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Planting Seeds of Hope.
Climate Hope Affiliates are dedicated to advancing and protecting federal legislation through the development of ongoing relationships with members of Congress, local media, and the broader community. Recently, we were part of our first legislative victory! In January, Congress rejected the Trump administration’s proposal to cut EPA funding by 55%
We have now launched our first sixteen affiliates in Lehigh Valley (PA), Framingham (MA), the East Bay of Northern California (CA), Concord (NH), Carlisle (PA), Lancaster (PA), Atlanta (GA), Cleveland (OH), the eastern suburbs of the Cleveland area (OH), Shasta (CA), Collegeville (PA), East Lansing (MI), Glen Ellyn (IL), Downers Grove (IL), Granville (OH), and Shrewsbury (MA). If you live near one of these affiliates and want to connect, let us know! If you are interested in starting an affiliate in your area, let us know! In March of 2025, we began launching Climate Hope Affiliates! Through this new program, we are starting local chapters across the country to address the interconnected crises of climate change and societal injustice. For us, this is a calling!
Climate Hope Affiliates is a joint initiative of the United Church of Christ and Creation Justice Ministries, which represents 36 different denominations. Our vision aligns with the Equitable & Just National Climate Platform that centers economic and racial justice. With core leadership from leaders in the environmental justice movement, 346 organizations have signed onto the platform.
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In April, the Atlanta Chapter of Climate Hope Affiliates joined with First Congregational Church of Atlanta to host our annual Earth Summit.
The gathering featured the Rev. Dr. Kenneth Samuel as keynote speaker, along with a panel of energy justice champions: Dr. Shalanda Baker, former head of the Office of Energy Justice and Equity at the Department of Energy under the Biden administration; Chandra Farley, Chief Sustainability Officer for the City of Atlanta; and Brionté McCorkle, Executive Director of Georgia Conservation Voters. |
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At the Earth Summit, we also announced the winner of our fourth annual Climate Hope Art Contest for Children and Youth. Winning art by Leah, Age 12 from First Church in Belfast UCC, Belfast, Maine
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Why We Are Called to do Justice
One could argue that all of us have a self-interest in doing everything we can to address the climate crisis. As Christians, however, we are called beyond our individual lives to love our neighbor and to care for all of God’s creation. To be in right relationship with our neighbors and God’s creation is ultimately at the heart of being in right relationship with God. Another word for being in right relationship is justice. As people of faith, we are called to put justice into action. As Micah 6:8 says, “And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?”
Our government plays a central role in how we as a society either further or hinder justice. The Jesuit ethicist William O’Neill once wrote of applying “the church’s moral squint” to how we think of public policy. Such a moral squint evokes scriptures such as Isaiah 10:1-2 which speaks of “unjust laws” that harm the poor and the oppressed, the widow and the orphan.
Today, justice takes many different and interconnected forms. We see this especially in the climate crisis. The burdens of pollution do not fall on everyone equally. Climate-related disasters do not affect everyone the same. Race, poverty, and other societal inequities all play a role in who currently suffers the most and who faces the greatest impending dangers. Often those who have contributed the least to climate change are those who are impacted the most.
One could argue that all of us have a self-interest in doing everything we can to address the climate crisis. As Christians, however, we are called beyond our individual lives to love our neighbor and to care for all of God’s creation. To be in right relationship with our neighbors and God’s creation is ultimately at the heart of being in right relationship with God. Another word for being in right relationship is justice. As people of faith, we are called to put justice into action. As Micah 6:8 says, “And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?”
Our government plays a central role in how we as a society either further or hinder justice. The Jesuit ethicist William O’Neill once wrote of applying “the church’s moral squint” to how we think of public policy. Such a moral squint evokes scriptures such as Isaiah 10:1-2 which speaks of “unjust laws” that harm the poor and the oppressed, the widow and the orphan.
Today, justice takes many different and interconnected forms. We see this especially in the climate crisis. The burdens of pollution do not fall on everyone equally. Climate-related disasters do not affect everyone the same. Race, poverty, and other societal inequities all play a role in who currently suffers the most and who faces the greatest impending dangers. Often those who have contributed the least to climate change are those who are impacted the most.
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