Gratitude: Reflections on eight years of service with ACC
By Douglas Day Kaufman
My heart is full of gratitude for the eight years I have served with Anabaptist Climate
Collaborative and our predecessor Center for Sustainable Climate Solutions. These have been some of the best years of my life. I feel gratitude to God because this work has allowed me to follow my call so deeply. I became an ecopastor when I started baptizing people in the sometimes poopy water of the Elkhart River. I wondered not only how I could clean it up, but also what this meant for my faith in a God who created and is redeeming both me and the Elkhart River.
I also feel gratitude to the many people that I have had privilege of working with during this time. Ray Martin’s vision and gift got the whole thing going. Luke Gascho and Jennifer Schrock, both at Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center, invited me to join with a call to develop ecological training for pastors. I was working towards a Master’s of Theology in ecology. I created my title, director of pastoral ecology.
And then there are the many pastors, leaders, activists, professors, both young and old, of many races and nationalities, who I have met through these years. You have opened your lives and homes to me from Sarasota, FL, to Winnipeg, MB, and even in Chuncheon, South Korea. We hosted folks from Zimbabwe, El Salvador, and Bangladesh, speaking to us about resilient communities adapting to the changing climate.
Starting in 2018 at Camp Friedenswald in Michigan, I have been part of leading or facilitating 20 more retreats across the continent. A highlight was the Pastoral Care for Climate Cohort with Eastern Mennonite Seminary, a year with a diverse group of Canadian and American Mennonite leaders. I have also preached and taught over 110 times to about 8000 people.
And I am proud of our organization’s legacy of working with young people, providing meaningful projects as they developed as leaders. One of my favorite activities was the week with the Climate Ride, from Pittsburgh to Washington DC, where we met the offices of senators and representatives still wearing our biking clothes.
I am also excited about my new role as Anabaptist Outreach Specialist at Faith In Place, being part of building an interfaith movement for environmental justice. My focus will be northeast Indiana, taking me back to the watersheds of the two St. Joseph Rivers that first grounded my faith in a Creator God. Please reach out to me to let me know what you’re doing. My email is doug@faithinplace.org.
ACC is grateful for Doug’s many contributions over the years, and wishes him well in his new role. Learn more about the ACC leadership transition here.