Meet our Leadership Team!
Officers:
Co-Chairs: Rev. Ann Cover & Dr. Martha Lyle Ford
Finance & Fundraising: Rev. Paul Slentz, Tom Smedley, Rev. Gregory Waldrop
Ministry Coordinator: Daniel Joranko
Read below what each of us brings to this ministry!
Andy Binford
Brentwood UMC Brentwood, Tennessee Harpeth River District
Not only have Andy’s early experiences as a Boy Scout and as a student of geology in college, but also his 30-year career with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), including working with environmental cleanup programs, shaped his passion for creation care.
In his work at TDEC Andy observed that, given a chance, natural processes work to abate pollution. However, humans pollute at a rate that impacts people, impacts God’s creatures, and causes climate change. He got into creation care/justice because he believes the faith community, including United Methodists, have a role in making a better world for God’s people and all of God’s creatures. In addition to the TWK Creation Care Ministry Team, Andy also serves on his local church’s green team.
Andy’s skills include evaluating environmental issues and helping people concerned with environmental/creation justice explore what questions to ask and what the data means.
For guidance, Andy turns to Genesis 9:9-10 (God’s covenant with Noah and all creatures); Ezekiel 34:18-19 (God’s holding people accountable for polluting); Matthew 22:39 (You’re your neighbor); Matthew 25:40,45 (What you do for the least, you do to me); and Romans 8:21 (Paul looks forward to the rebirth of all creation: “that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay”).
Joseph Boyd
Belmont UMC Nashville, Tennessee
Cumberland River District
A retired lawyer and long time creation care advocate, Joe is most recently known for his passion for “Dark Skies” protection. His concern for light pollution highlights the fact that the health of people and the natural world depend upon a period of darkness every 24 hours.
Joe’s advocacy in this area has contributed to positive changes in urban lighting practices in Nashville, Tennessee.
Nathan Brasfield
St. John’s UMC Memphis, Tennessee
Metro District
Food didn’t just call Nathan to the table; it led him to an awakening to the ecological destructiveness of food systems, especially the industrial animal-product system, and on to a mission of working for ecological healing. From his UM EarthKeeper training to his pursuit of his DMin studies in Land, Food, and Faith Formation at Memphis Theological Seminary, he has continued learning and doing. He co-chairs the Green Team at the seminary and is a CreatureKind Fellow.
Through Nathan’s studies and experiences, he can recommend theological resources and ways that individuals can make significant changes that contribute to ecological healing.
For spiritual food, Nathan begins with this quotation from We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast, by Jonathan Safran Foer:
“Climate change is the greatest crisis humankind has ever faced, and it is a crisis that will always be simultaneously addressed together and faced alone. We cannot keep the kinds of meals we have known and also keep the planet we have known. We must either let some eating habits go or let the planet go. It is that straightforward, that fraught. Where were you when you made your decision?”
Dr. Timothy Brewster
Peace Tree UMC Collierville, Tennessee
Metro District
Tim has always enjoyed the outdoors and experienced God through nature. Sky Lake Camp and Retreat Center, a UM camp in Windsor, New York, made the connection for him—first as a camper and special needs assistant, then working at the camp four summers in his late teens and early twenties, and now serving as a dean for a junior high camp there. Sky Lake has a huge focus on environmental sustainability and oneness with creation. It was there that Tim was first exposed to creation care as a means of living out God’s will on earth.
Tim and his wife started the creation care team at Peace Tree UMC. They got plugged in to conference-level work after attending the UM Lay Servant course, “Loving People and Planet in the Name of God,” sponsored by the UM Creation Justice Movement.
Tim earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from Yale with a focus on solar energy and sustainability. Currently an Associate Professor at the University of Memphis, he has strong skills in teaching and presenting, especially in person, and in shedding light on the science that undergirds the call to care for creation. He has particular strength in connecting with youth and young adults. His experiences with four annual conferences and two jurisdictions give him a wide UMC network and access to those resources.
As a scientist and a man of faith, the Creation stories of Genesis anchor him: “Even if we don’t necessarily believe the creation stories literally, God created the world around us and saw that it was very good. We need to keep it that way!”
Russell Casteel
Cedar Crest Camp
Lyles, Tennessee
Harpeth River District
Currently the director of Cedar Crest Camp, Russell is where he wants to be. Serving in camping ministry has long connected him to the outdoors, and his work has helped him draw straight lines between discipleship and ecological justice.
His camp-ministry places him in position to offer hands-on environmental education to congregations, Sunday school classes, and small groups, including those that want to learn about gardening, develop erosion mitigation, or work on building sustainability. Groups looking to experience environmental education can schedule a day or overnight retreat at Cedar Crest, where Russell’s team can help curate a specific experience to connect ecological justice to our Christian call for discipleship and stewardship.
Russell’s experience in the camping ministry has provided him with effective ways to connect with children, youth, and young adults regarding creation care and environmental justice. He invites folks with that desire to contact him to develop strategy that will be right for their specific context and needs.
In addition to Jesus’ reminder that “the kingdom of God is in your midst” (Luke 17:20– 21), Russell draws guidance from John Wesley’s sermon, “On the Education of Children”:
“But truly affectionate parents will not indulge [children] in any kind or degree of unmercifulness. They will not suffer them to vex their brothers or sisters, either byword or deed. They will not allow them to hurt, or give pain to, anything that haslife. They will not permit them to rob birds’ nests; much less to kill anythingwithout necessity—not even snakes, which are as innocent as worms, or toads, which, notwithstanding their ugliness and the ill name they lie under, have been proved over and over to be as harmless as flies. Let them extend in its measure the rule of doing as they would be done by, to every animal whatsoever.”
Rev. Ann Cover
Aldersgate UMC
Nashville, Tennessee
Cumberland River District
The church building and its expansive sunny lawn beckoned Ann to action. Working with several members of the South End UMC congregation to address the energy efficiency issues of the building drew her to the next project of turning the unused land into a church garden, which employs cover crops and regenerative agriculture methods.
Reading, viewing films and videos, attending webinars and other gatherings, and connecting with others with expertise, she has continued to expand her understanding of the climate and justice issues.
Ann is co-chair of the TWK Conference Creation Care Ministry Team. Skilled both in leadership and in presentations, she helps turn ideas into action, not only around energy efficiency of facilities and land use, soil regeneration, and gardening for food but also for addressing the underlying justice issues. She enjoys connecting people with expertise to people who have questions and ideas for projects for the sake of conservation and justice.
“The earth is the Lord’s” (Psalm 24:1) and is not to be “trampled” (Ezekiel 34:17–23). Jesus calls us to care for our neighbor (Luke 10:25-37), and we have the assurance that “rooted and grounded in love… [and through Christ Jesus we are able to do] far more than we could ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:14-21). We are challenged to love, “not in word, but in truth and action” (1 John 3:16-24). These Scriptures sustain Ann in this work.
Dr. Martha Lyle Ford
St. John’s UMC Memphis, Tennessee
Metro District
Growing up and again living in Brownsville in the Mississippi River District, Martha Lyle has spent a lot of time outside with her family, both attending a 10-day annual outdoor camp meeting revival and on vacation hiking, fishing, hunting, and other outdoor activities. She knows from her experiences the spiritual depth, healing, family bonding, and fun that time in Creation can bring.
A UM EarthKeeper, a GreenFaith Fellow, and a Climate Reality leader, Martha Lyle is also co-chair of the TWK Creation Care Team.
She has worked for GreenFaith, Tennessee Wildlife Federation, The Nature Conservancy, and National Wildlife Federation. Memphis Kids in Nature can thank her for creating and directing the program and now serving on its board of directors.
At Memphis Theological Seminary she instituted the Green Seminary Initiative and directs MTS’s Center for Faith and Imagination. She earned a D.Min. in Land, Food, and Faith Formation there and serves on several UM Creation Justice Movement committees.
A good listener, encourager, and planner, Martha Lyle has an ability to see or envision the big picture as well as identify steps needed for implementation. She is skilled at connecting people and concepts and delivering introductory presentations/sermons to scriptural and theological foundations of creation care and climate justice.
Genesis 2:15 (God put humans in the garden to care for it), Matthew 22:36-40 (Love God; love your neighbor), and John 10:10 (Christ came to bring abundant life) are the Scriptures that strengthen Martha Lyle.
Dr. Dan Joranko
TWK Conference Creation Care Ministry Coordinator
Hobson UMC Nashville, Tennessee
Cumberland River District
Dan’s role model is his grandfather, a Methodist pastor, who in the 1930’s began protecting the shoreline along Lake Louise in Michigan from development. Now, eagles nest there every year.
Dan is the coordinator of the TWK Creation Care Ministry Team. Early in his career, as a community organizer, Dan helped pioneer innovations in energy justice to prevent heat shut-offs for low-income families. His M.Div. and his Ph.D. have given him a strong understanding of the intersectionality of faith, community development, and sustainability. He has been a guest preacher on numerous occasions.
As a founder of the UM EarthKeepers program, Dan values the power of organizations to bring people together for action. He is the coordinator of TWK’s Creation Care Ministry Team and of Tennessee’s Interfaith Power and Light. Working with the UM Creation Justice Movement, he co-convened the 2019 Summit and currently heads up the working group exploring ways to support vocations in creation care.
Divinity school students and (through Vanderbilt’s prison education program) also persons incarcerated have benefitted from Dan’s teaching skills in class. Through Dan’s online webinars many others have learned about the science, why Christians should care about the climate crisis, and how to help heal creation.
Dan embraces covenantal theology, including the covenant in Hosea 2:18 with all creation.
Rev. Gary D. Lawson, Sr.
Lakeshore Camp and Retreat Center
Camden First UMC Eva, Tennessee
Tennessee River District
As the Director of Camp and Retreat Ministry at Lakeshore Camp and Retreat Center, Gary has been heavily involved in what used to be called “Outdoor Ministry.” He recognized early the impact that climate change was having on the outdoor world and quickly saw that the church was not set up organizationally to deal with it. Then the realization hit: “I was the ‘outdoor ministry’ person. It was on me.”
Gary led, on behalf of the National Camp and Retreat Committee (now UMCRM), a national committee to develop a resolution to General Conference recognizing the impact of climate change and the human impact in relationship to it. The resolution was approved. It was a needed start.
Skilled with making presentations, Gary has taught workshops to conference groups, camp leaders’ gatherings, and so on; participated in creation care conferences; fought for resolutions at annual conference; and led the legacy Memphis Conference’s Creation Care efforts and now serves with the TWK committee. No longer is “it” all on him.
For Gary, Genesis 2:15 defines a basic calling for all of humanity to care for creation, and the emphasis of John 3:16 speaks of God’s love for the “world” (all of creation).
Neil Letson
Murfreesboro First UMC
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Stones River District
Neil’s belief that caring for the earth is scriptural and brings God’s blessings to all people has been integrated into his a 33-year career in urban forestry. Since retirement, he has served as president of both the Metro Tree Advisory Committee (Nashville-Davidson County) and the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council.
As an urban forester, Neil not only knows trees and how to help them thrive in cities, but he also understands how cities thrive because of trees. His work has been helping others understand and value that connection too.
His additional experience in community forestry has given him skill in listening to and learning from the people of the community about their hopes and needs. He is then able to assist volunteers in developing competence for carrying out the essential steps to achieve their goals.
In respecting both earth and community, Neil is living up to his guiding Scripture: “The earth is the LORD’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it” (Psalm 24:1).
Dr. Debbie Owens
East End UMC Nashville, Tennessee
Cumberland River District
State and national parks were the backdrop of Debbie’s camping vacations. She further learned to appreciate and care for nature in Girl Scouts. As an undergraduate at Willamette University in Oregon, she immersed herself in research about the importance of litter reduction and recycling.
Oregon passed a bottle bill in 1971, and Debbie joined the Ralph Nader organization to participate in consumer protection and environmentalism. After 2019 Creation Care Summit, Debbie began developing a creation care team for East End UMC. The church was hit by a tornado in early 2020. Despite the destruction of the sanctuary, Covid, and a change of pastoral leadership, the team still exists and is helping the congregation include sustainability and energy efficiency in the rebuilding of the church.
Debbie worked in the legislative arena in her career and can provide guidance on how to read legislation and approach elected officials. In addition, she is comfortable making presentations or talking about starting a creation care team and about considerations for greening a building.
Psalm 24:1 (“The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it”) reminds Debbie of our transitory time on earth and how we need to heal creation for future generations.
Rev. Paul Slentz
Retired elder in the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference
Nashville, Tennessee
Cumberland River District
Seeing how the natural world is threatened in so many ways moved Paul to action to protect God’s good creation. For more than ten years, he has been active at multiple levels of the church—local, district, and conference, where he is part of the leadership team for the TWK Creation Care Ministry. Nationally with the UM Creation Justice Movement, he serves on the Coordinating Committee and facilitates its Federal Climate Policy Working Group. He also chairs the Nashville Chapter of Tennessee Interfaith Power & Light.
A UM EarthKeeper, Paul has led Sunday School series on creation care and justice and preached on this topic on several occasions. He has helped facilitate the start of Creation Care Ministries at local churches and was instrumental in arranging the 2019 UM Creation Care Summit, held in Nashville. He has coordinated the annual Recycling Day, working with 15–20 interfaith congregations in the city. Paul is skilled in connecting people to persons with expertise in various areas of creation care and justice as well as to helpful organizations and other resources.
Paul’s favorite Scripture passage is Psalm 104, which lifts up the marvels of creation and praises God for those wonders.
Tom Smedley
Belle Meade UMC Nashville, Tennessee
Red River District
Tom is especially passionate about birds and the preservation of their habitats. A member of the National Audubon Society since 1975, he has attended numerous educational opportunities offered by the organization and recognizes how climate change affects all wildlife, including humankind. Continuing to learn, Tom has participated in the 2019 Creation Care Summit and several other instructive events.
Tom currently serves on his church’s green team, where he is an advocate for creation care and recycling. In his residential community he works with the Tree Committee, sharing his knowledge and concern for birds and their habitats as well as helping the community value the role of trees in fighting climate change.
For Tom a guiding principle is God’s call to be good stewards of the earth. Recognizing that climate change is happening because humans have not done a good job of taking care of God’s good gift spurs him to action.
Rev. Gregory Waldrop
Retired Elder in Full ‘Connexion’ with Mr. Wesley
Briensburg UMC
Marshall County, Kentucky
Purchase District
Family camping trips and Scout adventures early on instilled in Gregory a strong sense of care for God’s creation. As a pastor, he came to love the out of doors as the best settings for almost all Christian education and special events. Hands-in-the-dirt with his gardens and especially the bulb flowers that arise each spring from the “dead” have rounded out his training and deepened his love for nature.
Recognizing the crucial role of water for creation, Gregory is working now to monitor watersheds with the Commonwealth of Kentucky and to understand and influence the Corps of Engineers water mission in the Tennessee and Cumberland Valleys.
Skilled in leading interactive Bible studies on Genesis or the Psalms with creation care as the solid core for understanding these passages, Gregory also conducts hikes, campouts, and canoe or tube trips with creation care organically intertwined with the fun. Going to the heart of the spiritual tie to care for creation, he has led week-long revivals with Genesis 1 as the Scripture each night.
Gregory finds hope in the Romans 8:18-24 passage that recognizes “The whole creation waits with earnest longing” and that one day “the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay.”
Rev. John Varden
John is an active farmer, bringing food to local tables and markets.
John is also the pastor of Beech Grove UMC and Hickman First UMC, both located in Hickman, Kentucky.
Purchase District
Crys Zinkiewicz
West End UMC Nashville, Tennessee
Cumberland River District
Loving being outside, riding horses, and gardening, Crys found it easy to join the church’s Creation Care Committee. It was also easy to attend the 2019 Creation Care Summit because it was close to home. What wasn’t easy was what she learned at the Summit: the scope and urgency of the climate crisis! That awakening sent her to UM EarthKeepers training where she realized the climate crisis is also a justice crisis. So much for easy.
For her EarthKeepers’ project, Crys pulled her editorial background out of retirement and began writing monthly Creation Justice Tips to give churches a tool for helping individuals and congregations move to action on behalf of creation and justice. She also accepted leadership in West End’s Creation Care Committee and ramped up the efforts there. She is active with UM Creation Justice Movement, especially with communications, and helped develop and lead the UM Lay Servant course, Loving People & Planet in the Name of God.
Researching and writing now more than 350 Creation Justice Tips, Crys has an eclectic knowledge of the issues and the steps people—and systems—need to take. Her skills include presentations, advocacy, marshalling teams for action, and connecting people with resources.
What keeps her energized is 1 Corinthians 3:6: “I [Paul] planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” Crys chooses to plant seeds, water the work of others, and fully trust God for the results.