Hello, friends! We invite you to join us in pollinating creation care happenings across different directions: not only global event, news, and announcements, but also stories from the grassroots! So, if you’ve a project, story or news about Creation Care that would be of interest to others around the world, please tell us! It’s helpful if you can send a summary (50-200 words) with a photo or two and a link to a webpage if possible. Please send this to creationcare@lausanne.org.

This month we’ve heard back from members of LWCCN involved in…

• Turkana County, Kenya, assessing how Faith Groups (Churches) can be involved in tackling the impacts of extreme drought. The droughts are leading to cattle and other animals dying and to increasing malnutrition and starvation. LWCCN member, Nshizirungu Hubert is working to help Church and Faith Groups access Loss and Damage funds from within Kenya and internationally.
• Pakistan about using natural methods to recycle Waste-Water for economic, environmental and social benefits. Riaz Yousaf, known as ‘The Waterman’, has recently published a book ‘The Responsibility Ignored’ looking at the water and waste-water economy of Pakistan.
• Nepal where a ministry dedicated to working with single women, ‘Rise and Shine’ is dedicated to building strength in unity, including providing agricultural advice and training.
• Arizona, USA researching how evangelical Christian views on environment and creation are changing, linked to views on end-times theology (eschatology).

The Loka Initiative at the University of Wisconsin (a partner of LWCCN) is presenting a major online summit, Resilience in the Anthropocene (RITA), on August 8-10. This is free and will bring together researchers, academics, experts from communities most impacted by environmental devastation and climate change, clinical and counselling psychology practitioners, and contemplative leaders to discuss eco-anxiety and climate distress within a framework of inner, community, and planetary resilience. Though not from a Christian perspective, I think the material could be incredibly useful for all of us working with Christians and churches. Here are a few major themes to be covered:

Dimensions of Emotional Distress: Understanding the psychological and emotional impacts of the environmental and climate crises through an intersectional and justice lens.

Exploration of Coping Mechanisms: Learning from contemplative practices, clinical and counselling psychology, nature-based and Indigenous wisdom traditions to cope and even thrive in uncertain times.

A Framework of Resilience: Collaboratively designing a new framework of inner, community, and planetary resilience that sustains us all.

Free registration link is here!

He’s passionate about A Rocha’s vision and says “A Rocha’s work is so close to God’s heart: the environment, poverty, simple living, speaking out, justice, community, theology, education and science are all intrinsically interwoven with the command of Jesus to “preach Good News to all creation”. More information can be found here.

Here’s Ed! (photo from A Rocha website)

• 40^th Birthday! A Rocha began in 1983 with a single project in Portugal. In September there will be a local gathering at Cruzinha, the centre in Portugal where it all began, and a virtual anniversary party for supporters. There’s also a special 40^th birthday edition of A Rocha’s e-magazine, Field Notes for all to read.

• Field Notes Podcast: the latest edition of A Rocha’s podcast features Prarthini Selveindran based in Singapore (hello, from The Pollinator editor!). If you have some time to spare, I invite you to join me in reflecting on student ministry and learning from God’s two books: scripture and nature. You can find that here.

• South Asia: is meeting online only from 31^st October – 2^nd November. If you’d like to join, there’s a form at https://www.tfaforms.com/5067716. Please ignore the bit about residential—it is online only now! Please note the reduced cost of $20 has also been extended until 31^st August, so do register if you wish; make sure you state you’re part of the Lausanne Creation Care network.

• Africa and Middle East: several regions all together, meeting 14^th-17^th November online and also in person in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. If you are based in Africa or the Middle East and would like to be involved, please contact africa@lausanne.org and copy Rudolf Kabutz, rkabutz@lausanne.org; make sure you state you’re part of the Lausanne Creation Care network.