Climate Change

The Grand Canyon Synod is already represented on the national Lutherans Restoring Creation map—and your ministry can be too. Whether through gardens, green teams, outdoor worship, or advocacy, congregations across our synod are invited to share their creation care efforts and connect with others doing this vital work across the ELCA. The Stewardship team invites you to add your ministry at www.LutheransRestoringCreation.org and help highlight how we care for creation in Arizona, Nevada, and Utah.

From heat relief efforts to interfaith meditation, Arizona Faith Network is calling on communities to serve and grow together this July. Pack Bags of Hope, join clergy gatherings, learn about the Bahá’í faith, or participate in a prophetic book study. Learn more and find ways to get involved at arizonafaithnetwork.org/newsletter.

Faith communities across the U.S.—including 47 supported by Blessed Tomorrow—are launching new climate initiatives through small grants aimed at youth education, community gardens, Indigenous land restoration, and advocacy. These projects build relationships across congregations and expand on the momentum of 2024’s efforts. Save the date: the next National Faith + Climate Forum is April 26, 2026. Click here to read more about these inspiring projects and how your congregation can get involved.

Join the Spirited Book Club this August as we read Refugia Faith by Debra Rienstra, a profound exploration of Christian spirituality in a climate-altered world. We’ll meet online Thursdays, August 14 and 28, from 12:00–1:00 pm AZ time, with discussion led by Sheri Brown. Come discover how faith can help create hidden shelters of healing and hope—for the earth, for the church, and for each other.

From mental health to sacred land, this month’s Blessed Tomorrow newsletter calls us into faithful creation care and public witness. Learn how your congregation can join the One Home One Future campaign, support youth resilience in a changing climate, and stand in solidarity with Native leaders defending Oak Flat. Plus, don’t miss the June 2 Global Heat Action Day event featuring Rev. Katie Sexton. Click here to read the full newsletter.

Two things are essential for a blessed tomorrow: cutting emissions and restoring biodiversity. This spring and summer, congregations are invited to be part of healing creation—starting by shrinking the lawn and planting native. Native plants support pollinators, conserve water, sequester carbon, and tell the story of where we live. Whether planting a pot on a balcony or transforming church grounds, every step counts. Click here to read the full article on the Blessed Tomorrow blog.

Learn how Lutheran leaders are addressing the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women in a free May 27 webinar, and explore new creation care resources from Lutherans Restoring Creation. Share your voice in a churchwide ELCA survey, mark your calendar for upcoming climate-focused calls, and join a June 4 conversation on federal policy and the environment. Read the full newsletter now for links and details. Read the full update.

As we approach Endangered Species Day on May 19, Avery Davis Lamb reflects on the deep spiritual resonance of sitting with Michaux’s sumac, a small endangered shrub. This act of presence becomes a holy vigil, inviting us to recognize the wounds of creation—and to wonder whether resurrection extends not just to humanity, but to all living things. In the Easter season, could practicing resurrection mean bearing witness to extinction with reverence, grief, and hope? Click here to read the full reflection on practicing resurrection in the presence of an endangered species.

In a moving reflection, Rev. Carol Devine recounts her encounters with Pope Francis—from the White House lawn to Pentecost Mass in Rome—and his profound impact as a global moral leader on creation care. Though not Catholic, Devine highlights how Pope Francis, through the spirit of St. Francis, inspired interfaith climate action and compassion for the Earth and its most vulnerable. We’re invited to honor his legacy through prayer and renewed action to care for our common home. Click here to read the full tribute and call to action.

Celebrate Earth Day and explore new ways to engage in creation care with Lutherans Restoring Creation Join an Earth Day sermon watch party on April 22, encourage young adults to attend the April 21 kickoff of the Young Adult Climate Alliance, register for conversations on climate justice, and explore synod advocacy opportunities. Learn more and read the full newsletter here.

While nearly 90% of Christian religious leaders believe climate change is real and human-caused, most rarely discuss it with their congregations. A new study shows this silence has consequences—many church members underestimate their pastor’s views, and conversations about climate action stall. Yet we are uniquely called and positioned to lead. This piece from Blessed Tomorrow urges clergy and lay leaders alike to speak out, teach, and preach on creation care. Support and training are available for those ready to start. Click here to read the full article on Blessed Tomorrow.

In Episode 2 of Here I Pod, ELCA Advocacy explores how Lutherans can take action on climate care and clean energy policy. Featuring ELCA leaders and theologians, this 24-minute episode offers practical ways congregations and individuals can advocate for environmental justice. Tune in for insight, inspiration, and tools for faithful action.