The second webinar in the Greening the Parish series of the Department of Inter-Orthodox, Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations offers insights into best practices of ecumenical partner churches.
Speaker Bios for Panel #2 - Ecumenical Practices
Shantha Ready Alonso has served as Executive Director of Creation Justice Ministries since 2015. Creation Justice Ministries educates, equips and mobilizes Christians in the United States to protect, restore, and rightly share God's creation. Based on the priorities of its members, with a particular concern for people who are most vulnerable and marginalized, Creation Justice Ministries provides collaborative opportunities to build ecumenical community, guides people of faith and faith communities towards eco-justice transformations, and raises a collective witness echoing Christ's call for just relationships among all of creation. Learn more about Creation Justice Ministries at www.creationjustice.org, and on social media @CreationJustice.
Rev. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas, Ph.D., serves as Missioner for Creation Care in the two Episcopal dioceses of Massachusetts and in Southern New England Conference, United Church of Christ. An Episcopal priest, author, retreat leader, and climate activist, she has organized many Christian and interfaith events about care for Earth and leads spiritual retreats in the U.S. and Canada on spiritual resilience and resistance in the midst of climate emergency. Her latest book Rooted and Rising: Voices of Courage in a Time of Climate Crisis (2019), co-edited with Leah Schade, is an anthology of essays by religious environmental activists. Her Website: RevivingCreation.org.
Rev. Dr. Jim Antal (website: jimantal.com) is a denominational leader, climate activist, author and public theologian. He serves as Special Advisor on Climate Justice to the General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ. Antal’s book, CLIMATE CHURCH, CLIMATE WORLD, was featured on Earth Day in the Chicago Tribune, in Christian Century Magazine and by the AAR. From 2006-2018, Antal led the 350 UCC churches in Massachusetts as their Conference Minister and President. Antal is a graduate of Princeton University, Andover Newton Theological School, and Yale Divinity School, which recently honored him with the William Sloane Coffin Award for Peace and Justice.
Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade is Assistant Professor of Preaching and Worship at Lexington Theological Seminary in Kentucky. An ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America since 2000, Leah has written several books focusing on environment and faith, including Creation-Crisis Preaching: Ecology, Theology, and the Pulpit (Chalice Press, 2015); and Rooted and Rising: Voices of Courage in a Time of Climate Crisis, co-edited with Margaret Bullitt-Jonas with essays from a cross-section of faith leaders and activists offering their spiritual wisdom and energy for facing the difficult days ahead (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019). Leah has served as an anti-fracking and climate activist, community organizer, and advocate for environmental justice issues. She is also the “EcoPreacher” blogger for Patheos.com: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/ecopreacher/.
