About this Event
About the Event
Sermon: "From the Ganges to Walden to Cape Cod: How Water Connects Us Through Culture and Time"
Panel Afterwards: "Hope, Responsibility, and Action: Spiritual and Religious Voices Rising for the Earth"
Sponsored by Unitarian Church of Barnstable, MA Interfaith Power & Light, and Nauset Interfaith Association
Gopal Patel, a leading Hindu environmental activist and U.N. consultant, will open his Cape Cod visit with a reflection on water as a sacred thread connecting cultures, traditions, and time. Drawing on Hindu scripture, the writings of Emerson and Thoreau, and the living waters of Cape Cod itself, Patel explores how ancient wisdom and New England contemplative tradition converge in a shared call to protect our planet.
Stay for a luncheon and panel discussion on how religious and spiritual communities can respond to the climate crisis in a time of weakened federal action. Rev. Dr. Kristen Harper and Rev. Michael Reed of Massachusetts Interfaith Power and Light will join Patel to discuss climate justice, local resilience, and hope through interfaith collaboration. Author Jeffry Odell Korgen will guide the panel.
About Gopal D. Patel
Patel is a globally recognized environmental activist, keynote speaker, and United Nations consultant who has dedicated his career to bringing the moral voice of religion into conversations about the planet's future. Guided by his Hindu spirituality, he has spent the past 18 years demonstrating how spiritual traditions can help address the world's most urgent challenges. He has advised the United Nations on engaging religious communities, collaborated with international organizations including the World Wildlife Fund, and led a global Hindu environmental NGO committed to mobilizing grassroots action. Today, he serves as Co-Executive Director and Board President of FutureFaith, a nonprofit that mobilizes faith networks representing more than one billion believers for environmental action.
Patel has spoken at the World Economic Forum in Davos and at universities including Princeton, Cambridge, and Oxford. In 2023, he delivered a TED Talk, "The Unexpected Way Spirituality Connects to Climate Change," bringing his message about faith as a force for planetary healing to a global audience.
Sunday, May 17th, beginning at 10:30 am Unitarian Church of Barnstable 3330 Main St (Rt 6A), Barnstable, MA
10:30 am — Morning Service Reflection Noon–1:30 pm — Luncheon & Panel
All are Welcome!
Cape Cod Speaking Tour
This event is part of a three-day Cape Cod speaking tour, May 17–19, 2026, featuring public conversations on spirituality, climate change, ocean protection, and interfaith action. On Monday, May 18, at 4:00 pm, Patel will appear at St. Joseph's Chapel in Woods Hole for "Sacred Seas, Shared Science: Faith and Research United for Ocean Protection," interviewed by researcher and science journalist Dr. Heather Goldstone. The tour will conclude on Tuesday, May 19, at 5:30 pm at the Brewster Ladies Library with "Hope, Responsibility, and Action: Employing Our Voices for the Earth," a public conversation with author Jeffry Odell Korgen on how grassroots voices, interfaith collaboration, and civic engagement can work together to confront climate change and build a more sustainable and equitable future. The overall program is co-sponsored by the Nauset Interfaith Association Environmental Justice Committee and the Faith Communities Environmental Network.
About the Sponsors
Unitarian Church of Barnstable
A welcoming Unitarian Universalist congregation on Cape Cod committed to spiritual exploration, social justice, and care for the Earth. Located at 3330 Main St (Rt 6A), Barnstable, MA. https://barnstableuu.org/
Massachusetts Interfaith Power & Light (MassIPL)
A statewide nonprofit network of more than 250 congregations working for climate action and environmental stewardship across Massachusetts. Rooted in many traditions and guided by a Pray / Act / Mobilize mission, MassIPL helps faith communities take practical action on energy, climate justice, and the care of creation. https://www.massipl.org/
Nauset Interfaith Association
An interfaith network of faith communities on the Lower and Outer Cape that fosters interfaith dialogue, mutual understanding, and collaborative action on shared concerns — including environmental justice through its Environmental Justice Committee, a co-sponsor of this speaking tour. https://nausetinterfaith.org/
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Unitarian Church of Barnstable, 3330 Main Street, Barnstable, United States
USD 0.00
