The NCCUMC Creation Care Committee invites you to join us via Zoom each Thursday evening in September for a series of engaging and practical webinars on a range of timely topics for individuals and congregations who are seeking to go deeper in their discipleship as caretakers of God’s creation. We are especially pleased this year to have presenters from the Western NC Conference collaborating with us, along with several other experts from our churches, local non-profits, and the Duke School of Medicine.
All webinars will be on Thursday evenings from 7 to 8 pm. Please register for each webinar individually using the links below. The webinars are free and will be recorded. For more information, contact Creation Care Committee Co-Chairs Rev. Jane Almon or Rev. Jacob Dye.
September 4 – Green Burial: Creation Care at Bluestem Conservation Cemetery
Jeff Masten and Katie Mangum
Bluestem Conservation Cemetery actively focuses on community, conservation, and cemetery. Located 10 miles north of Hillsborough on 87 acres, Bluestem is the state’s largest green burial cemetery, renewing historic burial practices. Presenters will focus on the ecological, conservation, and climate impacts of this innovative project and how Bluestem connects to community and faith.
Jeff Masten is the co-founder and co-director at Bluestem Conservation Cemetery. He brings 25 years of conservation expertise to Bluestem, focusing on land and habitat restoration, water quality protection, and long-term stewardship. Integrating these important conservation practices with green burial supports his vision for a healing community space where nature is enough.
Katie Mangum is Bluestem’s Sanctuary Steward. Katie brings thoughtful care to the Bluestem Community with attention to faith, storytelling, and climate justice. Katie completed her Master of Divinity at Duke and Chaplaincy training at UNC.
September 11 – Restoring Harmony with God’s Creation: Promoting Life with Our Landscaping
Kim Richmond, Dr. Denise Nepveux, and Rah Bickley
The act of landscaping can be so much more than just aesthetics; it can be a deeply meaningful process that reconnects us with nature and fosters a thriving ecosystem around our churches and homes. By choosing native plants, removing non-native invasive species, and creating healthier wildlife habitats, we can strengthen the web of life in our communities and restore harmony with God’s creation. Learn more about this process and a related resolution that was passed at the UMC General Conference in May 2024.
Kim Richmond is the Lay Chairperson of the Creation Care Ministry for the Western North Carolina Conference of the UMC, as well as a commissioned UM EarthKeeper since 2017. Kim is the primary author of UM Resolution #1214: Church Land Use, which passed at General Conference 2024, and which is the topic for this webinar.
Dr. Denise Nepveux is a member of Storied Church UMC in Mebane, where she serves as the creation care liaison and volunteers with fellow church members in the Haw River Assembly RiverWatch program. She is also a Certified Wildlife Habitat Steward for the NC Wildlife Federation. Her day job is Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy at Duke University Medical Center, where she was honored as a 2024 recipient of the Climate Commitment Leadership Award.
Rah Bickley is the president of the Durham Wildlife Stewards, a local chapter of the North Carolina Wildlife Federation. Rah completed the North Carolina Master Naturalist program through the N.C. State University Extension Service, and earned a certificate in Therapeutic Horticulture at the North Carolina Botanical Garden. Since 2023, she has led a group of local volunteers to remove a half-acre of Chinese privet from her subdivision’s common area, plant native plants, and works to restore the ecosystem for native plants, animals, and humans.
September 18 – Eco-Mission: Serving the Community of All Creation
Rev. Jonathan Brake
Genesis 2:15 reads, “The Lord God put the man in the Garden of Eden to take care of it and to look after it.” (Contemporary English Version). The United Methodist Social Principles (2024) proclaim, “The goodness of God’s creation, and the value given to every part of it, call people to respect, protect, and care for the creation and all interrelated aspects of it.” What might this kind of stewardship look like? What if mission trips focused on serving God’s creation through the restoration of ecosystems? What difference would it make to bring health back to wetlands, streambeds, forests, and other natural areas impacted by human actions and severe weather? Join us to consider how your church might be part of taking care of creation and looking after it for the good of all life.
Rev. Jonathan Brake is an ordained elder, serving in the Western NC Conference UMC for 25 years. He was one of the first commissioned Global Ministries EarthKeepers, where he was inspired to start the Creation Care Ministry Team in the WNCC. Jonathan also helped establish the UM Creation Justice Movement and serves in leadership roles within it. In 2022, he was invited onto the staff of the UMC General Board of Global Ministries as the Environmental Sustainability Program Manager. This year, Jonathan joined the staff of the Western NC Conference as the Eco-Missions and Creation Care Coordinator.
September 25 – Climate Change and Health: Keeping Our Families and Communities Safe
Denise Nepveux, Ph.D., OTR/L, Dr. Jennifer Lawson, and Dr. Valerie Sabol
Climate change is arguably the greatest threat to human health in the 21st century, and its effects deepen health disparities. In this presentation, Dr. Nepveux and her colleagues will discuss how extreme weather and shifting weather patterns affect lives and health in North Carolina. Participants will learn about some realistic and practical ways that communities, families, and individuals can protect their own health and that of others in our local communities and state.
Dr. Denise Nepveux is Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy at Duke University School of Medicine and the 2024 recipient of the Climate Commitment Leadership Award. She is a member of Storied Church UMC in Mebane, where she serves as the creation care liaison and volunteers with fellow church members in the Haw River Assembly RiverWatch program.
Dr. Jennifer Lawson is a Clinical Associate in Pediatrics and Faculty Associate of the Trent Center for Bioethics, Humanities and History of Medicine at Duke University. Her interests focus on climate change and health, medical humanities, diversity, equity and belonging and physician wellbeing. She is an AAP NC Chapter Climate Advocate, serves on the education committee for Carolina Advocates for Climate, Health and Equity and completed a Theology, Medicine and Culture fellowship at Duke Divinity School.
Dr. Valerie Sabol is a Nurse Practitioner and the Director of Planetary Health at the Duke University School of Nursing, where she leads school-wide and cross-campus initiatives to embed planetary health into nursing and health professional education, research, and practice. Her scholarly and professional interests include examining the impact of extreme heat events on the health of our aging populations and advancing health equity through climate-informed care delivery, interprofessional education, and sustainable healthcare practices.