Minister’s Training 2018: On Water and Faith
Ministry in the Time of Climate Change: On Water and Faith
May 31 – June 2, 2018
Union Theological Seminary – New York
Program Announcement:
Cape Town is on the verge of running out of water. Rural Americans watch as their water is tainted by effluence. The Northwest wonders where its winter and spring showers have gone. California remains in a drought and continues to burn. Stronger storms like Hurricane Irma and Maria devastate communities who struggle to get basic necessities including access to potable water. At the same time, many profit-making ventures dump waste into streams, rivers, lakes and oceans and others seek to privatize and commodify groundwater. The cycles of water that give life to our planet are in distress due to climate change, mismanagement, and pollution. This delicate system, which sustains all life, is at the brink of being broken, the consequences of which would be devastating.
Across religious and faith traditions, water holds special significance. Water purifies and cleanses, makes sacred and gives life. It binds communities through ceremony and tradition, reminding all of its intrinsic value and communal worth. In the years to come, this stress will be felt more acutely by vulnerable and marginalized communities. As our faith traditions call us to remember the sanctity of water so too do they call us to care for those who need it most.
To train, support, and empower faith leaders, the Center for Earth Ethics is once again partnering with the Climate Reality Project to train 30-50 faith leaders from around the country to better address the ecological crisis in their own communities. Ministry in the Time of Climate Change requires an open-hearted approach that embodies the diversity of our country and plurality of ideas we’ll need to mitigate the worst effects of the ecological crisis.
The conference will cover a wide range of topics including:
- The role of faith leaders in protecting access to water
- Theology of praxis: water in our faith practices
- The science behind water systems
- Mitigating climate change through a focus on water
- Making our communities more resilient to extreme weather
- Sustainability education in faith settings
- Connections between ministries of mercy, justice and the environment
Presenters and instructors include:
Josephine Mandamin, Ojibwe Elder, Tiokasin Ghosthorse – First Voices Indigenous Radio, Kartik Chandran – Columbia University, Mariama White-Hammond – Bethel AME Church Boston, Bishop Carroll Baltimore – International Community Baptist Churches,
Vice President Al Gore –Climate Reality Project, Catherine Flowers – Center for Earth Ethics, Wes Gillingham – Catskill Mountainkeeper
On Water and Faith Program Schedule
Thursday May 31, 2018
10:30 AM Plenary: Where We Are, Where We Need to Go
From increased storm severity to crippling droughts, it is clear the climate is changing, affecting water systems that all life depends on. In the midst of this change, fossil fuel interests continue to draw and poison groundwater while fracking, putting more heat-trapping pollution in the air. There are also efforts to privatize and commoditize water, even selling it back to the very drought-ridden communities from where it is pumped. What insights and practical solutions do faith communities have to offer to address this? These are the questions that will frame the whole conference.
- Moderator: Karenna Gore – Center for Earth Ethics
- Tiokasin Ghosthorse – First Voices Indigenous Radio
- Kartik Chandran – Columbia University
- Mariama White-Hammond – Bethel AME Church Boston
1:45 PM On Faith and Water: Learning from Our Traditions
During this session we will split into four groups and rotate between four different speakers on topics designed to deepen our understanding of faith and water. Each session will last 25 minutes.
Stewart Room | Water in Jewish Texts and Teachings [Rabbi Burt Visotzky, Jewish Theological Seminary] |
Room 205 | Water in Christian Liturgy and Rituals [Rev. Thia Reggio, Astoria First Presbyterian Church] |
Room205a | Water in Indigenous Perspectives, Rituals, and Traditions [Dr. Mindahi Bastida, Center for Earth Ethics, Tiokasin Ghosthorse, First Voices Indigenous Radio] |
Room 207 | Water in Islamic Texts and Teachings [Colin Christopher, Islamic Society of North America] |
4:15 PM Water, Environmental Justice, and Climate Change
In the wake of devastating storms and in the midst of extreme heat waves, low income and marginalized communities are routinely left without access to water. Many communities also struggle with health problems resulting from inadequate water and sanitation systems, all of which is exacerbated by climate change. This panel will take a clear look at these issues and explore solutions.
- Moderator: Dr. Geraldine Patrick – Center for Earth Ethics
- Bishop Carroll Baltimore – International Community Baptist Churches
- Wes Gillingham – Catskill Mountainkeeper
- Raina Thiele – Thiele Strategies
6:30 PM Public Lecture
8:30 PM Speakers:
- Vice President Al Gore – Climate Reality Project
- Catherine Flowers – Center for Earth Ethics/ACRE/EJI
Friday, June 1, 2018
10:00 AM Climate and Water Presentation
1:45 PM Workshops Session 1 – Faith in Praxis
Training to help faith communities respond to the ecological crisis. Two sessions of 45 minutes each to allow participants to attend at least two sessions.
Stewart Room | Integrating Climate into Your Sermons [Facilitated by Rev. Ana Levy-Lyons, First Unitarian Congregational Society in Brooklyn] |
Room 205 | Water in the New Testament [Facilitated by Dr, Aliou Niang, Union Theological Seminary |
Room 205a | Watershed Discipleship [Facilitated by Dr. Tim VanMeter, Middle |
Room 207 | Advocacy and Nonviolence: Confronting Climate Change [Rev. Mariama White-Hammond- Bethel AME Church] |
3:45 PM Workshops Session 2 –Engaging Beyond Our Faith Communities
Training to help reach out to communities being impacted by the ecological crisis. Two sessions of 45 minutes each to allow participants to attend at least two sessions
Stewart Room | Reaching Out to Those in Need [Facilitated by Catherine Flowers, Center for Earth Ethics] |
Room 205 | Disaster Relief [Facilitated by Alyssa Young and Marcus Coleman, FEMA] |
Room 205a | Crafting Climate Stories [Facilitated by Jill Leaness, The Climate Reality Project] |
Room 207 | Laudato Si and Civic Engagement – Lessons from the Papal Encyclical [Facilitated by Fr. John Rausch and Sr. Robbie Pentecost] |
Saturday, June 2, 2018
9:00 AM Morning Meditation
Leader: Josephine Mandamin, Ojibwe Elder
10:00 AM Planning for the Future We Need: Brainstorming Session
At the end of the training we want to reflect on what we learned and plan for what we can do. We will break into groups to strategize and share ideas that will help transform our communities. The Climate Reality Project will facilitate the session.
11:45 AM Closing Ceremony