Through a partnership between Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NoVA), Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions, and Virginia Interfaith Power & Light, pastors, rabbis, imams, and other clergy in faith communities across the region will be raising up voting as a sacred responsibility of our Kinship with Creation. Faith communities in Virginia are invited to participate on or around the weekend of October 1-3, 2021, when some Christian churches will be celebrating the Feast of St. Francis, patron saint of animals and the natural world. Faith communities in Washington, DC and Maryland are invited to participate November 12-14, 2021, committing to turn away from burning — learning, acting, and speaking out for an end to burning dangerous methane gas in our homes and communities.
Some of our congregations are meeting online right now, and others in person or in a hybrid mode. Regardless, explore the resources below to engage your community and to vote for elected officials who share our value of Creation Care:
- Call to action for worship & short sample talk for speakers
- Virginia Civic Engagement Resources
- Request a speaker
- For Christian communities
- Recursos para las iglesias en español
- For Jewish communities
- For Muslim communities
- For Unitarian Universalist communities
Spread the Word!
Let your neighbors know your congregation is participating by sharing and tagging the Climate in the Pulpits event on Facebook! Use hashtag #ClimatePulpits to share photos and teachings from your congregation’s program.
– Resources –
Call to action for worship & short sample talk for speakers
Whether we are gathered online or in-person, we can take action together, and in community! We’re inviting congregations to do so by setting aside a few minutes during worship or other programming to allow individuals to call on their elected officials to make climate and environmental justice a priority.
Download our bulletin inserts for your community
Download our five minute sample talk script!
Virginia Civic Engagement Resources
Virginia Interfaith Power and Light: 2021 Faith Climate Justice Voter Calendar
Virginia Interfaith Power and Light: 2021 Faith Climate Justice Voter Guide
Request a guest speaker
We can connect your congregation with skilled speakers whose environmental work is rooted in their faith traditions, and with passionate environmental educators who know how to share green skills and enthusiasm with diverse religious groups.
The speakers and teachers in our Speakers Bureau are ready to offer guest sermons, text studies, adult forum presentations, youth group programming, and more *online* including with Spanish-speaking communities. Click here to learn more and request a guest speaker.
Resources for Christian communities
– IPL-DMV: Why are Christians called to address Climate Change?
– Revised Common Lectionary for October 3rd
– Season of Creation 2021 Celebration Guide
– From Creation Justice Ministries: Ethics of Energy study guide
* Resources for African-American/black churches
– From Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NoVA): “Climate Change and African-American Communities” 1-pager
– From Creation Justice Ministries: African American Climate Initiative
* Resources for Catholic parishes
– Climate in the Pulpits 2020: Homily Help for the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
– Daily Mass Readings for the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Times
– From Catholic Climate Covenant: “The Healing Power of Love in Action: Creation Care in a Time of Pandemic and Partisanship” Feast of St. Francis Resources
– From Marty Haugen/GIA Publications: Hymns for a Mass of Creation (for purchase)
* Resources for children & youth
– From Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NoVA): Light Switch Reminders coloring sheet
– From Catholic Climate Covenant: Friending Planet Earth Curriculum (youth)
– From Green Anglicans: The Story of Creation Sunday School Curriculum (children)
– From New Community Project: Operation Creation! Curriculum (children)
* Recursos para las iglesias en español
– De la Alianza Católica para el Clima: Cuidar la creación de Dios: Recursos para la liturgia, la predicación y la acción
– Del Columban Center: Guía de Estudio Para Personas Y Grupos Pequeños
Resources for Jewish communities
– Climate on the Bimah: Jewish Communities and Climate Change Torah
– From Canfei Nesharim: resources for Sukkot
– Jewish text studies: Toward a Wiser Use of Energy and Genesis and Human Stewardship of the Earth
Resources for Muslim communities
– From Khaleafa: Green Khutbah Campaign and Sample Green Khutbah
– Islamic Declaration on Climate Change
Resources for Unitarian Universalist communities
– From Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth: Honoring Earth Worship Resources
– For children & youth, from Unitarian Universalist Association: Climate Change Religious Education Curriculum