Sunday, July 11, 2010

Shall We Gather at the River?

On Friday & Saturday, Sept 24-25 more than 300 people from communities of faith along the Mississippi will come together in Memphis at the BRIDGES Center to learn about how we can all protect and preserve our River.

Gather at the River: A Conference for People of Faith is the creation of a group of caring people of faith who cherish the Mississippi River as a sacred trust and want to equip each of us to address issues facing the river. God lent us this treasure and it is time to unify the communities of faith for common cause - protecting water as a potent symbol.

Speakers will include:

  • John M. Barry, author of best seller Rising Tide, will share some of the Mississippi River’s history and importance to our region, country & the world.
  • Ellen Bernstein, author of The Splendor of Creation: A Biblical Ecology will ground us in an appreciation of the biblical concern for the care of the Earth.
  • Michael Reuter of The Nature Conservancy and Rosanna Cappellato, Ph.D. Rhodes College Environmental Science Professor, will educate us on the health of the Mississippi River watershed globally and locally.
  • The Rev. Fletcher Harper Executive Director Green Faith Alliance, will lead us in discussions of how communities of faith can be leaders in the environmental movement and how we can all play a part in the preservation of the Mississippi River and our other natural resources.

Over 15 breakout sessions covering a range of topics such as: youth based environmental curriculum, Mississippi Watershed & Its Implications for the Gulf of Mexico, Spirituality of Photography & the River, Role of the Corps of Engineers, and others.

Participants will leave inspired, spiritually fed and equipped with:

  • People and Ideas for partnership
  • 10 Things You Can do At Home to Protect the Mississippi and how to organize your green efforts within your faith based organization
  • Sunday School Curriculum that incorporates this work as a work of God and fosters an understanding of how to “plug in” to the stewardship that God asks of us
  • Fellowship with Colleagues who think likewise as well as a general understanding of the “green” efforts taking place in our region.
  • Tools and Information on how to protect the river specifically in the context of our faith.

Registration starts at 3 pm on Friday, Sept. 24. Conference events run from 6 to 9:30 pm on Friday, Sept. 24 and from 8 am to 6 pm on Saturday, Sept. 25.

The BRIDGES Center is located at 477 North Fifth St. in Uptown Memphis.

You can learn more, register or donate at: www.GatherAtTheRiver.org

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