Announcing Environmental Justice Youth Retreats and New Environmental Justice Intern

6/15/2022 - by: Noah Brewer-Wallin - Environment

Lillian Steinmeyer, Environmental Justice Intern

Nature & Neighbors is an environmental justice retreat for youth, a shared program of the Southern New England Conference justice team, Silver Lake Camp & Retreat Center, and Irons Homestead Camp & Retreat. There are four sessions of this one-day retreat to choose from, and middle and high school groups of any size are welcome to sign up:

October 8, 2022 at Silver Lake
October 22, 2022 at Irons Homestead
February 18, 2023 at Irons Homestead (snow date – March 25)
May 6, 2023 at Silver Lake

When I talk with local church pastors and lay leaders about their engagement with environmental issues, I often hear about the concerns coming from their youth. The existential threat of climate change is one of many anxiety-inducing burdens young people face. Our Christian faith can be a source of spiritual sustenance and action-fueled hope, and these retreats are meant to help youth – as well as the adults who work with them – to connect those dots.

Each session will include exploration of environmental racism and environmental justice; engaging scripture and spiritual practices that inspire and sustain action; and experiencing God’s Creation firsthand at either Silver Lake or Irons Homestead, two of the beautiful outdoor ministry sites affiliated with the Conference. Register here.

And I’m very excited to welcome Lillian Steinmeyer as our Environmental Justice Intern for the coming year, where she will take the lead in developing and facilitating these retreats. Lillian has a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and will be starting her Master of Divinity this fall at Yale Divinity School. She's a member of the Congregational Church in Goshen, CT and is looking forward to diving deep into the topics of nature, faith, and what environmental justice looks like.

This internship is made possible by a grant from Volunteer Ministries of the United Church of Christ, a member of the Global HOPE Team within the Wider Church Ministries of the National Ministries of the United Church of Christ. The grant is made possible by the generosity of our congregations and members through Our Church’s Wider Mission.

Author

Noah Brewer-Wallin

Noah serves as the Assistant Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the Southern New England Conference. Noah supports congregations in making God’s love real through engagement in environmental and economic justice. Contact them for: ...