The Vision behind Our Climate Hope Campaigns

In 2023, the United Church of Christ launched a campaign rooted in a history of calling for action at the federal level of government to address the overlapping crises of climate and inequality. Through the Climate Hope Cards campaign, churches across the country collected 8,000 postcards that were delivered to the Environmental Protection Agency headquarters as part of an effort to save thousands of lives, address societal inequities, and get our nation on track to meet its climate goals. In 2024, the UCC is building upon the success of this effort with a new campaign called Vote for Climate Hope. The vision and strategy behind the UCC’s Climate Hope campaigns can be captured as follows:

Why We Need a National, Faith-Rooted Campaign for Climate Hope 

• We need solutions that match the scale and the urgency of the crisis faced. While we need actions at all levels and in multiple settings, ultimately, the federal government is the institutional system in the United States that can mobilize with the scope and speed required.
• For goals that are national in scope, we need organizing that is national in scope. From the Montgomery bus boycott to Standing Rock, movements are driven and inspired by local actions. But movements never stop at the local, they expand and connect to affect societal change.
• One of our greatest strengths is that our churches have deep roots in communities throughout our country. In a time defined by division, our churches possess the unique capacity to bring together diverse communities to affect change. As Corinthians 12 reminds us, the body of Christ has many parts, but one body. In answering the call for climate justice, our highest potential is realized not through the isolated actions of our parts but through the collective action of the larger body.
• Our Climate Hope campaigns provide a vehicle for churches to come together to take action. Through our actions, we both find hope and give hope.
• Our love, action, and hope will transform the Church as we transform the world. As declining membership numbers prompt conversations about the future of the Church, vibrant relevancy and life can be found with a calling and a purpose that is rooted in love: a love of neighbor, a love of children, and a love for all God’s creation.