Dear Friends,
To love the Earth and live out our religious convictions often means action: progress on clean energy, protest against injustice, learning and education. But it also means contemplation and awe: spending time outdoors; keeping company with bees and earthworms in the garden; resting in the knowledge that nature is meant to heal us, and not just the other way around.
This summer, we've tried to hold both—getting outside to remember what we're working for, while behind the scenes to move forward on projects we've wanted to deliver for a while.
With the help of our new interns and our new Communications & Outreach Coordinator, we've been able to ramp up that work and make real progress. Here's some of what we've accomplished in the past month or so!
This summer we launched our Environmental Stewardship Survey, a quick, ten-minute way to tell us what your congregation is doing, where you're stuck, and how MassIPL can better support your climate and Creation care work in the year ahead.
So far, nearly 50 houses of worship have shared their insights, and we're grateful to every one of them! A special thank-you goes to MassIPL intern Leyalyn Grenfell-Lee, who worked tirelessly with us to design and plan the survey. Her thoughtful work is helping us better support communities of faith all across the Commonwealth.
If your congregation hasn't taken it yet, there's still time. We would love to hear from you!
As a thank-you for taking the survey, our Executive Committee is funding a $10 gift to each participating house of worship, yours to keep for your own ministry or send back into MassIPL's environmental justice work. Every response shapes what we create next.
Our intern Leyalyn shares how just ten minutes of your time can help shape the future of Creation care across Massachusetts. Click here to see her video on what our survey is about.
We were so glad to gather with many of you for "Grounded Decision-Making: How Two Congregations Decided to Go Geothermal," co-hosted with PA IPL and GreenerU. Wellesley Village Church and St. Christopher's Episcopal shared the real discernment behind their journeys toward clean, geothermal heating and cooling, and with federal incentives still available, geothermal is more within reach than many congregations realize.
Missed it, or want to share it with others in your congregation?
Curious about geothermal for your own community? Reach out anytime to Jim Nail (via info@massipl.org), president of MassIPL, who also conducts our Environmental Stewardship Assessments.
You may have noticed a little more life across our social media channels lately, and there's a reason for that! We're delighted to have Joy Yamagiwa as our new Communications & Outreach Coordinator. Joy has been hard at work refreshing MassIPL's social media presence, sharing more stories, resources, and inspiration from communities of faith across the Commonwealth. Want to connect with Joy? Reach out to her at jyamagiwa@massipl.org.
There's more to see than ever, so if you haven't already, come follow along:
Facebook: @massIPL
Instagram: @mass_ipl
One recent favorite: an engaging conversation from @notjetset, in which Tufts professor Parke Wilde and Tufts chaplain Khan Shairani take a long walk across Boston, talking architecture, faith, mysticism, and low-carbon travel. It's a beautiful reminder that caring for the Earth and caring for one another go hand in hand. Watch the video below if you haven't already, and stay tuned, we'll be featuring Khan again later this year!
We have something exciting to share: over the next week or so, MassIPL will unveil a brand-new website at massipl.org—along with a refreshed look for these emails. We'll let you know when the website is live!
Our staff and volunteers have been working with a Massachusetts design firm to reimagine our home on the web. The new website design was chosen to be welcoming and more accessible, an easy-to-navigate structure built around how we work—Pray, Act, Mobilize—and new pages for our success stories, events, news, and the people who lead this work.
It's been a labor of love, with more than a few delays along the way! But the new site is built to better reflect the spirit of our work: light, interfaith connection, and practical resources for individuals and communities taking action on climate.
Keep an eye on your inbox. We can't wait to show you what we've been working on.
Tuesday, August 11 | 11:00 AM | Online and Thursday, August 20 | 2:00 PM | Online
And there's even more on the horizon this summer and fall. We'd love to see you at MassIPL Office Hours, two informal drop-in sessions in August, on Tuesday, August 11 at 11am and Thursday, August 20 at 2pm, where you can bring us your questions on energy, stewardship, and Creation care.
Register here for Aug. 11 | Register here for Aug. 20
Come with a project in mind or just your curiosity; all are welcome.
We continue to be inspired by the work of congregations taking action on climate: from practical clean-energy improvements in their buildings to the inclusion of care for the Earth in their worship. The climate movement is moving. Let us keep pressing onward!
With hope and gratitude,
The MassIPL Team
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Take a look at our new digital home, built around Pray, Act, Mobilize.
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MassIPL is inviting Massachusetts houses of worship to complete a short survey on climate and creation care — with a $10 thank-you donation to your congregation.
