An eight-member diverse delegation will represent Presiding Bishop and Primate Michael Curry and Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society at the critically important international 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, known as the Paris Conference of Parties, that begins this week.

The Presiding Bishop’s team members are: Bishop Marc Andrus of the Episcopal Diocese of California; Princess Daazhraii Johnson, climate activist and former Executive Director of the Gwich’in Steering Committee; former Executive Council Member the Rev. Deacon Brandon Mauai of the Diocese of North Dakota; the Rev. Very Mark Richardson, President and Dean of the Church Divinity School of the Pacific; Bill Slocumb, Director of Episcopal Camps and Conference Centers; along with Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society staff members Alex Baumgarten, Director of Public Engagement and Mission Communication; Jayce Hafner, Domestic Policy Analyst, and Lynnaia Main, Officer for Global Relations. Other Episcopalians are attending the event, including Bishop Pierre Whalon of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, who is a participant in the event and is welcoming all Anglicans and Episcopalians.

The delegation will share through social media avenues and on The Episcopal Church website at episcopalchurch.org a series of virtual prayer cards that draw on the scripture, meditation, and prayers delegates will use each day to help shape their work.

Based on the four core themes of Reverence, Compassion, Forgiveness and Reconciliation, the prayer cards “value support and promote one another – they are interconnected – just as they support the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals,” Bishop Andrus said. “We encourage you to use these daily digital prayer cards to pray with those at COP21, and to add your own reflections on how these spiritual values aid the fulfillment of a sustainable life on Earth.”

“The past two General Conventions have identified care for creation, as embodied in the Fifth Anglican Mark of Mission, as focus areas for the missional work of The Episcopal Church,” Baumgarten said. “The Presiding Bishop’s delegation to the Paris talks reflects an understanding that the ministry of reconciliation to which God calls us involves not just the restoring of right relationships in the human family but also right relationship between human beings and the wider created order than inhabits this ‘fragile earth, our island home.’”

Webinar examines issues

As countries around the world gather to finalize an international climate agreement at the Paris Conference of Parties, The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society will offer Episcopalians a unique opportunity to engage this process through a live webinar.

Presented by the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society’s Episcopal Public Policy Network, the one-hour live webinar Confronting Climate Change at the Paris Conference of Parties will begin at noon Eastern on Thursday, December 3.

“While many Episcopalians are passionate about creation care, the United Nations climate negotiations process may appear to be a complex, inaccessible process,” noted Bishop Stacy Sauls, Chief Operating Officer. “We strive to open the doors to these negotiations through educating Episcopalians about the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and empowering them with advocacy tools to engage the Paris Conference of Parties from anywhere in the world.”

Webinar topics will include: Episcopal Church policy on climate change; how the Presiding Bishop’s delegation to the Paris Conference of Parties is advocating for a strong climate agreement; and how Episcopalians can influence the climate negotiations at home. Also included will be remarks from the delegation; Bishop Andrus and Bishop Whalon will provide live updates from Paris.

Presenters

Presenting during the webinar will be:

• Bishop Marc Andrus
• Lacy Broemel, Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society’s Office of Government Relations Manager for Online Communications and Operations.
• Jayce Hafner
• Lynnaia Main
• The Very Rev. Mark Richardson
• Bill Slocumb
• Bishop Pierre Whalon

Registration

Pre-registration is required register here 

The webinar will be available on-demand.

#DFMSatCOP

@TheEPPN

@DFMSatCOP

The Episcopal Public Policy Network

The Episcopal Public Policy Network is a grassroots network of Episcopalians across the country, supported by the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society and dedicated to carrying out the Baptismal Covenant call to “strive for justice and peace” through the active ministry of public policy advocacy. The Episcopal Public Policy Network is part of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society’s Office of Government Relations, located in Washington, DC. The actions, programs, and ministry of the Office of Government Relations are based entirely on policies approved by the Church meeting in General Convention or by the Executive Council.

For more information contact Jayce Hafner.