Cultivating Faith, Healing the Earth, Living with Courage

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

Refugia Church

Seeking Deeper Purpose,
Courageous Action,
and the Healing of the Earth

Seeking Deeper Purpose, Courageous Action, and the Healing of the Earth

Inviting gospel communities to respond with creativity and courage to climate disruption, biodiversity loss, and environmental injustice.

Refugia Church explores how Christian communities can help catalyze transition to a more just and sustainable way of living together.

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 1200 subscribers

Essays

Hamnet: Quiet Grief, Sentimental Speculation

Hamnet is getting excellent reviews, deserved in many ways. Beautiful cinematography, excellent acting, quiet and intensely sad—you can plan on a couple Oscar nods for

Beavering Our Way, Reformed Style

In a world threatened by drought, fire, and soil erosion both literal and metaphorical, we are working together here to create a healthier ecosystem of

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.