Want to help save our planet? Become an Earthkeeper, part of a grassroots environmental movement of action and advocacy. The UMC’s Global Ministries agency seeks to train United Methodist EarthKeepers to launch and grow environmental projects in their own communities. Training topics include eco-theology, antiracism, community organizing and project planning.

The next EarthKeepers training events, October 5-8, include a training in nearby Hartford, Connecticut. Come join in this important, planet-saving ministry. The application deadline is August 23. Find details and the application here: https://umcmission.org/earthkeepers.

“Care of the earth will improve our environmental health,” said Deaconess Barbara Drake, chair of EPA’ Global Ministries Team. “It is a component of the Abundant Health program that every church is encouraged to participate in.”

Becky Parsons, a Global Ministries missionary serving as Mission Advocate in the Northeast Jurisdiction, recently became an Earthkeeper. “I attended the training in 2019 and was utterly changed by the gospel message of God’s good creation, repentance and reflection on the sins carried out on people and places, the core values of social holiness and living out what it means to have a future with hope in Christ’s name,” she recalls.

“Earth keepers not only trains you to speak from a place of integrity and hope for caring for God’s good Creation, but also ensures that you leave with a plan of how to make change in your community and within your sphere of influence. I would strongly recommend anyone interested in diving deeper into their faith, social justice, scriptural grounding, and desire for real change attend this training. We’ll all be glad you did!”