As Season of Creation 2022 approaches, we are thrilled to be partnering with best -selling author Doug Tallamy for a webinar presentation on Nature’s Best Hope. This presentation is a part of our webinar series in September. Nature’s Best Hope will be Tuesday, September 20, at 7:00, via Zoom. Follow this link to register. The webinar is free, but you must register in advance.
Nature’s Best Hope
Recent headlines about global insect declines and three billion fewer birds in North America are a bleak reality check about how ineffective our current landscape designs have been at sustaining the plants and animals that sustain us. To create landscapes that enhance local ecosystems rather than degrade them, we must 1) remove the invasives on our property and 2) add the native plant communities that sustain food webs, sequester carbon, maintain diverse native bee communities, and manage our watersheds. If we do this in half of the area now in lawn, we can create Homegrown National Park, a 20 million acre network of viable habitats that will provide vital corridors connecting the few natural areas that remain. This approach to conservation empowers everyone to play a significant role in the future of the natural world.
Doug Tallamy is the T. A. Baker Professor of Agriculture in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, where he has authored 106 research publications and has taught insect related courses for 41 years. Chief among his research goals is to better understand the many ways insects interact with plants and how such interactions determine the diversity of animal communities. His books include Bringing Nature Home, The Living Landscape, co-authored with Rick Darke, Nature’s Best Hope, a New York Times Best Seller, The Nature of Oaks, winner of the American Horticultural Society’s 2022 book award. In 2021 he cofounded Homegrown National Park with Michelle Alfandari. His awards include recognition from The Garden Writer’s Association, Audubon, The National Wildlife Federation, Allegheny College, The Garden Club of America and The American Horticultural Association.
Season of Creation
Don’t forget that we will kick off Season of Creation 2022 with a worship service at at St. Andrews United Methodist Church (1201 Maxwell Dr, Raleigh, NC 27603) on Thursday, September 1, at 7:00. Layperson Randy Senzig, leader of St. Andrews’ creation care ministry, will be preaching and sharing how a focus on creation care has revitalized the spiritual formation of many in his community. All are invited to join us in worship.
Other Webinars
On Tuesday, September 6 at 7:00, our first webinar of the month is Creation Care: How to Talk About the Environment in Church. In our divisive times, many topics seem taboo in our churches, as we do not want to cause further rifts in the body of Christ. Unfortunately, the environment has become one of these topics. However, we cannot solve the problems we face without talking about them, and if we are going to talk about them in the church, we must be able to talk about them as the church. Join Rev. Jarrod Davis and the NC Conference creation care committee in a look at how environmental issues can be talked about in our churches, from Sunday school and Bible study classes, to worship and the pulpit, to church council meetings, we must learn how to love our Creator through caring for creation. Click here to register.
And on Tuesday, September 13 at 7:00, join us for Advocacy Is Action: What You Can Do. The task of stopping and reversing climate change is daunting. Often it seems that a lot of pressure is put on individuals to change their lifestyles, but how can we sway corporations and governments to change their policies and practices? Rev. Keith Sexton and Dr. Steve Jurovics lead this webinar on how to be advocates for creation, drawing on their years of experience in and out of the church. They will not only address why advocacy is important, but also where our attention is most immediately needed, and real, practical guidelines to becoming a creation advocate. Click here to register.
As always, we are excited to hear what you and your church are doing to observe Season of Creation 2022. Please reach out to us with your stories, or if you need any help in establishing creation-centered ministries in your area.