Loving Earth as Our Neighbor
It had been 22 years since I was last there. Driving into the camp, I could see where Hurricane Helene had torn through and devastated parts of the property. As old, familiar buildings came into view, I could hear camp songs echoing in my head, feel the pull of beloved arts and crafts and creek walks etched in my memory, and remember the beautiful commotion in the dining hall during meals. Despite the warmth of the afternoon, I felt goosebumps on my arms. But instead of arriving for summer camp, I was at Lutheridge in Arden, NC, for the Multiply conference put on by Lutherans Restoring Creation, a grassroots movement promoting care for creation.
People from all over the country gathered in western North Carolina to hold space for our collective climate grief, celebrate deep-seated love and appreciation for God’s creation, and redirect our pain into thoughtful action. The theme of the weekend tied into the parable of the mustard seed, and I even left with a beautiful necklace reminder that a small speck of faith can drive lasting and impactful change. Of course some campy games were included, one of which involved me howling like a coyote…I’m hoping there’s no video evidence floating around out there.
We opened with a moving land acknowledgement that the NC Synod put together (watch it here), and then one of our first activities was to address our “mulberry trees” (invasive things that get in the way of progress) when it comes to creation care. I highly encourage congregations to try this practice of recognizing climate grief as a group and then facilitating spaces for people to sit with it, process it, and tap into the feelings that eventually motivate us to action. We were shown a Climate Grief Emotion Wheel, and then a short video on Earth as the Original Cathedral (watch it here). We then were able to go to a station or multiple stations set up to help us do something with our grief.
Outside on a porch overlooking tall trees and a flowering dogwood, I listened to birdsong and observed the comings and goings of dragonflies, bees, butterflies, hawks, and other birds. I found myself silently offering them an apology I usually send to God: forgive us for failing you. Later in the evening we were back on the porch sitting in rocking chairs and journaling quietly with prompts given to us, and then moved back into enlightening discussion.
This is an easy win for a church to facilitate and inspire meaningful connections with others alongside deep connection with creation. It can be low cost and relatively low effort but profoundly moving. If you have woods nearby, you could do a silent forest bathing walk to help with processing. Or if your church has a garden or labyrinth, people could take advantage of that space. I was so grateful to be with other people passionate about the same things—we were chatting all throughout dinner, before and after evening vespers, and people were even staying up later outside at a fire pit to continue conversation. The Spirit was moving.
On our second day, we received Blessed Tomorrow Climate Ambassador Training. This is another wonderful opportunity for churches because it’s self-paced and online (and can be done as a group!). We had more time with small groups; learned about green models of burial and community death care/support; enjoyed a guided spirituality exercise outdoors (a collaboration between a Wild Church Network leader and a Center for Spirituality in Nature leader); exchanged ideas, success stories, and best practices in lively share fair; and continued worshiping together. Worship was special this evening for multiple reasons, but my top two were: (1) our communion bread was the form of a pretzel from Blunt Pretzels, a bakery in Swannanoa, NC (which was hard hit by Hurricane Helene) and whose German-born owner served thousands every day during the recovery period; and (2) we had some unexpected guests walk by outside during the service!
Lutherans Restoring Creation is a wonderful resource for individuals, creation care teams, and churches interested in engaging with others who wish to be good stewards of our earth and our neighbors. I’m so grateful for this in-person experience they planned and executed full of faith-filled fellowship, important discussion of intersectional social and environmental issues, priceless time spent outdoors in nature, and powerful motivation to act. One final (and very timely) action I’d encourage churches to consider is participating in the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Decade of Climate Justice Action (learn more).
Natalie Cain
Communications Coordinator, Metro D.C. Synod
