Raising awareness means sharing knowledge with the aim of influencing others, but also sharing one’s passion for a cause. Raising awareness about the environment can encompass various aspects: providing information about nature and how it works, about the planet’s ecological state, discussing the Christian’s mission in relation to creation, but also sharing one’s love for nature and one’s desire to preserve it.
In their talks, our Ambassadors can focus on one or other of these aspects, with one common thread: sharing.
Raising awareness
Environmental awareness can develop in many different ways. Some people have been environmentally conscious since childhood, usually thanks to a supportive home environment or an education that fostered this awareness. Others may have become aware of the issue through exposure to scientific reports or documentaries on the state of the planet. Many Christians readily acknowledge the importance of respecting God’s creation, but will need a specific catalyst to integrate this into their way of life: discussions, an inspiring testimony, practical ideas for daily life, collective challenges, and so on.
Whether sharing information about the state of the environment or bearing witness to their personal commitment, our Ambassadors are ideally placed to raise environmental awareness, each in their own way, drawing on their unique personalities and experiences. Our hope, of course, is to inspire a desire to protect all living things and the whole of creation!
But with a Christian audience, A Rocha’s speciality is to highlight the commitment to creation that flows from our faith in Christ.
The foundations of ecological and Christian commitment
We have developed online training resources for Christians, such as The Biblical Foundations of Our Commitment.
However, the best way to raise awareness about the environment is still to meet people face-to-face, at a workshop, a conference or an outdoor awareness-raising event. This allows for an exchange of ideas, discussion can take place, and we can draw together on biblical texts to better understand the importance of protecting creation. This is what the Ambassadors Network does, whether by speaking in churches, at union conferences or at Christian camps, as Eglantine explains:
“At a camp for young Christian adults, A Rocha was asked to run a workshop, chosen from among a dozen other very appealing options. Given the audience, it made sense to offer a workshop on the Bible and ecology. The participants were mostly people who were simply curious – having never heard of a link between the Christian faith and caring for Creation – as well as sceptics. The space given to their questions and the interaction helped to build trust, enabling us to address all the key theological topics, discussing the supporting texts together. The sense of wonder at Psalm 104 and the harmonisation of 2 Peter 3 with Romans 8 were decisive in turning sceptics into believers. They expressed their gratitude at realising how Creation has been part of the Christian faith from the very beginning. They left with a summary sheet of the workshop, as well as practical ideas for applying what they had learnt to their daily lives.”
Talking about the environment at a major youth event: Alexandra’s story
We’re back from Echo, which brought together nearly 9,000 people, and honestly, I applaud the unity of the ADD for that! And above all, glory to God!
It was a powerful moment where we could see God at work, touching young people, and the mobilisation of brothers and sisters in so many different initiatives and missions: evangelism among unreached peoples, evangelism through sport, caring for vulnerable individuals and communities, training, aid for the persecuted church, fashion, art… and caring for creation too, with our magnificent A Rocha stand.
Generally speaking, when someone came to the stand, we’d have them spin the wheel; it would land on a category and then they’d answer a question. The question “Did God create humans and land animals on the same day?” always caused quite a stir. We’d then often ask, “Does the environment mean anything to you? Do you see the link between the environment and the Bible?” .
The answer was almost always, “God created the Earth and everything on it, so we must respect his creation and look after it—or at least not destroy it.”
We would then usually build on this by discussing the mandate God gave us to tend the garden and cultivate the land, and later on, to link caring for creation with caring for our neighbours.
Here are some interesting encounters that touched us:
Elio (name changed), a young adult who has grown somewhat distant from God and his family, but whom we believe God has been working on this weekend
Noémie, an intern at A Rocha France in the Vallée des Baux – full of enthusiasm and energy to serve God and care for His creation
A young woman struck by the theme of ecology who doesn’t understand why it isn’t a given within the Church; we gave her ALL the leaflets, and Sandra gave her her own copy of the book *God, Ecology and Me*. Her friends were lovely too, and we had a good chat.
Clément, who knows A Rocha well and is studying to become a teacher!
A young adult asked me, “How can we reconcile ecology with agricultural development in parts of the world where agriculture is vulnerable? How can we do this without resorting to industrialisation?” and we had what I think was an interesting discussion on the matter, though unfortunately it was rather brief.
Overall, we’re happy to have been able to sow some seeds, even if we didn’t see any immediate changes taking place during our discussions.
Raising awareness of environmental issues, the joy of meeting people
Yes, raising awareness is a long-term process and requires patience. We sow the seeds, but we don’t always see the fruits of our labour.
On the other hand, what we do see during our outreach work is the joy of connection: discussing ecology with complete strangers, sharing our common faith, marvelling at God’s power and creativity, or even sometimes being surprised by our differing viewpoints… It could be said that if we were not present at major Christian events or in various churches to raise awareness about ecology, we would miss this opportunity to connect with one another. So, admittedly, we do not see the direct results of our work, but along the way, we gain mutual personal enrichment. And what if, as Goethe said, the goal was the journey? And as for a path, we know one very well—the most important one—which guides us in our actions: Jesus.
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”
John 14.6