United Methodist Maryland Advocacy Day, 2023
Find Grassroots Groups
This journey — of responding faithfully to the climate crisis — is best undertaken in community. Across our region, we support and encourage a network of grassroots groups where green leaders are finding fellowship and taking climate action together in specific denominations or communities.
See if there is a group like this in your faith community or region, and let us know how we can support and celebrate your work! Are we missing a local green faith group? Are you interested in starting a new one? Please contact joshua @ ipldmv.org.
Climate Equity Groups
We are directly supporting organizers in forming climate action groups of those working for climate protection in Black churches, and in Muslim, Buddhist, and Hindu/Jain communities, raising up the leaders we need in our region’s multi-faith movement.
For green leaders in Black churches:
Beloved DMV Environmental Justice Collective
For Buddhist climate protectors:
EcoSangha DMV with One Earth Sangha
For Muslim climate protectors:
Muslim Climate Collective DMV
For Hindu and Jain climate protectors:
Green Dharma DMV
Regional Multi-Faith Climate Groups:
In Maryland
Frederick Co: Multi-faith Alliance of Climate Stewards (MACS)
Montgomery Co: Montgomery County Faith Alliance for Climate Solution (MC-FACS)
Wicomico Co: Wicomico Interfaith Partners for Creation Stewardship
In Northern Virginia *(See also Virginia IPL)
Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions (FACS)
Denominational Climate Groups:
For green leaders in CATHOLIC parishes:
In DC & MD: ADW Care for Creation Committee/Md Catholics for our Common Home
In NoVa: Care for Creation Network of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington
For green leaders in BLACK CHURCHES:
Beloved DMV Environmental Justice Collective
For BUDDHIST climate protectors:
EcoSangha DMV with One Earth Sangha
For green leaders in EPISCOPAL churches:
In EDOW: Episcopal Diocese of Washington Creation Care Taskforce
In EDOM: GreenGrace (formerly: Md Episcopal Environmental Partners)
In EDOV: Creation Care Committee, Episcopal Diocese of Virginia
For HINDU and JAIN climate protectors:
In DMV: Green Dharma DMV
For JEWISH climate protectors:
In DMV: Jewish Climate Action Network DMV – Dayenu Circle
In NoVA: Temple Rodef Shalom Dayenu Circle
For LDS (MORMON) climate protectors:
In DMV: Earth Stewardship East
For green leaders in LUTHERAN (ELCA) churches:
Delaware-Maryland Synod ELCA Creation Care Team
For MUSLIM climate protectors:
Climate Shura DMV with Green Muslims
For green leaders in PRESBYTERIAN (PCUSA) churches:
In DMV: National Capital Presbytery Earth Care Committee
For UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST climate protectors:
In DMV: UU Mid Atlantic Network for the Environment
For green leaders in UNITED METHODIST churches:
In BWCUMC*: Baltimore-Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church Creation Care
In VAUMC*: vaumc-creation-justice-team@googlegroups
Spiritual Support Groups:
For spiritual support in climate work:
In DMV: Wild Earth Spiritual Community
Online: Festival Center – Climate Justice Collective
Green Groups - In the order listed above.
Beloved DMV Environmental Justice Collective
Black clergy and green leaders for environmental justice and climate equity in Maryland, DC, and Northern Virginia. To join the google listserv, please contact robin @ ipldmv.org.
Muslim Climate Collective DMV with Muslim Climate Watch
An emerging hub for Muslim climate advocates in the DMV in partnership with Muslim Climate Watch [muslimclimatewatch.com]. Contact Nazish Qureshi [nazish.qureshi@muslimclimatewatch.com] for any queries. Join the collective today!
EcoSangha DMV with One Earth Sangha
One Earth Sangha regional chapter for Buddhist climate protectors.
Green Dharma DMV
A collaborative space for Dharmic neighbors of DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia to connect over climate consciousness and our shared duty, dharma, of caring for the earth, our common home.
Wild Earth Spiritual Community
Inter-spiritual community that meets twice monthly for spiritual practices in nature. Email wildchaplainsarah @ gmail.com with any questions.
Wicomico Interfaith Partners for Creation Stewardship
The Wicomico Interfaith Partners for Creation Stewardship is a coalition of faith, environmental, and lay leaders coming together to build bridges between communities, promote stewardship of the Earth, and advocate on behalf of our natural world. They are currently trying to revitalize their meetings. Email mollie @ interfaithchesapeake.org for the most recent status.
Montgomery County Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions (MC-FACS)
Working together with us at Interfaith Power & Light, MC-FACS connects Montgomery County congregations to opportunities to undertake climate education, greening, and state or national climate advocacy. Join the google listserv by completing this form.
Multifaith Alliance of Climate Stewards (MACS)
Frederick County groups whose steering committee meets monthly. If you’re interested email: MacsFrederickCounty@yahoo.com
Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions (FACS)
Works to promote energy efficiency and other climate solutions in Fairfax, Arlington, and Alexandria. Advocate for local climate policy with your neighbors. Find monthly hub meetings here: https://faithforclimate.org/calendar/
Festival Center - Climate Justice Collective
Coalition of grassroots climate justice activists. The collective requires a one-year commitment. A collective year consists of two semesters: a “January – April” winter semester and a “September – November” fall semester. Next fellowship starts January 2023 online.
Washington-Area Care for Creation Committee
A lay-led group that mobilizes grass-roots Catholic action on creation care and environmental justice in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington by providing a platform for communication and organization.
For latest events, join listserv by sending a blank email to dmv-catholic-care-for-creation+subscribe@googlegroups.com
Care for Creation Network of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington
This network meets online, quarterly, in mid-January, April, July, and October. Please contact careforcreationnetwork @ gmail.com to get connected as this emerging group takes form.
Episcopal Diocese of Washington Creation Care Taskforce
This Episcopal DC & MD suburbs based group is committed to promoting respectful care of God’s creation, and particularly to working against climate change and on behalf of climate justice. Contact creationcare @ edow.org to learn more.
GreenGrace (Maryland Episcopal Environmental Partners)
Maryland Episcopals dedicated enhancing their to connection to God’s Creation including the call to environmental justice and climate crisis advocacy and response.
Creation Care Committee, Episcopal Diocese of Virginia
This Committee, the SOCC, is a Committee committed to sharing information and exploring the Christian, scientific, ethical issues in caring for the God’s Creation.
Jewish Climate Action Network DMV (JCAN DMV) - Dayenu Circle for DMV
Mobilizes our communities to protect the sacred Earth and all her fullness, Jewishly and locally through monthly meetings. To join their listserv, send a blank email to jcan-dmv+subscribe@googlegroups.com
Temple Rodef Shalom - Dayenu Circle
Jewish group based in Falls Church, VA. Dayenu is building a movement of American Jews confronting the climate crisis with spiritual audacity and bold political action. Jewish support for climate solutions, building collective power with national and global movements, and raising up a spiritual, religious, and moral voice is core to their work.
Contacts: Lawrence MacDonald at lawrencemacdonald @ gmail.com to get connected to the group meetings.
Creation Care Ministry of the Delaware-Maryland Synod of the ELCA
Network of Lutherans working on environmental stewardship in their congregations. Monthly meetings or conference calls. To join their listserv, please send a blank email to creation-care-ministry-group+subscribe@googlegroups.com
Earth Stewardship East
Network of Earth Stewardship East is a chapter of LDS Earth Stewardship for the DC region that works on environmental stewardship in their congregations. All are welcome, they are not affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, though many in the group follow that faith. Monthly meetings or conference calls. Email east @ ldsearthstewardship.org if you have questions.
National Capital Presbytery - Earth Care Committee
DMV Presbyterians committed to creation care. To join the listserv and learn about meeting please email: ncp-Earth-Care-Network+subscribe@googlegroups.com.
UU Mid Atlantic Network for the Environment
UU MANE is a newly created group of UUs from across the DMV (and DE) region working to commit to a one-year climate spirituality focus in congregational life, adopt a default plant-based food policy for congregational events, advocate for cutting greenhouse gas emissions at the local and state level, reduce CO2 emissions of their congregational facilities and grounds, establish environmental justice allyship, and confront planetary overshoot.
The Baltimore-Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church (BWCUMC) Creation Care Group
The Creation Care team usually meets on the third Friday of each month at 1 pm via Zoom. Contact pastorkatie1 @ gmail.com for the link and to join the Basecamp email group for the latest information.
The Virginia Conference UMC Creation Justice Movement
The Virginia Conference UMC Creation Justice Movement’s mission is to participate with the Spirit of God in connecting and supporting groups within The United Methodist Church and beyond for the work of creation, care, justice, and regeneration.