Climate Change

This past week, I had the privilege of attending COP27 (the UNFCCC’s annual climate change conference) in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.  The opportunity arose when I was accepted to the Christian Climate Observers Program, or CCOP.  The program is amazing, the team was both international and incredible, and I am immensely grateful to our two leaders and program founders, Lowell Bliss and Brian Webb.

"I pray to God—my life a prayer— and wait for what he’ll say and do. My life’s on the line before God, my Lord, waiting and watching till morning, waiting and watching till morning." - Psalm 130:5-6 MSG

When I was the Chicago organizer for the Climate Witness Project, I worked with many churches in the area to do advocacy initiatives focused on specific pieces of legislation.Our advocacy initiatives ranged from attending the climate march in Washington, DC to meeting with members of Congress. We also did local advocacy in our hometowns and with our Illinois delegation. Advocacy work is an important means for putting faith into action and for Christian witness.

Marinel Sumook Ubaldo, 25, is a climate justice, gender equality, and human rights activist from the Philippines. In 2015, as a youth ambassador, she addressed the UN delegates who signed the Paris Agreement. A registered social worker who is currently pursuing a master’s degree in environmental management at Duke University, Marinel has founded or worked for a number of environmental organizations, including Living Laudato Si’ Philippines.

“Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years" - Genesis 1:14

“God is great. God is faithful. And His love is set upon us. We come as we are, with trembling trust.” ― Sandra McCracken

Recovery After Hurricane Fiona in Canada

Hurricane Fiona decimated Puerto Rico in the last week but also deeply affected the East Coast of the United States and Canada. In Canada, houses washed away and the damage was extensive.  We pray for recovery:

"Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon." - Isaiah 58:10 (NLT)

This past May, Climate Witness Project hosted a Sustainable Investments webinar featuring Kurt Holzhueter, an advisor with ClearView Investments. For those who are serious about mitigating climate change, a powerful advocacy tool is financial investments. Taking money OUT of fossil fuels and instead channeling those funds to companies with a commitment to sustainability is an important step. But how to go about making that change? 

Lead, kindly Light, amid the gloom of evening.
Lord, lead me on! Lord, lead me on!
On through the night! On to your radiance!
Lead, kindly Light! 

- John Henry Newman