Representatives from southeast communities of faith sent delegates to attend the inaugural Southeast Faith Leaders Network climate justice training held Sunday-Tuesday, October 27-29, at the beautiful Christmount Retreat Center located near Asheville, NC. This training was a pre-event for a larger Southeast Faith Leaders Network event in 2020.
Many thanks to Shantha Ready Alonso of Creation Justice Ministries for her write-up of the conference, including names of the planning team and representatives by state!
Shantha relates: "A joint effort of Creation Justice Ministries and Interfaith Power and Light of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama, the retreat equipped faith community leaders to identify oil and gas infrastructure threats to their local communities, understand environmental justice principles, and speak effectively with the media. It was also an opportunity for prayer, meaning-making, and network building. Rev. Rob Morris, Director of Christmount Retreat Center, also rooted the gathering in a sense of place, and showed the group a concrete example of how his retreat center, which is affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is using their property to protect and restore God's creation. Guests from The Wilderness Society also shared a new Oil and Gas Threat Map, a tool to empower the public to better understand the threats posed by oil and gas infrastructure on public lands."