Annual UCC Earth Summit
2025-04-26 14:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | Zoom
For this year’s summit, the Jim Antal Keynote Lecture will be delivered by Katharine Hayhoe, one of the world’s leading climate scientists and the author of popular books such as Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World and A Climate for Change: Global Warming Facts for Faith-Based Decisions. Through television appearances on PBS and Showtime as well as her widely viewed TED Talks, Hayhoe has reached a broad audience with a compelling perspective on science, climate, and faith.
This two-and half-hour summit will additionally feature a panel discussion entitled “Climate Justice in a Toxic World.” Three grassroots leaders in the struggle against environmental racism in the Dallas-Fort Worth area will speak on this panel: Dr. Marsha Jackson from Southern Sector Rising, Caleb Roberts from Downwinders at Risk, and Emmanual Davis from Justice for Joppa.
The summit will also feature the announcement of the Dollie Burwell Prophetic Action Award winner and a celebration of the UCC’s newest Creation Justice Churches.
Cohosts for summit include the National Setting of the United Church of Christ, the UCC Council for Climate Justice, the South Central Conference of the UCC, and First Congregational United Church of Christ in Fort Worth, Texas.
Sponsors include United Church Funds and the Cornerstone Fund.

A Relentless Struggle for Justice
2025-05-14 13:00 - 14:00
The story of Charles Lee’s involvement and leadership in the struggle for environmental justice intersects with many of the most pivotal events in the movement’s history: the Warren Country protests that gave birth to a movement, the publication of “Toxic Wastes and Race in the United States” that became a landmark report, the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit that issued the groundbreaking “Principles of Environmental Justice,” and the establishment of environmental justice as a core part of the EPA’s mission. On March 31st, Charles Lee retired as the Senior Policy Advisor for Environmental Justice for the EPA after working there for more than two decades. In this webinar, Lee will reflect back on his distinguished career.
Even if you cannot make the webinar at its scheduled time, still sign-up, and we will send you a link to a recording of it.
This monthly installment of Creation Justice Webinars is co-hosted by the Rev. Dr. Brooks Berndt who serves as the Minister of Environmental Justice for the United Church of Christ and the Rev. Michael Malcom who serves as the Executive Director for Alabama Interfaith Power & Light and the People’s Justice Council.

National Faith Mobilization for Sun Day on September 21st
2025-06-11 13:00 - 14:00
On September 21st, the UCC will hold a denomination-wide Climate Hope Sunday. This will be a day of worship and action. Liturgical resources will be provided along with advocacy cards directed at Members of Congress. The advocacy cards will feature the winning art from this year’s Climate Hope Art Contest, and they will allow members a chance to let their congress members know about their desire for robust policies to address the climate crisis. Climate Hope Sunday will coincide with a national day of action being spearheaded by Bill McKibben, Jim Antal, and others as they celebrate “Sun-Day” and draw attention to the renewable energy that can power our future. Our theme will be “Bringing Climate Hope to Sun-Day.” At this launch, we will share about the plans for this event and how the process of ordering advocacy cards will work.

Service of Appreciation for Federal Environmental Justice Staff and Grantees
2025-07-23 13:00 - 14:00
For communities around the country, environmental justice staff at the EPA and other federal agencies along with grantee organizations embody many of the most cherished and important values held in our society. They protect our health and our environment. They serve as public servants deeply concerned about the wellbeing of others, especially the most vulnerable.
As one of the bodies that helped launch the Environmental Justice movement in the United States, the United Church of Christ (UCC) is committed to honoring these public servants in a time of uncertainty about the future of federal environmental justice programs.
In this service, we will honor those working on environmental justice with gratitude. We will gather together in strength, comfort, and solidarity as we renew our collective resilience as an ongoing movement.
Selected environmental justice staff will provide messages, along with environmental justice pioneers including:

Charles Lee, retired Senior Policy Advisor for Environmental Justice at EPA
Richard Moore, former Co-Chair of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council
Dollie Burwell, leader of Warren County, North Carolina protests
Rev. Benjamin Chavis, Jr., former director of United Church of Christ Commission for Racial Justice

The service will be led by the Rev. Terry Yasuko Ogawa, Area Conference Minister, SNEUCC and former UCC Dr. Charles E. Cobb Environmental Justice Resident.
If you are unable to make the service at the scheduled time, a link to the recording will be sent to all those who register.
(This service will take the place of the monthly Creation Justice Webinar hosted by the Rev. Dr. Brooks Berndt, Minister of Environmental Justice for the United Church of Christ, and the Rev. Michael Malcom, Executive Director for the People’s Justice Council and Alabama Interfaith Power & Light.)

Climate Action Assembly
2025-09-03 13:00 - 14:00
The UCC Council for Climate Justice will be hosting a Climate Action Assembly to further the connectedness and action in the UCC for pursuing climate justice. In this gathering, we will hear from the Rev. Jim Antal about the upcoming national day of action on September 21st called Sun Day. We will also hear from Rebeca Perera, the Chief Credit Officer for the Cornerstone Fund, on the present and future outlook for churches going solar after the reconciliation bill. Additional updates will be given about Creation Justice Churches and Climate Hope Affiliates.

Emerging Strategies to Fight AI Data Centers
2025-09-10 13:00 - 14:00
Emerging threats demand emerging strategies. The rise of AI data centers has been a driver in the rise in power demand and increasing greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Moreover, the advanced cooling systems required by these data centers necessitate high levels of water consumption which can have serious ecological consequences, especially in places of water scarcity. Finally, the technological components of AI data centers require the extracting of rare earth minerals in addition to generating enormous amounts of electronic waste. The justice concerns intertwined with these issues are many when one considers the racial and economic disparities in bearing the cost of everything from increased utility bills to the harms of climate change. To address what is at stake and point us toward emerging strategies, we will hear from following featured guests:
-Anthony Rogers-Wright, The Black Hive of Movement for Black Lives
-Nayyirah Shariff, Flint Rising
-Wanda Mosley, Black Voters Matter
-Lindsay Harper, Arm in Arm
Even if you cannot make the live event, still register, and we will send you a recording.
This monthly installment of Creation Justice Webinars is co-hosted by the Rev. Dr. Brooks Berndt who serves as the Minister of Environmental Justice for the United Church of Christ and the Rev. Michael Malcom who serves as the Executive Director for Alabama Interfaith Power & Light and the People’s Justice Council.

Book Release Celebration: Climate Justice, Climate Hope
2025-11-12 14:00 - 15:00
The Reverends Michael Malcom and abby mohaupt have released a new book that acknowledges the stark horrors of climate change while building hope and moral-spiritual agency for a brighter future. Bringing decades of leadership experience in interfaith efforts toward environmental and climate justice, they guide readers along pathways toward a clear-eyed but energizing vision of different ways of being. Join us to hear from the authors about the writing of the book and the insights it has to offer.
The Rev. Michael Malcom is the Executive Director of the People’s Justice Council and Alabama Interfaith Power & Light. The rev. abby mohaupt is the director of the Garrett Collective at Garrett Seminary.
Even if you cannot make the live event, still register, and we will send you a recording.
This event will be hosted by the Rev. Dr. Brooks Berndt, who serves as the Minister of Environmental Justice for the United Church of Christ.
NOTE ON TIME: This event will take place an hour later than the monthly Creation Justice Webinar cohosted by Berndt and Malcolm.

Faith-Rooted Anti-Authoritarianism
2025-12-10 13:00 - 14:00
In countries like Zambia, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Hungary, and Brazil, churches have played a vital role in pro-democracy movements that have challenged authoritarianism. Maria Stephan, who co-authored “Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict” with Erica Chenoweth, will be joined by others in this webinar to share important lessons and insights for faith communities in the United States.
Even if you cannot make the live event, still register, and we will send you a recording.
This monthly installment of Creation Justice Webinars is co-hosted by the Rev. Dr. Brooks Berndt, who serves as the Minister of Environmental Justice for the United Church of Christ, and the Rev. Michael Malcom, who serves as the Executive Director for Alabama Interfaith Power & Light and the People’s Justice Council.

An Advent Message from the Rev. Dr. Benjamin Chavis, Jr.
2025-12-13 13:00 - 14:00
Get a sense of what Climate Hope Affiliates is all about while hearing from the Rev. Benjamin Chavis, Jr. Chavis is often credited with coining the phrase “environmental racism.” He played a leading role in three of the most important events in the formation and development of the environmental justice movement: the Warren County civil disobedience campaign, the publication of the landmark report on toxic waste and race, and the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit. Join Climate Hope Affiliates for its monthly national webinar on Saturday, December 13th at 1 pm ET/12 pm CT/11 am MT/10 am PT. Chavis will deliver an Advent message.

Climate Action Commissioning Service
2026-01-14 13:00 - 14:00
As we enter a year of critical importance in the struggle for climate justice, the UCC is holding a Climate Action Commissioning Service. Gather with us as we faithfully prepare ourselves to take action in the coming year. The theme for this service and for the 2026 Climate Hope Art Contest is “a future with hope” (Jeremiah 29:11). Our preacher will be the Rev. Jim Antal, author of “Climate Church, Climate World” and Special Advisor on Climate Justice to the UCC General Minister and President. Even if you cannot make the live event, still register, and we will send you a recording.

Venezuela, Oil & U.S. Imperialism
2026-02-11 13:00 - 14:00
Faith communities are actively addressing the U.S. invasion of Venezuela in seeking to control the country’s oil. As we work to expand and strengthen these efforts, what do faith communities need to know about the situation faced? How can they act to prevent U.S. imperialism in Venezuela and other other countries? In this webinar, we will hear from the following panelists:
-Phyllis Bennis, Program Director, Institute for Policy Studies
-Lisa Sullivan, Integral Ecology Senior Program Officer, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
-Tim Heishman, Senior Advocacy Teams Manager, Friends Committee on National Legislation
Even if you cannot make the live event, still register, and we will send you a recording.
This monthly installment of Creation Justice Webinars is co-hosted by the Rev. Dr. Brooks Berndt, who serves as the Minister of Environmental Justice for the United Church of Christ, and the Rev. Michael Malcom, who serves as the Executive Director for Alabama Interfaith Power & Light and the People’s Justice Council.
