EarthKeepers promote creation care in the Philippines

By Touch Barrientos, Kyla Ragasa and Matthan Bang-asan
March 18, 2026 | DAVAO, Philippines (UMC TV)

Filipino United Methodists in the Davao Episcopal Area participated in a four-day United Methodist Board of Global Ministries EarthKeepers training on climate change and environmental conservation. Video by Touch Barrientos, Kyla Ragasa, DEA Communications, and Matthan Bang-Asan.

The Davao Episcopal Area launched its first-ever Gilas Kalikasan (EarthKeepers) Learning Institute and inducted 57 EarthKeepers during a four-day gathering. EarthKeepers, a program of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, trains and encourages United Methodist clergy and laity to develop and lead environmental projects in their communities. The initiative connects faith and sustainability, enabling participants to launch projects like community gardens, solar energy projects and recycling initiatives. Kyla Ragasa has the story from Davao.

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Mission and Ministry

The Rev. Laurie Bayen (left) reads the Sermon on the Mount from an Indigenous version of the New Testament while standing alongside the Laguna de Santa Rosa, a 22-mile-long wetland in Sebastopol, Calif., that was once inhabited by the Southern Pomo and Coast Miwok people, during a field trip for the Sacred Ground program. Sacred Ground is a mobile outdoor walking/spirituality app developed by Bayen, a United Methodist pastor. It combines creation care and Indigenous history with calls to action. Pictured with Bayen, from left, are Cheryl LaSalle, Charlotte Fisher, Carol Wegner and Pat Schoch.

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