National Faith + Climate Forum 2026

11:00 am ET
Eastern + Central
In-Person Open Networking

For in-person participants in the Eastern and Central time zones, engage with fellow participants in this networking session before the livestream programming begins. Connect with others, exchange ideas, and prepare for a day of insightful discussions and meaningful action.

12:00 pm ET
Opening Prayer + Welcome

Begin the forum with an opening prayer, a land acknowledgment, and reflections on the spiritual call to imagine and build a thriving future for our congregations and communities. We will open our hearts to the possibilities of restoration, justice, and collective action as we step into this shared work.

Speaker(s): Rev. Carol Devine, Director, Blessed Tomorrow

12:15 pm ET
Opening Keynote

Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson will invite us to envision a restored creation in balance, a world where communities flourish because faith and climate action are deeply entwined. Drawing on her book What If We Get It Right?, she will show how collective wisdom, justice, and creativity can shape a hopeful future. Through her keynote, participants will be inspired to imagine what congregations can build spiritually, socially, and environmentally when people of faith lead with courage, compassion, and clarity.

Speaker(s): Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, Author of What If We Get It Right?, co-founder of Urban Ocean Lab, co-editor of All We Can Save, and co-creator How to Save a Planet

12:30 pm ET
Stories from the Future:
Thriving Congregation

Experience a heart-filled set of stories from faith leaders whose spiritual and congregational lives are deeply woven into the natural world. This session highlights congregations whose relationship with creation shapes their worship, healing, community life, and moral imagination. Through short talks and cinematic storytelling, you’ll witness how faith leaders embody a faith fully integrated with the land, water, and ecosystems that sustain them.

1:00 pm ET
Youth Visions 2050:
Imagining What’s Possible

Young leaders from diverse traditions share bold visions for the world they hope to inherit and the future they are already helping to shape. This three-part session features youth advocates lifting up justice and climate leadership, a segment on how teaching young people to grow food builds agency, resilience, and a grounded faith through connection with the soil, and a lively Climate at the Dinner Table Skit performance that uses humor to model how climate conversations can unfold with courage, compassion, and joy.

1:30 pm ET
Break + Musical Interlude

Take a brief pause and enjoy music that nurtures reflection and renewal.

1:40 pm ET
Stories of Renewal: Faith Communities Rising After Climate Disaster

Hear powerful updates from congregations impacted by the LA fires and Hurricane Helene, and the faith leaders who have guided their communities through recovery, healing, and rebuilding. These stories show how spiritual leadership, compassion, and community connection create pathways to resilience in the wake of devastating climate events. Participants will witness what renewal looks like when congregations lean into faith, hope, and collective care.

2:00 pm ET
Faith in Practice: Building Resilient Congregations Today

A practical look at congregations taking meaningful climate action right now. Learn from communities leading in renewable energy, land stewardship, local food security, and carbon-neutral initiatives. Featuring replicable models like wind and solar congregational projects in Iowa and Texas, land stewardship efforts, and more, this session equips participants with actionable ideas and tools to bring home to their own communities, strengthening resilience and creation care from the ground up.

2:30 pm ET
Break + Musical Interlude

Enjoy a musical interlude to reset and reflect.

2:40 pm ET
Faith and Justice:
Building a Livable Future for All

Explore how equity and justice must shape the future we choose. This session highlights community-based solutions to food security, housing, disaster preparedness, and environmental injustice and how faith communities can stand with those most impacted by climate change.

3:10 pm ET
Ambassador Spotlight:
Leading Change in Your Congregation

Hear directly from Blessed Tomorrow Climate Ambassadors who have trained their congregations, mobilized their communities, and sparked meaningful creation care action. This session will highlight real examples of how Ambassadors are using the training to equip others, build momentum, and strengthen local leadership. Participants will learn how they too can take the training, host a session in their own community, and join a growing network of faith leaders driving climate action nationwide.

3:20 pm ET
Break + Musical Interlude

A short break accompanied by music to ground and uplift the spirit.

3:30 pm ET
Faith, Democracy, and the 2026 Midterms: Protecting Our Communities

As the 2026 midterms approach, faith communities play a crucial role in supporting safe, accessible, and nonpartisan civic participation. This two-part session explores why voting and civic participation are expressions of faith and moral responsibility, offering a theological grounding for the role people of faith play in sustaining a just democracy. It then provides guidance on voter access, removing barriers for marginalized communities, legal 501(c)(3) engagement, and tools for congregational voter education.

4:10 pm ET
Building the Future Together

Explore how collaboration among congregations, community organizations, interfaith coalitions, and climate justice movements accelerates progress.

*SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT*: Grant money is available to support your congregation’s climate action efforts. This funding is aimed at enhancing collaboration and partnerships in your local community, empowering faith-based organizations to make a significant impact on climate action. Don’t miss this incredible opportunity!

4:35 pm ET
Break + Musical Interlude

Enjoy a moment of reflection with music celebrating the divine energy of creation and hope.

4:45 pm ET
The Pastor’s Call: Preaching
That Moves People to Act

Congregations look to their pastors for moral clarity and guidance on caring for creation. Yet new research shows climate themes appear in fewer than one percent of sermons, even though congregations act more when clergy speak about them. This session offers practical, accessible ways to integrate creation care into preaching in ways that inspire engagement and hope.

5:00 pm ET
The Future We Choose: Guided Reflection and Commitment Moment

A brief guided reflection inviting participants to pause, breathe, and consider the future they feel called to help build. Through quiet discernment, participants will name a personal or congregational intention for the year ahead, grounding the day’s inspiration in meaningful next steps.

5:15 pm ET
Closing: Faith for a Thriving Tomorrow

A final blessing calling us to claim the future we choose, one rooted in thriving congregations, just communities, and a restored creation. Rev.Carol Devine will offer concluding reflections to send participants forward with clarity, courage, and hope.

Speaker(s): Rev. Carol Devine, Director, Blessed Tomorrow

5:30 pm ET
Closing Song

Sing along to ‘One Home One Future Hymn,’ celebrating our shared commitment to building a thriving and just future for all. This closing song serves as a powerful reminder of the unity and purpose that drive our climate action.

5:30 pm ET
Pacific + Mountain In Person
Gatherings Open Networking

For in-person participants in the Pacific and Mountain time zones, engage with fellow participants in this networking session before the livestream programming begins. Connect with others, exchange ideas, and prepare for a day of insightful discussions and meaningful action.