Caring For Creation Conference Set for April 16-18, 2010

Caring for Creation in Arkansas

April 16-18, 2010 in Fayetteville, Arkansas

Caring for Creation Conference, April 16-18, 2010 connects participants with a supportive community that works collectively to nurture and celebrate God’s creation. Opportunities at the conference include workshops, networking and plenary sessions.

The keynote presenter will be The Reverend Canon Sally Grover Bingham. Rev. Bingham,  a priest and Canon for the Environment in the Diocese of California, has been active in the environmental community for 25 years. She is founder and president of The Regeneration Project, which focuses on its Interfaith Power and Light (IPL) campaign, a religious response to global warming.

Other plenary presenters are John Hill, director for Economic and Environmental Justice at the United Methodist General Board of Church & Society, Rev. Pat Watkins,  the first appointed Creation Care Church & Community Worker for the General Board of Global Ministries serving as Executive Director of Caretakers of God’s Creation in the Virginia Conference of the UMC, and Dr. Jay McDaniel, Professor of Religion, Department Chair and Director, Steel Center for the Study of Religion & Philosophy at Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas.

WORKSHOPS AND WORKSHOP LEADERS

Rev. Pat Watkins, executive director of Caretakers of God’s Creation in the Virginia Conference of the UMC , and ordained minister in the Virginia Conference and a member of the United Methodist Women’s Green Team will lead the workshop “Biblical Basis for Creation Care”.

Peter Illyn is founder of Restoring Eden. A graduate of Rhema Bible College, he earned his credentials as an evangelical minister. He received a Master’s Degree in social marketing, combining his three passions - nature appreciation, social marketing and Christian theology.  He will lead workshops on “The theology of Common Good” and “Growing Your Church through Youth Engagement in Nature.”

“Creating Your Green Team: A Model for Action” will be led by Terri Lane. Terri has a BSA in Environmental Soil and Water Sciences from the University of Arkansas, she has worked as an environmental education instructor, wilderness trip leader and Educational Program Director in North Carolina and Arkansas. Terri is a founding member of the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Green Team.

Rev. Stephen J. Copley  will lead the workshop on “Food Insecurity.” Rev. Copley is the Director of Justice for Our Neighbors, serves as Chair of the Arkansas Conference Hunger Task Force.  He has done extensive work in the areas of Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns.

Rev. Harriet Akins-Banman an elder in the United Methodist Church and presently  serving  Pulaski Heights UMC in Little Rock as coordinator of Christian Formation and Worship. Her workshop will be “Let All Creation Praise!” 

Mark Kapner, P.E. is a Senior Strategy Engineer at Austin Energy and was instrumental in developing and running Austin’s GreenChoice Program, the nation’s leading renewable energy marketing program.  He also participated in the Plug-In Partners campaign to persuade the  automotive industry to build electric and plug-in Hybrid vehicles. His topic is “Promoting Sustainable Energy Through Customer Choice”.

Mark Van Patten,  employed as a Fisheries Management Biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation, works as a Stream Team Coordinator for the Southeast MO and St. Louis regions. He coordinates the activities of Stream Team volunteers throughout his region, empowering them to take an active stance in protecting and preserving the rivers and streams they love. His workshop will be Stream Teams: 70,000 Strong.

Dr. Marty D. Matlock is Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Agricultural and Rural Sustainability at the University of Arkansas. He also serves on the Cherokee Nation Environmental Protection Commission. He will lead Sustainability Ethics: Discovering the Holiness of Place.

Rev. Carol Mehle, a United Methodist Deacon, Christian Educator and life-long advocate for the environment will lead The Kid Connection to Environmental Stewardship.

Her co-leader is Licia Crawford who has a BA and MS in Mathematics with a minor in Secondary Education. Her childhood experience of spending summers on her grandparents’ farm inspired her to help others reconnect to the land and to consider ways to lessen our impact on it.

CONTACT: Marilyn Braswell   programs@mountsequoyah.org; 479-443-4531 or 800-760-8126

www.mountsequoyah.org         Join our Facebook  page