Last week, Blessed Tomorrow co-hosted, Coming Together in Faith on Climate, a convening of faith leaders from various traditions to rally around Pope Francis' call to climate action. Among the leaders was Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Executive Coordinator, Suzii Paynter, who challenged the attendees to “reawaken your actual love of God’s world.”
Paynter told the audience of Christian, Jewish, Muslim and other national religious leaders, “We are not loving God’s world if we’re only talking about God’s world, or viewing it as a commodity, however beautiful, to consume.” The sentiment echoed by leaders such as Rev. Otis Moss III, Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool, Rev. Jim Wallis, and many more, resonated the resounding call to climate action that could be felt as it echoed off the century-old Cathedral walls.
It was an honor and privilege to have Suzii Paynter inspire and motivate all attendees at the National Cathedral event though this was far from her first appearance. Starting on Monday, Paynter joined 100 faith leaders to welcome Pope Francis to the U.S. at the Interfaith Religious Leaders Summit. From there is was a whirlwind of excitement as Paytner swept across D.C. inspiring and motivating people of faith to act immediately.
CBF head among faith leaders supporting papal call for creation care
Bob Allen | Baptist Global News
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Executive Coordinator Suzii Paynter challenged faith leaders in Washington for this week’s papal visit to “reawaken your actual love of God’s world” during a Sept. 24 service at the National Cathedral focusing on creation care.
“We are not loving God’s world if we’re only talking about God’s world, or viewing it as a commodity, however beautiful, to consume,” Paynter said in remarks at Coming Together in Faith on Climate, a gathering of Christian, Jewish, Muslim and other national religious leaders expressing interdenominational support for the pope’s call to action on climate change and creation care.
“Home begins at love,” Paynter said. “Use your imagination to experience God as creator. Use your worship place to feature his creation. Use your prayer to touch his creation and let love beget advocacy.”
Invited to events surrounding Pope Francis’ first visit to the United States because of the 1,900-church Fellowship’s reputation for support of religious liberty and ministry to the “least of these,” Paynter has met during the week with faith and government leaders to discuss international religious freedom, global poverty and ending hunger.
She joined more than 100 faith leaders Monday on the eve of the pope’s arrival at the Interfaith Religious Leaders Summit calling for a shift in the country’s national priorities and to end hunger by 2030.
On Tuesday Paynter attended a luncheon in honor of Pope Francis hosted by the United States Agency for International Development and met with Rabbi David Saperstein, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom.
