Climate Hope Affiliates share success during end-of-year webinar, plan for 2026

“If we truly believe that the Earth is the Lord’s, and we are meant to be good stewards of this finite and precious planet, we are called to do what we can, where we are, to fulfill this obligation.” This quote from the Rev. Heather Hennessey of the Pilgrim Church UCC in Redding, California, was shared at the start of the Climate Hope Affiliates year-end wrap up webinar held on Saturday, December, 13. The Rev. Brooks Berndt, minister for Environmental Justice, shared Hennessey’s words to uplift those watching.

“Reducing our use of earth-defiling fuels and plastics, eating more plants and less meat, voting for climate-conscious leaders, writing our state and national representatives, showing up at local decision-making gatherings, educating ourselves, and joining with others to rally, protest, to peacefully make our voices heard along the way,” Berndt said, continuing to quote Hennessey. “We remember to pray, sing, and see what a beautiful world we’ve been given, and recommit ourselves to caring for it as God would have us do.”

The webinar featured guest speaker Rev. Dr. Benjamin Chavis, Jr., entrepreneur, global business leader, educator, chemist, civil rights leader, NAACP Life Member, syndicated columnist, theologian, and author. Chavis is currently the President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA): The Black Press of America, and serves on the Board of the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO). He is also the host of the Chavis Chronicles on PBS. He is often credited with coining the phrase “environmental racism.”

Chavis shared that he believes a better time is coming. He addressed those gathered on the webinar as people of faith: “People of faith working together. And certainly, these chapters that you have established not only confirm the importance of climate in our life, but also the importance of climbing in our faith.”

He continued, “That means the land, the water, the air, the people–all of God’s creation is sacred. And from time to time, we have to renew ourselves, our sense of not just purpose, but renew our sense of faith.” Chavis said he believes that Advent is the perfect time to renew our hope for climate justice. He then took several questions from those in attendance.

The next speaker was the Rev. John Schleicher, retired Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, who shared a recent grassroots victory of the East Lansing, Michigan chapter and the newest Climate Hope Affiliate. Schleicher shared the story of how after just recently forming, the East Lansing chapter managed to meet with a representative of Michigan Congressman Tom Barrett of their district to talk about climate change and the funding of the EPA budget.

“We spoke to him of our hope for an ongoing relationship,” said Schleicher. “(The representative) responded that we could be helpful to him down the road in sharing important details and nuances in shaping bills Representative Barrett might sponsor and or support related to environmental caring for creation issues. We didn’t expect this kind of reception!”

Author Sam Daley-Harris, who wrote the book Reclaiming Our Democracy: Every Citizen’s Guide to Transformational Advocacy, has been serving as an advisor to the Climate Hope Affiliates this year. Daley-Harris said he has been very encouraged by the success of the 11 chapters started in 2025.

“I help with encouraging people to do things they never thought they could do,” he said. “I’ve been blown away by the work of the Climate Hope Affiliates, it’s what inspires me.”

He continued, “With the passive nature of our politics today, you can feel beat down by it. I often quote astronaut Rusty Schweickart, who said we’re not passengers on Spaceship Earth, we’re crew. So this is what the Climate Hope affiliates are up for, reminding people that we aren’t passengers on spaceship Earth, we’re the crew.”

Berndt shared other Climate Hope Affiliate wins, including a total of 72 actions submitted for the year, and eight letters to the editor published in the last month alone, including in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and the New York Post. That brings the total to 33 since the program started earlier this year.

Berndt also said the focus for 2026 will be the EPA funding issue. Right now, members are writing letters and postcards that urging Congress members to speak from the floor, to lift up how constituents of faith are calling for strong and robust EPA funding to protect public health and all of God’s creation.

This was followed by a presentation on engaging communities and a final prayer for continued environmental justice efforts.

You can hear Chavis’ remarks HERE.

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