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.

We have long appreciated Biologos for their leadership in bridging the perceived but largely imaginary gap between faith and science. And we’ve noticed recently that they are doing more and more in the area of creation care.

We are thus pleased to be able to point readers of The Pollinator to a recent series of podcasts on the topic of Creation Groans. The three episodes cover

• World of Wounds: We explore some of the wounds to the planet that often go unseen and we realize that the path to hope begins with the acknowledgement that the wounds are deep and troubling. 
• Into the Darkness: We allow ourselves to fully contemplate the woundedness of the planet and we reach into the Christian practice of lament as a way to find hope in the midst of the suffering we see around us.
• Hope on the Other Side: In this episode we explore what exactly hope is, how it relates to optimism, and how, when we find hope, we might also find repentance, forgiveness, joy, and love.

The featured guests are names well-known in the US, though perhaps not as well known to readers in other countries. Transcripts are available if your internet connection won’t handle the audio.

Here’s the first episode: World of Wounds:

Along the same lines, we also salute the National Association of Evangelicals in the US (part of the World Evangelical Alliance) for their recent issue of their magazine, Evangelicals, also on the topic of creation care. Again the writers are exclusively from the US, as is to be expected, but the material should be of interest to all of us – and an encouraging sign that evangelical care for God’s creation is not completely absent from the American evangelical scene.

Download the PDF here.

God in the Ordinary is a twice-monthly podcast dedicated to the premise that “ordinary Christians are the perfect candidates to serve God.” Two of those ordinary (though we would probably use extraordinary) people recently interviewed include A Rocha leaders Brittany Michalski and Bob Sluka. Here are the details on each of their episodes:

Brittany Michalski (click here to listen): Do you ever wonder if the problems of climate change are really something worth engaging with?  Are you considering how you can respond to questions about ecology, lower carbon living, and creation in general?  Do you think about how Jesus might react to issues of stewarding the world He gave us?  This week’s guest can help you reflect on all that and more.  Brittany Michalski is a conservation ecologist for Arocha USA, and a project coordinator of Climate Stewards.  Brittany shares how she blesses both her neighbours and the planet by being mindful and intentional about how she treats all of creation; helps us remember and recognise how God reveals Himself through creation; and comes to the measured conclusion that Christians should be joining in with the fight against global warming – her studies of marine ecosystems make her acutely aware of the negative impact of various pollutants.  You’ll be encouraged as we learn about the strong links between faith and science, and will be equipped by the many resources she shares.  Christians ought to be challenged to think and talk about environmental sustainability and Brittany lovingly guides us as we discuss this important topic.

Bob Sluka (click here to listen): Can science and Christian faith live side-by-side?  Are our small personal efforts towards recycling really making any difference?  And does God want all my attention to be turned towards telling people about Jesus with words alone?  Bob Sluka, Lead Scientist of A Rocha USA’s Marine Conservation Program, joins us to talk about how he reveals God through his work.  Bob shares how he’s seen God’s fingerprints in creation and tells of his motivation behind serving God in this field of science; tells us about some simple steps we can all take to help heal our lands, from how we fertilize our lawns to what fish we purchase from the supermarket; and spurs us on to think more deeply about how God sees His creation and encourages us to consider how God created all things to worship Him as they flourish.  Bob is living a life that integrates his beliefs and love of the ocean in a way that brings blessing to people, nations, and the planet, and it’s inspiring.  This edition is being released close to Earth Day 2022 and helps us to consider how Christians ought to respond to the many issues surrounding pollution and conservation.  So listen to this episode and hear how Bob’s words of wisdom encourage you on to new thinking and maybe even fresh action.

Description below; more information and a trailer here.

We are living in a time of crisis for the planet. Our overuse and misuse of water, energy and food has led to dangerous levels of habitat loss, pollution, soil degradation and ocean acidification. As a result we face the giant issues of climate change, biodiversity loss, disease and poverty.

A Rocha has always been a voice of hope in the environmental space. The Field Notes podcast, hosted by Peter Harris and Bryony Loveless, is an exploration of the ideas, practice and experience making a difference on the ground, through conversations with people who really know what they are talking about – from conservation scientists, explorers and biologists, to artists, entrepreneurs and theologians. They have hopeful stories to tell.

Welcome to the Renew our world podcast. Renew our world is a global movement of Christians who believe that since we are truly image bearers of God, we should act like it – living out love for one another in actions and in truth. Since we are image bearers of God, we won’t stand by while our neighbours are trapped in poverty, and we won’t stay idle as creation is left untended, and inequality is left to fester. 

In the podcast we are going to go on a journey together of discovering a theology of creation care. We’ll be discussing the latest in climate news, chatting with industry leaders, theologians, and practitioners and hearing from some of our incredible partners working on the ground. 

Join with us this season as we learn about creation care and what we can do in our lives to play our part in a bigger restorative story. 

Episodes are released regularly, and can be found at the Renew Our World website, Itunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

The climate change crisis can feel so formidable, so daunting, that instead of mobilizing people to action, it engenders paralysis. What could we mortals possibly do to prevent the calamity? A fair bit, it turns out. On Heat of the Moment, a 12-part podcast by FP Studios, in partnership with the Climate Investment Funds, we focus on ordinary people across the globe who have found ways to fight back. 

Hosted by CNN contributor John D. Sutter, each episode begins with an interview about a particular aspect of climate change that threatens our planet. The segment is followed by a sound-rich report highlighting one green project somewhere around the world—from Ghana to Brazil to Morocco. Listeners will hear from people who use innovation, technology, and investment to roll back the devastation. Heat of the Moment tells the stories of the people on the front lines of the fight against climate change.

Find Heat of the Moment here.

Or listen to the trailer here.