of God’s Creation Conference has moved this year from Ohio to the DC suburbs so that members of Caretakers can participate in the National Climate Justice March on the US Capital Mall on April 29th. The Caretakers conference is on April 28th and includes inspiring worship, keynote speakers and workshops to help with work on climate justice and developing greener churches. The conference will be a day of inspiration, education and preparation. It begins with worship, including a message of hope brought by United Methodist Bishop C. Joseph Sprague, will include major addresses by Rev. Fletcher Harper, Rev. Jenny Phillips, and will conclude with worship and communion with sermons by Bill McKibben and Michelle Roberts.
• Engaged Organizations: Lutherans Restoring Creation

  Lutherans Restoring Creation is resource for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. They are a grassroot movement of Lutherans that believe being earthkeepers is a foundation of the Christian vocation. Their goal is to incorporate care for creation into the organizational patterns, worship life, educational programs, and lifestyle of members at home and work. Their website includes programs, events, resources, and ways to get involved. It also includes their ideas on an Eco-Reformation that they believe is necessary to help the church encompass care for all of God’s good creation.
• Faith Climate Action Week

  Previously known as Preach-In, Faith Climate Action Week is put on by Interfaith Power & Light from April 17th- 23rd. This campaign focuses on climate healing and action with an entire week of activities around Earth Day. This years theme is Act on Climate with an emphasis on how to take action to protect climate laws. There are events all over the country and there are more being added continuously.
• Shepherd’s Corner Event

  Shepherd’s Corner offers a public walk through there spiritual labyrinth once a month. It is a space for peace, insight, comfort, healing, energy, connection, and letting go. The next walk is offered April 27th from 7-8:30 pm and you must register by April 25. The event is free but a $5 donation is suggested.
• Earth Day 2017: Know the Creator through Creation

  The Catholic Climate Covenant has produced Know the Creator through Creation, an educational program to help celebrate Earth Day. This is the second year they have offered this resource that includes prayers, scripture readings, videos, discussion questions, and suggested activities to help teach about climate change. Their goal is to increase climate literacy and assist Catholics in embracing their call to care for creation. There are three different age specific programs between 30 minutes to an hour long.
• Legal Rights Granted to New Zealand River

  The Whanganui River in New Zealand has been granted the legal rights of a human as of Wednesday March 15, 2017. The Maori tribe, who call the river Te Awa Tupua, have been fighting for its protection since 1873. The case is one of New Zealand’s oldest in history with more than 140 years of legal struggles. The 90 mile Whanganui River will now be represented by two legal guardians, one from the Maori tribe and one from the government. According to NPR, the New Zealand government stated that they recognized the deep spiritual connection between the tribe and its ancestral river and their view of the river as an invisible and living whole.
• Cal DeWitt on Laudato Si’

  Earth Stewardship and Laudato Si is an article written by Cal DeWitt, a professor of Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin- Madison. His article was first presented at a session on religion and ecology at a meeting of the Ecological Society of America. It was then published in the Quarterly Review of Biology and has been one of the top five most read articles in the past five months. Dewitt discusses his response on the Pope’s encyclical Laudato Si pulling from his scientific background in environmental studies and scriptures from the Bible.
• The Vocation of Agriculture: to Till and Keep God’s Creation Postponed

  This event has been postponed to a later date. When a new date is decided upon this blog will be updated. The Vocation of Agriculture: to Till and Keep God’s Creation is a discussion on the calling of agriculture. The challenges of rural workers, rural parishes, and rural communities will be explored. There will be many speakers throughout the day including Sr. Christine Pratt and Dr. Hitzhusen both from OSU. Participants are encouraged to read Laudato Si and the Vocation to Agriculture by Cardinal Peter K.A. Turkson before attending.
• Eco Stewards Program

  The Eco-Stewards Program is a grassroots community that shapes young adult leaders through place-based experiences that connect faith and the environment. They are looking for young adults with an interest in faith and the environment to join and explore this year’s theme of Water is Life: Journeying Towards Justice on the James River. The program is held in Richmond, Virginia, from June 5 -10. Applications are due by March 15, and the cost which includes means, housing, and transportation is $375.
• Engaged Organizations: JustFaith Ministries

  JustFaith Ministries is a nonprofit organization that forms, informs, and transforms people of faith by offering programs and resources to assist in their commitment to build a more just and peaceful world. They strive to prepare people of faith for the call of the Gospel to help heal the world and experience a deeper faith and more fulfilling life by doing so. Since 2001, over 50,000 people have completed a JustFaith Ministries program. A quote from Jack Jezreel, their founder, on the organizations goals: “We change people – and people change the world.”
• Engaged Organizations: The General Board of Church and Society

  The General Board of Church and Society (GBCS) is one of four international general program boards of The United Methodist Church. They are defined by its five areas of ministry: Public Witness, Advocacy Administration, Ministry of Resourcing Congregational Life, United Nations Ministry, and Communications. Their website contains ways to get connected, topics to explore, and ways to take action.
• Engaged Organizations: Creation Justice Ministries

  Creation Justice Ministries is a grassroots organization that works to support ecumenical creation care. Born from the National Council of Churches USA, this group has a long history of advocating for creation justice on local and national levels. Creation Justice Ministries represents the creation care and environmental justice policies of major Christian denominations throughout the United States. They seek justice for all of God’s creation, including the human beings who live in it. They do so by drawing on the rich heritage of Christian scriptures and traditions which not only say to till and keep the Earth, but also to act for racial, economic, and environmental justice.