Nature is God's Heartbeat
Our Mission
We exist for the spiritual nourishment and benefit of anyone, anywhere who is seeking to reconnect to God, nature, and one another through real, authentic encounters with God in the wild, natural world. WWC recenters a God that is abundant, mystical, wild and is pure love. By opening ourselves up to the Wild Mystery that is always working for us, with us, and in us, we become like the rest of creation: vessels of healing, grace, mercy, love, and restoration.
Our Values
WWC is an alternative way of being in the world, radiating Jesus’ radical love for the entire community of creation. We value sustainability, simplicity, eco-justice, and inclusion. We strive to live abundant lives centered on God, worshiping and serving the earth in community. We listen, seek, sing, pray, and work toward right-relationship with the earth and one another.
History
Our world is crying out for deep spiritual connection. So many people long for an authentic spiritual community rooted in the ancient rhythms of God but don’t find that in traditional church. At the same time, our earth is on fire as the climate crisis rages. WWC is an embodied, spiritual response to the climate crisis, building a carbon-neutral community of seekers who see nature as God’s heartbeat. WWC started as a way to meet people where they are in their spiritual journey by translating the Christian tradition into experiences that are meaningful and relevant in today’s world. What began as a hunch grew into an idea, then a worship service, and finally a community. We hope you’ll join us, wherever you are!
Our Leadership
Father Pete
Father Pete is an Episcopal priest and avid fisherman who loves music, reading/writing, and bringing people together to build community and have fun. He loves God, people, nature, and the New Orleans Saints. He taught PE for 5 years after graduating from Bridgewater College, then moved to New Orleans to work in Katrina recovery with the Diocese of Louisiana. After returning home to Virginia he became the Director of Adult Spiritual Formation and Youth ministries at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, VA before finally accepting the call to priesthood and enrolling in Virginia Theological Seminary, from which he graduated in 2020. He spent three years as Senior Associate rector at St. Mary’s, Arlington, VA before his current role as interim rector at St. David’s, Brandywine Hundred, in Wilmington, Delaware. He is a council member of the Associated Parishes for Liturgy and Mission (APLM), and is deeply committed to improving the spiritual wellbeing of all people and providing a home for those disconnected from and disaffected with the church.
Leadership Team
Jeremy Cannon
Jeremy grew up outside of DC in Arlington Virginia and went to the University of Colorado where he majored in Advertising and worked for the women’s basketball team producing social media content. While in college, he attended a non-denominational church where he taught Sunday School and helped with communications. Jeremy moved back to Arlington during the pandemic was and started attending St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, where he was involved with St. Mary’s Wilderness Church ministry and Centering Prayer group. He was the Parish Administrator of Saint Andrews Episcopal Church August of 2023-November 2024. Jeremy is currently living in an Episcopal Benedictine Monastry in New York. You can follow his journy on Substack here:
Shannon Cline
Dr. Shannon Cline is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Recreation Management and Physical Education at Appalachian State University. The recipient of 3 university teaching awards, Shannon teaches both recreation planning courses and outdoor
Maria Kane
Maria Kane (she/her) currently serves as the rector of St. Pauls Episcopal Church in Waldorf, Maryland. A proud native of Dallas Texas, As a historian, priest, editor, and spiritual director, Maria sees her primary call as curating spaces for people to encounter
Sarah Morgan
Sarah Frinks Morgan is a Cognitive Scientist and habitual Spirit-listener. she sees no conflict between the two. Her research in motivation and emotional intelligence informs her work as an Executive Function Coach to professionals.
Melanie Mullen
Melanie Mullen serves as Episcopal Church’s Director of Reconciliation, Justice & Creation Care – charged with bringing the Jesus Movement to the concerns of the world. Prior to joining the Presiding Bishop’s staff she was the Downtown Missioner at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, leading a historic southern congregation’s missional, civic, and reconciliation ministries. Before receiving her Masters in Divinity from Virginia Theological Seminary, she studied history as an undergrad at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, with a Bachelors and graduate program in Africana Women’s Studies at Clark Atlanta University. Melanie worked in campaign fundraising and development, raising more than $10 million for leadership PACs, the Congressional Black Caucus, and US Congressional and gubernatorial races from Louisiana to Connecticut; and she served as Development Associate for the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, with a focus on poverty advocacy.
Kristen Thompson
Kristen Thompson is a lifelong Episcopalian stepping outdoors to combine traditional practices with a new way of living in concert with all of creation…
Derrick Weston
Derrick Weston is a writer, filmmaker, podcaster, speaker, and educator whose most recent work has focused on the intersection of food and faith. He is the co-host of the Food and Faith podcast and producer of the Spoon, Spade, and Soul podcast.
Joel Wood
A native of Falls Church, VA and graduate of George Mason University (‘13), Joel has served in a variety of administration and communication positions at parishes in the Diocese of Virginia and The Episcopal Diocese of Washington, DC.
Our Partners
Creation Justice Ministries
Creation Justice Ministries (formerly the National Council of Churches Eco-Justice Program) represents the creation care and environmental justice policies of major Christian denominations throughout the United States. We work in cooperation with 39 national faith bodies including Protestant denominations and Orthodox communions as well as regional faith groups, and congregants to protect and restore God's Creation.
Chincoteague Bay Field Station
Chincoteague Bay Field Station provides outstanding multi-disciplinary, educational and research opportunities that celebrate the rich natural, cultural, economic, and technological resources of the mid-Atlantic Coastal region through field-based and hands-on learning, often in affiliation with multiple public and private partners.
Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake
IPC works in two ways: by raising awareness of the power that people of faith have to restore clean water and environmental justice, and by offering hands-on assistance helping congregations plan, pay for, and install healing projects for their communities such as rain gardens, tree plantings, native plantings, and more.
Associated Parishes For Liturgy and Mission
The Associated Parishes for Liturgy and Mission (ALPM) provides: opportunities for experiencing and reflecting on liturgical practice and theory lectures, webinars and articles for learning about liturgical theology resources for planning liturgy and reflecting on the lectionary a community to share ideas, best practices, and wisdom
