Growing Healthy Communities From Soil To The Soul

(Black PR Wire) On Saturday, April 20, 2024, at McGee Avenue Baptist Church, 1640 Stuart St., Berkeley, CA, and ONLINE, Green The Church California (GTC) and the Center For Food, Faith and Justice will celebrate Earth Day and present a Climate Revival event titled “Growing Healthy Communities From Soil To The Soul.”  

The day will include inspiring talks, interactive workshops, networking opportunities, and a special panel on Food Sovereignty and Global Food Resilience. The keynote speaker is Rev. Danté R. Quick, PhD, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in Somerset, New Jersey. Rev. Dr. Quick is well known in the Bay Area, having served for more than ten years as the pastor of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Vallejo, CA.

Environmental justice has long been a pressing concern for communities of color who bear the brunt of pollution and ecological degradation. Climate change exacerbates these issues, disproportionately impacting vulnerable communities. Recognizing this urgency, Black churches across the country are taking action.

With deep roots in the African American community and its commitment to social justice, the Black Church has become an essential advocate for sustainable practices and policies.

GTC has created a cadre of Black churches engaging in the environmental justice, climate, and sustainability movement over the past fourteen years in a powerful collaboration with significant environmental, sustainability, food security, faith, and community-based non-profit organizations. GTC presently works with more than 1,000 pastors and congregations across the US, states, and groups in the Bahamas, Ghana, Nigeria, and the UK, showing that we can make a difference together.

The partnership between environmental justice advocates and the Black Church extends beyond individual congregations. Green The Church provides resources and support for faith communities seeking to address climate change and promote environmental justice. Through collaboration, initiatives such as energy efficiency programs, solar installations, and environmental education have been implemented in Black churches nationwide. These efforts reduce the carbon footprint and save money on energy bills, benefiting the congregations and their communities.

The involvement of the Black Church in the fight against climate change is not just a participation, it's a powerful message that galvanizes action across communities. By integrating environmental justice into their ministry, Black churches are demonstrating that addressing climate change is not only a matter of science but also of social and moral responsibility, inspiring change at a grassroots level.

Green The Church, founded in 2010 by Rev. Dr. Ambrose Carroll, Sr., and headquartered in Oakland, California, helps galvanize Black churches and their local communities and leaders to address issues critical to populations historically disengaged from conversations around pollution and health, climate change, and sustainability and energy efficiency. The organization collaborates with major environmental, sustainability, food security, faith, and community-based non-profit organizations, and is committed to “creation justice”—care and justice for God’s people and the planet—and building the Beloved Community.

For more information and registration for this summit, go to: www.greenthechurch.org.