A quick update from COP30 and CCOP:
wciu-8920028.hs-sites.com/day-8-of-cop...
@ronrienstra.bsky.social
Professor of Preaching&Worship Arts, Western Theological Seminary, Holland, MI | E7 | Worship Words | Church at Church| he/him | fave class: liturgical shenanigans | amateur musician (guitar, string bass) | backyard re-wilder | leaning into eco-theology
A quick update from COP30 and CCOP:
wciu-8920028.hs-sites.com/day-8-of-cop...
Some hopeful news and some good videos in this one, plus: puffins!
refugianewsletter.substack.com/p/refugia-ne...
Inviting you to my Substack page because I've been neglectful about posting recent podcast episodes and newsletters. It's all here! Hawaiian refugia, the mighty diocese of San Francisco, and so much more. Maybe start here?
refugianewsletter.substack.com/p/refugia-po...
This is such a good one. If you attend a regular congregation and wish your church could do more about climate, listen to the marvelous Linda Racine and get inspired!
refugianewsletter.substack.com/p/refugia-po...
What if we used our church grounds to feed our human and non-human neighbors? For those near Nashville, TN, you can explore this question with faith leaders and gardening experts at a gathering hosted by the Food & Faith Collective on 11/15!
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Register here: nashvillewpc.church/faith-food-2...
People gardening in a churchyard.
Thanks to our first year of Churches of Restoration who generously shared their experiences in restoring right relationship with the earth with our Year 2 Churches of Restoration in our first national webinar.Β
We can't wait to see what projects our Year 2 churches launch! ππ±
This is a lovely one, an interview this week with the gentle and courageous Father Pete Nunnally of Water and Wilderness church.
refugianewsletter.substack.com/p/refugia-po...
We've been really enjoying this season of the Refugia Podcast, hosted by our friend @debrakrienstra.bsky.social - each week, she interviews a different guest and explores the idea of refugia from a variety of perspectives.
If you're interested, you can find it here! refugianewsletter.substack.com
Refugia Newsletter AND Refugia Podcast! My latest newsletter has exclusive video of PUFFINS! And the podcast so far in Season 4 features terrific guests: Heber Brown III, Douglas Day Kaufman, David Celesky, and Judy Hinck. More to come!
refugianewsletter.substack.com
my takeaway from climate week nyc is that "climate storytelling" is a little too much "we must reimagine our deepest souls in relationship to mother nature and the moral abyss of the polycrisis into which we must now stare" and not enough "ok but get a heat pump"
28.09.2025 18:52 β π 2293 π 403 π¬ 75 π 69Refugia Podcast Episode 34
open.substack.com/pub/refugian...
Such a great conversation with the inspiring Heber Brown!
refugianewsletter.substack.com/p/refugia-po...
Sun Day! This week's newsletter is a celebration of the clean energy transition that is happening, right now, despite... all the things.
refugianewsletter.substack.com/p/refugia-ne...
Welcome to our West Michigan Churches of Restoration Cohort! πΏβͺ During our kick-off, creation caretakers new and experienced affirmed each other's work and inspired one another to pursue new projects.
We are honored to support these leaders in nurturing God's ecosystems in the upcoming year! πποΈ
At our annual A Rocha USA team retreat, we discussed the conservation work we enact in Texas and Florida, and we strategized for projects like our Churches of Restoration program and our new Tree Planting Initiative. π³βͺ
We are excited to bring greater flourishing to God's creation this year! π
A reflection from one member of our 2024/25 Churches of Restoration program:
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"It has helped me feel less alone, more seen and supported, less crazy for thinking we as the church should make creation care a priority."β
We are excited for the many years of community and creation care to come! βͺπ±
On our blog, you can read about St. Bartholomew's Episcopal, a 2024/25 Nashville Church of Restoration that has done amazing work to remove invasive plants and restore habitat on their property, seeking the Holy Spirit's guidance in healing their ecosystem! π±ποΈ
Read more: arocha.us/churches-of-...
Need a boost of sunshine and mental vitamin D? Check out this week's newsletter.
refugianewsletter.substack.com/p/refugia-ne...
Alongside Septemberβs prayer requests, we also take time to share these thanksgivings. Weβre grateful for the many ways weβve seen Godβs blessings, through the work of A Rocha USA, the care of colleagues around the world, and the beauty of creation itself.
06.09.2025 14:51 β π 1 π 1 π¬ 0 π 0I know this sounds crazy, but shouldnβt the Secretary of Energy know something about energy?
02.09.2025 23:30 β π 6641 π 1977 π¬ 594 π 188Running from September 1 to the Feast of St. Francis on October 4, the Season of Creation invites churches to focus anew on God's species and landscapes, seeking to join Christ in reconciling creation to God (Col. 1:19-20) in our worship, teaching, and service! βͺπ±
Learn more: seasonofcreation.org
Great news! Grand Rapids, Michigan, (where I live) has an ambitious climate agenda, just passed by the City Commission.
www.michiganpublic.org/environment-...
Faith/climate news in manageable doses with lots of opportunities to dive deeper.
refugianewsletter.substack.com/p/refugia-ne...
Over the past year, A Rocha USAβs Texas team, led by Veronica Godoy, worked with volunteers & Master Naturalists to restore 22+ acres in the Stenis Tract, removing 9,389 invasives & planting 456 native species.
Restoration now expands to Bull Creek Bluff Park. Thanks to all who made this possible!
Summer is the season of Wild Wonder! βοΈπ Our VBS curriculum features four weeks of lessons (divided into 4 "Years") for young explorers to root their love for the outdoors in the foundations of their growing faith. π±
Learn more about Wild Wonder here: arocha.us/wild-wonder.
πΈ Nancy Vanden Bout
We encourage Indiana residents to join the Evangelical Environmental Network's webinar at 12pm ET on August 7. π±π» It will offer guidance on what creation care priorities to contact your representatives about, and how to do it effectively!
us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
πΈ Ramaz Bluashvili
Hear from our friends on the ecoChristian podcast not only about the importance of becoming more aligned with nature, but also how one artist has done this through music. π§
π Search "Earthy Justice Jams" on any listening platform, or click here to listen on Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/2ZaA...
π±π Climate Stewards USA offers resources to measure, reduce, and offset your carbon footprint! They allow individuals, churches, and nonprofits to use their free carbon calculator, while businesses can request carbon auditing services at an hourly rate.
Learn more: climatestewardsusa.org
πΈ Pixabay
Our team strives to remove the invasive Glossy Privet, Nandina, and King Ranch Bluestem from the Stenis Tract of Austin, TX, making space for all sorts of native creatures to flourish. πΌπͺ²πͺ±
This collage, by Conservation Intern Ian Massey, only depicts some of the biodiversity that our work supports!
Grateful for being able to lean into some very important work. Grateful for new partners!
10.07.2025 18:27 β π 6 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0