As part of my education at Drew Theological School this semester, I am taking Global Faiths and the Earth with Dr. Hyo Dong Lee and Dr. Laurel Kearns. An assignment for this class is to journal through ecological experiences which have led to greater reflections on my influence on the earth and other beings who inhabit it.
Week 1
Friday, March 15 at Drew University
I intended to go to
work at Judson today and visit at least one of the gardens / parks that I usually see
(Washington Square Park, Golden Swan Garden, Minetta Green, or Father DemoSquare), but I was limited by my health issues. I ended up at home for the day,
and I observed the natural world through the floor to ceiling window of my
apartment on campus. I saw the squirrels who were playing throughout the day,
and I saw the deer who were meandering throughout the evening.
Sunday, March 17 in Washington Square Park
I walked through
the park after the morning service at Judson Memorial Church where I work, and I was uplifted by the life happening outdoors and
the unnaturally-growing but natural world that lives among the tall
buildings and abundance of people. I reflected on how I was able to meet with
my community freely and in a safe environment which is not guaranteed of all
people, as demonstrated by Friday’s mass shootings at two masjids in New
Zealand. My heart broke for all of the lives who were affected by these unnecessary
deaths.
Week 2
Friday, March 22 in Washington Square Park
I
was glad to return to my normal / expected Friday schedule of attending my
weekly work meeting and walking through the park afterward. I reflected on my
gratitude to work at a church that is understanding and encouraging through my
difficulties this year, with a park directly outside that is beautiful.
Saturday, March 23 in Central Park
I took my
youth group kids from Judson to Central Park to play Nerf games which was loads of fun. I
recognized that this relatively unstructured time where they could create their
own games on the spot and be kids without expectations to be anything else was
the time when they seemed most joyful. If we had more time together in the future past my employment that ends following this semester, I would
love to spend more time with them in natural spaces outdoors. This reminded
me that our first activity together was to go to the amusement park at ConeyIsland and our first breakfast gathering included playing in Washington SquarePark; these outside times have caused such happiness and playfulness to
emerge.
Week 3
Friday, March 29 in Washington Square Park
As I was leaving work at Judson, I walked through the park on my way to
the train. I knew it would be a rainy day which would carry through the
weekend, and I was grateful that it was just light enough precipitation that I did not need
my umbrella. I enjoy walking through the rain but find it to be bothersome as one
who needs to wear glasses to be able to see better, and gratitude flowed
through me as I appreciated the rain for its joy and for its life that it
sustains by falling to the ground.
Sunday, March 31 in Golden Swan Garden
It was another rainy day, but it did not bother me to have a little light
rain. I was happy that I got to wear flipflops the previous evening which is
something that I try to do each year before March ends as I usher in the springtime. During my commute home after my walk, I was happy to reflect on how I have only
used electronic train tickets this semester which has cut down on the waste of coated paper. I
intend to ask a train conductor someday about what happens to the paper markers
that designate when a seat’s ticket has been taken, and I hope to
find that the paper is recyclable and can reused.
Week 4
Thursday, April 4 in Theo Community Garden
It was great to be in the garden during Open Doors following the opportunity to
sit in on the Thursday afternoon section of Global Faiths and the Earth. I was
inside for most of the day to meet with prospective and incoming Drew
Theological students, so I appreciated the half of an hour to go outside and
hear Jen Maidrand talk about what has been planted in the garden. I love
watching my friends talk about things they are passionate about, and it was especially impactful hearing about passions that affect other beings and the earth on which we inhabit.
I was reminded of the work that was done last summer in the garden with the
high school students from Newark who I worked with through Justice Ministry
Education, and I have recently talked to faculty who read the students’
journals where they talked about their garden involvement. I know that I still
have a lot to learn, but it is fulfilling to know that I am able to use this
education to influence others.
Saturday, April 6 in Times Square
Before seeing
Chicago the Musical with Alex Carney, Case Akers, and Gelky Arvelo Montes, I
was sitting in Times Square while reading extra research for Object Lessons:
Liturgy and Life with Rev. Dr. Heather Murray Elkins. A focal point of my calling
and my work this semester is on the inclusion of creativity in worship spaces.
It felt like such a full circle moment while sitting outside in the cool
breeze, reading about artistic liturgy before seeing a Broadway musical.
Broadway is what drew me to Drew, and to be able to include this work and love
of theatricality in worship performance was a beautiful moment that brought
tears to my eyes.
Week 5
Saturday, April 13 in Military Park
I am the
Teaching Assistant for the Justice Ministry Education program this spring and
summer, and we took our students on a walking tour of Newark led by Have You Met Newark. We toured the city with a focus on arts and justice, and our three
miles took us from libraries to art galleries to murals. Our group discussed
the eco-injustice of the city that is filled with people living with asthma,
and we acknowledged the difficulties of many who live in the city. We ended our
tour at Senator Cory Booker’s hometown kickoff rally for his presidential
campaign, and he made many references to the Green New Deal and his intent to
work on environmentally-related health issues and earth care.
Sunday, April 14 in Washington Square Park
Before the Sunday service at Judson, I took my middle school youth
group to the park to play. Afterward, I stayed for final sharing circle of the liturgical series, We are Lent. This was led by my coworkers and friends, Matt Deen and
Ali Schuettinger, and the conversation was intended to center on Matt’s
particular interest in animality in relation to spirituality. I shared that I
am embarrassingly new to the conversation; I have never been an “animal
person,” which I always pushed away because of allergies and sensitivities plus
a low desire for physical contact with other beings. I am working on confronting
this part of my life because I am trying to increase my recognition of
non-human life as valued and sacred, and I shared that Global Faiths and the
Earth has been extremely influential in my journey this semester. Matt and I
also spoke about ecologically-influenced life changes, and I intend to talk to my roommates about our
purchases of hand soap and toilet paper which I know can make a great impact on
the earth. Later that evening, I walked through campus before the rainstorms that came, and I was in awe of the beauty and the calm joy of the spring weather that is
settling around us.
Week 6
Monday, April 15 at Drew University
I walked
through campus many times in the afternoon as I gave tours through the graduate
admissions office to incoming students. I always enjoy getting to share about
our gorgeous campus and our phenomenal graduate programs, and it was especially
wonderful getting to do this on a day with great weather. Although we did not
have time on the tours to visit the garden or arboretum, I did make an effort
to point out the recycling availability and the option to compost on campus at the garden. I
have found in past tours that most people would not think to ask about these options, but they often respond positively and see this as a necessary step in
their lives as spiritual leaders. I later saw a rainbow as I drove through Livingston, and I was delighted to
remember the story of promises as we wrap up Lent and go into Holy Week.
Friday, April 19 at Asbury Park Boardwalk
After playing guitar at a Good Friday service with my friend and colleague, Andrew LaBar-Dietz,
I drove ten minutes to the beach. I had envisioned this as a time to journal
and stare whimsically at the ocean, but I did not arrive until after 8:30 p.m. when
the sun was down and all had returned to the cold chill that is found in brisk
spring evenings. I approached the water timidly, suddenly conscious that I had
not visited an ocean in the United States since the month before moving to
Drew. I remembered the waters that had rushed around my feet in the past – seas
in Turkey during my cross-cultural trip last summer, the Gulf of Mexico during family
vacations of my childhood to the Florida panhandle, my one time at the Pacific Ocean
when I was in the Los Angeles / Santa Monica are with a friend five years ago. As
quickly as I was taken into these memories, I was rushed out of them when the grainy
sand and the frozen-feeling water washed over my feet and nearly took away my
left flipflop in the tide. I ran back to my car with sandy feet as rain began
to lightly sprinkle, and I was reminded of the sacredness of water during this
Holy Week.
Week 7
Wednesday, April 24 outside Seminary Hall
For the last few weeks
in Object Lessons: Liturgy and Life with Rev. Dr. Heather Murray Elkins, some
of the other students and I were trying to convince our professor to go to ZuckArboretum for our final class during which our discussion would focus on trees.
Unfortunately, we did not have time to walk to the arboretum in order to return
to Seminary Hall by the end of our shortened hybrid class time, but we went outside
of the building to the trees that live between Seminary Hall and the main
parking lot. Dr. Elkins taught us a hymn written by Mr. Fred Rogers for his
son, during which “tree” is repeated twelve times at various tones. We sang
this hymn together before hugging trees as our prayer of thanksgiving over our
shared meal of foods that make us feel loved. This time of togetherness, interconnectedness,
and gratitude concluded the class on the sacredness of ordinary “stuff” (a term
for which Dr. Elkins is known to use often) in the most perfect way.
Friday, April 26 in Washington Square Park
After work at
Judson Memorial Church, Brendan Fox and I walked through Washington Square Park. I stopped
along the way to capture a picture, and he asked if this was my spot for the
Global Faiths and the Earth journal. I, of course, said yes to this friend and
classmate who has shared a large part in my co-learning this semester. In the course
and in life, we have discussed many topics - both educational and personal - that I would not have imagined discussing with him when we met less than two years ago.
As we continued to talk on our walk through the park en
route to the subway, I reflected on all that this course and this park have
meant to me this year. I took the journaling assignment seriously from the
beginning, but I did not realize how much I would look forward to my weekly
stops through the park as a practice of centering myself. I knew that I had much
to learn about interfaith communication and eco-theological practices, yet I
was uncertain how deeply I would take it to heart as I try to make sustainable
changes. I was aware of the friends who are already doing great work for
climate justice, though I did not have the foresight to how much this class
would assist in increasing my respect and admiration for their work.
The reflection followed hearing a friend and coworker at Judson
passionately exclaiming his disagreements over serving meat – the flesh of a
fellow being – at the shared meal on Easter, which “convicted” me to continue to
take my education from this class further in the future. This could sound like
it is simply a great way to end the journal or complete the course, but it has
seriously influenced how I think about my actions and choices that affect all. I do not eat much meat as is; but, I know I can continue to lower this
consumption until my intake of animal byproducts are significantly reduced for
my health, lessening emissions output and water usage, farm workers’ rights,
and the death of other beings created by God.
I have a responsibility as a religious leader to use my sphere
of influence to work toward the well-being of all creatures. If I limit this
work to only humanity, I am not only misusing the oppressive “dominion” of which
is written in Genesis 1:26-28 NRSV but I am being complicit toward
participating in the marginalization and harm of other beings. As said by Rev. Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. in Letter from a Birmingham Jail, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We
are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of
destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” I will
continue to strive toward just actions for all because every choice that I make
will affect everyone and everything.
