Earth Ministry/Washington Interfaith Power & Light hit the ground running in 2023 when it comes to getting out into the community and having more in-person points of engagement!
Eastern Washington Legislative Conference
On January 21, Earth Ministry/WAIPL’s former Advocacy director, Jessica Zimmerle, joined two other faith-based organizations at the 2023 Eastern Washington Legislative Conference, addressing issues of concern among the faith community in Washington state that will be on bulls during the Washington State Legislature, which runs from January 9 to April 23.
Jessica shared on EM/WAIPL’s focus within environmental justice and creation care (link to webpage) while taking in the warm welcome and community that Spokane offers every time EM/WAIPL head to the eastern part of the state!
Workshops
Our Multifaith Program Manager, Keah Calluccie, has been around the community nurturing new relationships with congregations and students! Starting with speaking at Pacific Lutheran University’s Cristian Ethics J-Term class, Keah, along with St. Mark’s by the Narrows, engaged with a classroom of students on the basics of environmental justice, how EM/WAIPL does work in the environmental field, how to nurture relationships, and encouraging students to find what excites them in the environmental world and persist in what they believe.
Keah has also been in new to Earth Ministry/WAIPL congregations such as Bet Chaverim in Des Moines, Washington, who we got connected to through the Shmita Project Northwest where she gave a broad introduction to the world EM/WAIPL does, how to get involved, and then enjoyed getting to know the members of Bet Chaverim on a more personal level during the coffee hour that happened after.
During a joint worship service between Lake Washington Christian Church and Kirkland United Church of Christ, Earth Ministry/WAIPL also had joint presentations that day with Rev. AC Churchill being the guest preacher and Keah presenting on the history of EM/WAIPL, the work that we do, and a glimpse into the Washington State Legislature during the post-service workshop hour!
Email Keah to learn more about inviting Earth Ministry/WAIPL to your faith community for a workshop
Interfaith Advocacy Day
This year’s Faith Action Network’s Interfaith Advocacy Day, a day that brings voices of compassion and justice to elected leaders, featured a workshop given by Earth Ministry/WAIPL’s Executive Director, Rev. AC Churchill, and Board Chair, Rev. Laura Baumgartner in Olympia on February 9 at The United Churches of Olympia. The workshop informed participants about the environmental justice bills that EM/WAIPL supports as well as how to effectively advocate in the meetings that would be happening with state representatives after! Board member Deirdre Gabbay and staff member Keah Calluccie were also in attendance going to meetings, uplifting the importance of these bills with their representatives!
