‌ ff KAIROS CALL TO ACTION NEWSLETTER Volume 2, Issue 6 December 2021

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The Great Lakes Creation Care Collaborative Invites You to Join the Discussion

The Great Lakes Creation Care Collaborative will offer a series of Zoom webinars designed to help individuals and congregations become better advocates for God’s great gift of planet Earth. The collaborative is a joint effort of the UCC’s Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota conference. The three-part series was developed in response to threats to our watersheds from fossil fuels and chemicals, and informed by the potential harm to the economic, spiritual and physical health of indigenous peoples. The webinars will approach the issues through the lenses of indigenous rights; corporate divestment; and liturgical language that reflects on the health of the planet. The schedule:

Treaties Broken, Earth and Lives in Crisis: How Do We Change the Narrative for the Land and All Its People? 6:30 to 8 p.m. Central time, Jan. 13 The Minnesota Conference will host Frank Bibeau, tribal attorney for Honor the Earth and the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, who will speak on the treaties that continue to be broken by white settlements and corporations working with the U.S. government. These activities both the livelihood of indigenous peoples and the quality of the water and soil we all share. Register here.

Good Money After Bad: How to Invest in Creation Care 6:30 to 8 p.m. Central time, Feb. 10 In financial terms, “investing” is the process of lending or giving money in support of something – a company, a product, a person, an idea – in the hope that the investment will yield an economic return. “Divestment” is the opposite of that: taking money away from something in which one has previously invested. This discussion, hosted by the Wisconsin Conference, will examine how we spend our money and the damage done to the Earth, and offer some concrete steps “investors” at every level can take to reduce that damage. Register here.

Creation Justice from the Sanctuary to the Street: Linking Worship, Action and Advocacy 6:30 to 8 p.m. Central time, March 3   Repentance requires action. This webinar, hosted by the Michigan Conference on the day after Ash Wednesday, will focus on creation justice language within the life of the church. The discussion will explore the way liturgical and spiritual practices like Baptism, Communion and fasting can move us to advocate and act on behalf of environmental justice. How can the language of the sanctuary change the actions we take outside the building – into the marketplace, at city hall and in the street? How can the experiences in our congregations, such as worship, Bible studies, book groups and youth activities embrace the language of planetary health? Register here.

Kairos Grants Awarded The Creation Care Team is pleased to announce the recipients of our 2021 Kairos Grants: Grace Congregational UCC, Two Rivers - $500 Grace’s Earth Care Ministry team plans to build a nature trail and restore a natural area on church property. The congregation has 7.5 acres of land that will be restored by removing invasive species and planting native trees and shrubs. The grant will go toward purchase of trees, fencing to protect the trees from wildlife, and construction of nature trails. Plymouth United Church of Christ, Eau Claire - $1,000 The Plymouth congregation has been actively establishing a pollinator garden and removing invasive trees and shrubs from the church grounds. This grant will help cover the cost of equipment and professional services needed to continue control efforts. Future work will include more native plantings. First Congregational Church, Oshkosh - $1,000 The congregation will use grant funds for two projects. The first will help establish native plants in an area currently covered with turf grass and stones. The second will enhance the community food pantry garden through soil improvement and seeds for specialized vegetables favored by World Relief refugee families in the area. First Congregational UCC, Appleton - $1,000 This grant will help the Appleton congregation host nationally and regionally recognized experts to present on intersecting environmental and tribal issues. A series of webinars is planned to inform, educate and unite communities around the Great Lakes on effective individual and group actions.   The Creation Care Team is seeking funding to provide Kairos grants more frequently, with hopes of starting quarterly in 2022. All congregations are encouraged to take action to care for our earthly home, and our team will work to provide funding to help make your projects possible.

Strong Support from Congregations for Honor the Earth

Care for God’s creation was the UCC’s 2021 focus on Giving Tuesday 2021, and donors responded by giving a total of $65,000 to fund climate justice initiatives. Nearly 70 percent of the total, or $45,000, is earmarked to support Honor the Earth, the nonprofit founded by Winona LaDuke to raise awareness of and financial support for Indigenous climate justice. Read more.  Click here to watch a video from the Wisconsin Conference Creation Care Team about why it’s important to support environmental justice initiatives.

Mark Your Calendar for Jan. 6 Webinar on Pipeline Permitting Developments

The first webinar in a series on intersecting environmental and tribal issues—developed by First Congregational UCC in Appleton with a Kairos Grant from the Wisconsin Conference—is scheduled for 6:30 to 8 p.m. Central time on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022. Registration for the webinar will open soon at this link. Topics will include permitting for the Enbridge pipelines, the expedited environmental impact statement on Enbridge Line 5 expected from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and the urgently needed actions needed to protect water resources shared by millions. The panel of four speakers will include Rob Lee, staff attorney at Midwest Environmental Advocates, an expert on pipeline regulation in Wisconsin.

Tell us what you think We’re always looking for ways to make the Kairos Creation Care newsletter more useful to our readers. Please take this brief survey to let us know how we’re doing and what we can do better.

Moment of Awe: Who knew? Who knew . . . that Earth is visible as a faint blue dot when viewed from within the rings of Saturn?   Who knew . . . that #momentofawe is a hashtag on Instagram?   Do you have a moment of awe? Are you sharing moments of awe on Instagram? View the full size image here.

Has Your Church Joined the Big Read? Please complete this survey to let us know whether your congregation will participate in the Big Read of Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass.

Will You Share YOUR Creation Care Story with Us? We’re here to spread the word! Please take a moment to let us know what your congregation and community are doing to care for God's beautiful, but threatened, creation by taking this short survey.

View Franz Rigert's video Announcing the Wisconsin Conference UCC Kairos Call To Action and share with your congregation! Sign up for the Kairos Call to Action Newsletter to ensure you don't miss future issues!

This newsletter is made possible by your contributions to Our Church's Wider Mission Basic Support. Photo credits: Great lakes from space image: NASA Pipeline image: Photo by roman pentin on Unsplash

Wisconsin Conference UCC | wcucc.org

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