“The Creation Care Alliance has been a steady presence and inspiration for me since its founding in this region of WNC. For almost 15 years, I’ve been writing books and essays about how faith communities can integrate creation care into their work and confront the climate crisis. What a reassurance to know I have the spiritual grounding and organizational foundation of CCA! In addition, CCA provided internships and mentoring for several of my former college students who are now climate policy advocates at the national level. I’m grateful beyond measure for that investment in them.”

-Mallory McDuff

“We were so delighted to have the partnership of CCA for our 2022-2023 Lament with Earth series. We know many more people had opportunities to feel, share, and express their grief and longing about our climate-changed world because CCA helped share the news of this critical program and brought their experience of helping people through these emotions to these online events. Thank you!”

-Alison Cornish, The BTS Center in Portland, Maine

“Working with CCA has been phenomenal in two specific instances. First, it was immediately clear from the opening session at the Creation Care Symposium and Retreat how CCA was a strong venue for collaboration. The sessions were informative, and the loving-kindness expressed by all (participants, presenters, and organizers) made the whole event a positive and welcoming experience. Finding thought and program partners was our goal, and we succeeded beyond that event. Second, from that event, we were able to partner on a presentation with churches, LEED, and Waste Reduction Partners to hold a class about greening operations at church buildings, complete with next steps and actionable follow-up items. The community, both faith-based groups and secular ones, respect CCA’s work motivating and catalyzing action to help improve the natural environment. Appealing to peoples’ love for the earth and creation care brings down other political barriers and creates a fertile ground to do the good work of making the world a better place. We are so, so excited to work with CCA. The Buncombe/Asheville culture and ecosystem wouldn’t be the same without them!

-Jamie Wine, Green Built Alliance in Asheville, NC

“Twelve members of Grace Church and our priest attended the winter symposium in 2020 and were, as a result, inspired to form a Creation Care ministry team. Although our active gathering plans were put on hold during the pandemic, we found the Creation Care toolkit and CCA Director Sarah Ogletree to be invaluable resources to us. Sarah inspired and praised us, connected us with other resources and events to expand our work, preached at our church, and helped us to see our fledgling ministry take flight. We became a covenant partner with CCA and met with another local partner, First United Methodist of Waynesville, to plan events together, share news, and generally support all things Creation Care. Sarah worked closely with us to plan two events in Haywood County. One was a free film/discussion program featuring Hidden Rivers and a guest speaker from the Tennessee Aquarium that we co-hosted with FUMC in November of 2021. Sarah co-sponsored the free event and publicized it via CCA. In addition, she worked with us to plan a Creation Care retreat at Lake Logan in August 2022. Her organizational skills, creative ideas, and leadership all made for two successful events we hosted, along with our CCA local covenant partner, FUMC. This has been a real gift of CCA and of Sarah — to connect faith communities and individuals who share a common vision and want to expand that vision to others. Sarah’s first outdoor event as the new CCA Director, which she held on Waterrock Knob, was a way to bring people together, which is part of the core work of CCA. I was unable to attend this year’s Symposium, but several members of Grace Church in Waynesville did attend, and we have continued to advocate for a solar roof installation at our church after hearing from other church members who have solar at both symposiums that CCA has held these last three years. Inspiration and support are key to nourishing small groups of people who care deeply for God’s Creation and want to bring others into active stewardship of the Garden.”

-Susan Williams, Grace Church in the Mountains in Waynesville, NC