What are Earth’s voices saying to us? How do we listen? And how do we respond so as to celebrate life, embrace hope, and work together for Earth care and self-care on an endangered planet?

These questions and more will be explored through presenta­tions, conversations, contemplative practices, art, prayer and ritual during “Listening to Earth, Opening to God,” a June 23-29 sponsored by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Ghost Ranch Education and Retreat Center.   

Led by Larry Rasmussen ― professor emeritus at Union Theological Seminary, organizer of  Ghost Ranch’s decade project on Earth-honoring Faith and author of the award-winning books Earth Community, Earth Ethics and Earth-Honoring Faith: Religious Ethics in a New Key ― the event will feature a number of renowned leaders.

They include:

  • The Rev. Neddy Astudillo, an eco-theologian and PC(USA) pastor with a D.Min. on “Greening the Church” from Drew University. A Venezuelan-American, she is co-founder of the Angelic Organics Learning Center, a farm-based educational nonprofit.
  • Melanie L. Harris, associate professor of religion and ethics at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas where she teaches in the areas of Christian Social Ethics, Womanist Religious Thought, African American Literature and Religion, and Media and Religion.
  • The Rev. Mary Ann Lundy, a retired church executive who served the PC(USA) and the  World Council of Churches. She was an originator of the Re-imagining Conference held in Minneapolis in 1993, which stirred wide controversy about women’s theology.
  • The Rev. Janet Parker, a United Church of Christ minister and Christian ethicist. Currently pastor of First Congregational United Church of Christ in Salem, Ore., she holds a Ph.D. on the topic “For All Our Relations: Ecofeminist and Indigenous Challenges to Sustainable Development.”
  • Nicole Salimbene, a visual artist working with unconventional materials to explore themes of sustainability, spirituality and archetypal poetics. Her work has been exhibited in galleries nationally and internationally and she leads workshops in environmental and contemplative art making practices in affiliation with American University, Clark University, the Lama Foundation, and a variety of community and professional organizations.
  • Kathy Sanchez (Wan Povi) is a community activist from San Ildefonso Pueblo, N.M, who has worked on women’s issues related to culture, the environment, and social change for most of her life. She was the co-founder of Tewa Women United, a group that raises awareness about environmental issues, domestic violence prevention, and drug and alcohol abuse.
  • Lindsey Schneider is a two-race descendant of the Pembina band of Turtle Mountain Chippewa (Anishinaabe) Indians and of Scandanavian settlers. The Pacific Northwest native graduated in religious studies from Willamette University and then spent a year with the Lutheran Volunteer Corps working on environmental justice issues at the Pesticide Action Network. She is now a Ph.D. candidate in Ethnic Studies.
  • Chandra Taylor-Smith, former vice-president for research at the Council for Opportunity in Education and director of The Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education, is the National Audubon Society’s vice-president for community conservation and education.
  • Beata Tsosie-Peña from Española, N.M., an active community organizer, advocate and educator, as well as a local dancer, poet and artist. She currently facilitates environmental health and justice focus groups for Tewa Women United and instructs poetry and writing workshops for teen groups in the Española and Santa Fe school districts.

 Register online or call the Ghost Ranch registrar’s office at 505-685-1001 or 505-685-1002.