DAY EVENTS

June 21: Eco-anxiety: Practices Toward Hope with the Rev. Dr. Pam McCarroll and the Rev. Konnie Vissers

There is increasing attention to the fear and anxiety caused by climate change. It manifests in a variety of ways, causing both physical and emotional distress. If you feel these effects directly, or if you experience them through your grandchildren, coworkers or neighbours, we invite you into a day of helpful learning. Spend a hope-filled day with Dr. McCarroll and Konnie Vissers learning about biophilia, eco-literacy, spiritual gardening and other protective practices.  Some of this day will be spent outdoors so please alert us to any physical limitations and come dressed for the weather.

Pamela McCarroll is a faculty member at Emmanuel College in the area of Practical Theology where she studies the lived experience and possibility of hope in contexts of suffering. In her recent work, she is focused on suffering and hope in relation to the climate crisis and ecological destruction. Her research seeks to re-imagine the field of practical theology with creation-centered motifs that decenter the human. Pam has also published widely in the area of spiritual care, spirituality and health. Pamela is a Registered Psychotherapist with the CRPO, a Certified Supervisor-Educator with the CASC and an ordained minister of Word and Sacraments in the Presbyterian Church in Canada.

Konnie Vissers is a minister in the Presbyterian Church in Canada currently working on her PhD in Practical Theology. She has previous served in three local congregations, and as Clerk of the Presbytery of Hamilton. Konnie enjoys being outdoors with her husband, two daughters, and dog; and she recently started "The Children's Garden Collective," to promote food security, environmental education, and spirituality through the act of urban gardening in Hamilton.