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Greenbrier is Flowing
With the Mountain Valley Pipeline plowing through Appalachia, there is much to be nervous about, but we are doing our best to transform these fears and frustrations into collective action. "The Telling Takes Us Home" (a pastoral letter from the Catholic Committee of Appalachia) urges us to become activists by "putting into practice one’s faith in God’s coming community of creation." In August, Bethlehem Farm participated in this kind of prayerful action through the Greenbrier River Celebration and Interfaith Vigil. Local ministers, musicians, activists, artists, and neighbors gathered to creatively honor the resilience of our watershed. We praised the Greenbrier River through a rendition of "Morning is Broken" by Bob Carter, who has kayaked the entire Greenbrier River. While listening to the beautiful song, I painted mud and watercolor on paper wet with river water. The compositions of each piece corresponded with verses from the song. The vigil included beeswax candles, wildflowers, and stories reminding us to persist in pipeline resistance offering gratitude, lamenting, and recommitting ourselves to collective action. I may have trouble trusting the pipeline, but one thing I do believe in is a network of passionate folks rooted in prayer and care for the river.
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