Our Be'ats summer: Introductions

Submitted by Audrey deCoursey on May 30, 2007 - 5:11am.

California Interfaith Power and Light
Oakland, California

Greetings of peace to my fellow fellows and our adoring fans.

My name is Audrey deCoursey. I’m an MDiv student at Berkeley’s Pacific School of Religion, an interdenominational seminary known best for its awesome centers: the Institute for Leadership Development & the Study of Pacific and Asian North American Religion (PANA Institute), the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry, and the brand-new Center for Women in Religion. Even if we hadn’t just had Del Brown as our dean, PSR would still be a good place to be a progressive Christian.

I’m licensed to. . .minister in the Church of the Brethren, a historic peace church sprouting from the Anabaptist and Pietist movements of the radical wing of the Reformation. I’m also active in our church’s Womaen’s Caucus.

This summer, I’m interning at California Interfaith Power and Light in Oakland, California. CIPL is one of the many state-based projects of the Regeneration Project, based in San Francisco, practically under the Golden Gate Bridge. CIPL is a powerhouse of eco action, aiming its enlightenment at congregations of all religions. I hit a running start with the internship last week, helping edit some of the organization’s literature: their handy guide for congregations seeking to finance their solar power systems went onto the website over the weekend (go see it at http://www.interfaithpower.org, under ‘Hot Topics’), and the revamped resource list for new member congregations in the CIPL network is nearing completion.* We have a partner organization in almost every state, so if you know of a congregation that is involved in environmental theology and action, make sure they know about us!

*As I am in the midst of this process of renewing the resource list, I would love to get any suggestions from any of you. What is one environmentalist resource you wish every congregation had access to? What is one conservation tip you wish every person knew? Please send me your suggestions to Audrey [at] interfaithpower.org.

I’ll be posting slices from my current life this week. I’ve been squeezing out some of my creative juices, so we’ll see what Alexander lets me get away with on our blog…

I can’t wait to meet you, West Coasters if not all of you. Have a great start to your summers!

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