Faith Leaders’ Letter to NM leaders: We have a ‘moral responsibility to act now’ on climate

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Dozens of faith leaders from around New Mexico have signed a letter to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Cabinet and agency leaders and our State House Members and Senators urging them to take bold actions to address climate change.  The signators underscored the urgency of the moment and the opportunites to take action during the upcoming State Legislative session, which runs from January 17 to March 18, 2023.

“This past year we suffered from fires, floods, health concerns, early and extended heat, extreme wind, aridity, rivers going dry, farmers and ranchers suffering a loss of income, and growing immigrant numbers because of food insecurity. We also see many people, especially the young, struggling with mental health challenges associated with living in these worsening conditions,” said the letter.

“As the 2023 New Mexico Legislative Session begins we see the clock ticking, communities and Earth suffering, and our souls calling for a change. We are compelled to speak for strong actions in this session in several areas

  1.  Strong climate action for our state and government agencies which has at the forefront ethical concerns for equity; economic transition that puts workers and people first as we move from an outsized reliance on oil and gas; economic diversification; intergenerational justice; and care for our sacred land, water, air, and all in the community of life.
  2. Health systems that care for our communities and consider the health effects of climate change and the effects of extractive industries and their legacies on our communities.
  3. Our water concerns must have adequate funding for systemic change, which is required to address the dire issues of water quantity, quality, and aridity in the state. Modernizing water governance, engaging in robust water planning, and funds s to address a variety of concerns is wise stewardship.
  4. Adequate funding for public agencies to work in caring for the health, welfare, and common good.

Read full letter and see who has signed

If you would like to sign the letter as a New Mexico faith leader, contact Sister Joan Brown, joan@nm-ipl.org

Sister Joan Brown: Fall is the season of thank you

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The following is an excerpt from a piece that Sister Joan Brown, executive director of NMEP-IPL, wrote for The Gallup Independent.

“If the only prayer you ever say in your whole life is ‘thank you,’ that would suffice.”  –Meister Eckhart

In this quote mystic, priest and Dominican theologian Meister Eckhart expresses a profound and mysterious truth. Nothing is ours and yet every breath, heartbeat, glass of water or morsel of food from each sunrise are given to each of us. But how can one say thank you?

Fall is the season of “Thank you.” We are entering the week of “Thank you.” We may glibly say these sacred words each day … if we remember, but, this time of year calls us to deeper reflection and renewal. Everywhere we turn, in each moment is a gift of Love. The Qur’an 2:115 is eloquent when it states “Everywhere you turn there is the face of God.” How amazing that God, the face of Love peers through each tree and in each child and touches our tongue in a drink of water. This leads me to wonder if mere words of thanks are enough. True thank you’s, I believe require reciprocity and invite us to multiply a gesture of love. Although we may not feel that what ever gesture we offer is adequate, we must act in reciprocity, it is the way of nature and God’s creation.

In fall the trees give leaves to the earth. The earth welcomes the leaves, as do grubs and earthworms who break down the fallen leaves into soil to nurture the tree to bud in spring and give us leaves, shade and even fruit again. The cycle is continual. Giving, thanking, receiving and giving back.

As humans we have gotten into a bad habit of merely taking. As the UN Climate meeting in Egypt ends this weekend we are reminded that the climate crisis we face is because we have dishonored the cycle of our Sister, Mother Earth, Our Home.  Read full article

Videos from our Annual Fall Gathering, November 2022

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New Mexico El Paso Interfaith Power & Light held its annual fall gathering on Thursday, Nov. 10, at First Congregational UCC in Albquerque.  Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, our previous two gatherings in 2020 and 2021 were virtual.  So having an in-person event was great.!As was the case with some previous in-person annual gatherings, the meeting was streamed on Facebook Live and recorded on YouTube (see link below).

One of the highlights of our meeting was a panel discussion featuring four young advocates: Emma O’Sullivan (Los Lunas, NM), an immigration attorney (Santa Fe Dreamers Project) and NMEP-IPL board member; Arcelia Isais-Gastelum (Albuquerque), field manager at ReNew Mexico  and NMEP-IPL board treasurer; Cynthia Gonzalez, (El Paso, TX) advocacy coordinator at the St. Columban Mission for Justice, Peace, and Ecology  and an NMEP-IPL board member; and Kayley Shoup (Carlsbad, NM), field organizer for Citizens Caring for the Future, an NMEP-IPL affiliate in the Permian Basin.  Rev. Lynne Hinton, executive director of the New Mexico Conference of Churches, moderated the panel.

We divided the panel discussion into the themes that were discussed. Below are the videos of the introduction and three of the questions that were addressed.

Panelists Introduce Themselves

(Video length 11:28)

When did you get the call to advocate for the environment?

(Video length, 9:07)

What spiritual disciplines help you remain hopeful?

(Video length: 12:45)

How do you organize in light of overwhelmed, fearful society?

(Video length: 10:38)

Board member Terry Sloan offers closing prayer/reflection

(Video length: 2:20)

The full event, courtesy of First Congregational Church

(Coverage is about 1 1/2 hours  Start video at about 17:50 )

SEED and SPROUT Awards

Every year, we present SEED (communities and congregations) and SPROUT (Individuals) Awards for those faith communities and individuals who have done amazing work this year. The SEED award this year went to  Christ in the Desert Monastery (Seed). Individual Sprout awards to: Betsy Diaz, La Mesa Presbyterian Church, ABQ; Kaitlin Bryson, Santa Fe (young adult); and Kayley Shoup, Citizens Caring for the Future.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Benedictine monks at Christ in the Desert Monastery in Abiquiu were recognized with the SEED award. The monastery has implemented sustainable technology, particularly solar energy and water management. Representatives from the monastery were unable to attend the event. Dagmar Llewelyn from the Bureau of Reclamation, which has worked closely with the monks at the monastery on several water projects, accepted the SEED award on their behalf.

Solar Power System at Christ in the Desert Monastery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Betsy Diaz from La Mesa Presbyterian Church received a SPROUT award for her work on water conservation and other water-related issues.

 

 

 

 

Kaitlin Bryson from Santa Fe was recognized with a SPROUT award for her work integrating art, science (mycology and the environment to bring education/awarness to climate change.

 

 

Kayley Shoup from Carlsbad received a SPROUT for her highly effective organizing, advocacy, and media work in to bring attention to the danges of methane leaks to residents of Carlsbad, Hobbs, Jal and other communities in the New Mexico Permian basin.