Sustainable Investing: Methodists, Money & Faith

For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.- 2 Corinthians 9:10 Over the last seven years there has been a remarkable, heart warming, thoughtful and progressive movement towards a more sustainable future and a true understanding of caring in a deep and meaningful way for God's creation. We see this seismic shift in headlines all over the world. Some are inspiring and more is happening. Others as in the case of the typhoons in the Philippines and flooding in South Carolina are tragic. Most reasoned, educated, concerned people realize that the way we have tread on this planet in the last century and a half, is no longer sustainable nor equitable.Recently, there has been a lot of exposure to America's food system. I call it the Great American Food Fight. There is a class of corporations who in the name of profit have created a significant injustice on the world. These corporations have found legal ways to take away a basic right that started in the Garden of Eden. Not only have they taken the right away to retain seed year to year, they have used their legalistic machinations to promote globally a food system that is not only toxic, but is also causing grave injustices in developing countries.I have been blessed and honored to be covering this trajectory for the last seven years on my website that deals with sustainability, environmental policy, and caring for creation in the Southeast US. It's been amazing to see so many people of faith realize that not only have we collectively gotten off course in regards to creation care, but also realize our profound ability as dedicated followers of Christ to help expose the injustice and misguided path we have been on.One of the ways we can affect change is through our investment strategies. I have spent the last two years, working in a variety of ways to help people of faith understand that where their money is invested is a significant way to influence the conversation on creation care. I even wrote an article discussing the value of investing in our faith values.  It is a simple step we all can take. There is also a more significant way as United Methodists, we can not only stand up for sustainability, but also support our thorough commitment to social justice.As United Methodists, we have a long and strong, pragmatic, approach to social justice and our investment strategies. It has served the pension fund well, and has produced many great results not just many great investments. One of the great things about United Methodist members is our commitment to social justice, here at home and abroad. Our pension fund reflects that commitment. One of the ways, the United Methodist pension fund does this social justice work is through intervening on behalf of justice issues through our stock holdings.The United Methodist pension fund is currently invested in these companies. (I called and checked.) The historic way the pension fund has operated is through interceding through our shares at shareholder meetings. However, the mounting evidence of these companies who are doing large-scale agricultural development and GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) deployment no longer fit or align with United Methodist values. Intervening in a small, long term way is not enough.We as, United Methodists, have chosen before to reinvest our monies in affirming companies. When the issue of stocks invested in public jail companies was put before United Methodists, we said no. It is time to say no again to companies in the agricultural sector who are abusing our land, bullying farmers, spraying toxins on fields near schools for the sake of profits, and holding developing nations farm systems hostage for shareholder gain. It is time to reinvest those monies in companies who affirm our values. We have plenty of companies to choose from who are saying yes to a return to more equitable, less toxic, life-affirming, social justice issues.We as United Methodists now have the opportunity to show a specific way people of faith can create change through their collective voices and investment. Please join others in asking that our funds in the six largest GMO companies be reinvested. We have an opportunity as a denomination to create real change through faith led pragmatic leadership. Let's not miss this way to profess our social justice discipleship.To learn more about this issue, plan to join GIPL during Earth Week in April for a  free lunch-n-learn in Metro Atlanta. On Thursday, April 21, GIPL's hosts ReVest: Sustainable Investing with your Faith Values. RSVP to info@gipl.org or to learn more about this program. Location: TBD.Guest blogger Beth Bond is a GIPL Board member, Founder of Southeastgreen.com and Creation Care guru at Decatur First United Methodist Church. She loves to teach about creation care in UMC congregations across Georgia. Contact GIPL if you'd like to book Beth for your next adult education program.- See more at: http://www.southeastgreen.com/index.php/seg-features/green-lifestyle/a-greener-faith/15291-time-for-a-different-tactic-when-it-comes-to-the-united-methodist-pension-fund-and-america-s-agriculture-future#sthash.WwLRaev9.dpuf