The United Church of Christ’s third annual Earth Summit was held via Zoom on Saturday, April 26, and attended by people around the country.
The event was kicked off by UCC General Minister and President, the Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson, who quoted Jeremiah 29:11 “Where God says, for surely I know the plans I have for you, plans for your welfare, and not for harm to give you a future with hope.” Thompson said she sees a future with hope. “There is shared commitment to helping our communities and our neighbors, including those affected by extreme weather and by pollution, which is especially harmful to children and elderly populations.”
Keynote speaker, climate scientist and author Katharine Hayhoe, posed a question: “Isn’t every day Earth Day? Don’t we live on this earth every day? Don’t we depend on the air and the water and the resources that this earth provides to us every single day?”
Hayhoe broke this down even further, and crystalized the fact that the planet will be orbiting the sun long after we are gone. “This is quite literally about saving us,” she offered. She encouraged all listening to act, and to hold politicians accountable. Hayhoe concluded, “We have been given a spirit of power to act, of love and of care for others…so if this is what we have, what are we waiting for?”