Back in February 2011, the UUMFE Board of Directors invited me to observe their upcoming meeting … “Why don’t you just come and sit in on a meeting, get to know us and tell us what you think?” And it was good. Doing this work with these people – the ones in the room and the ones all across the country – was meaningful and important. Being voted onto the Board at our annual meeting at General Assembly 2011 was just the beginning. And it has been good.

So good that now it’s my pleasure to serve as Chair of the Board of UU Ministry for Earth for a two-year term. It’s time to take one for the team, you might say, and give Irene Keim, our devoted, skilled, and tireless Board Chair of the last ten years a new portfolio!

My eight years so far have been ones of immersion in learning, writing and curating Earth Day resources, hiring and supervising coordinators for our UU Young Adults for Climate Justice group and our wonderful Program Director, representing at General Assemblies, and participating in more meetings and retreats than I can count! All the while, my own call to ordained ministry was seeded, nurtured and is beginning to blossom in large part due to my experiences and connections here with many of you.

As the climate crisis escalates and it looks to the world like we are shirking our responsibilities, we at UUMFE affirm that we are still in. We are still in … facilitating and supporting bold, accountable faith-grounded actions from the personal and congregational to the denominational. We are still in … aligning our work with environmental justice principles and the needs, demands and leadership of those most impacted by the climate crisis. We are still in … following life-affirming anti-racist principles and forward-looking, dynamic governance practices. To grow our collective climate justice organizing capacity demands nothing less.

We at UUMFE are also always mindful of the need to minister to the fear, despair and grief that touches many of our hearts and souls. Hence, the importance of continuing to lift up, celebrate and give thanks for the beauty and joy to be found in this place we call our home. We are all called to be Ministers of, to and for this Earth — ministers who Respect all Life, Restore our hurting Earth, and Renew Spirit. We welcome your help in seeding circles of ministers and Ministries for the Earth anywhere and in everyplace where two or more have gathered.

For UUMFE to have lasting impact, and be sustainable as an organization, my hope is to develop more robust relations with UU congregations, ministers, and religious professionals, to broaden and strengthen our funding base, and to grow our governing board and circles of collaborators.

I welcome your thoughts, suggestions and inquiries.

Reach out to me directly, any time, at cindy.davidson[at]uumfe.org.  Especially if you’re keen to “…just come and sit in on a meeting, get to know us and tell us what you think!”

With joyous resolve,

Rev. Cindy Davidson
Board Chair, UUMFE