Winter 2000
"Encouraging one another"
Table of Contents
A Word From EEN's new directorFrom the Editor
Fellowship and Stewardship (*)
Real benefits for EEN small groups (*)
Simpler Living, Compassionate Life by Michael Schut
The Walkabout
Family Time: turtle talks by Fred Wiechmann
Tales from Trails in the Sierra Nevada
From the Boiler Room (*)
Washington Update (*)
Why so few Christians in creation care? (*)
(*) Full text not available online
A Word From EEN's new director
When did your creation-care awakening begin?
Mine began in earnest nearly ten years ago. So, yes, I'm still rather young in creation-care years-much younger, I'm sure, than many of you. I was already an ordained American Baptist minister, and I was in my first year in graduate school at Drew University in Madison, N.J. Years earlier as a child I loved being in the forest surrounded by trees. Unfortunately, at that time no one actively nurtured my love for God's creation.
But at Drew, which is described as a "university in the forest," another first year graduate student and now close friend began speaking to me about her love for God's creation. At first I just thought this was simply a charming eccentricity of hers, to put it delicately. Now I know that when Bonnie Gisel began to share her love for God's creation with me, it changed the direction of my life. When we met I had a deep concern for peace and justice issues; Bonnie slowly and gently showed me that my Christian faith also called me to protect the rest of creation as well. In this sense Bonnie gave me "new eyes" through which to see the world-as all great teachers do.
Today there are lots of titles that go with my name: "Reverend," "Dr.," "Professor," and now "Executive Director" of the Evangelical Environmental Network. But I'm still quite young in seeing creation through the eyes of Christ; I'm still just a child in understanding all of Creation through the mind of Christ. Hopefully such youthfulness will continue to inspire my wonder at God's Creation and my excitement about creation care.
How about you? Who has nurtured you into creation-care? Please share your story with me.
One way that you can help others see all of creation through the loving eyes of Christ is through an effort we are launching called "Creation Sunday." On the first Sunday in April, we want congregations all across the country, during worship and educational activities, to highlight the joy of caring for all of Christ's creation. The next issue of Creation Care will be designed to help congregations celebrate Creation Sunday. Let us know if you want us to send you extra copies. Just as Bonnie shared her love for creation with me, changing my life, now we invite you to use Creation Sunday to share the wonder of God's creation and the joy of creation care.
Jim Ball, Executive Director, EEN
From the Editor
Dear friends,
We're devoting a substantial portion of this issue of Creation Care to encouragement. Specifically, the kind of encouragement Christ taught us to give, and receive, from fellow disciples gathered in small groups.
Our history
This ministry of EEN came about with the merger of The Christian Society of the Green Cross and the
Evangelical Environmental Network in the Spring of 1998. It is the realization of a dream of a handful of pioneering leaders in the Christian movement for biblically grounded earth stewardship.
Today, EEN is a core ministry of Evangelicals for Social Action.
Our mission
The EEN works for the restoration and enjoyment of God's creation while inspiring Christians to lead ecologically
responsible lives. We strive
to assess our values in light of the Bible; learn to think, talk and live responsibly; and create new earthkeeping opportunities for our families, our friends, our churches and our communities.
Our numbers
Our supporters number almost 5,000 in the United States, Canada, Mexico and other nations. We are affiliated with the National Religious Partnership for the Environment. Our budget of
approximately $250,000 annually is funded by individual contributions and philanthropic grants.
Our publications
Of course, we publish Creation Care, blending careful scholarship with
practical stewardship, and a variety of educational materials grounded in Scripture and centered in Christ.
From east to west here in North America, the excitement is building in our Small Group Ministry. We hope you'll consider becoming part of the action. We have helpful materials, and we can offer advice and counsel on starting a group within your community, or on integrating creation care into the small group ministry of your church. For more information, visit our website, or call 610.645.9392.
Thank you for being with us. May God be with you always.
Simpler Living, Compassionate Life
Michael SchutOne year ago now, I sat on a bus in Mutare, Zimbabwe waiting to leave for Masvingo. Just outside my window young boys lifted up baskets of bananas and peanuts; a young woman, a baby strapped to her back, held up freshly roasted corn; all of them hoping for a sale. Having traveled in Africa for three months already, I was accustomed to children and mothers selling their wares wherever people gathered.
But what surprised me as I waited was the blind beggar, in his 40s, holding a white tin cup and a white cane feeling the way before him. He stepped up into the bus, singing for all he was worth, and walked the length of the aisle, and back. Fifteen minutes later he returned, hoping again for a little help.
In the gospel of John, Jesus says that he came that we might have "life, and life abundantly." It struck me that in the midst of that blind beggar's poverty, those around him were extending an abundance of compassion -- in spite of their own relative poverty. I have never seen a beggar allowed on a bus here in affluent America. I wondered if Zimbabwe's society was able to extend this compassion because it more immediately recognizes that in the final accounting we, all of us, are in this together. That we will either survive or not as a community, not as individuals grasping for all we can get.
The best-selling book and community-building study guide Simpler Living, Compassionate Life: A Christian Perspective (SLCL) can help individuals and small groups along the path of living out the Christian faith in everyday life; it invites the reader to express greater compassion and extend that not only to the blind beggars that cross our paths, but to ourselves and God's creation. SLCL understands compassion as a great power: as not only empathy, but emanating from the root of justice.
The book begins by acknowledging the shared restlessness many feel in American society. The sense that we are "off-center." So it explores our relationships with time and money. From there the book's noted authors (including Richard Foster, Calvin DeWitt, Henri Nouwen, Cecile Andrews and Wendell Berry) offer their voices to discussions of consumption, global economics and justice; to the impacts of everyday food choices; to the politics of simplicity; to the theology and worldview of creation care from a Christian perspective; to the importance of community support.
SLCL is comprised of over 30 essays from 20 different authors and a 12-week study guide. For those with less than 12 weeks, there are suggested 4, 6, or 8 week options. Numerous small groups have been formed, using the book to invite participants toward the "abundant life" modeled after Jesus, rather than the "good life" so strongly sold within our culture.
I am available to facilitate workshops and retreats around Simpler Living, Compassionate Life. Many find it helpful to have a focused introduction to the book before using it within their own congregations. Those with whom I have spoken about their use of the book report a stronger sense of community and progress toward meaningful -- for themselves and the planet -- lifestyle changes.
The retreats/workshops are founded upon a Christian perspective and theology and include times for reflection. We will also have time to consider everyday choices, and their connections to economic justice, ecological degradation and poverty, and the burden our accumulation places on our lives and on the planet. You will come away with practical ideas as well as resources for creating a community of support in your own church or hometown.
To schedule an event, and discuss possible formats and costs, please call Michael Schut at 206-632-2426; or email to his attention at emoffice@earthministry.org.
Michael Schut, graduate of Wheaton College and former Associate Director of the Seattle-based Earth Ministry, is the editor of Simpler Living, Compassionate Life: A Christian Perspective and author of its twelve-week study-guide. He works closely with churches, small groups and individuals interested in deepening their awareness of the connections between Christian faith, environmental and social justice, and care for creation, and how to express that awareness in everyday lifestyle choices. Michael has an M.S. in Environmental Studies and a B.S. in Biology.
The Walkabout
In October 1994 the Rocky Mountain News published an article about four women in Arvada, Colorado who walked three or four miles together every weekday morning. For 10 years they'd talked while they walked, so their commitment was to friendship as well as fitness. They once calculated their distances and figured out they could have walked to Melbourne, Australia.The Australian term walkabout refers to a solitary walk, often lasting many weeks. They live off the land and spend time with themselves surrounded by nature. There's another Australian term, to get bushed, which means to get lost. I had been bushed for years but couldn't recognize what needed change. I had many health problems, I was unhappy with my work, and I'd drifted away from church. Even though surrounded by people, I was terribly alone. My spirit was starving to death.
Then a new friend shared an article by Sam Keen, author of Your Mythic Journey: Finding Meaning in Your Life Through Writing and Storytelling. He wrote, "When we tell our stories to one another, we, at one and the same time, find the meaning of our lives and are healed from our isolation and loneliness. Strange as it may seem, self-knowledge begins with self-revelation."
Gradually and cautiously I opened up to new people. I discovered self esteem and dreams within myself dormant but still alive, waiting for me to liberate them.
During that time I began the afternoon walks, not only for the exercise, but for the quiet time to go within myself. Prayer time was for talking to God; walking was my meditation time for listening. The walkabout got my body, mind and spirit back into balance. Finding new direction and depth to my life was both exciting and terrifying. When I returned to church, I found the spiritual family I'd been missing, but best of all I found myself. I developed a totally new relationship with a loving God who accepted me as I was. For the first time in many years, I felt good about myself.
Those daily interludes with nature strengthened me. Month after month, I watched spring grass turn green, then shrivel brown in the intense summer heat. Squirrels gathered nuts, and snow covered fallen leaves. I logged seasonal miles, toning muscles and feeling energized, but mostly, just feeling. My health returned, and I developed a positive attitude on the job that surprised me. The little girl inside me was stronger than I had ever admitted, and finally I was honoring her.
As a child growing up in the country, I talked to animals and clouds with a sense of wonder. Adulthood took away some of that innocence, but pine trees still symbolized pillars of security. Open fields of grass told me of unlimited possibilities, and sunsets meant the earth was revolving, getting another day ready. Ocean tides represented a washing away of problems written in the sand.
My spiritual walkabout to Australia became a never-ending journey when I discovered there was still so much to learn. The growing pains were hard, and I got discouraged and impatient with baby steps. After so many years off course going sideways, why couldn't I take big strides? Perhaps those years were the conditioning, the time at base camp waiting to tackle the summit.
Like those dedicated Colorado women, I ventured out again, one baby step at a time. Finally I had a map to guide me. I sought out my favorite spots in nature and again found that inner sense of peace and tranquillity. In the quiet earth sounds, I heard the wisdom of God.
Family Time: turtle talks
Fred WiechmannHow many of you remember your first turtle? Come on, close your eyes...you can see it... the clear plastic bowl with a ramp to higher ground...and the green palm trees...and don't forget the green, little turtle which completed the turtle kit you purchased at the local pet store. Those little guys provided many of us city-dwellers with a close look at a curious and fascinating reptile. They also helped us deal with death and dying, as they did not live too long.
I can also remember the first time I rescued an Eastern Box Turtle from the middle of the road in Virginia, returning from a summer vacation. Yes, I confess, I removed it from the wild and relocated it to our back yard in Pittsburgh, PA! At 10 years old, I was sure I was doing the right thing. No one taught me otherwise.
I made a small pen in a corner of our leaf compost pile and learned by observation that earthworms were his favorite food. He found those with little help from me. I provided fruit and veggies. It wasn't long until I felt guilty about holding him captive, and one day I let him go. When he left, he didn't look back, and that hurt a little. But, I guess I couldn't blame him. The following year, I saw him cruising across the hillside, and I'm sure he cocked his head as if to say, "Thanks!"
Maybe you have such memories.
Last year, I was looking for a WILDlife adventure project for my students at Lakeland Christian School, in order to bring students closer to God's marvelous creation. I thought the third graders might really get into Box Turtles. They were about the same age that I had my Box Turtle experience. When Sherry Yeater, one of the third grade teachers, agreed to work with me on the project, I knew we would have no problem with the kids.
The Scripture selected to emphasize this study was Job 12:7a, "But ask the animals, and they will teach you... As the project developed throughout the year, I saw the students learn the wonders of Creation up close and personal, over and over again.
Word got out about the project and, within two weeks, I had two Box Turtles, unwanted pets needing a new home. A nondescript section of our courtyard area next to the cafeteria became the holding area and eventually was transformed into a turtle habitat with a waterfall, pond and numerous plants native to Florida. More than $3000 was raised though numerous fund-raising endeavors: McDonald's Night (I cooked the fries), WILDlife T-shirts, a gift wrap sale and a mini-grant from our local Promise Youth Learning Council. It wasn't long until the area was surrounded with rubbernecking students wanting to know what was going on. What is that WILDman Wiechmann doing now?
Over the course of several months, I visited Mrs. Yeater's class weekly and presented a 15-minute "Turtle Talk." My weekly topics informed them about the Box Turtle's natural history, diet, anatomy and physiology, and stresses on their populations in Florida due to habitat loss, cars, and turtle pirates collecting and selling them abroad. The students kept a journal of the talks, which was to be their knowledge base. This was to help them "go public" to the rest of the school about what they had learned about their shelled friends. By this time, we had three turtles, named by the class as Granny (an old Eastern Box turtle), and male and female Florida Box Turtles, one named Buster who always "busted out" of the habitat and the other Shylo, the "shy one."
While we were learning about the Box Turtles, construction of a waterfall, pond and basking area was taking place. The male and female Florida Box Turtles had children, which were found, to our surprise, trying to get into the cafeteria. Soon after, Buster, "busted out" again and disappeared. Shylo was now a single parent! I received my permit from The Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission to have Box Turtles for educational purposes and I joined the Florida Herpetological Society.
With the help of two high school students and two sixth graders, we divided the class into four groups, with one of the older students as the group leader. Each group used the information in their journal to write a "Turtle Talk" of their own. They really got into it! I purchased some display cases for the turtles and a boombox and microphone to use in their presentations from some of the fund raising projects. In the months of April and May, the groups had 22 "Turtle Talks" with all the elementary classes and the high school Biology classes. We also had five local preschools bring their 4-year-olds to our campus as field trips.
One of the most rewarding experiences I had with this project was the relationship I built with students who were the "Stewards" of the Box Turtle habitat. At the end of each day, two students would stop by my office to get turtle food, earthworms, and fruit and veggies to feed their friends. Every month, another two students would get this privilege and I got blessed. Near the end of the year I received a note from Lindsay, one of the stewards, which read, "I love you as much as a trutle." In spite of "turtle" being misspelled, I knew she had a lifetime memory..
And so did I.
Tales from Trails in the Sierra Nevada
Participants of Genesis, a community-building backpacking experience for students, faculty, and staff of Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, ventured into the Sierra Nevada near Yosemite National Park for 10 days of camping, living, climbing, worshipping and reflecting on life together among God's hand-crafted creation. Amidst the late summer blossoms of lupins and Indian paint brushes, relationships took root: relationships between individuals; between individuals and the group; the group and creation; individuals and God.
The trip proved quite demanding At our four day base camp, situated at 9,000 feet on the edge of a beautiful meadow in Rainbow Canyon deep in Toyabe National Forest, members participated in daily expeditions of rock climbing, rappelling, and summiting the 11,500 ft. Hawksbeak Peak. While koinonia was an intentional hope and goal of the Genesis trip, it could not be artificially manufactured. But as we hiked together, worked together, lived, ate, laughed, cried, shared, and complained together, our presence was graced by moments of community: when one woman came back to carry the pack of another; as one seasoned climber assisted a physically aching and tired novice.
The following reflections invite you to experience some of these moments of community that occurred between participants, God, creation, and one another.
"Creation offers a peaceful alternative to city life. I wasn't in a car stuck in L.A. traffic. I wasn't in an office building from nine to five. I was outside taking one step at a time closer to our daily destination. My worries were cut substantially from my regular routine of running around. All I had to worry about was taking the time to enjoy all the sights on our trek.
"Spending time in creation made life simple. I was able to enjoy the sounds of birds, rushing streams and the rustling of the trees in the wind. I notice many details on the trail that I would have missed if in a car. I found out how significant nature is to our daily health; that is, our spiritual, mental, and physical health."
A seasoned outdoor adventurer summarized his Genesis experience in these words:
"After sleeping outdoors for several nights, one begins to slow down, to take more time to observe and ponder the world one encounters. We were challenged to consider viewing creation less anthropocentrically than evangelical Christianity has historically. We were encouraged to care for one another as we wrestled with the daily chore of carrying our packs and these larger themes of stewardship. Participating in these discussions while interacting simply with one another and creation highlighted the current destruction of many wilderness areas and challenged each of us to consider becoming more deeply involved in protecting and preserving wild places."
One woman involved in urban ministry wrote:
"Living in the city has shown me God's heart of compassion towards those who are poor. I have felt inside me His fury towards injustice and systems that oppress people. I have experienced His mercy and grace as those with very little have generously given to me when I have been in need. My walk with God has grown deeper and richer as I have struggled through hard questions and wrestled with complex issues that have no easy answers. I am thankful for what the city has taught me about God.
What strikes me most coming out of the city and into the wilderness is the complete silence that surrounds me during the day and the deep darkness that engulfs me at night. No city noises, no city lights. It is peaceful. My ears are able to listen without distraction and my eyes are refreshed by the natural beauty of the day and the stars at night. The silence speaks loudly of God's presence. No words need to be spoken in order to communicate. The mountains and trees and streams themselves seem to have a way of telling endless stories of who God is. Refreshment is found. Joy is received. Wisdom and understanding are gained."
"As Christ is present in the city, He is present in the mountains. Both add important pieces to my understanding of who God is and how He wants me to live. The wilderness helps keep me balanced and focused and still in a busy urban world.
Another woman described the spiritual impact that this trip had on her life:
"Throughout my life, I've struggled with wanting to be good at something and not feeling like I ever was. This Genesis trip reassured me that God loves me whether I'm the best at something or whether I 'm the least. In fact, it was when I was weak, sore, slow, and felt like the least in the group that God seemed the most evident to me. God was always present, however, it was when I was the least able to rely on my own skills that I cried out to the Lord and, at that point, became the most aware of the sustaining power of the Holy Spirit - to refresh, strengthen and comfort me."
"I came back from the Genesis trip with a renewed understanding of God's grace - a renewed assurance that God loves me because God created me. I, like the wilderness, do not need to justify my existence in this world. I am here because the Master Creator and Designer of the Universe chose to include me in this masterpiece and I am finally going to relax and enjoy being here."
A Danish student, awed by the beauty and power exibited in God's handiwork, found poetry and scripture interwoven in a helpful expression of her experience:
"From Seminary to 'Genesis' and back."
The endless cycle of idea and action,
Endless invention, endless experiment,
Brings knowledge of motion, but not of stillness;
Knowledge of speech, but not of silence;
Knowledge of words, and ignorance of the Word. 1
But the land you are crossing to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven. For the Lord your God is bringing
you into a good land - a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills. To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and
everything in it. Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other.
A Marriage and Family therapy student (now therapist) found relational and communal aspects of the trek replaying in her mind as she returned:
"Living in community with fellow human beings is not easy. Our brokers especially shows itself when we are far from the comforts of home and interacting with people with differing physical and emotional needs and differing personalities. At times, living with this new "family" for ten days in the Wilderness reminded me of my own family dynamics from childhood and tapped into painful places deep in my soul.
"But there were other times, too - when kindness would be offered in an encouraging word, a shoulder to cry on or a listening ear that could understand. These were the times when community became a healing experience and I am thankful for these moments God reached out and touched me through the people around me.
"God reached out and spoke to me through creation as well. During the night of my solo experience (twenty four hour period for participants to be alone
with God in the wilderness with no food) I realized anew the vastness of creation. So many stars!
It was incredible to think about the creator of this universe as also being intimately involved in my
life and the lives of others who live on the earth. How could I not trust my fears and worries - my future and my very life - to this God who set the stars, moons, and planets in their places and keeps them
smoothly synchronized in motion. I felt amazed and humbled at the same time."
A first year-student from the American Midwest captured thoughts early on through a group journal, shared nightly around the dinner circle:
"Woke up this morning to a beautiful view of the meadow. I will never cease to be amazed at how majestic the mountains are or how serene our surroundings.... The first leg of the trail was hard for me and I began to believe it was an absolute mistake for me to come. "Lord, I must have heard you wrong', I began to say. After awhile longer I began to painfully and angrily say, 'Why have you left me here by myself!?... I can't do this by myself!' Almost immediately, the rest of the group stopped and began carrying parts of my load. What a humbling experience! God truly does meet you where you are. He uses his servants."
The trek's coordinator penned one grace-filled moment:
"Reflecting on Genesis, I am keenly aware of how deeply my life has personally evolved from time spent in the wilderness. I recall one clear moment when life seemed true: I spent an afternoon leisurely washing off in a clean babbling brook. One stroke at a time I cleansed every inch of my aching, dirty body, becoming particularly acquainted with my feet and toes. The clock was not my slave driver that day. A functional activity which takes mere minutes at home, turned into a luxurious, hour-long bathing experience. Simultaneously, I observed an insect taking its own bath after I rescued it from my water bottle. Settling back to read a poem, I was struck by these words:
.... to remember that song of creation
to delight in it
to mourn for it
One must consciously be in it
Not just on it, but in it. ( quoted from "We Won't Save the Earth" by Dave Willis)
For that one, brief, shining moment, I was in."
For those ten short days among the Sierra Nevadas, we all felt "in" God's grace within the communion of God, His creation, and one another.
This article was a communal project among the Genesis participants: Joy Lewis, Liz Newquist, Joyce Olson, Jenny Dolder, Margaritte Bentsen, Darryl Schrock, and Randy Parks. We are grateful for Dave Willis of Sierra Treks, Jen - his creative assistant, and Mojo the wonderdog. You are all "Once, Twice, Three times a backpack."