This news is hot off the press!

The 4^th Lausanne Congress and the Global Creation Care Forum (GCCF) were both important for the future of creation care globally. Don’t miss this update from those who were there! 

Leaders from around the world will share their reflections on both these events. We will also introduce the statement/invitation ‘Good News for all the Earth’—there will be time for questions!

Time: 11.00 am – 12.00pm UTC, repeated 7.00pm – 8.00pm UTC | Date: 12 December 2024

The webinar will be on Zoom and is free entry.

Sign up here: https://buytickets.at/lwccn/1451019, choosing which timing you prefer!

Please note that there is an optional donation to cover LWCCN’s costs.

If you haven’t yet seen it, this short video from GCCF is well worth a view!

How exciting and impactful would it be if our current generation of church leaders taught and trained from both books of revelation God has given us? 

The Wilderness Ministry Institute desires to address just that! They are dedicated to supporting churches all over the world who desire to explore this ancient approach (as mentioned in the article) to teaching and mentoring.

Wilderness specific skills training is only a small part of what WMI offers, but it is an important skill set for building relationships and equipping others with an understanding of and vision for creation care.  

If this approach to youth ministry is something you would like to explore further in your church and community, WMI would love to hear from you! They invite you to participate in one of their training courses around the world, or maybe start with an online ‘Foundations of wilderness ministry’ in Spanish or English.  

Please check them out here:

• Website: www.wildernessministry.org
• Social Media @wildernessministry – Instagram – Facebook
• Teachable online classroom: https://wildernessministryinstitute.teachable.com/courses/
• Contact: https://wildernessministry.org/contact-us/

Climate Justice Video Resource: from Jo Knight of Anglican Overseas Aid (Australia) and Rachel Mash, Environment Coordinator for the Anglican Church of South Africa. There are four brief videos with resource questions, which you can find here.

Creation Care Stories: Jasmine Kwong says: “This new website hosts a collection of short films featuring stories of people of faith in God’s creation. These short films highlight creation care stories in different contexts, including a fisherman-pastor living in a rural, coastal community and a local church in a big city. These videos can be used for personal reflection, and can also serve as a launching pad for discussion in small groups and communities. A discussion guide will soon be released on the website.” You can find the stories here and contact connect@creationcarestories.com.  

Creation Care & Christian Mission Online Course from All Nations Christian College. The course runs from Jan. – March. 2025 and examines the reality, theology and praxis of the missional mandate to care for creation, and develop effective, contextually appropriate missional responses to them. For more about costs and registration email info@allnations.ac.uk or look here.

New book on ‘Farming with Faith’ by Bunsak Thongdi from Thailand. He writes, “I’ve compiled a small book detailing my family’s experiences running a farm as a Christian family and using our agricultural journey as a ministry. The inspiration for this book came from a few months ago when I met with a group of Christian organizations focused on Faith and Farming. I realized that, in the context of the Mekong region and Asia, there is a lack of sufficient and contextualized materials for equipping churches on faith and farming (farming as mission).” If you would like an e-book version contact Bunsak directly at kersertoo@gmail.com.

Our Father’s World is the new name for Creation Care SG as it seeks to inspire and equip the Church to love and care for God’s creation, but now with a widened vision for the region beyond Singapore. New details include website, Facebook and Instagram.

JOBS

ECHO: Central America & Caribbean Director: ECHO provides hope against hunger through sustainable food and agro-ecosystem approaches. For more about this post look here.

Laudato Si’ Research Institute is looking for an Integral Agro-Ecology Research Officer, to be based in Oxford, England. For more about this post look here.

So, there has been much anticipation about two recent major global gatherings in South Korea. The 4^th Lausanne Congress, 22^nd-28^th September, was vast, with over 5,200 in-person delegates from 200+ countries joined by thousands more online. The hospitality of the Korean church was wonderful: we were greeted and served by over a thousand cheerful volunteers who had used their holiday to help. There were many good things that emerged, yet from a creation care perspective Lausanne 4 was a mixed bag. Positives included a superb plenary talk by Katharine Hayhoe and four afternoon ‘GAP’ sessions on ‘Creation Care and the Vulnerable’ where there were many new faces and a real buzz. However, sadly, there was a lot of disposable plastic, much of the programme focused on a narrow definition of mission and it felt as if creation care was seen as simply one of many special interest groups rather than core to discipleship and mission. We clearly still have much work to do within Lausanne!

The three Lausanne Creation Care Catalysts: Dave Bookless, Benita Simon, Jasmine Kwong

The second gathering was the GCCF – Global Creation Care Forum – held in the beautiful, forested hills of the Somang Retreat Centre in Gonjiam, with more than a 100 people from over 40 countries. GCCF was planned as a kind of ‘Jamaica 2’, in reviewing how the creation care movement has grown, listening to global voices, and discerning next steps. Most sessions were interactive, with stories, table-discussions and resource-sharing, but we also had input on theology and science, time in regional and thematic groups, and intense discussions throughout mealtimes and often late into the night. There was lament and mourning over the state of our world and the paralysis of many of our leaders. There was also laughter and joy, as friendships were deepened, connections were fostered and plans discussed. We are developing a document, called ‘The Gonjiam Invitation: Good News for all the Earth’ with two sections: the first giving a solid biblical basis for the Gospel as God’s good news for all the earth and creation care as core to mission, and the second spelling out the concrete actions that need to be taken at every level from the personal to the planetary. Once this is complete, we’ll share it through The Pollinator and invite you to sign it as well as share it with others. We will also share more reports, videos, resources and stories from the GCCF over the coming months! This short video gives you a taste!

The Global Creation Care Forum in Gonjiam included people from over 40 countries

Overall, my sense after Lausanne 4 and the GCCF is that creation care is an unstoppable force! As I was writing this, waiting between flights in Hong Kong, a complete stranger sat next to me, saw I was writing about creation care and excitedly asked if she could join the movement! From every part of the world Christians are being challenged by the ecological chaos around us to turn to God and the bible for wisdom, and the Holy Spirit is calling more and more individuals and organisations to transform their priorities in caring for God’s world.

Dave Bookless, Lausanne Catalyst for Creation Care

“There is increasing evidence we’ve now entered a period of global climate and ecological instability, just as scientists have been predicting for years. A few recent examples:

• World’s hottest day twice in one week:  The record for the hottest day worldwide was broken twice in a week – see more here. Many places have broken heat records, with temperatures over 52°C recorded in 2024 in Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Mexico, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, UAE, USA. India also had an unbearable heatwave, killing dozens and with an unofficial 52.9C recorded in Delhi.
• Wildfires: in Alberta, Canada, a monster blaze with a wall of fire 100m tall  destroyed much of the town of Jasper – fire chiefs said they were powerless to stop it. in Western USA, high temperatures are causing multiple wildfires especially in California and in Oregon, where more than 1 million acres (405,000 hectares) have burned in less than a month.
• Typhoons, Cyclones & Hurricanes: Typhoon Gaemi killed dozens in Philippines, Taiwan and southern China, causing floods and landslides; The US Government NOAA predicted an 85% chance this year would see an above normal hurricane season, and already Hurricane Beryl has been the earliest ever Category 5 hurricane, causing devastation to Carriacou, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Venezuela.
• Droughts and Floods: Some places have suffered catastrophic droughts in 2024 including Southern Africa, countries around the Mediterranean and Black Sea, Brazil. Meanwhile, devastating floods have also affected Brazil, as well as Argentina, Uruguay, France, Germany, Oman, Afghanistan, Indonesia. In Papua New Guinea, thousands died in a landslide in Enga. The cause is disputed, with possible factors including heavy rainfall, deforestation due to gold mining, an earthquake, and climate change.

As Christians, we need to respond first with lament and prayer, holding the human and nonhuman victims of these disasters in God’s presence, and repenting for our own and our society’s burning of fossil fuels and the selfish, greedy lifestyles that underlie these disasters. We also need to seek wisdom from God’s word and God’s Spirit as we discern the ‘signs of the times’ as reported in the media. We should fact-check carefully and be careful not to fall into the traps of doom-mongering (it’s too late, don’t bother trying to do anything) or false hope (it’s not that bad. God or new technology will save us).

Then we need to act, examining our own lifestyles, challenging our churches, lobbying local and national governments, and doing whatever we can at a local level.”

At the upcoming LWCCN webinar on July 9^th entitled Placemaking and Creation Care: A Christian Perspective, several important questions, at least from my perspective, will be put on the table for consideration by the creation care community. If we align and agree on their significance, how we respond to these questions may reshape the framing, narrative, partnerships, and practical agenda of the creation care movement going forward.

The central observation prompting my question is this: “creation” as currently framed by the creation care movement is primarily focused theologically and practically on apprehending, protecting, and restoring the ecological integrity of God’s creation. That is a vital and essential capacity the movement must possess. But, it is not sufficient. There is more of creation, or put differently, more to creation that I believe we need to intentionally connect to, incorporate, and robustly build into its theology, public narrative, capacities, and practical agenda if our movement is to be more effective and holistic.

The image I have of the creation care movement at present is like that of a bodybuilder. This bodybuilder has worked hard on the leg and arm muscles on only one side of their body—its “ecological limbs,” so to speak. Yet, little attention has been given to their other arm and leg. From one side profile, the bodybuilder looks strong and fit, but the truth is otherwise. The other side of their body, the one with muscles than can explain, advocate for, and contribute to building places commensurate with God’s shalom where human and non-human communities can thrive is weak and urgently needs extra workouts to catch up. When that’s been accomplished, however, watch out!

The bodybuilder analogy also works in another important way. My observation is that the bodybuilder, akin to the creation care movement, has a complete body. The issue, however, is that the only muscles receiving rigorous workouts are its “ecological muscles.” The wizened side of its body consists of its “built environment muscles” which encompass the theology, science, art, and other practical capacities pertaining to human culture that build the cities, towns, and villages where human communities live, produce, consume, and play.

What I am not saying, therefore, is that I am bringing something totally absent within the creation care movement as is. There is not a missing awareness per se that the built environment is integral to creation care. For example, in Renew Our World’s new publication ‘Making a World of Difference,’ Dave Bookless makes this point when he writes towards the end of the book that Jeremiah 29: 4–7 gives the ‘…fullest description of shalom/the kingdom of God to be found in scripture, and which sum up a Christian vision for a just and sustainable world.’ Bookless goes on to say ‘Here is a Christian vision for the 21^st Century. It is urban, yet deeply connected to the soil and local food systems…’. No, the bodybuilder in my analogy has a complete body with those muscles.

The observation I offer, however, is that—to our detriment—we have not adequately exercised, strengthened, trained, and integrated the “placemaking muscle group” within our creation care movement. Moreover, given the confluence of multiple urban crises—affordable housing, heat waves, flooding, water shortages, traffic congestion, gross economic inequality, swelling urban migration—global leadership forums in 2024 such as Lausanne 4, the upcoming 12^th World Urban Forum, COP29, CBD COP16, are crucial. These events can focus attention, discussion, ideas, and catalyze action. Now is the time for the creation care movement to give serious, substantial, and sustained attention to the built environment and concepts like placemaking, urban shalom, sustainable urbanism, etc. Doing so will strengthen and equip the creation care movement to meet the full range of 21^st century challenges. 

Hopefully these musings that I offer have piqued your interest in our upcoming webinar. I hope to see you on the 9^th of July (13.00 UTC). Do register at this link https://shorturl.at/HrFTb.

Chris Elisara

Co-Director, World Evangelical Alliance Sustainability Center

From 3 to 13 June, the World Conference Center in Bonn, Germany, (just 3 minutes from our World Evangelical Alliance Sustainability Center offices) will host the UN’s 2024 interim climate conference with the technical title ‘SB60’. This UN climate meeting builds on the numerous mandates that emerged at COP28 in Dubai and aims to drive progress on key global climate change issues. The conference is also tasked with preparing the decisions to be taken at the UN Climate Change Conference COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, in November this year.
We are expecting a total of around 6,000 participants from all over the world here in Bonn for SB60, including mainly national delegates and representatives of civil society. Through the WEA Sustainability Center, we are also accredited to UNFCCC (the UN’s climate body) and will be attending this ‘small climate conference’ as observers, liaising and collaborating with many other faith-based actors coming to Bonn.
The conference will focus on some critical and urgent issues, such as climate finance, much needed progress on the next round of national climate action plans (or Nationally Determined Contributions, NDCs), the timely submission of countries’ first biennial transparency reports, work on national adaptation plans and accelerating climate action through a just transition, as well as many other important topics.
As a global faith group, we know first-hand how important one of these aspects is: the much called for and universally sought after ‘Just Transition’. We all, my brothers and sisters in faith in other parts of the world, but also in my own country, must manage to put our lives, work, consumption and production, lifestyle thoughts and lifestyle actions on a new footing so that the transition can succeed. And this must be done in a way that secures and protects livelihoods and ideally contributes to what we like to call ‘human flourishing’. In particular, the concept of a just transition seeks to ensure that those who are most vulnerable to the effects of climate change are not further marginalized or left behind in the pursuit of solutions.
From a biblical perspective, the need for a just transition is rooted in our double call to care for God’s creation and love our neighbors as ourselves. We are also called to care for the poor and marginalized, as seen in passages such as Proverbs 14:31 which states, “Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.”
A just transition is essential in global climate negotiations because it aligns with biblical values and recognizes the interconnectedness of environmental, social, and economic justice. As we work towards finding solutions to the climate crisis, let us prioritize inclusivity, equity, and accountability for the sake of all of God’s creation and our neighbors around the world.
Best wishes and many Blessings from Bonn
Matthias K. Boehning
Co-Director of the World Evangelical Alliance Sustainability Center

Josephine Kijabe is a missionary serving amongst communities who rely on livestock and small-scale agriculture as their livelihood. She shares with us about Community Health Evangelism—integrating disciple and evangelism with community based development.

She writes,

“Most of their livelihoods have recently been threatened due to climate change and other factors caused by it. Many have suffered hunger, diseases like malnutrition, poverty, and the like. To share Christ’s compassion effectively and bring hope, I asked God what I could do to be the light in these communities. The Lord laid in my heart heavily to do gardening, conservation, land management, and agriculture in general and be a good steward of what God has given us, including land.”

Josephine began gardening—despite semi-arid land conditions, and by God’s grace, witnessed land restoration. She shared her practices with the community, aiding them to do so in their own homes, beginning with women and youth, but joined also now by the men.

She reflects that, “…agriculture is an excellent tool for effective evangelism in all aspects of life. It meets the people’s very core needs. I am very passionate about being used by God to make disciples of Christ by speaking about climate change and taking action by following the best farmer in the world, God himself, through nature.”

We thank God for Josephine’s story, and for her life (as well as so many others like her!) in tending the ground and bearing good news!

‘How our land looked before we started following the example of the best farmer in the world, God himself’

‘How the land now looks’

This groundbreaking initiative, funded by the Templeton Religion Trust (TRT), is poised to harness the transformative potential of diverse faith traditions, collaborating with secular partners to champion urban development that fosters thriving communities for all. With urban populations projected to reach 68% of the global populace by 2050, the challenges and opportunities of urbanization are more crucial than ever. Faith for Cities aims to be a strategic initiative that provides a significant platform for the global Christian community to organize itself and impact the development of cities to ensure that they are environmentally sustainable, socially just, and conducive to human flourishing.

Elisara is leading a workshop on Faith for Cities on 5^th December at COP28. If interested and attending COP28 sign up to attend the workshop at the link on the Faith for Cities homepage, or click here.

WEA Secretary General Thomas Schirrmacher is a member of the report’s advisory committee while Dr. Chris Elisara was retained by the WEF to do survey research, write case studies, and provide other input and advice for the report. Several of the case studies are Christian, including one focusing on the Transformational Business Network founded by Dr. Kim Tan, who spoke at the recent WEA Future of the Gospel Forum.

Learn more: https://www.weforum.org/projects/faith-in-action/

The next phase in the “Faith in Action” project is to host faith and business conversations throughout 2024.