January 2025 News and Views
January News and Views
TAF NEWS
Contemplative Healing Gatherings Planned
When we surveyed our membership about last year’s contemplative practices and other healing services, there was wide support for continuing those offerings. We are grateful that Martin Wagner, a former environmental lawyer and interfaith eco-chaplain in training, has agreed to help plan and lead those. He will be working with Wakil David Matthews, a member of the TAF Coordinating Committee who is a Ruhaniat Sufi and an interfaith chaplain.
The first offering this year will be a post-inauguration Sacred Listening Circle on Thursday, January 30, at 4:00pm PT/7:00pm ET on Zoom. As the new administration takes steps to undo much of the Biden administration’s advances on climate and other issues, Martin will lead a lightly facilitated opportunity to share and witness our grief, anger, fear and everything else these times stir up in us. Having such spaces where all our feelings are welcome is essential to maintain our equilibrium and resource ourselves for our part in the resistance. You can read details and register for the event on our website.
Martin shares the following information about himself and the work he will do for Third Act Faith (TAF)
“Greetings everyone! For those of you I haven’t met, I come to chaplaincy after over 35 years as a human rights and environmental lawyer, most of which was spent working on climate as the leader of Earthjustice’s International Program. During that time, I saw that the work of activists like all of us in Third Act raises spiritual and moral issues that are seldom acknowledged or addressed. I pursued chaplaincy to equip myself to help remedy that. I’m excited to collaborate with Wakil and others in Third Act Faith to develop opportunities to do that. I will be ordained in May and will receive my certificate in spiritual direction/companionship later in 2025.
“Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you’re interested in discussing any of these issues: jmartinwagner1@gmail.com.”
Offering such opportunities is critical in these times, and TAF considers it one of the ways we can serve the larger Third Act community. We hope you’ll join us on January 30 and watch for other such gatherings.
Third Act Faith Forms New Committees
This year we hope to engage our growing Third Act Faith membership in working with the leadership team in several areas. The Coordinating Committee will gather for a retreat in early February, so watch for more detailed plans in the weeks to come.
Meanwhile, we have two committees in formation that are looking for members:
In leading a new Education Committee, Patty Werner seeks to bridge the division between people of faith and people of science. Possible projects are to explore important work being done in that area by Yale University’s Forum on Religion and Ecology (FORE), by Al Gore’s Climate Reality Leadership Training, and by the Catholic Church’s Laudato Si Movement. Patty also sees potential in working with other Third Act groups like the Educators’ Working Group. Read more about her ideas for this committee here.
Jane Ellen Nickell, TAF Communications Chair, welcomes interested members who’d like to serve on the Communications Committee. We’re not only looking for people with experience in this area, but also for TAF members who can provide feedback about what you would like to see in our Substack newsletters – our monthly News & Views as well as Going Deep essays. This committee also maintains the TAF pages on the Third Act website, as well as Facebook and Instagram accounts. With a larger committee we might consider using other outlets, such as Bluesky.
These committees will be led by one or two members of the Coordinating Committee, in order to coordinate efforts. We look forward to having additional expertise, ideas, and feedback from the larger TAF membership. We may announce other committees following the retreat, but if you are interested in the Education or Communications Committees, please email us atl thirdactfaith@gmail.com.
Further Reflections on Light and Dark
Over the last few weeks, TAF has used images of light and dark to reflect on the time of year and current political situation. As winter continues and some of our fears about a second Trump administration become reality, many of us may still be struggling with darkness, both physically and metaphorically.
In a New York Times article (free link), psychologist and author Mary Pipher writes, “I am in the last decades of life, and sometimes I feel that my country and our species are also nearing end times. The despair I feel about the world would ruin me if I did not know how to find light.” Pipher shares insights about finding light in the movements of nature, being around young children, the beauty of art, spiritual practices, and treasured memories.
The Pipher article linked to a December 2022 column by Margaret Renkl entitled “Falling a Little Bit in Love with the Dark” (free link). Renkl, who often writes about the beauty and power of nature, considers what the artificial illumination of our world obscures in the nighttime, especially the long dark nights of winter. She describes a banquet of pumpkins at her back fence, created from remnants of her neighbors’ Halloween “porchscapes,” which are devoured each night by nocturnal creatures. She asks: “Which beautiful mysteries are out there in the dark, living their hidden lives so near our own unshadowed lives?”
We recommend these columns, whether you are seeking much needed light, or trying to live into the mysteries found in darkness. You can also check out TAF Co-Facilitator Betsy Bennett’s essay “Disorientation, Winter Lights, and Truth” and the story or video from our December General Meeting, “Learning to Live in Darkness.”
Snowfalls Brighten the Winter Days
Snow fell in many areas of the country, including places that do not usually get snow. Despite the cold and inconvenience, the snow brightened up the dark winter days, sparkling in the sun and reflecting the moonlight. Coordinating Committee members shared these pictures, which range from a light dusting in East Tennessee, to the snow covered Tetons, to more than a foot in Northwest Pennsylvania.
NEWS FROM PARTNERS & FRIENDS
GreenFaith Invites Signers to “Faiths for Climate Justice Pledge”
GreenFaith invites people from all religious traditions who are deeply concerned about the climate crisis to join them in taking action. In the face of a new federal administration that has vowed to dismantle our national climate commitments, faith leaders with GreenFaith have resolved to address this issue in spiritual communities.
If you share this commitment, please sign the Religious Leader Call To Courage: Faiths for Climate Justice, agreeing to help raise awareness, build solidarity, and act for climate justice as part of a global movement. The pledge form includes ways for individuals and congregations to get involved, such as holding a Faith in Action Climate Vigil leading up to the inauguration.
Our faiths call us not merely to witness the crisis but to be agents of transformation. Together, says GreenFaith, we can lead by example, speak out, and work toward a future where ecological balance, social justice, and human dignity are inseparable and mutually reinforcing.
IN CLIMATE NEWS …
New York Governor Signs Superfund law
In December, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the Climate Change Superfund Act into law, which “will require Big Oil to pay a portion of the hefty cost of adapting the state’s infrastructure to the climate that has been created by burning fossil fuels,” according to the Peoples Climate Movement-NY [free link]. “This can include upgrades to the sewer system to handle increased flooding, energy-efficient cooling systems to provide relief during extreme heat, and a range of other projects and programs,” they explained.
“We are thrilled that New York State is making polluters pay for some of the damage they have knowingly done, rather than leaving the entire cost to be paid by New York taxpayers,” the group continued. “Congratulations to all who were involved in the fight for this important bill!”
Gov. Hochul also signed a bill closing a loophole in New York’s fracking ban. “The State’s decade-old ban on fracking did not explicitly exclude use of a new technique that relies on carbon dioxide instead of water to extract gas,” the group explained, “Thankfully, the loophole has been closed!”
Read more from the Natural Resources Defense Council [free link].
Okefenokee Refugee Protections Expand
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has OK’d expansion of the Okefenokee Refuge’s boundary (see TAF News & Views, December) after receiving more than 30,000 public comments in favor of the plan. The refuge is now protected from mining, and the expansion opens the door “for willing landowners to have their property included in the refuge.”
The Southern Environmental Law Center says it’s “grateful to the thousands of advocates and others who spoke up for the Okefenokee, and to the decision-makers who acted on our collective advocacy.”
UPCOMING EVENTS
January 27: Welcome to Third Act: Let’s Get Started. (Zoom), 4:30 PM PT / 7:30 PM ET. REGISTER HERE.
January 28: Hope & Joy: Banking on Clean Energy, A Conversation with Ken LaRoe of Climate First Bank. (Zoom), 4:00 PM PT / 7:00 PM ET. REGISTER HERE.
January 30: TAF Post-Inauguration Sacred Listening Circle. (Zoom), 4:00 PM PT / 7:00 PM ET. REGISTER HERE.
Join us!
If you subscribe to News & Views but have not yet joined Third Act Faith, we hope you’ll visit our website and sign up to make sure you get timely news without having to wait for the monthly newsletter.
Send us your photos and stories
Please send us news items, reflections, story ideas and photos that we can use on our web pages and include in our monthly email. Send the submissions to thirdactfaith@gmail.com.
Follow Us
Facebook
Instagram
Visit our website