Dear First United Methodist Church McKinney Family,

This September, I am grateful to begin serving as the leader of our new Creation Care Ministry. I wanted to take a moment to share not only what this ministry will be, but also why I feel personally called to lead it.

My relationship with the natural world began long before I had words such as creation care, ecology, or stewardship to describe it.

I was raised in the woods along the shores of Northern Michigan, where forests, lakes, changing seasons, and time spent outdoors were simply part of everyday life. That affinity for nature has remained with me throughout my life and eventually became part of my professional and academic journey as well.

For more than twenty years, my work has intersected with sustainability, environmental responsibility, international collaboration, and the complex ways people and organizations respond to environmental challenges. My graduate studies at Southern Methodist University focused on conflict and peacebuilding, including the dynamics of environmental conflict and degradation. Today, much of my professional work continues to involve organizations around the world working toward better environmental understanding, standards, and practices.

But somewhere along the way, another realization became increasingly clear to me.

We cannot do this alone. After many years working in this field, I found myself returning more and more to faith. I began asking a different question: What if caring for creation is not simply an environmental responsibility, but a spiritual practice?

Scripture begins in a garden. Throughout the Bible, mountains, rivers, wilderness, animals, seeds, harvests, storms, and seasons continually become places through which people encounter God. Psalm 24 reminds us, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”

Creation was never ours to possess. It was entrusted to our care.

That understanding is at the heart of my vision for our Creation Care Ministry.

I do not envision this simply as a ministry of projects or programs. I hope it becomes a place of curiosity, learning, wonder, prayer, fellowship, and faithful action—a ministry that helps us rediscover creation as one of the places where our relationship with God can deepen.

Over time, we will explore creation care through Scripture and our Wesleyan tradition, educational programs, guest speakers, nature experiences, service opportunities, seasonal reflections, and partnerships within our community. Some opportunities may involve practical stewardship. Others may simply invite us to slow down, notice what is around us, learn something new, and see God’s creation with fresh eyes.

You do not need to consider yourself an environmentalist to participate. Perhaps you garden. Perhaps you love birds, trees, animals, or walking outdoors. Perhaps you are interested in science or theology. Perhaps you are concerned about the world our children and grandchildren will inherit. Or perhaps you simply feel closest to God beneath an open sky and want an invitation to notice, wonder, learn, and listen.

I look forward to beginning this journey with you and discovering together what it means to faithfully care for the remarkable creation God has placed in our hands.

Stay in wonder,

Heidi Karlsson
Creation Care Ministry Leader