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Christian Environmental Stewardship - July/August 2023 |
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Bees: A Doorway to God
With a BA in biology and an interest in entomology, it’s easy to see how bees might be a doorway to God for Amy.
Amy is a congregant of Forestview Church in Oakville, Ontario, and also - the leader of the Bee Team!
She leads a small group of people to care for two bee hives on the church’s property - which involves everything from maintaining the natural environment to extracting honey.
(Forestview Church even gives small jars of honey to newcomers as a welcome gift!)
The Bee Team leads bee hive tours for church and community members.
It’s become a talking point for friends and neighbours - so many people from outside the church have visited the church property to see the bees.
So why bees?
Amy sees them as more than just insects.
It’s more “Aha!” than “Agh!” as she is intrigued and appreciative of these little creatures.
She says bees have helped her find her place in this world.
It is more than just us - there are others living here and we have a responsibility to care for them.
Bees may be small but we have so much learn from them, like the way they communicate with each other and how they work together.
Amy says bee keeping has made her realize God has created and cares for these little insects in such extraordinary ways that it has given her a glimpse into how much God loves her.
And her neighbour.
Imagine that - all from a bee!
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Biologist Katharina Richter
“Being a Christian also means being an environmentalist,” says biologist Katharina Richter from Lincoln Road Chapel in Waterloo, ON.
It’s not an either/or situation.
If we are not taking care of God’s earth, then we are trashing it.
Learning how to respectfully and gratefully live in and with God’s world is a necessary part of the Christian faith.
Katharina is a Terrestrial and Wetland Biologist at Natural Resource Solutions Inc., an environmental consulting firm.
For 20 years, she has been living her convictions about faith and the environment through her day job as she conducts environmental impact studies and environmental assessments.
Before they move ahead with construction, building contractors need an environmental report so they know where to build and protect the environment at the same time.
This is where she comes in.
Here is a woman whose care and concern for bugs and frogs and salamanders and deer and birds originates from her Christian spirituality.
Katharina would encourage churches to embed Christian environmental stewardship into their regular rhythms, rather than simply having creation care as a fringe issue.
Recycling and composting are easy ways to start.
Native plant species in our church gardens.
Reducing plastics.
Getting rid of styrofoam.
Being wise about lighting and water use.
As our creation groans and our neighbours suffer around the world from our over-consumption and unreasonable standard of living, let us love this good earth which God created, called good, and gifted to us by caring for our planet.
This is our act of worship and a quiet declaration of our gratitude to God.
People like Katharina who are a part of our congregations can help us with this.
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Hydrogeologist Tiffany Svensson
Meet Tiffany, a hydrogeologist.
Here’s a woman who loves water.
Especially groundwater.
She spends her days on source water protection and helping others manage their water resources including preparing strategies to address periods of drought.
Growing up in Sweden, the value of the environment and the need to protect it was pervasive.
There was a natural sense of connectedness between individuals and society and the earth.
So as a Christ-follower, taking care of planet Earth was a non-negotiable.
After all, it is the first mandate God gave us - even before the 10 Commandments!
And since Earth is often referred to as the blue planet, due to the predominance of water compared to other planets in our solar system, it is a consideration in almost everything that happens around us.
Especially the invisible resource of groundwater. The majority of humanity relies on groundwater in one form or other including as a source of drinking water.
Groundwater is essential, invisible, but evident everywhere as it sustains surface water features and the surrounding ecosystem.
As a hydrogeologist, Tiffany would like to encourage church leaders to remember that environmental stewardship is a big issue for our youth.
The next generation need to know that the church considers environmental stewardship a critical aspect of living out our faith and mandate as Christ followers and not to be anxious or careless, but to act in partnership with God.
Somehow, we need to address our inherent desire for more. We need to live simply so that others can simply live.
To simplify and reduce the environmental impact of how we live.
To care for this home that God has given us.
It makes me wonder - how can we improve on how we make this a topic of conversation within churches that shines the light of Jesus?
That draws others to see the Creator of this beautiful but weary world?
For us to honour God through our individual actions and as a church?
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Meet David Knight - Author of Downstream from Eden
When David met and fell in love with Tiffany, he was intrigued by her world of water. As a hydrogeologist, she works with issues relating to ground water of which he knew next to nothing. So, as a teacher and pastor, David began to investigate the theme of water in the Bible. To his surprise, water seemed to be everywhere from the first chapter of Genesis to the last chapter of Revelation and a significant theme of spiritual thirst and satisfaction threaded through it. David began writing devotionals about water based on these biblical stories - the parting of the Red Sea, Moses striking the rock, Jesus walking on water, and so many more.
He came to appreciate more and more the gift of water as a natural resource and the wisdom and generosity of God as Creator, Artist and Provider and the unique role of Jesus as the Living Water. Water also seemed to be a powerful metaphor that provides wisdom.
Over time, David revised and edited these devotionals to compile as a single book.
And, Downstream from Eden was born. With over 400 scripture references, David hopes it’s a useful resource and reference book for church leaders, that it enriches and stimulates a deeper appreciation of God as Creator and our calling to creation care and stewardship of the Earth.
If we don’t talk about environmental stewardship, we are bypassing a whole generation,” says David. It’s an issue that the church cannot be ignorant of or silent about. And once we educate ourselves about environmental issues, we need to act accordingly. Included in the book is a “Manifesto for Action” - 10 disciplines that help align our behaviour with our beliefs. Things like reverence, gratitude, responsive stewardship, generosity, and so on.
About 10 years ago, David was part of the Lausanne Global Consultation on Creation Care and the Gospel. Two major convictions arose from those discussions - that the environmental crisis is urgent and that creation care is indeed a gospel issue. Articulated in the document “Creation Care and the Gospel: Jamaican Call to Action,” is an intentional call for Christian leaders to consider.
For more information, please read it in full here:
What was clear in my conversation with David was this:
That nodding and sighing when environmental issues are raised are not enough.
Our response needs to go beyond mental assent.
Instead, actions must accompany our words.
May we hear and do well, as the Spirit of God leads and directs.
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Serve God, Save the Planet
by J. Matthew Sleeth
Not long ago, J. Matthew Sleeth had a fantastic life and a great job as chief of the medical staff at a large hospital. He was living the American dream―until he saw an increasing number of his patients suffering from cancer, asthma, and other chronic diseases. He began to suspect that the Earth and its inhabitants were in deep trouble. Turning to Jesus for guidance, Sleeth discovered how the scriptural lessons of personal responsibility, simplicity, and stewardship could be applied to modern life. The Sleeths have since sold their big home and given away more than half of what they once owned. In Serve God, Save the Planet, Sleeth shares the joy of adopting a less materialistic, healthier lifestyle, stronger relationships, and richer spiritual lives. With the storytelling ease of James Herriot and the logical clarity of C. S. Lewis, Sleeth lays out the rationale for environmentally responsible life changes and a how-to guide for making those changes.
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Planted: A Story of Creation, Calling, and Community
by Leah Kostamo
This is not a "how to" book, but a "how so" book in which the reader is invited to travel with Leah Kostamo on the wild ride of salmon saving, stranger welcoming, and God worshiping as she and her husband help establish the first Christian environmental center in Canada. Avoiding simplistic prescriptions or clichéd platitudes, Leah wrestles with issues of poverty, justice, and the environment through the narrative of her own life experience. The lived-theology and humility of voice conveyed in these pages draws readers to new and creative ways to honor the Creator as they are inspired to care for creation.
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Saving Us:
A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World
by Katharine Hayhoe
Called “one of the nation’s most effective communicators on climate change” by The New York Times, Katharine Hayhoe knows how to navigate all sides of the conversation on our changing planet. A Canadian climate scientist living in Texas, she negotiates distrust of data, indifference to imminent threats, and resistance to proposed solutions with ease. Over the past fifteen years Hayhoe has found that the most important thing we can do to address climate change is talk about it—and she wants to teach you how.
In Saving Us, Hayhoe argues that when it comes to changing hearts and minds, facts are only one part of the equation. We need to find shared values in order to connect our unique identities to collective action. This is not another doomsday narrative about a planet on fire. It is a multilayered look at science, faith, and human psychology, from an icon in her field—recently named chief scientist at The Nature Conservancy.
Drawing on interdisciplinary research and personal stories, Hayhoe shows that small conversations can have astonishing results. Saving Us leaves us with the tools to open a dialogue with your loved ones about how we all can play a role in pushing forward for change.
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Inter-Generational Diaspora Seminar
Opportunities & Challenges
Passing faith on to the next generation is a challenge facing the diaspora church. Parents love their children and desire harmonious relationships with them to build and sustain a strong church, but generational cultural differences often create tensions and challenges.
At this seminar, diaspora leaders share their experiences and learning to help inspire unity between generations.
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Saturday, October 14
9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
The Church in Toronto
671 Sheppard Ave E,
North York, ON
Co-hosted by:
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Thinking Shrewdly 2024
April 18 - 20, 2024
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Save the date for VMC's national, in-person conference happening next April in Ontario!
Come join others from across Canada to celebrate, learn, connect and be encouraged together! There's lot of planning still to happen but we are thrilled that our featured presenter will be James K. A. Smith. You can learn more about the award-winning author, speaker and philosopher at jameskasmith.com
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Every week, we share stories from across our network of churches that show how God is at work in and through His people.
Here are a few stories:
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Please join us as we gather and pray together online each month for our VMC churches and leaders.
The VMC prayer team gathers on the first Thursday of the month at the following times across the country: 1:00-2:00pm (Atlantic), Noon-1:00pm (Eastern), 11:00-Noon (Central), 10:00-11:00am (Mountain) and 9:00-10:00am (Pacific).
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519-725-1212 or toll-free 1-877-509-5060
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