Debra Rienstra is professor of English at Calvin University, where she has taught since 1996, specializing in early British literature and creative writing. She is the author of four books — on motherhood, spirituality, worship, and ecotheology / climate change — as well as numerous academic essays, literary essays, and poems. Her most recent book, Refugia Faith: Seeking Hidden Shelters, Ordinary Wonders, and the Healing of the Earth (Fortress 2022), combines theology, nature writing, and biological principles to consider how Christians must adapt our faith and practice for a climate-altered planet. Rienstra writes the fortnightly Refugia newsletter and hosts the Refugia Podcast. She also writes fortnightly for The Reformed Journal blog, writing about spirituality, pop culture, the church, the arts, higher ed, and more. 

Rev. Mariama White-Hammond was born and raised in Boston and began her community engagement in high school when she worked as a Peer Health Educator. She was particularly shaped by her involvement in Project HIP-HOP (Highways Into the Past – History, Organizing, and Power), a youth organization focused on teaching the history of the Civil Rights Movement and engaging a new generation of young people in activism. After college, she became the Executive Director of Project HIP-HOP, where she served for 13 years. In 2017, she graduated with her Master of Divinity at the Boston University School of Theology and was ordained an elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. In 2018, she founded New Roots AME Church in Dorchester, MA.

In April 2021, Rev. Mariama White-Hammond was appointed as Chief of Environment, Energy, and Open Space, a position she held for three years, overseeing policy and programs on energy, climate change, sustainability, historic preservation, and open space. Over the course of her time with the City, she supported the amendment of the Building Emissions Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO) to set carbon targets for existing large buildings, and she convened a city-led youth green jobs program.

Rev. White-Hammond has extensive background in embedding equity and environmental justice into Boston’s communities. She has received numerous awards, including the Barr Fellowship, the Celtics Heroes Among Us, The Roxbury Founders Day Award, and the Boston NAACP Image award. She was selected as one of the Grist 50 Fixers for 2019 and Sojourners 11 Women Shaping the Church.

Joshua Long is an award-winning songwriter, producer, worship leader, public theologian, and environmental activist passionate about creating music that moves the soul and inspires change. With almost 20 years in the industry, he has honed his skills in various genres, ranging from Hiphop, Soul, and Pop to Contemporary Christian and Gospel Music. Joshua earned his Bachelor of Music degree in 2008 from the University of the Arts. Since then, he has worked with various artists, played with different bands, released three solo albums, and worked on several singles and EPs for himself and other artists. 

In 2017, Joshua enrolled at Wesley Theological Seminary to seek a Master of Divinity degree. In 2019, he moved to a Public Theology specialization and focused his studies on climate change, social justice, and the role of faith. For his capstone thesis project, he produced an entire album of music dedicated to creation justice through worship and sacred songs. In May 2023, Joshua received Wesley’s Public Theology Excellence Award. He is now the Congregational Organizer for Interfaith Power & Light (DC, MD, NoVA). He has also been recognized by Black Millennials 4 Flint as one of their 40 Under 40: Young, Gifted, and Green Award winners. In April of 2024, Joshua released his capstone project as a full-length album titled “We Are Earth.” Joshua wants to use music to bring hope, joy, and inspiration to the environmental movement and mobilize people of faith to take action toward a sustainable and just world.

To hear the new album “We Are Earth” and learn more about Joshua’s ministry, go to joshualongmusic.com. 

After spending 17 years and over $30,000 on three continents attempting to “de-gay” himself through conversion therapy, Peterson Toscano came out a quirky queer Quaker concerned with human rights. He asks himself and his audiences unusual questions: Who are the gender outlaws in the Bible? What is a queer response to climate change?  What is the role of comedy when addressing trauma? His film, Transfigurations—Transgressing Gender in the Bible explores the stories of gender non-conforming Bible characters; his Bible scholarship has been featured in The Oxford Handbook of the Bible in America.

About the venue

We are intentionally choosing to gather at Maple Hill Farm Inn and Conference Center because of its beautiful location adjacent to farmlands and forest, and because of its commitment to green practices. Among other recognitions, Maple Hill Farm was awarded Maine's very first "Environmental Leader" Green Lodging Inn Certification by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, and they were named "Best Green B&B" by Yankee Magazine.

Accommodations

Hotels:
The BTS Center has arranged for a limited number of rooms under a special discounted rate of $193 plus tax on September 26, 2024 at the Hampton Inn Augusta, just 10 minutes from Maple Hill Farm Inn and Conference Center. Please book your room directly with the hotel by the cut-off date of August 25, 2024. Note: only a limited number of rooms are available, so if you wish to reserve a room at this rate, please book as early as possible, using one of these options:

• • By telephone: Call Hampton Inn Augusta at 207-622-4077 and request the BTS Center Group Block Rate for the dates you wish to stay, and the reservation agents will be happy to assist.
  • Online: Please visit The BTS Center - Hampton Inn Augusta - Online Booking Link, and choose the check-in / check-out date. This link will bring you directly to the BTS Center Group Block Rate on the hotel's website.

Alternatively, other nearby options for accommodation include Maine Evergreen Hotel, Senator Inn & Spa and Homewood Suites. You can find a full list of area hotels on Google here. Please contact these hotels directly for their current prices.

Pilgrim Lodge:
Pilgrim Lodge is the summer camp facility of the Maine Conference United Church of Christ. Located on Lake Cobbosseecontee, just 6.5 miles from Maple Hill Farm, the camp has basic cabins with bunk beds, cots, electricity and hot running water. You are invited to stay at Pilgrim Lodge on Thursday, September 26 at a rate of $46 for the night. Register here (select “BTS Convocation Overnight” as the session) or call 207-724-3200 to reserve by phone.