ABOUT
Brugmansia Ministries?
Brugmansia is a genus of flowering plants that are commonly called Angel’s Trumpets. Our name, Brugmansia Ministries, references our organization's focus on combining scientific and religious knowledge to call forth a new vision for how religious communities can more justly serve in a world dominated by climate change and climate-induced migration.
As scientists, engineers, scholars, and religious leaders, we understand lasting and positive changes to address climate challenges must include foundational cultural and worldview shifts in addition to changes in infrastructure and resource usage. Simply, there is no way to address the enormous challenges associated with climate change and climate-induced migration without changing how we see the world and each other. This includes changing how we understand the questions and solutions to the interconnected challenges of climate change. And, most importantly, it means believing that a new and different vision for the world is possible where humans are living in balance with their environments. It is past time that we call forth a new vision to address the challenges of climate change that sees justice through a lens of intersectionality, inclusivity, and through a systems perspective which incorporates a cradle to grave understanding of consumption and resource extraction. Brugmansia Ministries was founded to bring that much needed vision to the already important work of faith communities.
Mission
Brugmansia Ministries’ mission is to address climate change and climate migration through the building of physical, relational, and spiritual infrastructure within faith communities to increase the resilience and adaptive capacity of those communities to proactively address climate-driven environmental and human disasters.
Vision
Faith communities prepared and empowered to serve individuals and groups suffering from environmental disasters or forced into climate-related migration.
Who We Are
Executive Director and Founder
Josh Richardson
Josh Richardson is an environmental geologist, ecological thinker, public theologian, and faith leader. As a scientist, Josh has work and research experience in developing technologies and methods in green energy production, nature-based solutions to environmental challenges, and habitat restoration. As a public religious figure, Josh is a sought after public speaker, preacher, and workshop designer. His writings have also been featured in Rock! Paper! Scissors!, Geez Magazine, and by the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement.
Josh holds a Master of Science in Geological Sciences focusing on Aqueous Geochemistry from Ohio University and a Master of Arts in Public Ministry from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. When not worrying about humanity’s understanding of the natural world, Josh enjoys writing, recording, and producing music, as well as playing board games with friends in a safe and socially distanced manner.
To contact Josh, email director@brugmansiaministries.org
Board Member
Claire Bank
Claire Bank is a registered architect practicing at ThenDesign Architecture in Ohio, where she specializes in Educational Design. She holds a Masters of Architecture and a Masters of Urban Design from Kent State University’s Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative. Her research throughout college focused on sustainable/resilient design, and ways to weave ecological functions into projects. She is excited to help communities understand and work to address the challenges arising from Climate Change.
Board Member
Daniel Joranko
Daniel Joranko is the coordinator for Tennessee Interfaith Power and Light. He also coordinates the Creation Care Ministry of the Tennessee Conference of the United Methodist Church. He was a founder of the Earthkeepers Program hosted through United Methodist Global Ministries. Daniel is an Adjunct Lecturer at the Vanderbilt Divinity School where he teaches courses on Sustainable Community Development, Nonviolent Social Movements, and Restorative Justice. He also coordinated courses for the Divinity School at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution for 2007-2020. He has a Ph.D. in Resource Development form Michigan State University and a Master of Divinity Degree from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. He lives in Nashville Tennessee in an intentional community called Nashville Greenlands, which is part of the Catholic Worker movement.
Board Member
Gabe LePage
Gabe LePage works for Kingdom Partners, supporting the Food Forest Coalition of Chattanooga. He is a graduate of Yale Divinity School and Yale School of the Environment, holding a Masters of Divinity and a Masters of Environmental Management. His undergraduate degrees were in International Development Studies and Geography at Calvin College. He has experience in urban forestry programs, urban agriculture and community gardening, and Asset Based Community Development. Trained in systems thinking and participatory organizing techniques, he believes strongly in the ways that community-led greenspaces and gardens build the social fabric of our neighborhoods, reduce isolation, and build trust for addressing larger systemic issues. He is in the ordination process for the Episcopal Church.
Board Member
Rev. Innis Miller III
Rev. Innis L. Miller, III, Pastor of Kelly Woodlawn United Methodist Church, Chicago, IL. He
has served as pastor in the Chicago and Blue Island communities within the Northern Illinois
Conference United Methodist Church for about 6 years. Rev. Miller has over 14 years of pastoral
and leadership experience and is not limited to serving as the Associate and Pastor -in- Charge of
congregations in the Liberia Annual Conference United Methodist Church.
He is serving as an Ordained Elder in Full Connection and is married to Mrs. Frencia P. Miller,
and their union is blessed with 3 wonderful kids.
Additionally, he has worked in other parts of the United Methodist network, including the Young
People Ministry, Young Clergy Initiative, and presently, the Chairperson of the Pillars Ministry, a
group of pastors and ministers that are focused on enhancing ministry opportunities for pastors in
rural ministry spaces in the Liberia Annual Conference.
Rev. Miller is a trained pastor and ecological theologian from Garrett-Evangelical Theological
Seminary, where he earned his Master of Divinity, M Div., Cuttington Graduate Theological College, and Bachelor of Theology (B.Th.) - Gbarnga School of Theology United Methodist University (U M U).
He was awarded the Ernest T. Campbell Preaching Award for the 2021 academic year of the
Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, for Excellent Preaching in 2021.
Board Member
Patrick Mulloy, M.DIV
For his undergrad Patrick graduated from Iowa State University with a BS in Construction Engineering. Working in the construction field he worked on a wide variety of projects in a wide variety of marketplaces. Later he graduated from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary with his MDiv. Patrick is currently a Provisional Deacon with the Iowa Conference of the United Methodist Church. Currently he is working as a Chaplain with the VA Medical Center in Sioux Falls.
Board Member
Michael Wilkerson
Michael is a third-year Master of Divinity student at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL. He moved to the area from the East Valley of Phoenix, Arizona, where he worked as a component design engineer for Intel Corporation over the previous 20 years. Prior to that, Michael served in the U. S. Navy for 13 years in both enlisted roles and as a commissioned officer in submarines. He received both his Bachelor and Master of Electrical Engineering degrees from the University of Florida in Gainesville.
Michael is currently a certified candidate for elder ordination in the Desert Southwest Conference of the United Methodist Church. In his spare time Michael enjoys playing games, puzzles, and exploring new places or ideas.
Innovation Volunteer
Mark Bank
Mark Bank is a senior platform engineer at McKesson. He holds a BS in Computer Science from Kent State University and has managed big data systems since 2013, particularly in the healthcare domain. He has a passion for modeling systems and believes climate change poses an existential threat to humans. He is an occasional dungeon master and a tenor in his church choir.