On 16 December, 75 faculty, staff, and students gathered at Wheaton College, Illinois, USA to celebrate and to bless the launch of the Korean Invitation: Good News for All the Earth. Twenty readers each read aloud one paragraph of the newly published document, and we had a time of reflection and prayer over the invitation as it goes out.

For some of the attending students, the most impactful part was who did the readings. Students in Sociology, English, Art, etc. were happy to see their professors or known staff members there, reading or just attending. What a great demonstration that creation care is not limited to the natural sciences.

I (Laura) shared about the drafting process. After initially considering some possible additions to the 2012 Jamaica Call to Action, it became clear that we needed to begin the invitation with a fuller biblical and theological framework for creation care within the scope of the biblical narrative than had been written before in Lausanne documents. Participants in the October 2024 Global Creation Care Forum each brought unique insights about the priorities, neglected areas, and the phasing that would resonate with our communities and the constituencies we know well. Contributors came from a wide array of backgrounds, ranging from urban professionals to farmers, spanning many decades in age, having distinct vocations and livelihoods, representing different kinds of institutions and churches, and from different socioeconomic backgrounds and political circumstances. The biblical call on our lives we have in common, and the outworking of that takes unique shape in each of our contexts.

May God help us come to see our right place in creation and to live accordingly, for the glory of God and for the good of all that God has made, and redeemed, and sustains. We share our closing blessing with you and also ask you: With whom will you share the Korean Invitation in your own context? – your church, colleagues, neighbors, pastoral leadership team, community sustainability group? May it spark new conversations and ignite prayerful action!

(Prayer by Nina Mantlaba)

Heavenly Creator, we thank you for convening sisters and brothers from around the world in fellowship to collaborate and create this document. We pray that its prophetic voice will reach far and wide, and that your church will incorporate creation care into their everyday mission and lifestyle, to proclaim and demonstrate your Lordship over the world.

In this season of Advent, God, thank you for the reminder that your good news is for all the earth. You sent your one and only child not only for the salvation of our souls, but also for the liberation and renewal of the physical world we live in.

We repent of our inaction – of our unwillingness to let go of power and harmful patterns of individualism, consumerism, and greed. Lord, we pray that amidst these groans and lament, you fill us with your radical hope. Fill us with a prophetic and creative imagination. Of visions of how this world, your world, can be different, and transformative solutions that lead us into action on every level – big and small, corporate and individual. And equip us with ears to hear, and eyes to see how to accompany and center those most vulnerable, most impacted by our sinful misuse and abuse of your creation. Renew us in the new year to continue your work in the world.

In your name we pray, Amen.

Readers stood in a circle as attendees arrived

Do give her session on Faith and the Future of Creation a listen! She insightfully outlines the integration of faith and climate science in this talk, explores the biblical concept of ‘dominion’, examines today’s pressing climate challenges, and a offers theological framing for our practical action in response.

We highly recommend setting aside a few minutes—only 19!—to listen to her talk!

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!

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

• 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.

It began with a simple question.

Last summer (2022), the Board and Staff serving the Lausanne Movement in Canada asked: ‘What would it look like to collaborate with our mission partners around themes that will help equip Canadians to participate in God’s mission more effectively?’

Creation Care, one of seven focus areas Lausanne Movement Canada has prioritized, was selected for the pilot phase of this project. From February 15 to March 22, we hosted an online webinar experience for interested Canadians to interact with featured guests from A Rocha, Lausanne/WEA Creation Care Network, Tearfund Canada, and Renew Our World. The format provided interaction with clips from the Lausanne Global Classroom: Creation Care content, then built upon the themes each week with interviews, breakout discussion, questions and reflections, as well as prayer. You can learn about how we structured the content here.

For participants, there were some ‘ahas’ around starting local, operating from a place of worship, stewardship, and wonder of God’s creation. One participant, Olivia (a pseudonym), expressed the following during our sixth session,

“We’ve been at this a long time, so how do we renew our spirits in this? We are so busy to do the work of creation care, that we forget to “slow down” and let God refresh us”.

She went on to say,

“I really resonated with that video clip (from Dave Bookless), where he shared, “If you don’t know what to do, pray.” That hit me like a ton of bricks, realizing I’ve been trudging along with the same things for a long time, but maybe it’s time for me to change this—maybe it’s time for me to pray for new revelation. God’s revelation is constant, and maybe my journey is supposed to change.

Praise God for the gift of being renewed, by His Word and Spirit, and through this community of fellow believers, sojourning together in caring for creation. You are welcome to get in touch with Joel at  learn@lausannecanada.com from Lausanne Movement Canada, for further guidance on how you could initiate something similar where you have been planted, to make a difference.

Next year, 2024, will be the Lausanne Movement’s 50^th birthday and there are plans for the 4^th Lausanne Congress (known as L4) in South Korea, 22^nd-28^th September.

As many of you know, the 3^rd Lausanne Congress, Cape Town 2010, was significant in seeing “creation care as a gospel issue within the Lordship of Jesus Christ.” This helped spark the global creation care movement now known as LWCCN (the Lausanne / World Evangelical Alliance Creation Care Network).

L4 is not just a conference but a multi-year, polycentric global process to catalyse the collaboration of the global church towards the discipling of the nations and the shaping of the world in 2050.

There are two particular ways we’d love to see all who get The Pollinator involved in L4:

1. Nominating delegates to attend L4 in person or virtually: it’s planned to have 5,000 in-person and 5,000 virtual delegates in Seoul, Sept. 2024. We really want creation care to be well represented. You can nominate people directly yourself here. The selection criteria are here, and include being a committed Christian in agreement with Lausanne’s basis. In addition, they want delegates to be globally representative (ie from everywhere), with at least 25% under 40, 40% women and 40% from the secular workplace (ie not working for churches or Christian organisations).

2. Influencing the programme of L4: we are keen to ensure creation care is high on the agenda, as this is hugely strategic for shaping mission priorities over the next decades. Each Lausanne region is holding a gathering where they will discuss the Agenda. If you have any contacts with Lausanne in your country / region please email them to express the need to prioritise creation care, or even offer to attend and speak about this at your regional gathering.
   
   The details for the Lausanne 4 Regional Gatherings are as follows:
   
   • East Asia – Online – 21^st-2nd April 2023 https://lausanne.org/gatherings/lausanne-4-regional-gathering-east-asia
   • Eurasia – Kyrgystan – 2^nd-5^th May 2023 https://lausanne.org/gatherings/lausanne-4-regional-gathering-eurasia
   • Oceania – Fiji – 21^st-23^rd June 2023 https://lausanne.org/gatherings/l4-regional-gathering-oceania
   • Caribbean – Guyana – 5^th-7^th July 2023 https://lausanne.org/gatherings/lausanne-4-regional-gathering-caribbean
   • South East Asia – Online – 23^rd-25^th August 2023 https://lausanne.org/gatherings/lausanne-4-regional-gathering-south-east-asia
   • Latin America – Uruguay – 19^th-23^rd September 2023 https://lausanne.org/gatherings/lausanne-4-regional-gathering-latin-america
   • North America – Wheaton, USA – 17^th-18^th October 2023 https://lausanne.org/gatherings/lausanne-4-regional-gathering-north-america
   • South Asia – Sri Lanka – 31^st October – 2^nd November 2023 https://lausanne.org/gatherings/lausanne-4-regional-gathering-south-asia
   • Europe – Hungary – 2^nd-5^th November 2023 https://lausanne.org/gatherings/lausanne-4-regional-gathering-europe
   • Africa & Middle East – Ethiopia – 14^th-17^th November 2023 https://lausanne.org/gatherings/lausanne-4-africa-and-middle-east-gathering

For more information, contact Dave Bookless and Jasmine Kwong, Creation Care Catalysts, on creationcare@lausanne.org .