In this special off-season episode of Climate Changed, we are thrilled to share a podcast swap with Refugia. The show is hosted by our good friend and colleague, Professor Debra Rienstra.

Debra explores the biological concept of "refugia"—habitats where life endures in times of crisis. She applies this as a profound metaphor for how people of faith can nurture life-giving spaces today.

In this episode, Debra visits Spring Forest, a new monastic community and regenerative farm in North Carolina. She sits down with its founder and abbess, Dr. Elaine Heath, for a beautiful conversation about holy experimentation outside the traditional walls of the church.

Episode Highlights:

• The Metaphor of Refugia: Nurturing life-giving spaces in our earth and spiritual communities during times of severe disturbance.
• The Church's "Dark Night": Understanding the current confusion in conventional churches as a Spirit-breathed "dark night of the soul".
• Holy Experimentation: How Spring Forest functions as a dispersed network rooted in a simple rule of life: prayer, work, table, neighbor, and rest.
• Neighboring Well: A practical starting point for change—forming authentic friendships and sharing meals with the people who live on your street.

About This Swap: Rev. Nicole Diroff, Associate Director at The BTS Center, introduces and wraps up this special shared episode.

If you are joining us from the Refugia feed, welcome to Climate Changed! If you haven't yet, we highly encourage you to go back and listen to our recently completed Season 4, where we challenge listeners to engage in world-building through spiritual imagination, grief work, and adaptation.

Learn more about Debra Rienstra and listen to more Refugia episodes: https://debrarienstra.com/podcast/

Explore More: For full show notes, transcripts, discussion guides, and links to all the resources mentioned in this episode, please visit our website at https://climatechangedpodcast.org/.