From Bishop Steve – Newsletter 10.21.26

Dear Ones,

There have been some beautiful, beautiful days in western New York the last couple of weeks – crystal blue skies, bright sun, brilliant leaves, mild temperatures. I’m reminded again and again how fortunate we are to live here.

And enjoying it all, I’m also reminded of what I learned at the recent House of Bishops meeting: western New York, the shores of Lakes Erie and Ontario, is one of the most climate resilient places in the United States. We are among the regions least likely to be deeply impacted by rising temperatures. Not that there won’t be some impacts. But we will have moderate temperatures and abundant fresh water, things which much of the south and west of our country lack.

For the last several decades, the population of the US has been shifting south and west. That’s where the jobs were. That’s where the winters were milder. That’s where land was abundant and housing was relatively cheap. New York was once the most populous state. Now we’re fourth behind California, Texas and Florida.

But futurists and climatologists tell us that’s about to change. 2026 was the hottest summer on record with an average temperature June to August of 74.4 degrees. August was the hottest month on record. In many places it didn’t get much cooler at night, so the daily average stayed high. The southwest, including Nevada, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico, saw the worst of it. No relief is in sight, and water and electrical shortages may become permanent features of the region.

What this means for us is increasing numbers of climate refugees. Public radio in Rochester has already broadcast interviews with climate refugees. And the Institute for the Future is predicting as many as 1 million people may be coming our way over the next ten years.

Human populations have always moved in response to environmental changes and in search of land and water. Migration has shaped human culture since the very beginning. And that’s going to continue. The Church has followed those shifts, going where the people are and ministering in response to their needs.

What might climate refugees mean for The Episcopal Church in Western New York? How might it affect the decisions we make now? How might we welcome new people, folks of different cultures and different heritages, into our towns and villages? How will we show hospitality to strangers?

Sitting and looking at the blue sky out my window, it all seems a bit otherworldly. Will this really happen? Will other events intervene? Where is God in all this? What is our call in a world that looks increasingly unlike the world we have known?

No matter what, I believe God will be with us and will walk with us as we negotiate these new days. May we be open to possibility, and may we be signs of Christ’s embrace of the world God created.

Peace,
Bishop Steve