Media Contact:
Susan Clark, Chief Communications Officer
media@umcmission.org
800-862-4246
ATLANTA – Global Ministries will commission 72 new EarthKeepers in an online service on Tuesday, Nov. 4 at 8 p.m. ET. This service will affirm the EarthKeepers in their call to the ministry of creation care and bless their work in their communities. The service will be livestreamed at www.facebook.com/GlobalMinistries.
Global Ministries EarthKeepers is a training program to equip United Methodists in the United States for environmental stewardship. Participants discuss theology, United Methodist resources, community organizing and antiracism, and then use what they learn to develop an environmental project for their churches and communities. The program supports people looking to turn an idea into action and those who want to deepen an existing ministry. Participants develop plans in conversation with their peers, troubleshooting ideas and sharing strategies.
With 2025 trainings held online and in Des Moines, Washington, this group of EarthKeepers represents 24 annual conferences and all five jurisdictions. Participants include clergy, laity, annual conference staff and agency staff.
“The vital leadership of Global Ministries EarthKeepers is an alternative to the political, economic, and social forces that undermine the flourishing of God’s creation,” said Roland Fernandes, general secretary of Global Ministries and General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. “Their projects bring positive environmental impact and real hope to communities throughout the United States.
“At a time when environmental programs in the United States, both secular and religious, are being defunded and closed, Global Ministries EarthKeepers is flourishing with vision and purpose,” said the Rev. Jenny Phillips, director of Environmental Sustainability. “More EarthKeepers have been trained in 2025 than in any other year in the program’s nine-year history. Their projects are remarkably bold and ambitious, meeting the challenges of this moment.”
This is the ninth year that the EarthKeepers commissioning service has been held online, allowing EarthKeepers nationwide to participate along with their family, friends and church community. The service will be led by Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth, resident bishop for the Greater Northwest Episcopal Area.
Headshots of the participants are available for annual conference communications use at: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjChqQP
To read more about EarthKeepers projects and to get updates on 2026 trainings, join the Global Ministries Creation Care Network by downloading the app or visiting http://creationcare.umcmission.org/signup.
The 2025 Global Ministries EarthKeepers reside in the following conferences.
California-Nevada
Rev. April Sousa
California-Pacific
Euijin Lee
Janice Lee
Serena Lee
Sunny Park
Melanie Branson
Florida
Dr. Jack Grove
Rev. Lee Hall-Perkins
Great Plains
Rev. Kristi Bishop
Christopher “Chris” Decker
Horizon Texas
Carson Warden
Rev. Dr. Thomas “Tommy” Brumett
Joshua “Josh” Brumett
Cassidy Barrett
Wendy Owens
Leila Prichard
Susan Bruster
Rev. Dr. Tim Bruster
Celeste Spencer
Rev. Rob Spencer
Kentucky
Ashley Vipond
Michigan
Sandra White
Rev. Ryan Wieland
Missouri
Lindsey Ready
Mountain Sky
Sean Orner
Carolyn Tarr
New England
Maria Castle
Elaine Trench
New Mexico
Kathleen Duncan
Dr. Idolia “Dodie” Hawkins
Dr. Andy Stoker
North Carolina
Susan Jacques
Dorothy Kester
North Georgia
Rev. Mark LaRocca-Pitts
Jeff Fuller
Oregon-Idaho
Barbara “Barb” Reuter
Rev. Zaida F. Huereca
Louise Darling
Pacific Northwest
Sharon Feucht
Patricia “Pat” Gray
Vanessa Perkinson
Chelsey Reese
Rev. Jacqueline “Jackie” Celin
Laura Osborn
Dr. Gwen Wood
Judy Le Blanc
Sarah Lai
Rev. Ruth Marston-Bihl
Kathryn Rauhauser
Melanie Wienecke
Lourdes Tifre
Karen Biggers
Gail Huggins
Rev. Dan Gerhard
Dr. Darold Ward
Janet Ward
Andi Villar Arroyo
Peninsula-Delaware
Dr. Tolbert Nyenswah
Rev. Emanuel Johnson
Rio Texas
Jenny Monahan
Tennessee-Western Kentucky
Heather Bennett
Kathryn Hofeldt-Provost
Martha-Ann Pilcher
Texas
Anne Blakely-Barloco
Upper New York
Elizabeth “Betsy” Croft
Virginia
Lauri Snider
West Virginia
Jeffrey “Jeff” Matheny
Melanie Matheny
Western North Carolina
Rev. Steven “Steve” Bergkamp
Mark Casper
Anna Garner
Wisconsin
Paul Schumacher
Photos are available at: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjChqQP
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About the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church
Global Ministries is the worldwide mission and development agency of The United Methodist Church. Founded in 1819, Global Ministries today supports more than 160 missionaries in over 60 countries, including the United States. It has personnel, projects and partners in more than 100 countries. Learn more by visiting www.umcmission.org.
