A retreat for pastors, September 17 to 19
Monday, 5 p.m. through Wednesday, 1 p.m.
At Camp Friedenswald, Cassopolis, MI

About the Retreat

Do you care about climate change? If you are like most Americans, you think that the warming of the planet is real and caused by human activity, but give it a low priority. Do you think God cares about climate change? Join Doug Kaufman and Amy Huser to examine these questions from a pastoral perspective.

We will face the impacts of climate change found among brothers and sisters in Africa, South America, and Asia through a Global South Voices on Climate Change panel, brought to us in partnership with Mennonite Central Committee and Center for Sustainable Climate Solutions, and learn how our own locales may be affected. Denial and despair help us manage our feelings of guilt and helplessness in the face of this large and complex reality. How does the Gospel of Jesus Christ give us hope in the face of such complex problems? Join us to:

  • Increase your understanding of the way caring for creation directly connects to caring for people and living out God’s vision for our world.
  • Engage in peer-to-peer exchanges with fellow pastors intent on making creation an essential piece of the good news of Jesus Christ.
  • Listen for God’s guidance as we face the environmental issues of our time and seek to become change agents.
  • Find a renewed sense of purpose, hope and possibility!

Presenters

Doug Kaufman pastors at Benton Mennonite Church, Goshen, Ind. and serves as the director of pastoral ecology for the Center for Sustainable Climate Solutions and Mennonite Creation Care Network. Doug calls himself a river pastor, having baptized people in the Elkhart River for over 15 years and led a Hoosier Riverwatch group monitoring the health of the river. Doug has also been a conference minister with the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference. He is pursuing a Th.M. in theology and ecology at Toronto School of Theology.

Amy Huser is the Sustainability and Outdoor Education Director at Camp Friedenswald. After weaving her passion for sustainability into a career as an art teacher, she went back to graduate school to study sustainability and resilience, completing her M.S. in Resilient and Sustainable Communities from Green Mountain College in 2017.

Global South Voices on Climate Change Presenters

Durga Sunchiuri has worked as a program coordinator for MCC Nepal since 2015, and previously as a program officer for various NGOs in Nepal. He speaks to the impact of climate change on the lives of rural farmers in Nepal, out of his many years of experience working in community development here. Durga has experience speaking with church groups in the USA, Canada and Finland.

Dr. Sibonokuhle Ncube of Zimbabwe is the National Coordinator of Compassionate Development Service, the relief and development agency of the Brethren in Christ Church of Zimbabwe. She has 18 years’ experience in various development contexts, and includes programs in climate change management, climate finance governance, and disaster preparedness.

Zacarías Bernabé Martínez has worked in El Salvador for over 20 years, and is coordinator for the program of Community development at ANADES (Asociación Nuevo Amanecer El Salvador). He has worked throughout the Central American region, including working with communities on issues of climate change.

Registration

This retreat is funded by a generous grant from the Center for Sustainable Climate Solutions. Therefore, it is free to Mennonite pastors, including meals and lodging. Others pay $225. Attendees will stay in Camp Friedenswald’s Sandhill Lodge. Directions are here.

To register, complete the form below by August 31. Questions? Email Doug Kaufman at ddkaufman@goshen.edu.