New Partnership Resources for Climate Justice
AME + ecoAmerica’s Blessed Tomorrow Program
The African Methodist Episcopal Church and ecoAmerica’s Blessed Tomorrow program have enjoyed nearly a decade of partnership. A recently renewed collaboration will support AME’s visible national climate leadership and further support and activate congregations, clergy, and lay leaders to act and advocate for just and equitable climate solutions. Meighen Speiser of ecoAmerica joined the 20th Quadrennial of AME Women’s Missionary Society on August 1, 2023, in Orlando to share information on the new partnership and early findings from a study on AME climate attitudes and motivations.
The full survey will be available soon; however, early findings show that the AMEC is ready to elevate visible climate leadership and action on climate justice. Findings from a survey fielded in July show much higher concern, prioritization, action, and motivation for action on climate change among AMEs versus a nationally representative sample of Americans.
Ninety-four percent of AMEs are personally concerned about climate change, including two-thirds who are VERY concerned. That is much higher than the national average, which is already high at 72%. But, only 16% of AMEs think other people around them are very concerned about climate when in fact so many more people are actually concerned. When people think that no one around them is concerned about climate change, it tends to make them quiet about it. And this leads to people doing nothing to solve it. The antidote is visible, vocal, and personally relevant action on climate, which is where ecoAmerica’s Blessed Tomorrow program’s help and AME action on climate comes in.
Next, AMEs were asked which should be the top priorities for the United States. Among many issues, a majority surveyed, 61%, chose climate change as a top priority. This sentiment is much higher than the national average of 37%. This includes 64% of AME women who said climate change should be a top priority and 52% of AME men.
Nearly 65% of AMEs discuss climate change with friends and family and one-fifth discuss the topic at church. These numbers are higher than the national average, which are 45% and 9%, respectively. Nineteen percent of AMEs have discussed climate at work with colleagues, 12% have contacted elected officials about the importance of doing something about climate change, and 6% have spoken on the topic at a public gathering. The hope is that these numbers will be higher next year, bolstered by the new tools and resources of the AME + ecoAmerica Blessed Tomorrow partnership.
The most promising finding is this: nearly 9 in 10 (89%) AMEs reported that their congregation should be doing more to address climate change, including nearly half of AMEs who said they strongly agree with this sentiment.
The renewed partnership will deepen support for AME climate action and advocacy to bring promising climate attitudes and motivations to bear on climate justice. This includes a new climate action section on the AME Church website, the Social Action Commission website, and the Christian Education website, a new climate ambassador training, additional research, a series of action sheets that can be used as handouts in church services, and events in local neighborhoods, guides on climate communication and to care for creation in church, webinars, and events to inspire, support and connect customizable communications, and congregational support including a national campaign and access to financial awards.
The AME Climate Ambassador Training is available now, providing knowledge, hands-on experience, and resources to feel comfortable talking about climate change and confident acting on climate justice and solutions. It’s a self-paced, 4-hour virtual training offered for free, as are all offerings through the program. The training is informative, inspirational, rooted in faith, and customized for AMEs. It includes six modules including:
- Welcome from AME Church and the moral case for action
- How climate impacts people and faith, and how climate change exacerbates a wide variety of injustices.
- Climate solutions from national to local to congregational and the home and neighborhood. How faith communities are already leading, and what it looks like to work toward climate justice in a way that is intersectional and supportive of other justice work.
- How to communicate on climate and faith in a way that is effective and personalized for the speaker and with whomever they are speaking
- Ways to engage in climate action and advocacy, and;
- How AMEs can be registered Ambassadors with Blessed Tomorrow.
An exciting opportunity for visible national leadership went public on October 4th. One Home One Future is a new national campaign to increase visibility on climate action, strengthen congregations’ vitality, and engage local people of faith across generations, particularly supporting youth and clergy, for climate justice. It is a multi-faith campaign, with several denominations of faith, including AME, already part of the coalition effort that designed and will launch it! It is a moment to stand together across faiths to recognize that we go farther and faster. It is a moment to recognize that we have seven years to make a real difference in climate action and that the number seven is sacred and perfect. One Home One Future embraces, in spirit, tone, and manner, that it is magnificent to be alive in a time that matters so much. Participating in the campaign means that clergy and congregations will do what they can when they can to act on climate over the next seven years. Signing up gives the congregation a FREE congregational kit, including a banner to hang out in front of their church and a getting started toolkit. The One Home One Future website will include a breadth of resources, including sermon starters, Sunday School and Bible Study resources, and more. It will offer several pathways for action so clergy, congregations, and youth can take action on climate justice, no matter if they are just getting started, because it is designed to meet people where they are.
The partnership between AME Church and ecoAmerica’s Blessed Tomorrow program will continue to find new things to do together to support AME leadership.
Values we will center in this partnership:
- Climate change is a moral and a justice issue.
- The vulnerable are most at risk.
- Climate solutions help everyone.
- The transition must be just.
- Solutions require investment.
- We can make a difference.
- You can lead.
Strategy and planning will be done in collaboration with the Church and Dr. Jackie Dupont Walker of the Social Action Commission. Every component of the AME Church is invited to access and engage; however, the Women’s Missionary Society was introduced to it first under the brilliant leadership of Dr. Deborah Taylor King. Christian Education will help to offer the AME Climate Ambassador training thanks to Dr. Garland F. Pierce. It is a pleasure to report that ecoAmerica supports a new AME Climate Justice Coordinator named Robin Porter Smith, who can be reached at climatejustice@ameced.com. The AME Climate Justice Coordinator and a few AMEs across the Connectional Church participated in the Ecumenical Ambassador Training held on Saturday, October 28, 2023. Additional information regarding the work of the AMEC on climate justice will be provided in future editions of the Christian Recorder.
