Presbyterian Advocacy Hour: Courage in the Face of Authoritarianism

Join us for our first Presbyterian Advocacy Hour of 2026! Courage in the Face of Authoritarianism:  Historical Roots and Modern Responses February 25th - 12pm EST Register Here What we are witnessing in the United States right now is chilling: the normalization of cruelty, the targeting of vulnerable communities, and the steady weakening of democratic safeguards that are meant to protect people from state abuse. As immigrant communities face ICE raids and dissent is increasingly treated as a threat, many Presbyterians are feeling grief, fear, and urgency, and asking what faithful courage looks like now. Join us for a Presbyterian Advocacy Hour offering historical perspective, theological grounding, and practical next steps for faithful public witness. Together, we will explore how tactics of control and repression have long been used within the United States and abroad, and how they continue to shape life here through militarized policing, expanded surveillance, and efforts to silence dissent. We will also reflect on what disciplined nonviolence and protest can look like in this moment, rooted in community, solidarity, and moral clarity. We will hear policy and historical analysis tracing how U.S. “national security” frameworks have expanded over time, shaping domestic policing, civil liberties, and the treatment of protest and dissent, and helping us understand the systems behind what many communities are experiencing right now. We will also be anchored by theological reflection, revisiting the Barmen Declaration, a confession of faith written in resistance to authoritarian rule. We will explore how this historic witness can strengthen the church’s moral clarity today, and help Presbyterians discern what courageous discipleship requires in a time of rising repression. Finally, we will learn from Presbyterian activists and organizers engaged in local public witness, who will share what faith-rooted organizing looks like on the ground, how communities build resilience under pressure, and what practical action can look like when the national picture feels overwhelming.

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Speakers: Brett Heinz.  Brett Heinz serves as American Friends Service Committee's Global Policy Coordinator for Economic and Climate Justice. In his role with the Global Policy and Strategy department, he works to promote policy solutions that provide for economic justice, climate sustainability, and lasting peace around the world. Dr William Yoo.  Dr. Yoo is Associate Professor of American Religious and Cultural History at Columbia Theological Seminary.   He is a teacher, scholar, and public theologian who interprets the most challenging and urgent issues of racial justice with clarity, depth, honesty, and precision.  Rev. Anna Kendig Flores.  Rev. Flores is the Anti-Racism Institutional Assessment Coordinator/ Interim Co-Executive Presbyter of the Twin Cities Area.  Her work within the church context has focused on Christian formation through the lenses of anti-racism and liberation seeking to the transformation of systems of harm, oppression, and exclusion. Rev. Jimmie Hawkins.  Rev. Hawkins oversees the PC(USA) Advocacy Offices. His community ministry includes being a leader for the Moral Monday Movement since its onset in 2013. He is the author of Unbroken and Unbowed: A History of Black Protest in America. Moderated by: Rev. Alonzo Johnson. Alonzo provides direction, coordination, strategic, and theological vision to the Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People ministry and its commitments to social, racial, and economic justice.

Announcing Recipients of 2025 Earth Care Awards + Upcoming Webinar Next Week

Presbyterians for Earth Care Honors 2025 Earth Care Award Winners Presbyterians for Earth Care (PEC) recognized two individuals and one congregation/organization for their exceptional environmental achievements at PEC’s virtual Annual Gathering on January 11, 2026. William P. Brown, the William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA received the William Gibson Eco-Justice Award for his long-term dedication to teaching and preaching on environmental issues in the Old Testament. He is also a co-founder of Earth Covenant Ministry, an organization of Presbyterian Churches in the Atlanta area that later became part of Georgia Interfaith Power and Light. Arkansas Interfaith Power and Light was presented with the Restoring Creation Award for working in community gardens and backyard gardens for more than a decade. Many of the garden locations have been on church properties, where congregations have been engaged. Drew Hill and Hudson Davis received PEC’s Emerging Earth Care Leader Award for showing exceptional promise as future leaders. Drew Hill, a young adult from Santa Fe, NM is passionate about social progress, protecting the environment and serving the public. From an early age, Hudson was captivated by prehistoric and modern animals and the sanctity of nature. William Gibson Eco-Justice Award William P. Brown Dr. Brown has received numerous awards, grants and academic chairs. In addition to teaching and preaching on environmental issues, Dr. Brown has written twelve books and was editor of “Engaging Biblical Authority”. He is currently completing a major commentary on the Psalms for the “Old Testament Library Commentary” series (WJK). Next will be a commentary on Genesis 1-11 in the new Interpretation series (WJK). He has also assisted with writing creation care overtures for General Assemblies. Restoring Creation Award Arkansas Interfaith Power and Light (AIPL) AIPL’s network of growers had 21 community garden locations, 7 new partners, and several small backyard gardens in low-wealth communities. AIPL has involved a total of 74 interns, trainers, and students and has engaged more than 22,000 people each year learning about growing some of their own food in sustainable ways. AIPL provides 13,725 pounds of nutritious fresh produce and other food items to food pantries and no cost markets. A total of 43,300 pounds of organic matter was diverted from landfills over a 2-year period. AIPL interns also shared organic waste from its gardens with chickens at on-site coops and added organic matter to onsite compost bins. AIPL is reaching even more people in more low-wealth communities by awarding ten $2000 grants. Emerging Earth Care Leader Award Hudson Davis and Drew Hill Hudson Davis is a 24-yr old scientist serving the Mammoth Site, located in Hot Springs, South Dakota.As the Assistant Science Educator, Hudson lives out his childhood dreams of being a paleontologist while getting to pass on the power of curiosity about the natural world to the next generation. Hudson embodies his faith while teaching about the amazing world we live in. He runs classes and tours at the site and leads the summer camp program, a free week-long program. During the summer Hudson serves as a supervisor for the Mammoth's Site Internship Program, helping mentor six to eight college paleontology students. Hudson also helps design exhibits for the museum and dig for fossils of ice age animals in local caves. Drew Hill is a young adult from Santa Fe, New Mexico, passionate about social progress, protecting the environment, and serving the public. Raised in the community of First Presbyterian Church Santa Fe, Drew served as a youth deacon and elder prior to graduating high school, working as summer staff at Ghost Ranch Retreat Center, and serving as a PC (USA) Young Adult Volunteer in Washington D.C. He received a Bachelor of Philosophy degree at the University of New Mexico, graduating in 2024. Drew also served as a Young Adult Advisory Delegate (YAD) to the previous General Assembly. Since completing his degree, he has worked as a District Staffer for Congressman Gabe Vasquez. Drew has worked with the Advocacy Committee on PEC overtures for the 2026 General Assembly and serves on the CANOPY Advisory Committee. Learn about all three Annual Earth Care Awards, as well as view a list of past recipients, on our website!  CLICK HERE WEBINAR NEXT WEEK: Responding to Urban Hunger Through Earth Care This presentation explores how cities can prevent ongoing food shortages by building sustainable, resilient local food systems. With many cities—including Phoenix—embedding food sustainability into their long-term plans, the focus is on producing healthy, climate-friendly food closer to home in socially, environmentally, and economically responsible ways. Using Phoenix as a case study—facing drought, limited arable land, and widespread food deserts—this session examines urban food insecurity and the vital role of earth care in developing practical, community-based solutions. WEBINAR DATE: Tuesday, February 24, 2026 Time: 7:30 pm Eastern (6:30 Central, 5:30 Mountain, 4:30 Pacific) PRESENTER: Dr. George B. Brooks, Jr. About the Presenter: Dr. George B. Brooks Jr. is Founder and President of NxT Horizon Group, advancing “AgTech for the Real World” through bioenergy development in Africa and innovative urban farming technologies like aquaponics. He holds a Ph.D. in Wildlife and Fisheries from the University of Arizona and is a recognized leader in environmental, economic, and community development. Dr. Brooks serves as Vice Chair of the South Mountain Village Planning Committee and is part of the Phoenix Planning Commission. He is Vice President of the Phoenix Green Chamber of Commerce and serves on the boards of the Aquaponics Association and America’s Tilapia Alliance. He is also active in faith-based earth care through Southminster Environmental Ministries. CLICK HERE to Register for the Webinar Link 2026 Earth Care Lenten Devotional Free Download Our 2026 Lenten Devotional was made possible by the volunteers contributing their devotions as well as Spanish language collaboration with our partner organization Red Presbiteriana para el Cuidado de la Creación. Thank you to all of the writers who contributed! CLICK HERE to download the English language translation of the Lenten Devotional. CLICK HERE to download the Lenten Devotional in Spanish. Would you like to receive each devotion on its designated date in your email Inbox?  If so, you can request devotional emails (both English and Spanish translations) through Lent by signing up with your email. CLICK HERE to Sign Up for Devotion Emails From Our Partner Organizations: The Presbyterian Hunger Program strives to walk with people in moving toward sustainable choices that restore and protect all of God’s children and Creation. As people of faith, we seek to “serve and preserve” God’s world. However, some of our collective choices have led to a changing global climate, which translates to warmer temperatures, rising sea levels, and severe storms, just to name a few. To turn this tide, we must commit to treading lightly on God’s Earth. In Lent, we slow down, take time, and examine our internal spiritual lives and the way we live out our Christian faith in the world around us. Our hope is that this Lenten calendar will be the beginning of actions intended to create more mindful behaviors throughout the year. CLICK HERE to Download Calendar How can we help you care for God’s creation?  Drop us an email and let us know at presbyearthcare@gmail.com Help us grow! Please let us know if there is anyone we should add to our list!  Just reply to this email.  Thank you! Please help us to continue to assist individuals and churches in creation care work by donating to PEC through our website by CLICKING HERE.  Thank you!

Copyright (C) 2026 Presbyterians for Earth Care. All rights reserved.

Seven Weeks for Water 2026: Week 2 - Water and conflict: How accessibility is ensured in conflict zones for marginalized groups

The second of the Seven Weeks for Water reflection is authored by Tewaney Seifesellassie Yohannes, a senior climate advisor and head of the Peace, Advocacy, and Ethics Department at the Ethiopian Orthodox Church Development and Inter-Church Aid Commission, Ethiopia. He works closely with faith-based and interreligious institutions on water, climate justice, peace-building, and the protection of vulnerable communities in fragile and conflict-affected contexts. In this reflection, he highlights the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian tradition, where water is a sacred gift, essential for life and spiritual renewal, yet in Ethiopia, water scarcity has become a source of conflict and injustice, especially for marginalized communities. However, collaborative faith-based initiatives to restore water sources have demonstrated how equitable water access can foster peace, health, and social cohesion, embodying the biblical call to care for creation and serve those in need 23 February 2026 Mary Achol supervises a water point inside the Protection of Civilians area in the United Nations base in Malakal, South Sudan. Residents of the area can line up and fill their containers with water during certain hours of the day. Mary Achol maintains order and hygiene at the faucets. Some 35,000 people live in the camp, protected by UN peacekeeping troops. They were displaced from Malakal following the outbreak of a civil war in 2013. The armed conflict has a strong element of ethnic tension, and the mostly Shilluk and Nuer residents of the camp fear for their security from the largely Dinka population that has moved into their former town. Photo: Paul Jeffrey/Life on Earth Pictures Texts (Guided by Psalm 46:1–4; Matthew 25:35–36; Genesis 2:15; Isaiah 58:10–11; Jeremiah 2:13; Revelation 22:1–2)   Reflection In the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian tradition, water is more than just a natural resource; it’s a sacred gift from God, essential for life, purity, healing, and communion. Holy water is central to worship and spiritual life, reminding believers that God’s grace flows freely for the renewal of both body and soul. However, in today’s Ethiopia, water is increasingly fragile and contested. In conflict-affected and climate-stressed areas, access to safe water and sanitation has become deeply entangled with displacement, environmental degradation, and widening inequalities. For marginalized groups, especially women, children, persons with disabilities, and internally displaced people, water scarcity is not an abstract challenge, but a daily experience of injustice that undermines dignity, security, and survival. This reality is vividly expressed in the rural highlands of North Shoa (North Shewa) Zone in the Amhara Regional State. At the subdistrict level in Ankober Woreda, the communities of Afajehegn (in Gorgo subdistrict) and Ayigeber, together with their respective neighboring subdistrict villages, reveal how water can either fuel conflict or become a pathway to peace. In the Gorgo subdistrict, the spring known as Afajehegn bears a name that speaks of suffering and division. Locally understood as “you created a hot conflict,” the name recalls serious disputes among irrigation water users during periods of scarcity. Recurrent drought, land degradation, and instability damaged water sources and dried downstream flows. Families were forced to rely on unsafe water, and women carried the heaviest burden, walking long distances each day to fetch water while caring for children, the elderly, and the sick. What should have sustained life instead became a source of fear, exhaustion, and social tension. Such experiences directly challenge the biblical mandate in Genesis 2:15, where humanity is entrusted to “till and keep” the creation. This command is both ecological and moral. When conflict destroys water systems, when rivers are polluted and springs neglected, stewardship is violated. Creation suffers, and injustice deepens—especially for those least responsible for environmental degradation yet most affected by its consequences. Nearby, Ayigeber subvillage reflects a similarly painful history. Its name is rooted in collective memory of longstanding poverty caused by persistent rainfall failure. Here, environmental stress, injustice, and survival have long been intertwined. Women and children travel across rugged terrain to fetch small quantities of water, often from unsafe pond sources. The impact of this daily struggle goes far beyond physical exhaustion. Household economic productivity declines as labor is consumed by water collection. School enrollment, attendance, and learning outcomes especially for girls are negatively affected, the quality of education deteriorates as teachers are unwilling to live in such harsh conditions. Water scarcity even reshapes social relationships, increasing isolation and vulnerability within the community. In these fragile settings, the promise of Psalm 46:1-4 speaks with particular power: when the earth trembles and nations rage, there is a river whose streams make glad the city of God. This vision offers both comfort and protest, affirming that chaos, fear, and deprivation are not God’s intention. It calls communities of faith to bear witness to life-giving alternatives. A turning point came through deliberate ecumenical collaboration between the Ethiopian Orthodox Church Development and Inter-Church Aid Commission and Norwegian Church Aid. Working closely with communities at subdistrict level, the churches identified water as both a humanitarian priority and a peacebuilding entry point. Springs in both Afajehegn and Ayigeber were rehabilitated, protected, and governed through inclusive community structures. Integrated catchment treatment restored groundwater recharge, reduced competition among users, and stabilized access to safe drinking water. Women were recognized as custodians and decision-makers, reinforcing dignity, agency, and justice. The impact of these interventions extended beyond infrastructure. Health improved as water-borne diarrheal diseases—particularly affecting children, pregnant, and lactating mothers—declined. Trust among neighbors was rebuilt, social cohesion strengthened, and communities once defined by tension were safeguarded from recurring conflict. This transformation reflects the promise of Isaiah 58:10-11: when the needs of the afflicted are met, communities become like a watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. These lived experiences illuminate the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 25:35-36: “I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.” In this teaching, access to water is not optional charity, but a measure of faithfulness. To restore water is to encounter Christ among the vulnerable. At the same time, the warning of Jeremiah 2:13 reminds us that broken systems ecological, social, or political cannot sustain life when the spring of living water is abandoned. The biblical vision culminates in Revelation 22:1–2, where the river of life flows freely, bringing healing to the nations. For Ethiopia and other conflict-affected contexts, this vision calls for integrated approaches that link water access, peacebuilding, and care for creation. When water governance is rooted in justice, stewardship, and faith-informed ethics, it becomes a powerful instrument of reconciliation. Caring for creation and ensuring equitable access to water is therefore central to living out the Gospel in a broken and thirsty world.   Questions for Discussion In your own context, how does water scarcity or insecurity affect women, children, and other marginalized groups, especially during times of conflict, displacement, or crisis? What practical role can faith communities play in promoting just and peaceful access to water while caring for creation?   Practical ideas Faith communities can actively advocate for the protection, rehabilitation, and fair governance of local water sources, ensuring meaningful participation of women, displaced people, and other marginalized groups. Churches and faith-based organizations can integrate water justice, sanitation, care for creation, and peacebuilding into preaching, education, community dialogue, and advocacy.   Resources  Genesis 26:17-22 (first conflict over water recorded in the Bible) https://www.oikoumene.org/resources/bible-studies/seven-weeks-for-water-2024-week-7-water-for-peace-in-the-africa-region Music on Water (Lyrics by Tewaney Seifesellassie): Tewaney Water EWN Tewaney Seifesellassie Yohannes, a senior climate advisor and head of the Peace, Advocacy, and Ethics Department at the Ethiopian Orthodox Church Development and Inter-Church Aid Commission, Ethiopia. See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 352 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 550 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland