The UMC at cop27
Written by Ellen Van Velsor >November 22, 2022
Did you know that United Methodist Church representatives and other faith voices were present and active at COP27? COP27 stands for Conference of the Parties and this is the 27th year that nations from all over the world have met to build a cooperative effort to both mitigate and adapt to climate change and its negative impacts on our planet. The conference took place this year from November 6th-18th in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.
UMC representatives from the General Board of Church & Society, Global Ministries, United Women of Faith, and others attended COP27 to press global leaders for creation care action and to learn how we, as a church, might better respond to global needs. Our call to creation care intersects with many of the priorities of these UMC groups, such as the alleviation of poverty, the climate cirsis, global health, peace, and human & civil rights.
Our faith calls us, as individuals and as a church, to strive for a world in which all people share in the abundance of nature, have sufficient food and clean water and are safe from the impacts of climate change. Understanding what this work entails and participating as best we can is core to our faith and, at West Market St. UMC, to our calling as a “Green Church”. So what can we do in relation to this conference and this calling?
First, we can educate ourselves. The UMC COP27 delegation posted updates regularly during the conference. More here….. with additional resources to be posted once the conference closes. The delegation also hosted two webinars on November 10th & 17th “to provide updates, answer questions, and share insights from inside the negotiations”. You can watch the recordings of these webinars here.
In addition, we can advocate. UMC representatives are meeting with the US Congressional delegation while at COP. They have asked that UMC members let Congress know that, as a church, we support the provision of financial and technical help to those developing nations suffering the most from climate change. For those interested in helping with this advocacy, here is a link to that message, requesting support:
And finally, we can continue as a church, through our prayers, witness and actions, locally and across our conference, to promote ecological healing and environmental justice in all the ways we see possible. Our pastors, youth director and family ministries, as well as our Sunday school classes, WMS care for creation team, and Western NC Creation Care ministry all provide opportunities for us to learn and engage within the church and in our community. As we move into the season of Advent, let us remain faithful to this calling – All Earth is Waiting!