More than 375 UU Congregations Join First-Ever Climate Justice Revival

More than 375 Unitarian Universalist congregations across the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Virgin Islands are hosting UU Climate Justice Revivals. The Revivals kicked off on September 28 and 29, 2024, and will continue throughout the year and beyond.

Congregations and community members are coming together to recommit to climate justice and collective liberation. They are reimagining their communities thriving, mapping the connections between the challenging realities of climate justice and other social justice issues, and identifying opportunities to build community care.

The first-ever such revival, entitled “Reimagine Together: From an Extractive Age to a New Era,” was envisioned and organized by the UU Climate Justice Coalition and friends. They provided congregations with materials and support needed to host Revivals in their communities, including discussion guides and materials for all ages, training, worship resources, and advocacy actions designed to transform communities through climate justice.

At the UU Congregation of Saratoga Springs, New York, about fifty congregants and friends gathered on Sunday, September 29, to host the Revival during the worship service.

“We are joining over [375] UU congregations all over the country for a time of renewal and re-commitment at the intersection of the climate crisis and the justice commitments of our congregation,” said Lucy Manning, a member of the congregation’s Social Justice Team, who helped organize the local event. “Today, let’s especially think of everyone in the Southeast who is affected by Hurricane Helene. Flooding, emergency evacuations, and vast power outages remind us that our climate concerns are not hypothetical! And those impacted most are historically people that are underserved by their communities.”

The story hour was a video of Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt, UUA president, reading the children’s book What Do You Do with a Problem? by Kobi Yamada. Instead of the usual live music during worship, the special service used video performances provided by the Climate Justice Revival coalition, including an anthem commissioned for the Revival, “Part of It,” by musicians Lea Morris and Adam Podd. And the sermon, read by Manning, was “Here,” written by Edward Lynn, a thirty-year member of First UU Congregation of Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Revival organizers at the Saratoga Springs congregation chose Lynn’s sermon from among six available to congregations that were submitted in a sermon-writing contest that was part of the Revival.

Among other things, Lynn highlighted that there will be millions of climate refugees within the United States itself in the years to come—moving from the Southern states when they become too hot or difficult to live in—and that UU congregations in relatively safer locations should be welcoming to them. “[O]ur presence here as a strong clear voice for progressive liberal religion will be essential,” wrote Lynn.

The second part of the revival will be held during a worship service next March or April that will be interactive and include youth, says Manning.

Congregations can host the Revival when it works best for them, say organizers. Many congregations are hosting Revivals after the election or in 2025. The materials are evergreen, and many plan to first host a Revival in-house, then invite the broader community to participate.

Photos: UUs Gather During First Climate Justice Revival