Working Groups

The Creation Care Committee has working groups focused on three key areas of ministry: Gardening, NetZero greenhouse gas emissions, and Spiritual Resilience. Learn more about events hosted by these working groups on the Creation Care Calendar or by subscribing to the e-Communique newsletter. Questions? Email DOVA.CCTF@gmail.com.

Gardening Working Group

Chair: The Rev. Deacon Courtenay Evans

The Garden Working Group is devoted to networking churches and diocesan institutions with one another to share the love of gardening through discussions of best practices, mentoring and development of partnerships. There is a regular meeting schedule. 

NetZero Working Group

Co-Chairs: Dr. Mary Haberl and Doug Gheley

This working group is dedicated to developing the NetZero guidebook for diocesan parishes and institutions to help them meet NetZero greenhouse gas emissions goals as documented in Resolution 6, which passed during the November 2021 227th Diocesan Convention. This group is committed to building an infrastructure making it possible for churches to work together and a diocesan accepted set of guidelines over time to meet the goals outlined in Resolution 6. 

Spiritual Resilience Working Group

Co-Chairs: The Rev. Mary Kay Brown and Kathy Ellis 

Many people feel overwhelmed by the enormity of our environmental challenges. This is a place where the Church is called to be present. Worship and prayer are pathways for celebrating God’s creation. They are also vehicles for lament, confession, supplication, healing and hope. This working group is dedicated to developing ministry responses to this experience and engaging Episcopalians in a conversation around it.

The Spiritual Resilience Working Group seeks to:

  1. Offer opportunities to seminarians, clergy, and lay people to learn about creation care and climate change; provide support as they initiate discussion in their parishes.
  2. Encourage each parish to provide opportunities for celebration of God’s gift of creation.
  3. Encourage each parish to provide ways for parishioners to recognize emotions in the face of climate crisis, to offer channels for lament and expression of loss and grief.
  4. Encourage each parish to evaluate its level of preparedness for a climate event and to establish a Resilience/Rapid Response Ministry.