Evanston Interfaith Community to Gather for a Climate Summit

Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary will host an Interfaith Climate Summit for the Evanston community on Saturday, April 6, 2019. Co-sponsors for the event include the City of Evanston, Northwestern University Spiritual Life, Citizens’ Greener Evanston, and Faith in Place.

“We’re excited to be hosting this important interfaith gathering on one of the defining moral, spiritual, and social matters of our time,” said Rev. Dr. Timothy Eberhart, assistant professor of theology and ecology at Garrett-Evangelical. “The seminary has a long and rich history of involvement in the Evanston community, and we’re pleased to be able to support this vital conversation about our collective future.”

The 2019 Evanston Interfaith Climate Summit will gather Evanston’s faith communities to join in interreligious prayer, to reflect on the contributions of our diverse faith traditions in this time of climate crisis, and to organize together in support of Evanston’s Climate Action and Resilience Plan. Veronica Kyle, Chicago outreach director of Faith in Place, will be the keynote speaker.

The summit is being formed out of the belief that the interfaith community has a key and unique role to play in addressing the urgent climate crisis facing our world and the city of Evanston. Jonathan Nieuwsma, president of Citizens’ Greener Evanston, noted, “Evanston’s climate activism originated from an interfaith assembly, so this summit will be a great opportunity for our many places of worship to reconnect and recommit to climate action.”

“People of all different faiths play a critical role in leading the environmental movement,” said a spokesperson from Faith in Place. “We shape conversations about the environment to include the perspective of moral opportunity – that living simply and justly makes life better for our neighbors, our planet, and future generations. Providing people with a sense of hope and tangible steps that they can take with their faith community motivates people to take action. Faith in Place is pleased to be a part of this inspiring event to empower leaders in Evanston and the region to care for the Earth.”

The summit will feature presentations from representatives of Green Faith, Gaia Wisdom, and Faith in Place, as well as a panel conversation with various Evanston faith leaders on issues of climate change and faith. Participants will also have the opportunity to gather in working groups to discuss parts of the Climate Action and Resilience Plan.
To learn more and register for the summit, visit Garrett.edu/Summit. To learn more about the sustainability initiatives at Garrett-Evangelical, visit Garrett.edu/GoGreen.

Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, a graduate school of theology related to The United Methodist Church, was founded in 1853. Located on the campus of Northwestern University, the seminary serves more than 450 students from various denominations and cultural backgrounds, fostering an atmosphere of ecumenical interaction. Garrett-Evangelical creates bold leaders through master of divinity, master of arts, master of theological studies, doctor of philosophy, and doctor of ministry degrees. Its 4,500 living alumni serve church and society around the world.