Join the Rocky Mountain Synod (RMS) Hunger Team, Lutheran Advocacy, and the Creation Care Team — in person (Denver) or online — for a day for holy conversation and community-building with faithful people from the RMS and beyond. Participants will learn the facts about the drought affecting the region, engage in theological reflection and story-telling, hear stories of the impact on agriculture, consider policy and advocacy, and contemplate how people of faith can respond to the crisis together.
Featured speakers include:
Sen. Chris Hansen, State Senator for Colorado Senate District 31 and Co-Founder of Colorado Energy & Water Institute
Peter Backlund, School of Global Environmental Sustainability, Colorado State University
Meagan Schipanski, Associate Professor in the College of Agricultural Sciences, Colorado State University
Dr. Ryan Cumming, Director of Education, ELCA World Hunger
Rev. Joshua Bruns, Pastor of Covenant Lutheran Church, Wheatland, Wyoming
Rev. Bonita Bock, former Professor & Director of Wartburg College West
Day's Agenda at a Glance:
9:00 a.m. - Gather, Welcome, Orientation to the Day
9:30 a.m. - Theological Reflection: How do we relate to creation? (Dr. Ryan Cumming, ELCA World Hunger)
10:10 a.m. - State of the Climate in the Western United States (Peter Backlund, CSU)
10:50 a.m. - The Impact of a Changing Climate on Agriculture (Meagan Schipanski, CSU)
11:30 a.m. - The View from Rural Wyoming (Rev. Joshua Bruns)
12:15 p.m. - Lunch
1:00 p.m. - What is "Just Transition"? (Peter Severson, Lutheran Advocacy)
1:20 p.m. - Building Political Will to Act (Sen. Chris Hansen)
2:00 p.m. - Panel Discussion: What Can I Do?
2:20 p.m. - Closing Q&A
2:40 p.m. - Closing Message & Sending (Bishop Jim Gonia)
3:00 p.m. - End
Recommended reading & resources for Thirsting for Water:
Climate Change & Drought
Colorado State University (CSU) – School of Global Environmental Sustainability (SOGES)(link is external)
University of Colorado, Boulder – The Water Desk(link is external)
Lutherans and Care for Creation
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) 1993 Social Statement – Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope & Justice(link is external)
Rocky Mountain Synod Care for Creation Team
Blessed Tomorrow(link is external) – Collaboration with ecoAmerica for ELCA congregations to engage in Climate Change Advocacy
ELCA Advocacy Paper – “Just Transition to a Sustainable Future” (2021)(link is external)
Lutherans Restoring Creation(link is external) – Independent group supporting creation care in ELCA through resources, preaching, public witness, deeper reading and tools for all ministry settings
Personal Responsibility and Actions
Together Colorado's Climate Justice Team(link is external)
Environmental Protection Agency – Drought and WaterSense(link is external)
City of Fort Collins Utilities – Resource on Water Efficiency(link is external)
Books & Reference List
A Perfect Moral Storm:The Ethical Tragedy of Climate Change (2013) Gardiner, Stephen M.
Braiding Sweetgrass – Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teaching of Plants (2013) Kimmerer, Robin Wall
Climate Church, Climate World: How People of Faith Must Work for Change (2018) Antal, Jim
On Fire:The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal (2019) Klein, Naomi
Where: Bethany Lutheran Church, 4500 East Hampden Avenue, Denver • Also available by Zoom
Fee: $25 in-person (lunch included), $15 online