Great Lakes Collaborative is Growing - And Going International

The third annual gathering of the Great Lakes Creation Collaborative met in August at Tower Hill Camp and Retreat Center in Sawyer, Michigan, on the shores of Lake Michigan.

The event drew 25 faith-based eco-justice activists from United Church of Christ Conferences and United Church of Canada regions bordering the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth. The theme of the gathering: “Watershed Discipleship.”

The presenter was Ched Myers, an activist and biblical scholar, who challenged us to address the “incarnational crisis” of climate change by asking, “What watershed are you willing to sacrifice for?” Watershed Discipleship is “an expression of both resistance and renewal,” with three meanings:

1. “It recognizes that we are in a watershed historical moment of crisis.…”
2. Our witness and the life of the church take place in an incarnational “watershed context.”
3. “It implies that we need to be disciples of our watersheds.”

Organizer and participant the Rev. John Gardner of the Indiana-Kentucky Conference said that the Tower Hill event “provided time for deep reflection upon the theme… and time to pray and ponder how best we practice being defenders and protectors of the precious waters we know as the Great Lakes.” Gardner reflected further that “Our time together was informative and inspirational, providing a real boost for the challenging times in which we live.”

The Rev. Mike Mulberry of the Michigan Conference offered these questions about our next steps. Mulberry has also created an “Adopt a Body of Water” curriculum for use in our congregations.

Monthly Zoom meetings will keep the collaborative moving forward, informing and inspiring our local efforts until we meet again next summer in Canada. That gathering will be August 23-25 at Five Oaks Retreat Center in Paris, Ontario. The collaborative is a growing community of Watershed Disciples, committed to the defense of the waters we know and love. Join us in this quest to revitalize and reinhabit our faith and practice. To join a monthly Zoom meeting or for more information about the next collaborative gathering in Ontario, please contact Kathy Douglas, United Church of Canada clergy.

Nice to Meet You, Terra!, a Chancel Drama by James F. D. Martin

For Earth Day 2025, Middleton Community UCC performed Chancel Drama - Nice to Meet You, Terra! by James F. D. Martin. You can watch the performance here. You can download the skit here.

2025 Climate Hope Art Contest Winner visits D.C., meets with Sen. Todd Young

After being named the overall winner of the 2025 Climate Hope Art Contest for children/youth of the United Church of Christ, 11-year-old Natalie Slade; her mother, Emily; as well as staff from the UCC National Ministries, visited Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., and the offices of several congressional members. Read the full story here

Event Details:

• Date: Tuesday, November 11
• Time: 9:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. CT
• Location: Wisconsin State Capitol (2 E Main St, Madison, WI 53702)
• Register

Book Release: Climate Justice, Climate Hope

Nov 12, 1:00 pm CT

The Reverends Michael Malcom and abby mohaupt have released a new book that acknowledges the stark horrors of climate change while building hope and moral-spiritual agency for a brighter future. Bringing decades of leadership experience in interfaith efforts toward environmental and climate justice, they guide readers along pathways toward a clear-eyed but energizing vision of different ways of being. Join us to hear from the authors about the writing of the book and the insights it has to offer. The Rev. Michael Malcom is the Executive Director of the People’s Justice Council and Alabama Interfaith Power & Light. The rev. abby mohaupt is the director of the Garrett Collective at Garrett Seminary. This event will be hosted by the Rev. Dr. Brooks Berndt, Minister of Environmental Justice for the United Church of Christ. Even if you cannot make the live event, still register, and we will send you a recording. REGISTER

Grants Available for Church Solar, Geothermal Projects

The Faith in Place Green Energy Assistance Fund provides grants up to $10,000 for Houses of Worship located in Illinois, Indiana, or Wisconsin to install PV solar panels and/or geothermal heating/cooling technology at their buildings. Find out more here and application here.

Funding Opportunity for Milwaukee County Churches

Faith in Place has an opportunity for Houses of Worship and nonprofit organizations located in environmental justice communities in Milwaukee County to receive grants up to $1,000 each to support the planting of nature-based climate solutions. A few examples include community green space with native plants, tree planting, and rain gardens. Check out their website with more information on the grant opportunity.

Here’s an easy way for your church Green Team to get the congregation’s young people involved the movement to protect God’s beautiful, but fragile, creation: Encourage them to attend the Wisconsin Youth Climate Conference, scheduled for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22, at Madison College. The conference is an opportunity to connect with young environmentalists from across the state and learn from top-flight exhibitors and presenters. And get this: It’s free.

Learn more and register here.

Celebrating the Life of Jane Goodall 

In a world that seems so troubled, how do we hold on to hope?

Looking at the headlines—the worsening climate crisis, a global pandemic, loss of biodiversity, political upheaval—it can be hard to feel optimistic. And yet hope has never been more desperately needed.

In this urgent book, Jane Goodall, one of the world's most famous naturalists, and Douglas Abrams, the internationally bestselling co-author of The Book of Joy, explore through intimate and thought-provoking dialogue one of the most sought after and least understood elements of human nature: hope. In The Book of Hope, Jane focuses on her "Four Reasons for Hope": The Amazing Human Intellect, The Resilience of Nature, The Power of Young People, and The Indomitable Human Spirit.

Drawing on decades of work that has helped expand our understanding of what it means to be human and what we all need to do to help build a better world, The Book of Hope touches on vital questions, including: How do we stay hopeful when everything seems hopeless? How do we cultivate hope in our children? What is the relationship between hope and action? Filled with moving and inspirational stories and photographs from Jane’s remarkable career, The Book of Hope is a deeply personal conversation with one of the most beloved figures in the world today.

While discussing the experiences that shaped her discoveries and beliefs, Jane tells the story of how she became a messenger of hope, from living through World War II to her years in Gombe to realizing she had to leave the forest to travel the world in her role as an advocate for environmental justice. And for the first time, she shares her profound revelations about her next, and perhaps final, adventure.

The Book of Hope is a rare and intimate look not only at the nature of hope but also into the heart and mind of a woman who revolutionized how we view the world around us and spent a lifetime fighting for our future.

There is still hope, and this book will help guide us to it.

Study and Worship with Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Many of us enjoyed hearing from author Robin Wall Kimmerer a few years ago, and reading her book, Braiding Sweetgrass. Our United Methodist friends have put together a worship and study resource for this season of creation based on Kimmerer's more recent book, The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World. Click here.

EPA Reverses Course on Toxic Emissions from Steel Industry Coke Ovens After Earthjustice Suit

Victory — The agency will now uphold the 2024 air standards, which set caps on emissions from these facilities

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reversed course on their plans to delay air pollution compliance for coke oven plants, after Earthjustice and the Environmental Integrity Project filed a lawsuit on behalf of a coalition of clean air and community public health advocacy groups.

In western Pennsylvania, northwest Indiana, Ohio, Alabama and other states, coke ovens –  which burn coal to produce a hard deposit that facilities use to make steel – emit lead, mercury, benzene, and other hazardous, cancer-causing air pollutants. In 2024, EPA finalized updates to the emissions standards for these toxic facilities after years of delay, which required monitoring for benzene in nearby communities and set caps on previously unregulated emissions. But in July of this year, in a move that catered to corporate pressure, Trump’s EPA issued an interim final rule, delaying compliance until July 2027.

The group’s lawsuit challenged EPA’s interim final rule, as it deprived nearby residents and communities of protection against toxic air pollution. Rather than sdefend the interim final rule in litigation, EPA reversed course. In a brief filed with the D.C. Circuit, EPA now affirms its prior finding that coke ovens are fully capable of complying with the 2024 rule, thereby acknowledging that the delay of compliance dates was never needed. Read complete article here.