Profiles of Local Action
FCJ Profile: Faith-led climate action and engagement through Saint Luke’s United Church
Photo credit: Sophia Shin
Meet Dong Young Lucas Shin, a third-year Western University medical sciences student and a member of Saint Luke’s United Church in Cambridge.
Lucas recently served as a United Church Climate Motivator for eight weeks. This national project, now in its fourth year, aims to “…nurture hope-filled, adaptive, and effective young leaders responding to the climate crisis in collaboration with their host communities of faith, fostering multi-generational engagement that inspires local climate action and strengthens community climate efforts.”
The 2026 internship was launched in May 2026. In late May, 18 Climate Motivators headed to Ottawa to meet with Members of Parliament Leah Gazan, Elizabeth May, Shannon Miedema, and Robert Oliphant, as well as Senator Tony Ince. Several also met with their own MPs ahead of Question Period on May 28th.
The Climate Motivators also delivered a signed “Call for Climate Leadership” to the office of Prime Minister Mark Carney, calling for leadership that “seeks balance, repairs relationships, and lives with respect in creation today and for seven generations to come.”
Once back in Cambridge, Lucas began to work with members of Saint Luke’s to audit the energy use of utilities in the 65-year-old church. This led him to prepare a proposal for heating and lighting energy savings in the church.
In July, Lucas held a community information session, “Called to Care: a Climate Gathering,” an opportunity for participating United Church congregations to exchange ideas with their local Cambridge MP Connie Cody.
Through this process, Lucas developed insights into the challenges of greening sacred spaces. Sometimes internal structures can bog down decision-making. Or, churches with ageing systems for heating/cooling and lighting may need prohibitively expensive equipment upgrading and replacement. As happens across mainline churches, a disproportionate number of older church members may not have the capacity to manage multi-year capital projects. All of these challenges need to be carefully navigated.
As a young member of Saint Luke’s, Lucas values the relationships he already has within the community. He also found ways to strengthen these relationships while engaging others in deconstructing the scope of the utility changes needed into tangible steps forward, and identifying funding sources. For example, the “Faithful Footprints” program is a partnership between the United Church of Canada and Faith and the Common Good. As part of the United Church’s commitment to reducing its overall carbon emissions by 80% by 2050, the program offers resources, mentorship and grants of up to $20,000 per faith community.
The eight-week Climate Motivator internship shaped Lucas’ perspective on climate change. For one, he emphasizes the value of relationships – that working intergenerationally requires a commitment to relationship building. The meetings with federal leaders in May also informed his understanding of the role of politics in bringing about more ambitious climate action. And, the future is open to exploring connections between medical science studies, politics, and climate action.
Lucas recently served as a United Church Climate Motivator for eight weeks. This national project, now in its fourth year, aims to “…nurture hope-filled, adaptive, and effective young leaders responding to the climate crisis in collaboration with their host communities of faith, fostering multi-generational engagement that inspires local climate action and strengthens community climate efforts.”
The 2026 internship was launched in May 2026. In late May, 18 Climate Motivators headed to Ottawa to meet with Members of Parliament Leah Gazan, Elizabeth May, Shannon Miedema, and Robert Oliphant, as well as Senator Tony Ince. Several also met with their own MPs ahead of Question Period on May 28th.
The Climate Motivators also delivered a signed “Call for Climate Leadership” to the office of Prime Minister Mark Carney, calling for leadership that “seeks balance, repairs relationships, and lives with respect in creation today and for seven generations to come.”
Once back in Cambridge, Lucas began to work with members of Saint Luke’s to audit the energy use of utilities in the 65-year-old church. This led him to prepare a proposal for heating and lighting energy savings in the church.
In July, Lucas held a community information session, “Called to Care: a Climate Gathering,” an opportunity for participating United Church congregations to exchange ideas with their local Cambridge MP Connie Cody.
Through this process, Lucas developed insights into the challenges of greening sacred spaces. Sometimes internal structures can bog down decision-making. Or, churches with ageing systems for heating/cooling and lighting may need prohibitively expensive equipment upgrading and replacement. As happens across mainline churches, a disproportionate number of older church members may not have the capacity to manage multi-year capital projects. All of these challenges need to be carefully navigated.
As a young member of Saint Luke’s, Lucas values the relationships he already has within the community. He also found ways to strengthen these relationships while engaging others in deconstructing the scope of the utility changes needed into tangible steps forward, and identifying funding sources. For example, the “Faithful Footprints” program is a partnership between the United Church of Canada and Faith and the Common Good. As part of the United Church’s commitment to reducing its overall carbon emissions by 80% by 2050, the program offers resources, mentorship and grants of up to $20,000 per faith community.
The eight-week Climate Motivator internship shaped Lucas’ perspective on climate change. For one, he emphasizes the value of relationships – that working intergenerationally requires a commitment to relationship building. The meetings with federal leaders in May also informed his understanding of the role of politics in bringing about more ambitious climate action. And, the future is open to exploring connections between medical science studies, politics, and climate action.
Climate Motivators calling for Climate Justice on Parliament Hill, 2026
Credit: The United Church of Canada
Credit: The United Church of Canada