Biodiversity Sunday – May 17th

Biodiversity Sunday sits between Endangered Species Day on May 15th, and the International Day for Biodiversity on May 22nd.

Learn, act, and celebrate biodiversity together with your faith community on this Sunday!

MULTI-GENERATIONAL LIVE ONLINE PROGRAM

Sunday, May 17th at 11 am Pacific / 12 Mountain / 1 Central / 2 Eastern
with The Rev. Dr. LoraKim Joyner, Lara Profitt, Aly Tharp & Amelia Diehl
Co-sponsored by UU Ministry for Earth & UU Animal Ministry

This program was appropriate for a family, Religious Education class, a climate team, &/or a whole congregation to tune into together! All ages welcome.

ABOUT THE PRESENTERS:

The Rev. Dr. LoraKim Joyner is a UU minister and wildlife veterinarian. She serves as a community minister in Multi-species Ministry and Compassionate Communication, affiliated with the Community Unitarian Church at White Plains. In addition, she is the Director of One Earth Conservation and Ministry, where she works as a wildlife veterinarian and human dimension consultant in Latin American avian conservation. Currently she has projects in Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Paraguay.

Lara Profitt is the Director of Spiritual Development at Accotink Unitarian Universalist Church (AUUC) in Burke, Virginia. She is also a curriculum writer for the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C.

Aly Tharp is the program director of UU Ministry for Earth and a community arts-activist for ecological justice.

Amelia Diehl is the coordinator of the UU Young Adults for Climate Justice. Together, Aly & Amelia will invite participants to create artwork together of a local endangered species as part of a denomination-wide “Call to Arts”.

Here is a blurb you can use to help get the word out:

Biodiversity Sunday Multi-Generational Online Program
Sunday, May 17th at 11 am Pacific / 12 Mountain / 1 Central / 2 Eastern
with The Rev. Dr. LoraKim Joyner, Lara Profitt, Aly Tharp & Amelia Diehl
Co-sponsored by UU Ministry for Earth & UU Animal Ministry

“Biodiversity Sunday” sits between Endangered Species Day on May 15th, and the International Day for Biodiversity on May 22nd. Learn, act, and celebrate biodiversity together with your faith community! All ages welcome; congregational teams and RE classes are encouraged to tune in together! 

Why it matters:

Scientific data indicates that we are in the early stages of Earth’s 6th mass biological extinction (aka Holocene extinction or Anthropocene extinction — caused by habitat loss, climate change, pollution, etc.).  It’s more important than ever to come together in faith to witness, celebrate and protect the beautiful life on this planet.

Readings:

• “The Council of All Beings” by Joanna Macy
• “Grateful for Creatures from A to Z“by The Rev. Gary Kowalski
• “The Calling of the Creatures” by Ian W. Riddell
• The Lost Words: A Spell Book by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris
  

Small Group Ministry / Religious Education:

• Join the Procession of the Species
• “Nurturing Discussions and Practices: Nurture Nature, Yourself, and Your Relationships” by Rev. Dr. LoraKim Joyner DVM and Gail Koeln

Scientific Sources:

• World Wildlife Fund – Living Planet Report 2018
• The IPBES Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
• The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Call to Arts!

UU Ministry for Earth (UUMFE) invited UU communities to learn about threatened and endangered species in their local areas, and to co-create an artistic representation of one or more local endangered/threatened species. UUMFE is partnering with the UU Animal Ministry, UUA, and volunteers from all across the denomination to bring this ongoing witness together.

This UU community art ritual (inspired by a 25-year old tradition) began on Endangered Species Day in 2019, shortly after the publication of a United Nations report estimating that one million species out of the estimated 8 million species of Life on Earth are at risk of going extinct in the coming decades. This culminated in a beautiful ceremony at the 2019 General Assembly in Spokane, WA.

Be sure to fill out the RSVP form below you have a species art piece in progress!