John Roe Joins GreenFaith’s National Fellowship Program
National Initiative Trains Religious Leaders for Environmental Leadership
GreenFaith announced today that John Roe, a professor of mathematics at Penn State and a charter member of the Calvary-Gray’s Woods congregation in State College, PA, has been named a GreenFaith Fellow and will join the 2012 Class of the GreenFaith Fellowship Program. The Fellowship Program is the only US comprehensive education and training program to prepare lay and ordained leaders from diverse religious traditions for environmental leadership. “We’re thrilled to welcome John to the Program,” said Rev. Fletcher Harper, GreenFaith’s Executive Director. “We look forward to working with him to support his growth as a religious-environmental leader.”
Through three residential retreats, monthly webinars, and extensive reading, John will receive education and training in eco-theology, “greening” the operation of institutions, environmental advocacy, and environmental justice. Each Fellow writes their own eco-theological statement and carries out a leadership project in their community, mobilizing religious leaders in relation to an environmental issue. Upon graduating, they will join the Fellowship’s alumni/ae network and mentor other emerging leaders in this field.
John has made his home in State College since 1998 when he and his family moved here from England. Outside mathematics he lists his interests as rock-climbing, cooking, and playing the guitar. “As soon as I heard about the GreenFaith fellowship program I knew I wanted to be part of it”, says John. “Jesus said that your life is more than the stuff you have. I want to explore how faith communities can hear that challenge and live it out – before our stuff ends up choking us.”
“I am grateful that John is diving into this” added Vic King, pastor at Calvary-Gray’s Woods. “At Calvary we are growing in our awareness of the needs and opportunities to take better care of God’s earth. We look forward to the information and influence John will bring to us.”
John will join a class of 25 Fellows from diverse religious backgrounds. The Fellows represent over ten religious denominations, including Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Evangelical, Roman Catholic, mainline Protestant, and Unitarian Universalist. Fellows work in a wide variety of settings, including congregations, universities, campus ministries, NGO’s, and denominational organizations.
GreenFaith’s Executive Director, Rev. Fletcher Harper, directs the Program, with support from a multi-faith and multi-disciplinary faculty. “This program will offer these leaders the opportunity to become well-trained leaders in religious environmentalism,” said Harper. “They will help create an environmentally just and sustainable world.”
GreenFaith is an interfaith environmental coalition whose mission is to educate and mobilize diverse religious communities for environmental leadership. Founded in 1992, GreenFaith is a leader in the fast-growing religious-environmental movement and has won national and international recognition for its work. For more information, see www.greenfaith.org.
GreenFaith is grateful to the Kendeda Sustainability Fund for support for the Fellowship Program. For more information, visit www.greenfaith.org.
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1 comment:
This sounds really interesting!
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