Caring for Creation

Donna grew up in beautiful southeastern Minnesota, near Spring Valley. Soon thereafter, she ventured to the city, completing degrees at the University of Minnesota, Boston University, and Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC. 

Before entering ministry, she worked in corporate America, including a season living and working abroad. Donna has served churches in suburban, urban, big steeple, and town and country settings. She has a heart for inclusivity, and envisions a church that is willing to experiment with new ways to share God’s love. 

Donna appreciates the active and contemplative life. She enjoys hiking, cycling, meditation, creating mosaics, and conversing over a cup of coffee. She shares a home with a rambunctious mini-golden doodle named Ignatius (Iggy), who loves to bark “hello” at their neighbors. 

Panel discussion facilitator on May 18: Reverend Clay Oglesbee is a retired United Methodist pastor  and currently a supplemental Chaplain at Mayo Hospital, Rochester. 

A trained and experienced facilitator/retreat leader for the Center for Courage and Renewal (based on Parker Palmer’s writings.) She has served on the board of Women in Northfield Giving Support (WINGS) and Northfield Shares. She is a retired clinic administrator for Fairview Health and grandmother to Cormac and Ada.

A retired ELCA Lutheran pastor.  He has served eight different congregations and also worked for 15 years as a capital fundraiser for churches.  Northfield UMC was one of his clients.  He has lived in Northfield for 33 years with his wife Janet, who served Northfield UMC as associate pastor some 20 years ago. Howard has been active in Citizens’ Climate Lobby since 2016 and served as the Northfield chapter co-leader (with Janet Petri) since 2018.  He is also CCL’s liaison to the office of Rep. Angie Craig.

Director of Center for Ecological Regeneration and Robert and Marilyn Degler McClean Associate Professor of Theology and Practice at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. He holds degrees from St. Olaf College, and PhD and Masters of Divinity from Vanderbilt University.  He teaches theology and ethics, focusing on relation of Christian doctrine to environmental, economic, political, and social change.  His most recent publications include Rooted in Grounded Love: Holy Communion for the Whole Creation and The Economy of Salvation: Essays in Honor of M. Douglas Meeks. A trained Methodist elder, permaculturalist, UMC Earthkeeper and co-chair of the Oxford Institute of Methodist Theological Studies. 

He lives in St. Paul with spouse Becky and has two grown children.

Former Extension Climatologist and Professor Emeritus of Soil, Water, and Climate for the University of MN where he managed the Weather and Climate Education Program. He has been a weekly commentator on Minnesota Public Radio’s Morning Edition and writes a weekly blog, “Minnesota Weather Talk.” He has helped Twin Cities Public Television produce award-winning documentaries and is author of the Minnesota Weather Almanac and co-author of Voyageur Skies: Weather and Wilderness in Minnesota’s National Park. 

He has degrees from UC Berkely, Northern Illinois University and University of Nebraska. He has multiple service awards such as from the MN Crop Production Retailers Association, MN Agri-Growth Council, Sigma Xi, MN/Dot, and U of MN Deans, the Siehl Prize, the University President’s award. In addition to work for the U of MN and MPR/TPT he is also a NOAA fellow and visiting scientist for the UK Meteorological office.
 

St. Olaf Associate Professor of Religion and Environmental Studies. A theologian with degrees from St. Olaf College, Denver Seminary, and Luther Seminary. Research areas include Protestant ecotheologies, vocation, ecofeminisms, agrarian studies, ecological resistance movements, childhood studies, and the theology of motherwork. She teaches about ecotheology, place-based spirituality, Biophilia, theo-ethics of climate change, and culture of nature. 

She has multiple publications, most recently, Ecology of Vocation: Recasting Calling in a New Planetary Era, and edited Ecotheology: A Christian Conversation as well as in a variety of journals on interdisciplinary topics ranging from ecological ethics to vocation of children to indigenous influence on Christian watershed liturgies. 

Kiara lives on the prairie near Nerstand’s Big Woods with her spouse, young daughters, and an assortment of furry friends. She enjoys historical fiction, gardening, running, hiking, yoga, photography, and fabric arts.