Isaiah 43:19: “I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth; do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."

The Arizona desert is both beautiful and extreme. With hotter temperatures and longer droughts, climate change is making this area increasingly hard to live in. Yet, life flourishes in surprising ways.

In 2024, United Methodist pastor and videographer Ryan Grace visited the Desert Southwest Conference to learn how they are building local resilience to the global crisis of climate change. He and his wife, Mariellyn, an Ohio Episcopal Area staff member, visited a small United Methodist Church with a cooling center that provides relief from the relentless desert sun; walked along a waterway that once ran dry, and saw how multiple organizations were working together to transform wastewater into a river of life; stood in the shade of solar panels, and learned how solar energy conserves water while reducing the use of fossil fuels; and gleaned grapefruit with refugees, witnessing the power of sharing food to limit waste in a land of scarcity. 

This 4-week Bible Study invites you to reflect on Bible verses that speak to the life-giving nature of water; to examine the United Methodist Church’s teachings on Creation Care; to come face to face with the human toll of climate change; and, to celebrate people who are creating new and innovative ways to make a way in the wilderness of climate change. Because in the end we all must ask, "What is going to happen when the rivers of life run dry?"

The 'Rivers of Life' documentary, which focuses on extreme heat, drought, and climate change in the Desert Southwest, is now available to churches and other groups. Contact mgrace@wocumc.org for more information.