It is well with my soul

When peace like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say It is well, it is well, with my soul. This hymn was written in 1873 by Horatio Spafford, an American lawyer and Presbyterian church elder, following the deaths of his four daughters on a transatlantic voyage.  Later Spafford settled with his family in Jerusalem and helped establish the American Colony.  They engaged in philanthropic work among the people of Jerusalem regardless of religious affiliation, gaining the trust of the local Muslim, Jewish, and Christian communities.  See the complete lyrics and a brief account of how Spafford wrote the hymn that was to give comfort to so many in years to come, while he was on the high seas near the place where his children perished.  Hear a recording of the hymn.

You have an open invitation to submit Creation care-centered quotes, reflection guides and resources for worship, holidays and holy days in your faith tradition. You’re also invited to submit information about Creation care activities at your faith community to ICCTriangle@gmail.com .

Hello, dear readers.  As we face each day in our quest to care for Creation and strengthen our democracy, I hope people of all faiths can take heart from the theme of this Christian hymn.  Its verses remind us that the beliefs and teachings of our different faiths bring us steadfast assurance and support during times of trial, helplessness, and sorrow as well as in times of peace and bliss. May you also find some encouragement from ICCT and the wide-ranging, even brilliant offerings in today’s edition of the newsletter. Click on the Table of Contents headings to link directly to the entire articles.  Better yet, scroll down through all the articles to see the richness of what’s going on in Creation Care in our area.

Table of Contents

1. News about the ICCT Convention Grounded in Hope, Saturday, Sept. 20, 12:00-4:30 in Chapel Hill Convention registration numbers are steadily increasing.  Space is still available.  We’re announcing the five ICCT liaisons on a panel who will discuss Creation care activities in their congregations.  See a recap of our superb main speakers.
2. Call for art Duke Memorial United Methodist Church in Durham invites artists (including youth) to submit their art for consideration in the exhibition, Call Me Mara: A Redemptive Journey toward Environmental Justice.  Submissions due September 16; the exhibit opens October 2 with a public reception.
3. Contemplative Prayer Service on Peace With Creation People of all faiths are invited to this short Christian service celebrating the 2025 Season of Creation at the Chapel of Hayes Barton United Methodist Church in Raleigh on Thursday, September 18,12:00-12:30.
4. ICCT’s sincere apologies to NC Rep. Rodney D. Pierce ICCT is very grateful to NC Rep. Rodney Pierce for his very gracious acceptance of our apologies for erroneously including his name on an action alert last month.
5. How to help people obtain a Voter ID through FUSD Join Faiths United to Save Democracy (FUSD) September 10, 4-5 PM for an online orientation for potential volunteers to help individuals obtain an ID they can use to vote.  ICCT has been involved with FUSD for over a year.
6. Creation care book discussion group Join Rev. Tracy Clayton on September 22 at 10:30 AM for a discussion of From Wasteland to Wonder: Easy Ways We Can Help Heal Earth in the Suburban Landscape by Basil Camu, a local author and owner of an eco-friendly tree service.

(1)   News about the ICCT 2025 Convention Grounded in Hope, Saturday, Sept. 20, 12:00-4:30 in Chapel Hill

Our superb main speakers are Duke Divinity School Professor Dr. Jerusha Neal on “Grounded in Hope in the Face of Ecological Loss” and engineer Dr. John Morrison on “Causes for Optimism in the Energy Transition.” Today we’re announcing the five ICCT liaisons who are part of a panel and will highlight some of their congregations’ significant accomplishments and challenges in Creation Care.  They will answer questions about their work.

• Charles Coble, Binkley Baptist Church, Chapel Hill
• Phyllis LeFevre, Temple Beth Or, Raleigh
• Bobbi Mullins, Hayes Barton UMC, Raleigh
• Carl Sigel, Church of the Nativity Episcopal, Raleigh
• Gary Simpson, Pittsboro Presbyterian Church

The panel will be led by Neil Pedersen, the ICCT Board member who coordinates all the liaisons.  More information on the role of ICCT liaison and how to sign up will be available at the ICCT table at the Convention. If your congregation hasn’t yet received information on the Convention, there’s still time for you to make sure that happens.   Please share a tool from the ICCT Convention Toolkit to Spread the Word with Creation care and justice lovers and your congregation’s communications director.

Convention details and registration

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(2) Call for art for an upcoming exhibition

The exhibition – Call Me Mara: A Redemptive Journey toward Environmental Justice – is based on Naomi in the Bible.  It will be held at Duke Memorial United Methodist Church in Durham.  Submissions from artists including youth are due September 16; the exhibit opens October 24 with a public reception. Submitted by Jennifer Shingleton for the Creation Care Team of Duke Memorial UMC.

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(3)   Contemplative Prayer Service

Please join us at Hayes Barton UMC in the Chapel, 2209 Fairview Road, in Raleigh on Thursday, September 18th at noon for a short, contemplative prayer service to celebrate the 2025 Season of Creation. This year’s theme is Peace with Creation and is based on Isaiah 32:14-18. Creation is God’s sacred gift, entrusted to our care. Christians are called to protect and nurture Creation in peace, working in partnership with others and passing this responsibility on to future generations.  Its deep interconnectedness makes peace both essential and fragile. Only through reconciliation with and genuine justice for all living beings will Creation find peace, fulfilling Isaiah’s vision. You are also invited to bring a bag lunch and join us afterward for lunchtime conversations.  

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(4)   ICCT’s sincere apologies to NC Rep Rodney D.Pierce

ICCT is very grateful to NC Rep. Rodney Pierce in District 27 (Halifax, Northampton, Warren) for his very gracious acceptance of our apologies for erroneously including his name on an action alert last month.  The alert asked our members to urge certain legislators who voted for SB266 to sustain Governor Stein’s veto of the bill.  We mistakenly identified Rep. Pierce as voting for that bill when, in fact, he voted against the bill. We are also grateful for his vote to sustain the veto of SB266.  Unfortunately the veto was overridden and the bill is now law.  It eliminates Duke Energy’s carbon emissions 2030 targets and allows Duke to charge ratepayers in advance for the cost of methane gas plants before they are even built. Thank you, Rep. Pierce, for your good voting record supporting environmental protections.  We appreciate you standing for climate and environmental justice.

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(5)  How to help people obtain a Voter ID  

ICCT has been working with Faiths United to Save Democracy (FUSD) for over a year. On election day in November, 2024, several leaders associated with ICCT served as FUSD poll chaplains and laypersons.  FUSD is a nonpartisan, multi-racial, multi-faith, and multi-generation voter protection campaign focused in North Carolina and 9 other key states. It is rooted in the belief that everyone is made in the image of God and deserves the freedom to vote. The FUSD campaign exists to overcome the recent assault on democracy, making it more difficult for voters who are low-income, black and brown, elderly, students, and disabled to exercise their sacred right to vote. Elections are a test of our democracy and our faith. Early planning and even more robust strategic engagement by the faith community is critical. Please tune in to this online briefing on helping people get an ID they can use to vote with.

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(6)  Creation care book discussion group

All are welcome to join the online discussion led by Rev. Tracy Clayton on September 22 at 10:30 AM for a discussion of From Wasteland to Wonder: Easy Ways We Can Help Heal Earth in the Sub/urban Landscape by Basil Camu (a local author and owner of an eco-friendly tree service, Leaf & Limb). You may download the book for free (or purchase a hardcover for $10.75) here: https://www.leaflimb.com/wonder/ You can check out a couple of podcasts with Basil Camu on Joe Gardener:  https://joegardener.com/?s=Basil+Camu If you’re not already on Tracy’s list and would like to receive the Zoom link to the discussion, contact her, tclayton@nccumc.org.

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