In the Matthew 25 invitation, Jesus makes clear that faith is never only what we believe—it is how we live, how we treat others, and how we respond to the needs of our neighbors. For First Presbyterian Church of Cooperstown, NY, that call expanded outward this winter through a thoughtful three-Sunday Film Series in February, offered through “Faith in Place” as part of the Annual Environmental & Spirituality Summit of 2025.
Across three Sundays, the congregation gathered to watch and discuss three powerful YouTube presentations, each offering a different lens on how we see the Earth—and how the way we relate to creation is inseparable from the way we relate to one another.
The series began with Rev. Dr. Randy Woodley, Ph.D., who explored Indigenous Theology and the Western worldview. His perspective invited participants to reflect on how Indigenous spiritual traditions understand the land not as property to be dominated, but as sacred relationship—calling the church to humility, repair, and reverence.
Next, the congregation engaged the work of Dr. Carolyn Finney, scholar-in-residence at the Franklin Environmental Center at Middlebury College and author of Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors. Dr. Finney’s presentation challenged the group to consider how the environment and nature have been racialized in America, shaping who feels welcome in outdoor spaces, whose stories are centered, and whose communities bear the brunt of environmental harm. Her message broadened the conversation from “environmental concern” to environmental justice—a direct connection to the Matthew 25 commitment to dismantling structural racism.
Finally, the series featured keynote speaker Robin Wall Kimmerer, author and member of the Potawatomi Nation, and director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment at SUNY-ESF. Her reflections on Abundance and Reciprocity offered a hopeful, grounding vision: that creation is not defined by scarcity, but by gift—and that faithful living requires gratitude, restraint, and mutual care.
Together, these three voices helped First Presbyterian Church of Cooperstown explore environmental spirituality through a Matthew 25 lens:
- Building Congregational Vitality (Focus #1): The film series strengthened spiritual formation and discipleship, creating space for learning, conversation, and deeper theological reflection on God’s world and our responsibility within it.
- Dismantling Structural Racism (Focus #2): By confronting the racial realities embedded in environmental history and access, the congregation leaned into the truth that justice includes who gets to belong—on trails, in parks, and in decisions about land and resources.
- Eradicating Systemic Poverty (Focus #3): Environmental harm and climate impacts disproportionately affect low-income communities. By connecting ecology to equity, the church deepened its understanding of poverty not only as economic hardship, but as vulnerability created by unequal systems.
This February film series was more than educational programming—it was an act of faithful witness. It reminded participants that caring for creation is not a side issue for the church. It is a gospel issue. It is neighbor-love. It is justice. And it is worship.
As First Presbyterian Church of Cooperstown continues its journey as a Matthew 25 community, this series stands as a model for how congregations can engage hard truths, hear diverse voices, and grow in courageous, creation-centered discipleship—loving not just in word or speech, but in truth and action.
