As religious organizations representing a diversity of faith traditions we profoundly regret that today the United States formally exits the Paris Agreement on climate change, the world’s best framework for action to address the climate crisis. Global climate change presents an unprecedented threat to the integrity of all life on Earth and a challenge to values that bind us as human beings.
 
Even as climate change impacts all of God’s creation, we know that the consequences of climate change both in the U.S. and around the world are felt more keenly among low-wealth communities and among those that have suffered long histories of racial and ethnic discrimination and exploitation. Our principle of the common good calls us to be in solidarity with those most adversely impacted by climate change now while avoiding the temptation to pass this problem along to future generations as a result of our own neglect or narrow interests.
 
The Trump Administration’s abandonment of the Paris Agreement undermines a key pillar of international cooperation against climate change and damages the world’s ability to avoid the most dangerous and costly effects of climate change. It also leaves the U.S. behind in the global transition to a clean energy economy.
 
Christian Reformed Church Office of Social Justice
Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach
Creation Justice Ministries
Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action
The Episcopal Church
Faithful America
Franciscan Action Network
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Jesuit Conference Office of Justice and Ecology
Leadership Conference of Women Religious
Maryknoll Office of Global Concerns
Maryknoll Sisters Eastern Region USA
Mennonite Central Committee, Washington Office
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Justice Team
Union for Reformed Judaism
Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice
The United Methodist Church – General Board of Church and Society
United Methodist Women
Young Evangelicals for Climate Action

It is our delight to share news with the Creation Justice community that our executive director Shantha Ready Alonso has been honored by the National Council of Churches USA with the J. Irwin Miller Excellence in Ecumenical Leadership award.
Each year, the J. Irwin Miller Award for Excellence in Ecumenical Leadership is conferred by the National Council of Churches USA to a layperson who has demonstrated a commitment to church unity, and who, by living out this commitment through action in the world, has been a witness to justice and other values affirmed by our common faith in Jesus Christ.
The 2020 Christian Unity Gathering theme, "Breathing New Life into Our Nation: Repentance, Re-formation, Reparations," has focused on themes of racial justice, a core value of Creation Justice Ministries, and a passion for our executive director.
We also take this special moment to give a big THANK YOU to Disciples Home Missions, our fiscal sponsor, for their extraordinary demonstration of ecumenical commitment by hosting Creation Justice Ministries. Disciples Home Missions is instrumental in fostering ecumenical leadership!

Hi, I’m Shantha Ready Alonso, Executive Director of Creation Justice Ministries.

In a spirit of Truth and Healing, I acknowledge am “beaming in” to the virtual Christian Unity Gathering from the ancestral lands of Cahuilla people, in Coachella Valley, California.   

I am so honored today to accept the J. Irwin Miller Award for Excellence in Ecumenical Leadership. Thank you to the National Council of Churches for this recognition.

I could not have come to this point without my ecumenical family, for teaching me about Christian unity since birth. Thank you to teachers, mentors, colleagues, and donors who have nurtured my leadership through generous time, scholarship funds, and care.

This is a recognition not just of my leadership, but of the entire, powerful and committed Creation Justice community, who refuse to sit idly by and allow forces of greed and racism to desecrate our one and only shared home, Earth. Together, through our prayers and public witness, we are bringing about eco-justice transformations, and witnessing to Jesus’ call for just relationships among all of creation.

I especially want to express my gratitude to members of the Creation Justice Ministries board, which is comprised of representatives of National Council of Churches member communions. Each of these board members is working toward our creation justice mission within their own Christian communities.
 
Ministry for creation justice has never been more urgent and important than it is today. It is an extraordinary time to be alive. We are the first generation to truly understand the gravity of the climate emergency. We are the last generation with significant power to change its trajectory. Right now, our collective action, or inaction, could contribute to the sustenance, or the exponential suffering of the generation that follows.

As the mother of a toddler, I feel this mantle of responsibility viscerally every day.

There are many ways we can approach the climate crisis before us. I choose for my approach to be rooted in ecumenical Christian hope.

I do so because it brings me so much more clarity and peace to frame my place in this struggle as SAYING YES to God’s truth of unity than to be in a constant battle against all that is going wrong.

And, a lot is going wrong.

Sins of apathy, neglect, racism, greed, misogyny have sown division and profoundly harmed the integrity of God’s church as well as God’s creation.

It is also true, at the same time, that WE ARE ONE.

Any person who spends time observing God’s creation can see how awe-inspiring unique ecosystems are: their wildly diverse parts, all interacting in mysterious ways, add up to a whole, and this whole is our home.  
Christian ecumenism is about accepting God’s gift of unity to the Church – and of embracing our oneness in diverse, dynamic body of Christ, so our oneness in the Spirit can be our spiritual home.

It is up to each of us how we respond to God’s gift of unity, both as members of God’s Church and as inhabitants of God’s Earth:
Will we accept this gift of unity with open hands, and foster anti-racist right relationships, health, and wholeness?
Or will we reject this gift, and suffer in isolation through negligence, domination, and exploitation?

Let us pray:

Creator God, help us say yes to accept your gift of unity...

Say yes to living simply, and learning each day to seek your Godly definition of abundance.

Say yes to rectifying the historic racist injustices that have torn people away from the land, and yes to eco-reparations.

Say yes to embodied, incarnational Christian faith, so no body experiences unequal, sickening burdens of pollution.

Say yes to the healing power of repentance, and humility to learn not only from science, but also from the original caretakers of our communities.

Say yes to compassion through disaster preparation, mutual aid and radical hospitality as together we weather the material and spiritual storms of the climate emergency.  

Say yes to wonder -- notice how every creeping thing that creeps is busily signing its own song of praise

Say yes to God’s gift of unity

Amen.

October 12, 2020

let me be weighed in a just balance,
    and let God know my integrity!  - Job 31:6

O you who believe! Fear God, and be with those 

    who are true (in word and deeds). - Quran 9:119

As people of faith and heads of Washington-based offices of religious denominations and national organizations, we call for integrity in the processes that shape our systems of governance and form the basis of our shared wellbeing. We believe that free, fair, safe and respected elections are a bedrock of democracy, and that active and informed citizen participation in the political and electoral process is essential not only to the proper functioning of government but also to the full exercise of our faith. Therefore, we are deeply troubled by any actions or statements that intimidate voters or deny safe and equal access to voting, or that sow doubt in electoral outcomes and raise a threat of violence. Such efforts to corrupt and undermine core electoral freedoms must be condemned in the strongest of terms across the political spectrum.
This nation can only live up to its democratic ideals when all are confident that they can vote freely and without undue hardship for the candidates of their choosing. This is particularly critical in light of the long history of racial disenfranchisement in the United States. Polling places must be equally accessible, safe, orderly, and free from intimidation. All votes must be counted in a fair and transparent manner.  The decision of the majority must be upheld with a peaceful transition.  These core democratic ideals should be fiercely protected by all of us, regardless of political persuasion or religious affiliation.  An election “won” by undermining democratic processes is a loss for us all.
Multi-party commitment to election integrity is a primary factor in preventing election violence across the globe. We call upon all elected leaders and elections officials at every level of government to recommit to our core democratic principles, to look within and consider what they themselves can do in this critical hour to uphold the best in our nation’s values.  Tactics to suppress the vote must end immediately, and all candidates and parties must publicly commit to respect the true election results, regardless of who wins -- preserving democracy is more important than the success of any individual candidate.  Leaders across the political spectrum must call on their supporters to refrain from violence and the threat of violence regardless of results. 
The choice in this moment is clear and stark: shared commitment to sustaining and strengthening the ideals of our democracy, or a descent into an antidemocratic future to secure partisan gains.  We pray that our leaders will demonstrate a robust commitment to our fundamental democratic principles with their words and actions at this pivotal time.
(see following page for signatories representing the U.S. policy offices of denominations and nationwide organizations)


SIGNATORIES TO FAITH LEADERS’ STATEMENT ON INTEGRITY, SAFETY, AND FAIRNESS 
IN THE 2020 U.S. ELECTION: 
Shantha Ready Alonso, Executive Director, Creation Justice Ministries
Sharif Aly, Chief Executive Officer, Islamic Relief USA
Rebecca Linder Blachly, Director, Office of Government Relations, The Episcopal Church
Sr. Simone Campbell, Executive Director, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice
Margaret Conley, Director, Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, Justice Team
Rev. Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe, General Secretary, General Board of Church and Society, United Methodist Church
Lawrence Couch, Director, National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
Rev. Paula Clayton Dempsey, Director of Partnership Relations, Alliance of Baptists
Melanie Roth Gorelick, Senior Vice President, Jewish Council for Public Affairs
Pablo DeJesús, Executive Director, Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice
Susan Gunn, Director, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
Rev. Jimmie Hawkins, Director, Office of Public Witness, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 
Rev. Dr. Nathan Hosler, Director, Office of Peacebuilding and Policy, Church of the Brethren
Robin Aura Kanegis, Director, Office of Public Policy and Advocacy, American Friends Service Committee
Rev. Ken Brooker Langston, Executive Director, Disciples Center for Public Witness (Disciples of Christ)
Brigid Lawlor, RGS, Advocacy Liaison, Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, U.S. Provinces
Catherine Orsborn, Executive Director, Shoulder to Shoulder
Fr. Ted Penton, SJ, Secretary of Justice and Ecology, Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States
Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, Director, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
Diane Randall, General Secretary, Friends Committee on National Legislation
The Rev. Amy Reumann, Director of Advocacy, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Basharat Saleem, Executive Director, Islamic Society of North America
Stephen Schneck, Executive Director, Franciscan Action Network
Martin Shupack, Director of Advocacy, Church World Service
Sandy Sorensen, Director, Washington Office, United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries
Rev. Mark Stephenson, Interim Director, Christian Reformed Church Offices of Social Justice and Race Relations
Rev. Ron Stief, Executive Director, National Religious Campaign Against Torture
Rev. Adam Russell Taylor, President Elect, Sojourners
Jim Winkler, President and General Secretary, National Council of Churches
Scott Wright, Director, Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach
Carol Zinn, SSJ, Executive Director, Leadership Conference of Women Religious
Johnny Zokovitch, Executive Director, Pax Christi USA
Download a PDF of this letter.

Creation Justice Ministries applauds Governor Newsom's newly announced executive order on climate resilience and biodiversity, which establishes a goal of conserving at least 30 percent of California's state lands and ocean by 2030. California is the first U.S. state to join with more than 38 nations around the world who are participating in this global effort. Creation Justice Ministries has been encouraging people of faith across the US to write to their members of Congress in support of the 30 by 30 Resolution to Save Nature at a national level.

Here are some California religious community leaders' reactions to today's news.

"Wildfires, not just in California, but around the world, are causing us to literally feel the heat that is mobilizing more of us to act on our ecological crisis in the spirit of what Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King called 'the fierce urgency of now.' As people of faith, we are instructed by our Creator to ensure those who come after us have a sustainable, nurturing Earth. Governor Newsom's executive order will equip our communities for timely, faithful conservation action -- before it is too late." 
The Rt. Rev. Staccato Powell, immediate past President of the Board of Bishops for the African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AME Zion) denomination; Creation Justice Ministries Board Member
Granite Bay, CA

"California Lutherans have been closely tracking imminent dangers to safe, affordable drinking water, as well as the environmental racism at play in who does, and does not, have water security. As the climate crisis, pollution, and irresponsible corporate practices have made water stewardship increasingly difficult, we welcome the opportunity to leverage the Governor's executive order, which sets clear guidelines for conservation, to protect and redeem California's watersheds. The God-given life-sustaining gift of water requires our careful stewardship, so all people and creation can endure for generations to come." 
Regina Q. Banks, Director of the Lutheran Office of Public Policy
Sacramento, CA

"As Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of California, I am deeply encouraged by Governor Newsom's executive order to protect 30 percent of the land and water under California stewardship by 2030. The Episcopal Church considers action to protect God's creation to be part of fulfilling a sacred trust from God. For us, climate action and conservation mean commitment to personal and local community transformation, advocacy for the best climate and environmental justice policies, and standing with those who are already experiencing the deep pain of climate-related displacement and loss. As Californians seek to implement these conservation goals, may we do so attentive to our moral responsibilities to each other today, an to future generations." 
The Rt. Rev. Marc Andrus, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of California and
San Francisco, CA

"I celebrate this major milestone in our state's conservation ambition, as my ministry strives to foster deeper spiritual connections to, and protections for, God's ocean. We see first-hand what has profoundly made the protected Monterey Bay a place of resurrection, as well as the care California's coastal communities desperately need. As Californians, we now have a clear goal and timeline to protect God's ocean, and our Blue Theology ministry will pursue conservation with not only love, but also renewed urgency." 
Rev. Dan Paul, Executive Minister, Blue Theology Mission Station
Pacific Grove, CA

"Creation Justice Ministries has been working at the national level to pursue the goal outlined in Governor Newsom's executive order today: to justly and equitably conserve more than 30 percent of nature by 2030. As a resident of a California desert area, I can attest to the need to protect this unique, magical ecosystem, from iconic Joshua trees to the beloved desert tortoises. Like Jesus, I feel closer to my Creator in this wild desert, a place to retreat and pray.
Consistent with California's newly stated commitment to engage in truth-telling and healing with tribes, this accelerated conservation pursuit must unfold differently than US government land and water protections of the past: Conservation must be done with guidance and consent of tribes whenever decisions impact their traditional territories. This conservation effort is also a pivotal opportunity to counteract environmental racism, as new conservation areas can help all people access the healing power of nature, rather than a privileged few." 
Shantha Ready Alonso Creation Justice Ministries Executive Director
Indio, CA

Contact: Shantha Ready Alonso shantha@creationjustice.org

WASHINGTON (August 13, 2020) – The Trump Environmental Protection Agency today attempts to roll back protections against the oil and gas industry’s dangerous, preventable emissions of the powerful climate pollutant methane.

Methane pollution, along with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that accompany it, is a serious danger to human health, as well as powerful greenhouse gas that accelerates the climate crisis. One in three people in the U.S. lives in a county with oil and gas production, and oil and gas facilities leak nearly thirteen million tons of methane a year. Pollution emitted alongside methane, such as benzene, worsens asthma and affects lung development in children, and increases the risk of cancer, immune system damage, and neurological, reproductive, and developmental problems.

Creation Justice Ministries Executive Director Shantha Ready Alonso said of the announcement, “The Trump Administration and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler’s rollback of important methane pollution standards is irresponsible, unethical and immoral. Children, older adults, communities of color, and low-income communities will bear the most severe and unjust burdens of methane pollution. Decision-makers in Washington have turned their backs on their responsibility to protect future generations and the planet. Each of us shares a responsibility to uphold respect for our neighbors, and to care for all of God’s creation. Now more than ever, we must work together to protect the health and safety of our communities, and work to achieve climate justice.” 

(Washington, DC -- July 22, 2020) --- Creation Justice Ministries celebrates the passage of the Great American Outdoors Act in the US Senate as well as the US House of Representatives, and anticipates its signing into law by President Trump, who has previously indicated his intention to sign it.

This landmark conservation bill ensures the Land and Water Conservation Fund will be fully and permanently funded. Public opinion research shows an overwhelming majority of voters support ambitious efforts to protect America’s land, water, and wildlife, and with this vote our elected leaders have shown they are listening. This bill not only addresses the protection of US natural spaces; it helps expand access to parklands so that all communities have equitable access to outdoor recreation.

Creation Justice Ministries Executive Director Shantha Ready Alonso said of the bill's passage, "Land and water conservation are powerful tools to tackle the climate crisis, and this bill is an important step towards an inclusive plan with natural solutions that benefit all. We are especially grateful to our elected officials on both sides of the aisle who have had a long and steady track record of championing our public lands by investing in the Land and Water Conservation Fund as well as our national parks."

Many of Creation Justice Ministries' partners have worked hard toward this day. Arizona Faith Network, for example, educated faith communities on the importance of the Land and Water Conservation Fund for years, and most recently organized June 2020 and March 2020 letters to their US Senators urging them to pass this legislation. Arizona Faith Network Executive Director Rev. Katie Sexton said of the legislation's passage: “Arizona is home to some of the most beautiful public parks and greenspaces, and we are so proud of the successful, bipartisan effort to pass this bill that will enable us to protect these treasures for future generations. As people of faith we know that these places are essential to both the physical and spiritual health of our communities.”

Rev. Clifford Bahlinger, a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, a former Park Ranger with the National Park Service and an advocate for Creation Justice expressed his thanks, "The Great American Outdoors Act" is a major victory for our parks. Fully funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund creates a fixed funding source as we go forward. It is a breath of fresh air to see leaders from both political parties supporting this legislation. As a former National Park Service Ranger, I am thrilled to know that the Great American Outdoors Act will cut in half the $12 billion maintenance backlog in our national parks. This funding in our parks will create jobs, and help to preserve our national parks and monuments.  Creation Justice has been a vocal advocate for this important legislation. We give thanks for the many partners who supported this legislation through the years."

The Great American Outdoors Act will also help in America’s economic recovery. The Act will provide massive economic benefits in the short and long term as it will put tens of thousands of people back to work while boosting outdoor recreation and tourism, strengthening our local economies when they need it most. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Shantha Ready Alonso,  shantha@creationjustice.org  202-618-2501 (mobile)

Washington, DC --- Today, members of the US House of Representatives Select Committee on the Climate Crisis released a recommendations report, Solving the Climate Crisis: The Congressional Action Plan for a Clean Energy Economy and a Healthy, Resilient, and Just America.

Creation Justice Ministries Executive Director Shantha Ready Alonso said of the report, “At last, substantive, moral, federal climate policy leadership is emerging from Congress. We are grateful to the members of the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis for the foundation they have laid through these crucial recommendations. Christian communities stand ready to advance climate solutions that are not only good for God's creation, but that also foster care for our neighbors, through racial and economic justice."

Religious communities, including Creation Justice Ministries, have a long track record of calling on the US Congress for climate action. Many religious organizations maintain offices near Capitol Hill to engage with federal public policy matters of profound concern to congregants, including the climate crisis. While religious communities are deeply concerned about emissions reductions and are taking action to bring congregations, retreat centers, and other religious facilities to net zero, their main policy focus is on justice aspects of the climate crisis. 

Priorities in the report that religious communities most strongly support include: environmental justice policies that counteract devastating disproportionate pollution burdens borne by low-income communities as well as communities of color; nature-based climate solutions like increasing the resilience and mitigation capacity of land and ocean ecosystems that uphold the integrity of God’s creation; adaptation support for farmers and ranchers; planning for natural disaster resilience as well as just recovery; protections for communities’ physical and mental health; workforce development for a just transition to a more sustainable economy; and international climate finance measures such as the Green Climate Fund.

We need your help to take action to protect the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts.

1. Write an op-ed or letter to the editor
2. Sign and share our petition
3. Contact your member of Congress

Write an Op-Ed or Letter to the Editor
One of the best ways to ensure that the spotlight on saving the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts is to express to your local and regional media that you care. Please consider writing a letter to the editor or an op-ed about what the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts mean to you and why it’s important to protect them. We've included what local and regional media has said about the decision. We also encourage you to check out this resource for writing an op-ed. To see how some faith leaders have spoken out on the decision made by President  Trump, check out our press release. 
See national news clips on this issue on our national toolkit page. Please see the following resources for helping to craft and pitch an op-ed. If you have additional questions, please contact info@creationjustice.org

​Connecticut News Clips:
Governing Like a Disney Villain - The Day (6.14.20)
Conservationists Mull Lawsuits as Feds Roll Back Ocean Protections - Public News Service (6.9.20)
​
Sign and Share Our Petition
Build momentum! Sign our petition for the faith community on why the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts are so important. And once you’ve signed, share it with others on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram - wherever you show up in your community! Link to share petition: https://creationjustice.salsalabs.org/canyonsandseamounts

Contact Your Member of Congress
Call your members of Congress to tell them why protecting God's marine creation matters to you and your community, and that the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument needs strong conservation protections. Call the Capitol switchboard at: (202) 224-3121.

Here's a script you can use when making these calls/emails: 
Hello I'm ______ (name) with ________ (faith community affiliation) in ___ (city). I would like to leave an urgent message for the Member's communications staff. On World Environment Day, President Trump rolled back vital protections for the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument. Faith communities worked hard to win this historic and vital biodiverse, climate resilience sanctuary for God's marine creation. I am appalled. I respectfully request the member publicly rebuke the President's action, then take further action to uphold and strengthen conservation protections for all national monuments, including this marine national monument. If you would like to follow up with me for next action steps on this issue, my contact information is __________. Thank you.

 Blumenthal Introduces Measure to Protect Northeast Canyons and Seamounts (6.10.20)