Pollinators and honeybees are portents for our time, and they are dying at alarming rates from habitat destruction and toxins. Due to their tireless volunteer work as pollinators, they are absolutely necessary for human food security. Their economic footprint is massive and it stretches around the world. As a backyard beekeeper in New Mexico, I have become enthralled by these tiny insects. I might even say it has become a love affair. As a pastor, the lessons for faith communities are not lost on me, especially as the Christian Church reimagines itself in this age. I would like to explore further what the bees can teach us in a time of ecological destruction, violence, social dislocation and loss of the “commonwealth” .

Through writing, speaking and hosting a Community Bee Fair, I would like to offer opportunities for interfaith communities in Albuquerque to learn about the wonder of bees as part of God's creation. As I explore practically and theologically what bees model for us I would like to invite faith communities to also deepen into a creation ethic, reverence, and community centered collaboration with the natural world as we go forward into the future. I wonder what the bees can show us about God's gift economy, care for the earth and healing?