By Rev. Dele,
Just as Joseph taught Pharaoh how to manage a 7 year drought, it is time to train our own Josephs for existing and coming droughts. This November, Come with us to Cuba to dialogue and train for resilience!
In the last 30 years, the modern permaculture movement has proven that the Earth’s abundance can be restored in Kenya, Ethiopia, and China. Biologists and soil scientists agree that the Earth can recover food and water productivity when we do things God’s way and restore bio diversity.
The question to be answered is “Can the church gain and transfer this knowledge from existing permaculture and transition towns networks so that the least of these do not perish for lack of knowledge?” Can we move from individual projects to regional food systems in sustainable ways? Trinity UCC in Chicago and the Black Church Food Sovereignty Network in Baltimore seek to do just that. Join us in Cuba!
One of the reasons the defense department of the United States has identified climate change as the greatest threat to security is because of its impact on food production. In the spring of 2013 National Security Council members told a group of law students from Georgetown Law School that they were preparing for civil war over basic needs. Three years ago at the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, we discussed that political, economic and environmental climates are changing all over the globe. Now is the time to ACT and decentralize the way we organize. Come with us to Cuba and learn how to restore the abundance that undergirds peace! The food and water systems that we own and collectively control will remove the need to fight.
The convergence of climate change with industrial agriculture has already caused grain yields to fail in Egypt, India and Tunisia. Because industrial agriculture is firmly established in the United States, we have failing grain in Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa [1] with the potential of food shortages within the next ten years. In 7 years Joseph prepared a nation for extended famine. If we act now, we have the same possibility to live God’s promise of abundance during times of famine. (Psalms 37:19) If we humble ourselves now, we will receive healing for the land. Join US In Cuba!
I envision that a revived church that combines a land based spiritual formation with mission—maturing our spiritual fruit as we grow community and physical fruit. This mission commits ourselves to God’s original landscape plan; and trains young adult leaders how to operate food systems while they protect ecosystem health and develop cooperative business acumen. In this way churches will reduce hunger while empowering marginalized communities to adapt and recover from climate disruption. Models must be tested for scaling the transfer of resilience knowledge from the privileged permaculture networks where it now resides to the housing projects, indigenous villages and marginalized communities where the majority of the world’s population lives.
As we activate and fine tune an additional prophetic voice, we will proliferate prophetic managers like Joseph to walk beside prophetic orators. Joseph not only told Pharaoh that climate change was coming, he also designed and managed an equitable food distribution system during the time of famine. While oratory opened the door for Egypt, people were saved from climate change because of managerial wisdom. Joseph’s ministry (Genesis 41:33-36) is the call which must be perfected during the 21st century if we are to thrive during climate disruption. “Joseph, Mother Earth is calling…!”Join us in Cuba!
[1] Source: Earth Policy Institute/The Guardian 2013
Rev. Dele is a grandmother, theologian, and Climate Reality Leader who uses her skills as a permaculturist and contemplative to assist churches train the next generation of mission leaders in faith, ecology and policy. Dele’s B.A. is from University of California-Riverside and M.Div. from Howard University School of Divinity. She serves in the Central Atlantic Conference of the UCC and maintains Baptist affiliations. Contact : rev@revdele.com