Local Phoenix clergy and denominational leaders lament environmental policy harms and chart a path forward

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 9, 2025

PHOENIX, AZ – Today, over seventy people of faith gathered at the Desert Botanical Garden to lament rollbacks on environmental policies and the resulting harm to Arizona communities. Organized by Creation Justice Ministries, three Arizona co-sponsors, Arizona Interfaith Power & Light, Arizona Faith Network and Corazón Arizona, and ten national co-sponsors, this event was in celebration of the Season of Creation, a time in the Christian liturgical calendar to celebrate, to honor and to care for Creation. 
A livestream of the event is available here.

Statement from Rev. Katie Sexton, Executive Director of Arizona Faith Network:
“Our earth is crying out to be protected. As faith leaders, we are called to raise our voices and stand in solidarity with Indigenous communities to safeguard sacred places like Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni and Ironwood Forest. Protecting these lands is not optional; it is a moral and spiritual obligation to future generations.”

Statement from Dr. Toni Hawkins, Southwest Conference Minister, United Church of Christ:
“In this Season of Creation, we cannot ignore the truth pressing upon us: the land and waters are groaning. Sacred places like Ironwood Forest, Oak Flat and other holy land face the threat of diminished protections. Rivers are running dry. Fires are burning hotter. Heat is bearing down without mercy. The land, the people, and our siblings crossing the borders for a better life are impacted.  We cannot afford silence. Our collective moral voice matters. This Season of Creation is not only for confession, it is for courage. Our voices together can safeguard the sacred. Standing with Indigenous leaders to protect Oak Flat and all holy lands is how we honor both creation and Creator.” 

Statement from Jeff Proctor-Murphy, Pastor at Dayspring United Methodist Church:  
"Caring for creation and caring for displaced people are inseparable acts of faith.”

Statement from Rev. Caleb Collins, Rector at the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration:
“Loving Mother Earth is critical to embodying and living out the love of God. From my mother’s cultural heritage, as a mestiza Mexican woman, there is a legend about la corúa, the water guardian, a water serpent whose movements in the sands of the desert carve out the life-giving rivers. If la corúa is killed, the river dies too. The message is clear. Don’t cut off your source of life. The earth is our island home of biodiversity in an interstellar sea. How can we ask creation for forgiveness and commit to a better way towards balance and healing?”

Statement from Rev. Trish Winters, Community Christian Church:
"Three years ago Community Christian Church opened their fellowship hall as a cooling center: a center of respite where folks could come, bring their dogs, find water, a few snacks, and human kindness. It was 103° that first day and fifteen people showed up. Fast forward to three years later following some significant and unfortunate changes in the way the City of Tempe responds to the heat crises and the unhoused, on August 21, 2025, we had 82 people seek shelter that day. That number is not just a statistic but a sign of the times. It is evidence that climate change, and the way that our social and political institutions respond to that crisis, is no longer a future threat, but our shared reality."

For questions, contact Madison Mayhew: [email protected], 770-359-8417 or Melanie Beikman: [email protected]