coejl_logo
Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life
spacer UCCC Logo
US Conference of Catholic Bishops
Spacer National Religious Partnership for the Environment logo
National Religious Partnership for the Environment
Spacer  National Council of Churches of Christ
National Council of Churches of Christ
Spacer Evangelical Environmental Network
Evangelical Environmental Network
What is the Partnership?

dropcap_care and respect for God’s Creation has been a perennial mandate, mission and ministry of religious life.

More recently people of faith in increasing numbers have been studying sacred texts and other theological resources and acting on behalf of the land, air, water, and other creatures, and on behalf of the vulnerable ones who suffer most from the abuse of the earth.

In the early 1990s, the National Religious Partnership was established through its founding faith groups and denominations to further inform their efforts, and to amplify their voices in communities of faith and in the public square.  Of course, just as “creation care” initiatives existed before the Partnership’s inception in 1993, much work is taking place by other participating faith groups in this arena that has no connection with this organization.

Such work may not label itself, “environmental.” But, wherever the work of the Creator is honored and human needs for the life-sustaining gifts of the earth are met with intelligence, foresight, and prudence, creation care is happening.

By encouraging and supporting the work of faithful people across the religious spectrum — Jewish, Catholic, Orthodox, Mainline and Evangelical Protestants — the Partnership illustrates both the diversity of traditions that enriches, and the common purpose that drives, this movement.


Contact Us  |  FAQs  |  Resources  |  Sitemap

MISSION

shapeimage_19

Guided by biblical teaching, the Partnership seeks to encourage people of faith to weave values and programs of care for God's creation throughout the entire fabric of religious life....


THE PARTNERS

shapeimage_19

  • The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), comprising the Catholic bishops of the United States and the Virgin Islands, which participates in the Partnership through its Environmental Justice Program.
  •  The National Council of Churches of Christ (NCCC), a council of 37 Protestant, Eastern Orthodox, Peace Churches, and African-American denominations, which participates in the Partnership through its Eco-Justice Program.
  • The Coalition on Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL), an alliance of agencies and organizations across all four Jewish movements.
  •  The Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN), a coalition of 23 evangelical Christian programs and educational institutions.


HISTORY

shapeimage_19

Moving into the 1990's, senior religious leaders began to call for a distinctively religious "environmental" vision — what many call care for God's creation — arising from deep within the teachings of the major faith groups.

BOARD

shapeimage_19

  • Rev. Joan Brown Campbell, Chautauqua Institution
  • Dr. Janel Curry, Gordon College
  • Paul Douglas, Smart Energy LLC
  • Rabbi Steve Gutow, Jewish Council for Public Affairs
  • Dr. Jo Ann Lyon, Wesleyan Church
  • Dr. Jonathan Reyes, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
  • Rabbi David Saperstein, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
  • Rabbi Julie Schonfeld, The Rabbinical Assembly
  • Bishop William Skylstad, Diocese of Spokane
  • Bishop Eugene Sutton, Episcopal Diocese of Maryland
  • Victor D. Vidales, III, RE/MAX New Heights Realty
 

STEWARDSHIP STORIES

< >
Jewish Community Garden

Jewish

Jewish Community Garden

Robert Saligman Middle School, Melrose Park, PAJewish, Conservative Movement Robert Saligman Middle School is part of a larger educational community, the Perelman Jewish Day School. The campus is shared not only with the other Perelman schools (a Jewish nursery school, day school and high school) but is also the home of Gratz College and the Auerbach Central Agency for Jewish Education, institutions which train thousands of Jewish educators. This center of learning and growth was ideally suited to be the pilot site...

Read more

Evangelical

Environmental Stewardship Ministry Project

Door Creek Church Madison, WI Evangelical Free Church in America When the leadership of Door Creek Church in Madison, Wisconsin, chose the site for their new church ...

Read more

Mainline Protestant

Recycling Program

Maplewood Mennonite Church Fort Wayne, IN Maplewood Mennonite Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana, has just about 147 members, typically with 89 ...

Read more
Ellin & Harold Lawson Youth Institute VII Tikkun Olam: Protecting God's Creation

Jewish

Ellin & Harold Lawson Youth Institute VII Tikkun Olam: Protecting God's Creation

Temple Beth El, Bloomfield Hills, MIJewish, Reform Movement Since 1997, the Ellin and Harold Lawson Youth ...

Read more
Zero-Carbon Tomatoes

Mainline Protestant

Zero-Carbon Tomatoes

Episcopal Church of St. Paul and St. James, New Haven, CT “Zero food-mile tomatoes for Christ!” That’s how Josh Hill, a 2007 NCC Eco-Justice Fellow, describes the gardening project organized by the 20s/30s group at the Episcopal Church of St. Paul and St. James in New Haven, CT. The young adults are growing organic tomatoes as well as organic basil in pots in the church parking lot. The wife of one of the rectors germinated...

Read more