Ashley is Walking for Climate Justice!

Presbyterian Peace Fellowship

Hi, my name is Ashley Bair and I am a soon-to-be graduate of Princeton Seminary. If there is one thing I am taking away from my time in theological study is that I truly believe the core of the Bible and of God's message is love. Love for God and God's creation. This is a call that extends to ourselves, our neighbors, all creatures, and the land and water of God's earth.

I'm walking 260 miles this summer from the PC(USA) headquarters in Louisville, KY to the denomination General Assembly gathering in St. Louis, MO with a team of people committed to that call to love to creation. We are asking our denomination to categorically divest from the fossil fuel industry. The fossil fuel industry is a destructive force to God's creation. It contributes to climate change and environmental disaster, which increases disease and reduces access to water and vegetation necessary for human survival. Today, there are so many, especially those most vulnerable and oppressed, who are greatly impacted by the devastation of fossil fuel extraction and use.

Two years ago I traveled with a delegation to Iraqi Kurdistan to learn more about how the fossil fuel industry was impacting villages in the Middle East. Fossil fuel companies have destroyed many acres of village farmland, water wells have dried up, jobs are given to outside recruits and not to villagers, roadways are destroyed, and the livelihood of many families who have lived in these villages for countless generations are gone for the foreseeable future. I will never forget a village leader who told me, “This land has been in our family for a long time. You see that path beside the house? That path is older than Islam.”

In Mark 12, when Jesus is asked, What is the greatest commandment?, he answers, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” It is our call to love God, love creation, and love people above all else. Divesting from fossil fuels will show the world that we are a church that believes this call from the Gospel and listens to the needs of our neighbor.

As we left the villagers in Iraq, we asked them what it is they thought we could do to help in their resistance efforts. They responded with this request: “Speak about us. Tell your people we need their help. Do not forget us.”

This walk is one action I can take to not forget them. Please join me on the walk. I ask you to help me raise $10 for every day we walk to bring attention to the critical need for divestment. It is an act of love in this world.

ABOUT PCUSA Walk for a Fossil Free World

It’s time for the denomination to put its money where its faith is. The PC(USA) must join the divestment movement that has already taken trillions of dollars out of the fossil fuel industry. By doing so, the denomination will no longer profit from an industry that has contributed to climate change. Hurricanes in Puerto Rico, drought in California, rising sea levels along the global coasts — natural disasters exacerbated by climate change which affect Presbyterians and all creation.

Our faith calls us to love God, creation, and neighbor with our whole selves, and June 1-16, 2018 we will love creation with each step we take. The PCUSA Walk for a Fossil Free World will take us from Louisville, Kentucky (the headquarters of the Presbyterian Church [USA]) to St. Louis, Missouri, in time for the PC(USA)’s 223rd General Assembly. Our goals are to:

Call upon the PC(USA) 223rd General Assembly do divest from fossil fuels
Center the voices and experiences of people already affected by climate change
Reduce our own carbon footprint as we travel to GA

You're invited to join! More details about the Walk can be found at PCUSAwalk.org

Supporters
Name	Date	Amount	Comments
Sheila Moore	05/31/2018	$250.00	Congratulations on your retirement! Your family
Megan Moore	05/25/2018	$75.00	Get it Ashley! You're already lighting the world on fire with your wisdom and convictions.
Ian Clark	05/24/2018	$20.00	Thanks for bringing attention to this important issue!
Matt Spina	05/23/2018	$20.00	Way to go kiddo!
Emily Moore	05/23/2018	$50.00	You are an inspiration, Ashley! Thank you for dedicating your life to helping others.
Emilee Snyder	05/22/2018	$30.00
Timothy Wotring	05/21/2018	$50.00
	Total	$495.00