Interfaith Coalition for Earth Justice (ICEJ) is a volunteer organization of San Diego faith leaders and communities that advocate for climate and environmental justice both in policy and in the public square. We believe that the values held in common by all faith traditions include the care for creation and care for the most vulnerable in society.

We just wanted to send out one more reminder about this event.  It should be enriching and a lot of fun--we do hope you can join us!

Everything that we give thanks for in this season of Thanksgiving flows directly from our earth and the ecosystems that sustain us.  We of the Interfaith Coalition for Earth Justice wish to show our gratitude for our beloved planet with an outdoor interfaith service on Sun. Nov. 24 from 2-4 PM at Ski Beach Park in Mission Bay (on the east side of Vacation Island).  We will offer prayers from several faith traditions, listen to the music of Kol Tefillah, and fly kites after decorating them with earth friendly words and images.  Bring your own kite or fly one of the FREE kites we will provide.  Some light refreshments will also be provided.  Please join us and bring the whole family!!

Rain date–Sun. Dec. 8 from 2-4 PM.  For more information email phil@icejsd.org.  Please register below so we have numbers for food and free kites.

Like many of us I am deeply troubled by our country's direction as witnessed in our last election.  I also believe that our religious traditions are sources of great wisdom and strength in such troubled times.  Speaking out of my tradition, Christianity, I have been thinking a lot about Jesus’ advice to his disciples as he sent them out to evangelize in Roman-occupied Judea–”...be wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16).  I read this to mean that in negotiating the dominant cultures–both their own Jewish culture and that of the Roman occupiers–his disciples were to be smart, to keep their wits about them, to use their judgment based on what they already knew of human nature and what they perceived around them.  At the same time, they should remain pure, somehow unsullied by the more dubious aspects of this world.

Fair enough, but the image of serpents and doves is, I think, meant to provoke us; to tip us over into the world of paradox where so much of Jesus’ wisdom lies.  Famously in the equally paradoxical instance of the camel and needle, Jesus said that all things are possible for God.  I think Jesus uses paradox to make exactly the point that left to our own devices we will mostly fail in these things.  We need instead to ground ourselves in God, to give all of it up to Him/Her.  As I find myself fluctuating between grandiose visions of opposition and despair, I know that this is the right tack to take.  To be truly grounded in God is to shed as much of our ego as we can, to move in God’s time not our own, and to love much more fully.  As the religious sages in all traditions know, this is not easy–there is nothing harder; but it is what is called for, especially now.  May God be with us, all of us, in the journeys ahead–and may we too be wise as serpents, innocent as doves.

Phil Petrie  Co-Chairperson, ICEJ

This has been a busy year for ICEJ.  Our key events include:

• Providing Compassionate Leadership in Sustainable Development Workshop with our own Bob Gilleskie
• Ashes to Action Fossil Fuel Bank Protest in Solana Beach
• Petitioning for public power in San Diego
• The Kumeyaay Vision of Earth Justice (Advancing Earth Justice talk) with Bobby Wallace, Sarahmarie Redfern and Billy Ortiz
• ¡Justicia para el Pueblo! | ¡Justicia para la Tierra!  Justice for the People! | Justice for the Earth!  Eco Fair/Town Hall in southeastern SD
• Thanksgiving for the Earth: An Interfaith Prayer, Song, and Kite Day  @ Ski Beach Park, Mission Bay

In addition we tabled at at least five events including EarthFest and worked several volunteer events with our Hands in the Soil program.  We have only one part-time staff person (and some expenses)--the rest of us are all volunteers.  Your attendence at our events is probably your most precious gift to us--but we do need funds to continue our work.  So please consider giving what you can--click the button below.  Thank you so much for whatever you can do.  Real earth justice will only happen with all of us working together!

[Editor's Note: we like to promote the events of faith partners when we can so read on and hopefully you can attend.  Our own Yusef Miller is part of the program.]

Please join us in embracing our diversity and finding common ground in a calm and mindful way. On World Peace Meditation Day, we want to foster our affinities in an inclusive and peaceful way through meditation. Together, we will end 2024 with reflections and usher in the new year by practicing kindness, compassion, and equanimity. 

Donate to support Interfaith Coalition for Earth Justice and the work we are doing to educate, equip and mobilize our communities of faith to advocate for earth justice.