Boston Interfaith Climate Allies (BICA)

          Boston Interfaith Climate Allies (BICA) is a new effort by some Boston faith communities to address, from a faith-based perspective, the problems we face as a society, as a city, and as individuals, with the climate crisis. A handful of downtown congregations began meeting at the end of 2024 on the initiative of the Church of the Covenant. We began with sharing our concerns and our grief at the damage humans have wrought on our planet, and sharing the kinds of things our different religious institutions have been doing to meet this crisis moment, along with plans and visions of things to do moving forward. Actions to date by individual religious institutions include prayer vigils, various steps planned or taken to reduce the carbon footprint of our church/temple/mosque buildings, educational programs for our congregations on the variety of factors contributing to the degradation of the earth environment, two public "spiritual actions," and advocacy at local, state, and federal levels.
          In terms of mission, we are an organization that is building relationships between our faith communities and sharing resources and actions in the effort to build efficacy through collective thinking, planning, and action. A motivating question from a recent meeting is, what can we do outside of our sanctuaries to be visible so that people know that faith communities care deeply about this issue and want to take meaningful action?  Recent actions include our multifaith SunWay Pilgrimage on the Fall Equinox in September 2025 and the Earth Day celebration in April 2026.
          We welcome other churches/temples/mosques to join us in our mission as there is greater strength and energy and wisdom gained through collective effort. As a larger faith-based community of people who are deeply concerned about the climate crisis and the interacting factors that threaten the health of this marvelous creation that we have been granted we hope to join others in the effort to mitigate the damage already done, prevent further damage and be better stewards of this wonderful gift, our earth.
BICA Congregations as of August 2026:
Arlington Street Church
Beacon Hill Friends Meeting
The Cathedral Church of Saint Paul's
Central Reformed Temple
Church of the Covenant
Emmanuel Church
First Church Boston
King’s Chapel
Mennonite Church of Boston
Old North Church
Old South Church
The Paulist Center
St. Cecilia’s Parish
Trinity Church
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BICA in the news - The Daily Free Press, Anna Gohman: https://dailyfreepress.com/04/22/02/219651/one-sun-one-earth-one-people-faith-communities-and-activists-rally-for-climate-action/

Resources and recommended Climate Justice links:
https://billmckibben.substack.com
https://goodclimatenews.substack.com/
https://lexcan.org/lexcan-newsletters/
www.soulfirefarm.org
www.allianceofnativeseedkeepers.com
https://debrarienstra.com/books/refugia-faith/#resources
sammatey.substack.com/

Advocate for Climate Justice:

1) Please consider signing this Nonviolent Renewable Revolution letter to our Legislators.

2) Massachusetts Interfaith Clergy support for the Make Polluters Pay bill, H.1014/S.588
The Climate Superfund will require the worst fossil fuel polluters — those most responsible for the climate crisis — to pay their fair share for the climate damages they have caused, enabling Massachusetts to invest in climate resilience, clean energy, and support for frontline communities. Clergy, lay leaders, and seminarians in Massachusetts are invited to sign-on
to this letter by adding your name and title below:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfplvSC8qcprKWtJ9OxADHmEAPxY4CbUN3K23s3
xiOklJIo2A/viewform

3) With Mothers Out Front, ask your state senator to put limits on utility profits and pollution in the climate omnibus bill to make energy more affordable. More information here.

4) Advocacy for Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
On July 27, more than 350,000 Haitians in the United States lost their Temporary Protected Status (TPS), including about 19,000 in Massachusetts. Haitians are not just economic refugees, they are not just fleeing gang violence. They are also climate refugees. “Ranked first on the Global Climate Risk Index, Haiti stands at the forefront of climate vulnerability. According to the World Bank, a staggering 96 percent of its population faces exposure to a myriad of climate-related risks, from rising temperatures to intensified hurricanes and coastal erosion.” Haiti’s children are particularly at risk.

ACTION STEPS:
Senator Markey has filed a bill in the Senate, S.4814, to restore TPS status for Haitians and extend it until January 2029. We particularly need to call Democratic Senators who have not signed on to cosponsor the bill - or ask our friends in other states to do so.
1. Call (202) 224-3121 to ask to be connected with a Senator
2. Here is the Call Script for Democratic Senators

● New Hampshire - call both Senators, Hassan and Shaheen;
● Michigan - call both Senators, Slotkin and Peters;
● Arizona - call both Senators, Gallego and Kelly;
● Connecticut - call Senator Murphy;
● Minnesota - call Senator Klobuchar;
● New Mexico - call Senator Heinrich;
● Georgia - call Senator Ossoff;
● Pennsylvania -call Senator Fetterman;
● Wisconsin - call Senator Baldwin.

And yes, if you have contacts in other states with Republican Senators, a call to them would be
good!
Link to double-check Senators' co-sponsor status on S.4814:
Cosponsors - S.4814 - 119th Congress (2025-2026): A bill to require the Secretary of Homeland
Security to designate Haiti for temporary protected status.

Recent Activities

Livestream of April 26 One Sun, One Earth, One People event with Bill McKibben: https://www.youtube.com/live/NUKh6eHPUcU

Boston Interfaith Climate Allies (BICA)

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