2026 EcoFaith Summit of the Upper Midwest
From Fear to Fire:
Igniting Community for a Planet in Peril
April 18, 2026
At First Lutheran Church,
Duluth, MN and Livestreamed via Zoom
This year's Summit is Co-Presented by:
“Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road…?” - Luke 24:32
Igniting courageous community across the Upper Midwest with:
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An unquenchable fire of love for Creator and Creation.
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A controlled burn of holy fear, wonder, and joy - across generations and divides.
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A germinating fire seed of collaborating and creative networks.
We encourage you to attend as a group from your congregation, campus, camp, or community!
Register for the 2026 EcoFaith Summit Now!
Deadline April 12, 2026
Meet our Speakers
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Rev. Kristen Glass Perez
Campus Minister & Author
Rev. Kristen Glass Perez is an ELCA pastor who is the University Chaplain at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where she leads the Center for Interfaith & Spiritual Life. She has previously served as a college and university chaplain at Northwestern University, Muhlenberg College, and Augustana College. Kristen brings extensive experience building and leading multireligious teams of chaplains and staff who work closely with students in support of spiritual life, vocation, and well-being. She was also the first Director for Young Adult Ministry for the ELCA Churchwide Organization and a Development Editor for Augsburg Fortress Publishers. A frequent keynote speaker, workshop leader, and author, her work focuses on college student success, economic hardship, vocation in the undergraduate experience, interfaith engagement, and young adult ministry. She also collects antique glassware.
Lacy Tooker-Kirkevold
Young Adult Organizer & Youth Director
Lacy Tooker-Kirkevold (they/she) is a young adult leader, organizer, and activist from the Twin Cities. Their day job is working as the Director of Children, Youth, and Family Ministry at Diamond Lake Lutheran Church in Minneapolis where they are also a member. Outside of work Lacy is an organizer with the Sunrise Movement, fighting the rise of authoritarianism and working towards a green new deal. Additionally, Lacy also serves on the Eco Faith organizing team for the Minneapolis area synod and is one of the core leaders for Gather Twin Cities, a young adult ministry of the ELCA. In their free time they enjoy baking, caring for their jungle of houseplants, and hanging out with their dog Luna.
Brooke Elness
Youth EcoFaith Leader
Brooke Elness is a senior in high school. She plays tennis and participate in speech, one act, drama, and the music program. After graduation, she will be attending University of Wisconsin: Stevens Point and majoring in Wildlife Ecology and Management. She is an environmental activist, and the LYO and youth liaison on the EcoFaith Leadership Team. She loves nature, and especially passionate about native pollinators.
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Eóin Small,
Organizer, Rise & Repair
Eóin is an artist, activist & community organizer living on the ancestral homelands of Dakota & Anishinaabe people in what has come to be called Minnesota and the broader Midwest and Great Lakes region. Much of Eoin’s work centers on the climate crisis & supporting indigenous-led movements to protect Water and Land. Eóin currently works as an organizer with Rise & Repair, a diverse alliance of people and organizations working to advance climate justice & Indigenous rights in Minnesota.
Rise & Repair is a diverse, non-partisan alliance of people and organizations advancing Indigenous rights & climate justice in Minnesota.
Photo Credit: ERIN TRIEB and Glamour
Rev. JaNaé Bates Imari
Co-Executive Director
ISAIAH-MN, Faith in Minnesota
Rev. JaNaé Bates Imari, a Methodist minister, is co-executive director of ISAIAH and Faith in Minnesota. She has been a powerful voice of community organizing and political advocacy, building interfaith and organizational networks focused on shared visions of justice and equity. In 2023, ISAIAH and Faith in Minnesota were key voices in sweeping environmental protections that are currently safeguarding the Boundary Waters, the Great Lakes, and other key waterways, lands, and air quality.
Meet our Artists
Paul Oman
Drawn to the Word Artist
Paul Oman, artist and pastor, shares his Drawn to the Word artistic ministry with audiences across the country and around the world. He served as a teacher, then Lutheran pastor when, in 2011, he took up work as an artistic pastor full-time. Paul seeks to give new vision to God’s Word by using the process of painting to captivate audiences in our visually oriented cultures.
Painting and drawing have been a part of Paul’s life since childhood. Receiving national & international recognition for his work, Paul uses this gift of painting to proclaim the Gospel unique and powerful ways that bring the Word of God to life before your eyes. Paul works in many settings, including congregations, schools, universities, seminaries, camps, prisons, nonprofits, and more. The larger-than-life sized paintings are painted with acrylics on stretched canvas. Paul lives near Amery, Wisconsin with his wife, Jana, and their children. www.drawn-to-the-word.com
Joe Davis
Spoken Word Artist
Joe Davis is an award-winning spoken word artist and bestselling author who uses poetry to power possibility.
He is the founding director of Finding Your Freedom Practice, a wellness ecosystem teaching body-centered practices through spoken word, writing, music, theater, film, and dance. Joe holds a Master of Arts degree in Theology of the Arts and also heads a multimedia production company, a soul funk band, and a racial justice education program. His work has been featured on BET, MPR, CNN, VH1, and the Twin Cities CW.
Based in Minneapolis, he tours internationally to join schools, faith spaces, nonprofits, businesses, and correctional facilities to practice envisioning and embodying a world of collective liberation and human flourishing. To connect, book, or learn more, visit JoeDavisPoetry.com.
What to Expect
SCHEDULE FOR THE DAY:
8:30 - Doors open, coffee & table exhibits
9:30 - Welcome & Introductions
9:50 - Opening Worship
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Morning Plenary with Summit Speakers, One-on-one conversations
11:40 - Break
11:55 - Community Action Stations
12:20 - Meal
1:15 - Summit Worship
2:00 - Fireseed Session #1
2:50 - Break
3:00 - Fireseed Session #2
3:50 - Break
4:00 - Sending Worship
4:15 - Reception
Improved Livestream Experience
This year's livestream Summit experience will be streamed via Zoom with a Summit Host. The Summit music, worship, and speakers will be livestreamed from the First Lutheran sanctuary, the afternoon Fireseed enrichment sessions will be an online-only experience for a more engaging online Summit community building experience.
Livestream Group Experience Guide
Participate in the Summit Community from your own place! Use our guide to plan to gather your own community in your place to both participate with in-person community and the EcoFaith Summit of the Upper Midwest. Read about how Bethel Lutheran near St. Louis MO created their own Summit Experience last year.
Morning Gathering and Action Stations
We gather to listen, share with one another, be challenged, and ignited for community with our constellation of speakers to who are engaged in community organizing for neighbors and Creation: Rev. Kristen Glass Perez, Campus Ministry Pastor and author, Hungry for Hope; Brooke Elness, High School EcoFaith Leader; Eóin Small, organizer, Rise & Repair; Lacy Tooker-Kirkevold, Young Adult Organizer ; Minister JaNaé Bates, Co-Executive Director, ISAIAH MN.
Live Artist Rev. Paul Oman will enhance the Summit worship through painting the Easter story of the Road to Emmaus. Spoken Word Artist Joe Davis will share his spoken word of gospel, inspiring fire-y hope and action.
Our morning will culminate in a call to action, inviting us into action stations for collective action on behalf of our planet in peril.
Afternoon Engagement Sessions
The afternoon will include a variety of breakout enrichment sessions to give your community practical tools for kindling action. This year we are naming these sessions Fireseed after the seeds that require fire in order to germinate and grow.
The afternoon will conclude with sending worship and a reception.
Children's Experience at the Summit
Come and bring your children to the Eco Faith Summit this April 18th! Kids ages 2 through upper elementary are invited to the Children's Experience at the Summit. The program will be like a mini Vacation Bible School where we will enjoy age appropriate Bible Study, games, songs, and crafts related to our theme "From Fear to Fire." One of the highlights will be planting and bringing home a plant to start your own pollinator plot!
Led by Kaari Enigl, teacher and parent, former youth director and camp counselor, from Washburn WI, NWSWI.
Registration for children is free.
What's New in 2026
Ishkode at Wisconsin Point:
Rekindling Indigenous Fire Relationship
Explore fire’s path to igniting community in a special Summit Fireseed Session
Friday, April 17, 2025
12:30-4:45p.m.
Lake Superior Estuarium and Wisconsin Point
City of Superior, Wisconsin
Ishkode is an onsite opportunity to spark imagination into the transformational power of God's refining fire in community building through the story of intercultural collaborative action on Wisconsin Point. Participants are encouraged to rideshare as parking is limited. Please be prepared to be on your feet (walking and standing) for approximately 90 minutes with no breaks.
Purpose: Participants will be challenged to confront past understandings and imagine new possibilities in the areas of community engagement, team building, and ecological practices that shape our relationships and our world.
Registration is free to everyone who registers for the Summit. Participation is limited to 30 people.
Led by: Callie Grones and Colleen Bernu
Callie Grones is a Marshfield Clinic Health Systems AmeriCorps member serving with the Friends of the Lake Superior Reserve (FOLSR). She has organized several volunteer events at Wisconsin Point, including multiple beach cleanups and a spotted knapweed (non-local plant) pull. She is also a part of the working group to restore ishkode (Ojibwe for fire) to Wisconsin Point.
Colleen Bernu (Fond Du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa) is a Minister of Word and Service through the ELCA, formerly serving as mission developer for Together Here Ministries and later DEM and Minister for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Northeastern Minnesota Synod. Colleen is dedicated to using her training and professional experiences combined with the traditional ecological knowledge of her ancestors as a teacher to bridge diverse communities through increased understanding, shared language, and mutual dialog.
Young Adults Gather
Young Adults (18-35 years old) are invited to spend Friday night in community with a sleep-over at Gloria Dei Lutheran, Duluth before attending the EcoFaith Summit together on Saturday.
Summit Registration is free for those under 30. Register for the overnight with your Summit registration.
Youth at the Summit!
High school EcoFaith Youth who attended last year's Summit along with two young adult youth directors are working to plan youth engagement to the EcoFaith Summit.
EcoFaith Youth Leaders at the Summit:
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Brooke Elness, Summit Speaker, NEMN Synod EcoFaith Network Leadership Team Member, Lutheran Youth Organization (LYO) leader, High School Senior
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Youth dramatizing the Gospel of the Road to Emmaus
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EcoFaith Youth facilitate an afternoon Fireseed Session about what you want to bring back to your congregation and community.
Lunch in the youth room for connection and intentional conversation.
Register your group with a rough estimate of youth attendance. We will reach out to you to finalize youth registration, release forms, and final numbers.
Friday Night Youth Group Lock-in
First Lutheran, Duluth
Bring your youth group for a pre-Summit overnight! The lock-in is geared towards 9-12th graders but youth leaders have the discretion to bring youth as young as 7th grade if they feel they will benefit from the Summit experience.
Flexible arrival time for whatever your group needs are: you are welcome to arrive as early as 5pm, free pizza dinner at 6pm, programming will begin at 7pm, or arrive as late as you need.
We will provide the programming. Your youth group adults are in charge of the direct supervision, safety, and well-being of your own youth, please bring as many adults as you need. There will be an enforced bedtime so that everyone can enjoy the Summit on Saturday.
Registration is free for youth and youth group leaders.
Consider a donation from your church to help support the Summit and keep youth registration free! Donations can be made electronically via Paypal here. Or if you prefer by check, payable to "NE MN Synod/EcoFaith Summit 2026" and sent to: The Northeastern Minnesota Synod 1111 London Road, Duluth, MN 55802.
Theme & Goals Statement
“[Our hearts] will sing of the day you bring, let the fires of your justice burn,
Wipe away all tears for the dawn draws near, and the world is about to turn.”
- Canticle of the Turning - ELW #723
Summit Goals
Ignite courageous community across the Upper Midwest to spark:
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An unquenchable fire of love for Creator and Creation.
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A controlled burn of holy fear, wonder, and joy - across generations and divides.
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A germinating fire seed of collaborating and creative networks.
Peril:
Our planet is in peril: from rampant forest fires to flagrant abuses of power, from raging economic and racial injustices to the burning anxieties of children, youth, and adults.
Smoldering in our spirits are embers of paralyzing fear: fear that Earth’s ability to support life is damaged beyond repair; fear that we are powerless; fear that our efforts are too little and too late because the harm that has been done is irreversible; fear that what power we wield will be answered with callous disregard and violent retaliation and any good we do will be overturned; fear that we are alone.
Promise:
The Spirit’s baptismal spark blazes away this dross, making space for a different fear that ignites our hearts: the fear of the Holy One, Creator of the Cosmos, Healer of All, Sustainer of Life. Living in wonder, awe, and sacred trembling, we fall in love with Creator’s self-revelation, Healer’s presence, Sustainer’s gifts: the beauty and bounty of this planet, all our kin, our beloved and only home.
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We gather to be refined through crossgenerational repentance and lament.
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We gather to be refueled in creation, community, worship, and art.
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We gather to be reignited by a constellation of speakers and organizers - youth, young adults, and elders.
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We gather to be a renewed community, ablaze with New Life for God’s beloved Creation.
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We gather for our fear to become our fuel…
“Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road…?”
- Luke 24:32
Afternoon Fireseed Breakout Sessions
Why Fireseeds?
Fireseeds in nature are seeds that require fire to open and germinate. The seed of the iconic Jack Pine, native to many areas in the Upper Midwest, is such a fireseed. We come to the Summit to ignite a germinating fire for our local and global community.
Fireseed tracks
Fireseed sessions from all four tracks will be offered in each of the two breakout times.
Track 1. Igniting Love of Nature: Becoming Community in and with Creation
Track 2. Faith on Fire for Creation: Spiritual Foundations for Igniting Faith Communities
Track 3. Getting Fired Up: Strategies for Igniting Your Faith Communities
Track 4. From Fear to Fire: Coming Together for Advocacy and Community Action
Online Fireseed Sessions
Session 1: (2:00pm CST) Who is Your Next of Kin? A Guide to Kincentric Ecology: Lessons for Conservation, Justice, and Community Resilience Annica Stiles, Environmental Advocate, Minneapolis Area Synod, Our Saviour’s, Minneapolis
Description: As we face an intimidating and uncertain future for our planet, the environment begs us for compassion and action. Kincentric Ecology and other Indigenous knowledge of land management and environmental protections provide a key framework for environmentalists and communities to restore relationships with the natural world in order to decolonize their work and enhance the socio-ecological resilience of those efforts within a contemporary system in North America. This workshop will walk-through how we can use Kincentric Ecology in our own faith and among our congregations to honor God’s sacred creation. Bio: Annica is an environmentalist with a focus in community centered conservation. She has recently moved back to Minnesota and is living in Minneapolis after completing her Environmental Studies degree from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington. Annica has worked with various non-profits, from advocating for environmental policy in DC to conservation field work and environmental education. She currently attends Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in South Minneapolis and often St. Paul Lutheran Church in Wyoming, MN where her parents serve together.
Session 2: (3:00pm CST) Faith-based Community Organizing for Climate Justice
Meghan Sobocienski, Center for Climate Justice and Faith, Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary
Description: The Center for Climate Justice and Faith empowers leaders to cultivate moral, spiritual, and practical power for the work of climate justice in communities of faith. Since 2021, the Center has prepared 380 faith leaders from 40 countries to address the climate crisis in ways that also further racial justice, economic justice, and gender justice. Meghan Sobocienski is a co-coordinator of the Center’s Certificate in Faith-based Community Organizing for Climate Justice program. This program is designed as a sequence of workshops, small group coaching and community practice that allows program participants to understand themselves as leaders, expand their capacity to enroll others in collective action, and understand the roles of teams in creating change. Join Meghan to learn how faith communities around the country are using community organizing frameworks to create a more just world and get inspired to mobilize your community to action. Meghan Sobocienski (she/her) is a Co-Founder and Director of Grace in Action Collectives in Southwest Detroit. Meghan spent five years as a Community Organizer with the PICO (Faith in Action Network), and five years working as a Co-Organizer for the Organizing for Mission Cohort (Network) through the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Through this work Meghan guided congregational leaders to utilize their land, financial, and community resources to create social justice projects in their
In-Person Fireseed Sessions
Fireseed Session: 2:00pm
Camp Fire Circles: Igniting Brave Community (Tracks 1 & 3)
Sari Kroschel and Deacon Stephanie Engel, Camp Onomia
Description: The campfire circle is more than a place to sit, it is a formative center for worship, shared meals, play, and conversation. In outdoor ministry, the practices that happen around the fire invite participants into embodied faith: singing and prayer under the open sky, food prepared and shared in community, games that build trust and joy, and storytelling that invites honesty and wonder. This session explores the campfire as a holistic ministry space where the nervous system settles, relationships deepen, and faith is practiced together. In this interactive session, participants will be invited to consider how camps and retreat centers offer a unique and essential form of ministry, modeling integrative practices that congregations and environmental ministries can partner with and learn from as they seek to ignite authentic community.
Clean Energy Revolution and How Faith Communities Can Participate (Track 4)
Bret Pence, Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light
Seemingly in the face of great policy headwinds in the US, clean energy technology continues to march forward ever more rapidly, both domestically and globally. In this setting we will learn about these trends, examine what policy changes have occurred in the US and explore how Minnesota congregations can participate in this true revolution.
Congregational Organizing and Spiritual Transformation (Track 3)
Rev. Corinne Freedman Ellis, ISAIAH and Peace United Church of Christ, Duluth
When congregations begin to live into their justice commitments more fully, they sometimes find that justice work is "siloed" away from spiritual practices and faith formation. But when our justice work is based in relational organizing and narrative building, this work is spiritual practice and faith formation, and vice versa. ISAIAH leaders will share testimonies about the transformation that organizing has inspired in their congregations, and they will teach one of the foundational building blocks of this organizing strategy: the 1:1 conversation. Presenter Bio: Rev. Corinne Freedman Ellis is a UCC minister who has served congregations in Des Moines, IA and St. Paul, MN before arriving at Peace UCC in Duluth in January 2024. She has been organizing with ISAIAH in a volunteer capacity since 2016 and served on staff as Clergy Organizer from 2021-22. Corinne is passionate about our call to do justice in our community and the world, and she believes this work is grounded in biblical literacy and spiritual formation in a progressive Christian tradition. Corinne lives in Duluth with her spouse, Greg, and their two young children, ages 4 and 7, whose futures are the deepest imperative for her work.
Data Centers Deep Dive: What's at Stake and How Can You Get Involved? (Track 4)
Kathryn Hoffman, Executive Director, and JT Haines
MCEA (Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy)
Minnesota, like many other states, is facing a large number of data center proposals across the state. These facilities are moving faster than communities and the state can respond and effectively manage the risks posed by data centers and their massive energy, water, and resource use. MCEA and its allies are leading an effort to establish a regulatory framework in Minnesota that empowers communities to decide, and protects our local democracy and our natural resources. Learn more about this work and how you can get involved.
The Freedom Circle Method: Regulate, Relate, Create, Integrate (Tracks 2 & 3)
Joe Davis, Spoken Word Artist
What makes a gathering transformative rather than transactional? How do we move beyond conversation toward embodied action, creative power, and collective liberation? In this interactive workshop, award-winning poet, educator, and healing justice practitioner Joe Davis pulls back the curtain on his signature facilitation methodology: the Freedom Circle Method—a four-part framework he developed and refined over more than a decade of leading workshops with youth, artists, educators, faith leaders, and community organizers. Participants will learn the foundational steps of the method: •Regulate – grounding the nervous system to create a safe and brave embodied container •Relate – building authentic connection and shared humanity through compassionate curiosity, story dwelling, and dialogue •Create – activating imagination and creative power through collaborative artistic practices •Integrate – translating insight into action that can be carried into everyday life Rooted in trauma-informed practice, somatic awareness, and arts-based community building, this session offers a crash-course introduction to the principles behind Joe Davis’ broader healing justice ecosystem known as Freedom Practice—a growing body of curriculum, content, and community designed to help people cultivate resilience, resources, and revolutionary practices through the arts. Participants will leave with practical tools for facilitating meaningful gatherings in their own communities and an invitation to further explore and deepen the work. Bio: Joe Davis is an award-winning spoken word artist and bestselling author who uses poetry to power possibility. He is the founding director of Finding Your Freedom Practice, a wellness ecosystem teaching body-centered practices through spoken word, writing, music, theater, film, and dance. Joe holds a Master of Arts degree in Theology of the Arts and also heads a multimedia production company, a soul funk band, and a racial justice education program. His work has been featured on BET, MPR, CNN, VH1, and the Twin Cities CW. Based in Minneapolis, he tours internationally to join schools, faith spaces, nonprofits, businesses, and correctional facilities to practice envisioning and embodying a world of collective liberation and human flourishing. To connect, book, or learn more, visit JoeDavisPoetry.com.
Lord, what is it that you have been preparing us for? (Track 2 & 3)
Rev. Kristina Frugé, Riverside Innovation Hub at Augsburg University, Minneapolis
Description: This session creates space to connect our care for young adults and younger generations with the real world they are inheriting. Together, we’ll explore how the church can respond to fear, denial, and uncertainty while discerning what it means to be the church in a time of collective upheaval and violence and world threatening realities. We’ll reflect together on the church’s public call—to be proximate, prophetic, and practical—and consider how the ways we show up now will shape the future young people are growing into. BIO: Kristina Frugé has worked in ministry for 25 years and currently serves as the Director of Congregational and Community Initiatives where she leads the Riverside Innovation Hub at Augsburg University in Minneapolis, MN. With an MA in Congregational Mission and Leadership from Luther Seminary, she has worked alongside dozens of congregations inviting them to be curious about their call to become vital neighbors in the ecosystem of their local neighborhoods. In all her work, she aims to animate the truth of our generous connection to one another, rooted in a belief that the Holy Spirit is activated in our relationships helping us to repair, problem solve, love and flourish. This includes her work as a mother, wife, friend and neighbor in her South Minneapolis Longfellow neighborhood where her family has lived for over 20 years.
Plotting Resurrection: Pollinator Synods and Sanctuaries (Tracks 1, 2, 3)
Rev. David Carlson, NE MN Synod EcoFaith Network Co-Chair, Gloria Dei, Duluth
Jan Bilden, Pollinator Plot Chair, NE MN Synod EcoFaith Network, St. Andrews, Grand Rapids
The Pollinator Synod and Sanctuary movement is a call to become part of the Holy Spirit’s subversive plot to pollinate an alternative way of being human for the sake of life. In this plot, we find our model and hope from pollinator species: tiny, often overlooked and disregarded creatures who are in drastic decline yet are a key to the regeneration of life itself. Faith communities of every size and place can be demonstration plots and become Pollinator Sanctuaries, designating pollinator habitat on their grounds and pollinating alternative ways of living. Participants will hear the story of how the Northeastern MN Synod has been living into its role as a Pollinator Synod, how its Pollinator Plot leaders are supporting this effort, and with worship and practical resources how other synods and congregations can join this inspiring plot!
Preaching the Ignites Fire (Track 2)
The Rev. Melinda Quivik, Ph.D. Editor-in-Chief of Liturgy, Mentor, Backstory Preaching, Green Blades Preaching Roundtable Contributor, Saint Paul Area Synod Care of Creation
This session will focus on how people listen to sermons, what preachers do that helps listeners find their own fire-starters, and why images (illustrations, biblical symbols, community stories, and more) are the sparks that help us hear God’s word. Especially today with all the uncertainty and tumult in our social, economic, and political life and in our congregations, the church is the primary place for honestly facing our circumstances and finding our strength in community. Preaching needs to help us hear the truth that speaks to both human need and God’s unwavering mercy. BIOG: Rev. Melinda Quivik, PhD, is an ELCA pastor who has served Lutheran churches in three states, and a UCC/Presbyterian congregation in Michigan. A former professor of liturgy and preaching and past president of the North American Academy of Liturgy, she is now the Editor-in-Chief of Liturgy, a mentor with Backstory Preaching working with preachers of diverse traditions all across the U.S. Her books include Worship at a Crossroads: Racism and Segregated Sundays (2023), Leading Worship Matters (2017), Serving the Word: Preaching in Worship (2009), scholar’s contributions to Sundays & Seasons: Preaching, and other publications. Her current research work (forthcoming) is Fire in Your Ears: Preaching to Ignite and Tend Faith.
Saint Louis River Estuary and the Reintroduction of Fire:
Nature’s Call to Community (Track 1 & 4)
The Rev. Will Mowchan, Friends of the St. Louis River Estuary, NW Synod of Wisconsin
You've probably driven Interstate 35 down Thompson Hill into Duluth. Lake Superior stretched out in front of you. On the right you look down onto a gleaming silver thread of water and think to yourself, "That's pretty." Then your thoughts and quite likely, your attention and time spent go back to Lake Superior. Did you know that the silver thread is essential for Lake Superior? It's the St. Louis River, at almost 200 miles the Lake's longest and by water volume its largest tributary. It's one of the world's largest freshwater estuaries. It forms the world's largest freshwater sandbar. It contains immense ecological diversity in its waters, woods, fish, animals, plants and birds. Humans from many cultures have depended on it for many centuries and still depend on it today. It's been a major travel and trade route for centuries. Until recently, it was one of America's most polluted waterways. Now its restoration is almost complete. No matter where you live, there is a natural world close to your home that matters as much to your community as the St. Louis River does to this community. Who are some people and what are some things people in your community are already are doing for the natural world where you live? How can you join them in practical, sustainable ways? About the igniter: Will Mowchan is a retired ELCA pastor. He is glad to be a member of First Lutheran Church in Duluth. He still leads worship services regularly when congregations need that. Since 2019 Will has been a board member of a group that engages and involves the Twin Ports community with the amazing good work done by the researchers who study, monitor, protect and restore the St. Louis River Estuary.
What is Citizens Climate Lobby and How Can You Start One in Your Community? (Track 4)
Rev. Beth Monke, Grove Lake Lutheran, Pelican Rapids, NW MN Synod Creation Care Team
While we know that our individual efforts are so important in being stewards of God's creation, we also know that we are part of a governmental system that makes decisions which have an enormous impact on our resources and our climate. Come and find out more about this non-partisan, grassroots lobbying organization and how you can take part in shaping public policy! Bio: Pastor Beth Monke was recently ordained in the NW MN Synod of the ELCA and is currently serving Grove Lake Lutheran Church in Pelican Rapids. In her previous career, she was a licensed psychologist and mental health therapist working in community mental health and school based settings. She is blessed with a husband, 3 grown children, 6 grandchildren, and a yellow lab. She has been the chapter leader of the Fergus Falls CCL chapter since 2017, and in 2024, was joined by her awesome co-leader, Colleen O'Brien. She has also served as the CCL liaison to congressional district 7, and gone to Capitol Hill on three occasions to lobby for climate friendly legislation.
Fireseed Session: 3:00pm
Bringing the Fire Back Home: An Open Discussion (Track 3)
Facilitated by EcoFaith Youth Leaders
Join the Eco Faith youth leadership team for a session designed specifically for youth! In this breakout session, youth will get to brainstorm ways that they can be the flames of change and keep the fires burning in their congregations and communities as they work towards justice and joy for all of creation. They will take away specific actions and plans that they can start implementing right when they get home as they fan the flames of change.
Congregations as Community Resilience Hubs (Track 4)
Rev. David Carlson, Gloria Dei, Duluth, NE MN Synod EcoFaith Network Co-Chair
Bret Pence, Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light
Buildings Resilience Hubs - In an uncertain and rapidly changing world, what does resilience mean to you and your congregation, and how does that impact your community? Come along with Gloria Dei and MNIPL as we explore the concept of community resilience together, and share some of the learnings from our participation in the first group of Minnesota community partners in MNIPL's resilient "Community of Practice"
Congregations Ignighted for Creation: A Panel Discussion (Track 3)
Rev. Amber Kolina, Northwestern Minnesota Synod
Russ Schultz, Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Northeastern Minnesota Synod
Lynda Meyers, Hope Lutheran Church, River Falls, Wisconsin, NW Synod of Wisconsin
Across the Upper Midwest, congregations are becoming ‘demonstration plots’ of care for Creation. What provides the spark? How can care for God’s creation bring all generations together, become a form of outreach to your community, and offer real hope in these challenging times? Come and be ignited by the story of three different congregations – in River Falls, Wisconsin, Brainerd, Minnesota, and Warren, Minnesota. Share your stories. Ask your questions. Fire up your imagination of what is possible! The fire is God’s. We will share the kindling here. Panelists: Rev. Amber Kolina, Our Savior’s and Melo Lutheran Churches, Warren, Minnesota, Northwestern Minnesota Synod Lynda Meyers, Hope Lutheran, Little Falls, Wisconsin, Northwest Synod of Wisconsin Russ Schultz, Bethlehem Lutheran, Brainerd, Minnesota, Northeastern Minnesota Synod Lynda Meyers, Hope Lutheran, River Falls The seeds of the HOPE Lutheran Green Team were planted in the Spring of 2021 when a handful of HOPE members met to discuss how we, as a faith community, could reduce our negative impacts on creation, and engage in more positive environmental actions. My background as a biology teacher and nature enthusiast put me in a position to serve as coordinator for the group. Since then, our projects have ranged from the relatively simple tasks of completing an energy audit of our building and purchasing Renewable Energy Blocks from our local municipal utility, to more complex and long term projects, such as a prairie restoration our property and actions to support wildlife. We have come to understand that a sustainable future depends upon both environmental and social justice in our communities, and have hosted book and discussion groups on Native American history, and civic engagement, and we are seeking ways to meaningfully connect with our Indigenous neighbors. We are extremely grateful for the generous involvement of our congregation and active support of our pastor, Pastor Annie Ladnier. Hope Lutheran, River Falls, during a prescribed burn (photo submitted by panelist Lynda Meyer Russ Schultz holds a degree in Civil Engineering with a focus on water resource management. After a 34-year tenure as a Hydrologist for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, he now leads the Creation Care team at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Brainerd.
Energy Action Starts at Home (Track 4)
Carmen Carruthers, Outreach Director, Citizens Utility Board of Minnesota
Attendees will learn about key opportunities to save energy in their homes in the short term and plan for impactful energy efficiency upgrades over time. We will share practical strategies and explain key technologies to consider as part of an energy upgrade plan. An online live audience engagement tool and workbooks will be used to facilitate this interactive session. Attendees will be encouraged to share information with others and motivate their communities to take action. Background The Citizens Utility Board of Minnesota is a nonprofit consumer advocate on residential energy issues. We work to connect Minnesotans to energy resources so they can meet their needs and make good decisions for their households. The energy transition towards cleaner home energy use is dependent upon the collective action of individual households. CUB helps these individual households plan for energy upgrades. CUB prioritizes and emphasizes practical, cost-effective measures. Presenter Bio Carmen Carruthers joined the Citizens Utility Board of Minnesota as its Outreach Director in 2016. Carmen came to this work with diverse experience in the fields of urban planning, education, sales, and financial services. She is passionate about making sure people have all the information they need to make good decisions for their households. She loves helping people save money, make their homes more comfortable, and reducing their environmental impact. Carmen holds a bachelor’s degree in Local and Urban Affairs with a minor in Environmental Studies from St. Cloud University. She has a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Iowa with emphases in transportation and environmental planning.
The Feast of Creation: A New Festival to Celebrate the Goodness of Creation? (Track 2)
Rev. Ben Stewart, Ph.D., Pastor, Seminary Professor, Author, Northeastern Minnesota Synod
What if the global church had a major festival (perhaps even like Christmas and Easter) that celebrates creation? Representatives from the Vatican, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the World Council of Churches, the Lutheran World Federation and other global denominations gathered in Assisi, Italy to consider inaugurating such an annual Feast of Creation. Local pastor and theologian Ben Stewart was part of the dialog in Assisi and will bring participants up to date on the possible paths ahead for this ecumenical festival and help generate ideas for making every Sunday a “Feast of Creation.” Together we will ask: how might an ecumenical, global festival deepen our relationship with the world's people and with the living earth, our common home? BIO: Ben Stewart serves as pastor to Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Two Harbors, MN and as Distinguished Affiliate Professor of Worship at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. Ben writes and teaches widely on topics of ecotheology and worship. He is author of A Watered Garden: Christian Worship and Earth’s Ecology.
The Gold Leaf Challenge: Igniting Communities for Climate Action (Track 4)
Erica Bjelland, Minnesota Green Steps Communities and Tribal Nations
Description: What do meaningful climate actions look like in your different communities (at school, work, city, faith community)? Aligned with the statewide plan for climate action (the Climate Action Framework), the Gold Leaf Challenge is a new Minnesota-based challenge to help communities take climate action. This session will provide an overview of the Gold Leaf Program, examples of community actions, and questions to consider how to prioritize your community's climate actions. Erica Bjelland has spent most of her career working on rural environment and energy projects. In the Brainerd Lakes Area, she worked on solar equity projects and education before working with small cities on the creation and implementation of Energy and Environment Action Plans with the Region Five Development Commission (R5DC). Erica was also a Land Use Planner working to preserve the beautiful, fragile mountain ecosystem in rural Boulder County, Colorado. She now serves as a Program Associate at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) for the GreenStep program and primarily works with small cities on sustainability actions.
Non-Cooperation 101 (Track 4)
Eóin Small, Organizer, Summit speaker, Rise & Repair
Description: Is this democracy? What is a democratic backslide? What tools can we draw upon to counter the rising threat of authoritarianism? What is the “inverted triangle”, what is “symbolic protest”, what are “Red Lines” & the “Pillars of Support”? In this Fireseed session, we’ll walk through some basic foundational understandings around the premise of non-cooperation, offering shared language which can inform the way we organize our communities and take action at this critical moment in the human story. Bio: Eóin is an artist, activist & community organizer living on the ancestral homelands of Dakota & Anishinaabe people in what has come to be called Minnesota and the broader Midwest and Great Lakes region. Much of Eoin’s work centers on the climate crisis & supporting indigenous-led movements to protect Water and Land. Eóin currently works as an organizer with Rise & Repair, a diverse alliance of people and organizations working to advance climate justice & Indigenous rights in Minnesota.
Planting as an Act of Prayer (Track 1 & 2)
Jane Johnson and Libby Sternhagen-Schwenck
Bethesda Lutheran, Detroit Lakes, MN
NW MN Synod
In this session, we will discuss how land stewardship and community eco-engagement can be acts of prayer. God starts the fire for creation within us, and we can use that passion to act and create change in our small corners of Earth. Session leaders will bring stories of the prayerful act of developing native pollinator gardens an urban setting and lessons of soil health in agroecosystems. We hope attendees will leave feeling challenged and empowered to reframe their daily engagement with the natural world, seeing Creation with the eyes of a good and faithful steward. Libby Sternhagen Schwenk lives in Moorhead, MN. She has a Master’s degree in Environmental Conservation Science and works in a lab studying soil bioremediation. She enjoys outdoor activities in all seasons– cross-country skiing in the winter, and hiking in warmer weather. In spring you will spot her smelling lilacs and wild roses, and in early fall she can be found tiptoeing through prairie patches, collecting native seed in handmade paper envelopes. Jane M.F. Johnson PhD, Retired Soil Scientist Jane served nearly 25 years as a federal research scientist based out of the USDA-Agricultural Research Service Soil Management Unit in Morris MN. Currently she resides in Moorhead and serves as the administrative assistant at Bethesda Lutheran Church. Her research focused on protecting agricultural soil, documenting impact of farm management on greenhouse gas emission. Her research mission was seeking solutions that protect the planet and feed the people. She has three adult sons, two cats and a husky. She enjoys running with the dog, hiking, playing in her mini-raised garden bed, reading and making practical quilts.
“When our island is under water, will you let us live with you?” (Track 4)
Tammy Walhof, Lutheran Advocacy-Minnesota (LA-MN)
Kathy Chatelaine, LA-MN Policy Council and Southeastern Minnesota Synod
That was the question Fiji Pastor James Bhagwan put to his American colleagues in the Faith Pavillion at the International Climate Conference in Dubai. As climate change intensifies droughts, famines, fires, storms, floods, and rising seas, more families around the world are being pushed from their homes and communities. What does this mean for people of faith? How do we move from fear for our planet’s future and political tension around immigration toward courageous action that serves the common good of both people and creation? This Fireseed session explores the reality of climate-driven migration and the interconnected forces behind it. Together we will grapple with how our communities can act with justice and hope to support climate adaptation and human dignity in a warming world. Kathy Chatelaine:An educator, Kathy has advocated for children throughout her adult life. As Assistant to the Bishop for Global Ministry in the Southeastern Minnesota Synod, ELCA, she continues to broaden her sphere of accompaniment of local and global congregations by discovering and connecting others to the Spirit’s amazing work throughout our interdependent world. Kathy and her husband, Dave, live in Owatonna and are part of the Trinity Lutheran family. They find joy in sharing life with their three adult children (and spouses) and three grandchildren. Reading, connecting with friends and family, experiencing music, and exploring God's creation through hiking, canoeing, and kayaking are a few of Kathy’s favorite things.
Who is Your Next of Kin? A Guide to Kincentric Ecology: Lessons for Conservation, Justice, and Community Resilience (Track 1, 2, 3)
Annica Stiles, Environmental Advocate, Minneapolis Area Synod, Our Saviour’s, Minneapolis
Description: As we face an intimidating and uncertain future for our planet, the environment begs us for compassion and action. Kincentric Ecology and other Indigenous knowledge of land management and environmental protections provide a key framework for environmentalists and communities to restore relationships with the natural world in order to decolonize their work and enhance the socio-ecological resilience of those efforts within a contemporary system in North America. This workshop will walk-through how we can use Kincentric Ecology in our own faith and among our congregations to honor God’s sacred creation. Bio: Annica is an environmentalist with a focus in community centered conservation. She has recently moved back to Minnesota and is living in Minneapolis after completing her Environmental Studies degree from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington. Annica has worked with various non-profits, from advocating for environmental policy in DC to conservation field work and environmental education. She currently attends Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in South Minneapolis and often St. Paul Lutheran Church in Wyoming, MN where her parents serve together.
From Ash to Action: a Lenten Series
The EcoFaith Summit Organizing Team has collaborated with The Ministry Lab, ISAIAH, Working Preacher, and numerous individuals to create From Ash to Action: Even the Stones Cry Out, a multifaceted Toolkit designed to encourage congregations into the work of community organizing and community building.
This Lenten Toolkit provides formation resources for Shrove Tuesday through Palm Sunday, unique worship outlines for each week of Lent, take-home spiritual practices and Community Action prompts geared to prepare congregations for ISAIAH's Palm Sunday Path and/or 2026 EcoFaith Summit of the Upper Midwest. These are two separate events, both highlighting the church's call to organize and engage in shaping the future God desires for our communities and planet.
A weekly support cohort will begin on Ash Wednesday with Dr. Dn. Diane Jacobson facilitating and EcoFaith Summit Organizing Team members joining in weekly. Find zoom link at this link.
We hope you'll encourage congregations and leaders to utilize the Toolkit as we all get ready for this year's Summit. Congregations new to organizing will find solid introductory materials. Congregations already actively engaged will find supplmental and at-home resources to encourage their good work.
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