Cultivating Faith, Healing the Earth, Living with Courage

Writing and speaking to inspire thoughtful, courageous engagement with our world.

Refugia Faith

Seeking Hidden Shelters,
Ordinary Wonders,
and the Healing of the Earth

How must Christian spirituality and practice adapt to life on a climate-altered planet?

Weaving nature writing, personal narrative, and theological reflection, Refugia Faith explores how we can become healers on a damaged earth.

Debra Rienstra

Writer • Speaker • English Professor

With decades of experience weaving faith, literature, and ecology, Debra speaks to audiences across the country about transforming faith communities to address the climate crisis with love and courage.

Books by Debra Rienstra

Thoughtful, beautifully crafted works on spirituality, language, and living with purpose.

Refugia Newsletter

A fortnightly newsletter for people of faith who care about the climate crisis and want to go deeper.

By Debra Rienstra · Over 1,000 subscribers

Essays

Refugia Podcast Episode 38 So Much Joy: Linda Racine and Traverse City Presbyterian Church

In 2022, there were multiple policies or overtures passed focused on creation care, and it really put out an alarm, saying “It’s serious, folks, the

Refugia Podcast Episode 37 Land as Primary Text for Healing Community: Elaine Heath and Spring Forest

Elaine Heath is the abbess of Spring Forest, a new monastic community in Hillsborough, North Carolina. Spring Forest centers around communal prayer and meals, a

A fortnightly newsletter for people of faith who care about the climate crisis and want to go deeper.

Subscribe to the Refugia Newsletter for event updates, climate news, deeper dives, and refugia sightings, all with an emphasis on faith communities.

Invite Debra to Speak

Bring Debra to your next event and spark meaningful conversations.

Looking for a speaker who can inspire, challenge, and encourage your community? Debra Rienstra brings decades of experience as a writer, professor, and thought leader, offering talks that weave faith, language, and care for the earth into compelling, hopeful visions for today’s world.