Resurrection Matters

• How to build resilience in local communities and evangelize the millennial generation • An ecology of renewal and resurrection for today’s church Resurrection Matters is a fruitful study and action guide for any church institution that owns property and in which groups gather together to grow as disciples of Jesus Christ. It helps groups connect their faith and the assets that they steward for God’s mission, recognizing these assets as gifts for ministry with their wider community. It encourages theological reflection and practical action for renewal for the church, greater biodiversity for the planet, and relief for the poor.

"Nurya Love Parish has emerged as a leader in the Christian Food Movement, drawing together pastors, farmers, laypeople, activists, gardeners, students, and scholars. In this book we learn about her personal journey, and her thinking about why a food movement matters for Christian faith. Resurrection Matters is a timely book that informs and inspires. It helps us see that growing and sharing food are not tangential to faith, but go to its core." --Dr. Norman Wirzba, Professor of Theology and Ecology, Duke Divinity School "We in the church like to talk about resurrection, but Nurya Love Parish has been practicing it. Now, with Resurrection Matters, she shows us how to breathe in the Spirit and find new life for our declining church and endangered earth. We would all do well to listen to her witness." --The Rev. Ragan Sutterfield, author of Wendell Berry and the Given Life "When all around we hear stories of death, it is difficult to keep our eyes on God's promise of resurrection. And yet a deep trust in resurrection is precisely what drove Nurya Love Parish to hand over the keys to her home and her family's life savings in faithfulness to God's call. Looking to the cycles of death and rebirth active throughout all of creation, Nurya finds faith that God is committed to the promise of making all things new--and that it is the responsibility of the Church to participate. In Resurrection Matters, Nurya asks us to consider if perhaps the deaths we grieve today might actually be a necessary step in the process of resurrection; and if perhaps the flourishing of the Church works hand-in-hand with the flourishing of creation. This book reminds us that though our churches have a lot of difficult work to do, God is at work guiding us into both ecclesial and ecological renewal if only we have eyes to see and the humility to take part." --Kendall Vanderslice, head baker at Simple Church (dinner church) and an explorer of the intersection of food, faith, and culture "Nurya brings fresh insight, wisdom, and an honest view of the church's relationship with God's creation. With personal narrative and reflections woven into this deeply engaging, readable book, Nurya offers a hopeful vision for both the church and all who care about the earth." --The Rev. Stephanie M. Johnson, co-chair of The Episcopal Church's Advisory Council on the Stewardship of Creation and co-author of A Life of Grace for the Whole World "As we strive to live out our baptismal vows and answer our call to be good stewards of all God's creation, Resurrection Matters: Church Renewal for Creation's Sake will aid and abet. Nurya draws from a wide experience as priest and agrarian evangelist with theological insight and practical ideas." --Brian Sellers-Petersen, author of

NURYA LOVE PARISH is co-founder of Plainsong Farm, a farm-based ministry in greater Grand Rapids, Michigan, and is responsible for stewardship of the property her family owns, so she is deeply familiar with the practical implications of taking stewardship seriously. A member of the Episcopal Church’s Advisory Council for the Stewardship of Creation, Parish convenes the Province V Regional Consultive Group created by General Convention 2015’s A030 resolution. As a member of the Diocese of Western Michigan’s Diocesan Council and chair of her deanery, she understands the challenges of church renewal today. She has 20 years of ministry experience, 10 within the Episcopal Church.