ACC is excited to partner with Eastern Mennonite Seminary to offer a more indepth and longer term training for pastors and other ministry leaders in pastoral care for climate. Doug Kaufman, director of pastoral ecology, has five years of experience offering pastors, leaders, and congregants short term training experiences. This collaboration with Eastern Mennonite Seminary takes this to the next level with a cohort of leaders working together for a year.

 

The training begins and ends with in-person retreats, one in February at Highland Retreat in Bergton, VA, and one in December at Camp Friedenswald, Cassopolis, MI. In between the group will gather every other month on Zoom to learn from an expert in the field and to discuss together.

 

The yearlong process enables ACC to offer more depth in certain topics like pastoral care for climate, preaching on climate, climate justice and advocacy, Anabaptist ecological theology, climate and peace. We can also offer more specific topics like disaster response, climate migration, racial and indigenous justice. A highlight will be a day with the MCC Washington Office meeting the offices of your senators and district representatives.

 

Another highlight is that each participant will create a climate related project for their ministry, such as a sermon or worship series, installing solar panels, and congregational advocacy. The Zoom meetings during the year will offer time to discuss your projects with other participants.

 

The training is focused on Anabaptist and Mennonite pastors, but other ministry leaders, including chaplains and congregational leaders, are also welcome. While most of the speakers will come from an Anabaptist perspective, leaders from other traditions are also welcome.

 

The training is free but limited to 25.