Join us for another conversation, Under the Ginkgo Tree, this time with Jordan Jones. Jordan is a minister, theologian, and community organizer. After he completes his Masters of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary this spring, he will continue his faith based organizing and his ministry at Metro Hope Church, a congregation in East Harlem.

In this episode, Jordan shares the wisdom of both Harriet Tubman and Howard Thurman. After escaping slavery, Tubman went on to save over 70 enslaved people on her "trips of mercy.” A leader and a mentor in the civil rights movement, Thurman was a visionary theologian, author, minister, and professor. Jordan considers both Tubman and Thurman to be mystics, and reflects on their crucial contributions to the movement for Black liberation. We also discuss the ways that both figures had an intimate relationship with the land, and we ponder how their witness can guide us in our current reality of ecological catastrophe.

On our first episode of Under the Ginkgo Tree, we are joined by Sam King. A graduate of Yale Divinity School, Sam serves as Director of Sustainability for the U.S. Marist school network and as Project Manager for the Journey of the Universe film and multimedia project. In his work, Sam engages with both the scientific story of the universe as well as the eco-spiritual wisdom of a range of religious traditions. Sam speaks with us about his alarm at the gravity of our eco-crisis as well as his commitment to working for a more just and sustainable future. He speaks of the wisdom that he finds in the 13.8-billion-year story of the universe, as well as his efforts to invite others into this story. Throughout our conversation, we sense Sam’s capacity for holding together an awareness of the vastness of the universe with a deep attunement to that which is particular, local, and immediately present.