Best Practices

I am a climate career professional - someone who works on climate advocacy and climate justice as a job, Monday through Friday, 9 to 5. It is my dream job. As part of my job, I work on mobilizing Christians to take faithful action in the public sphere in response to the climate crisis through storytelling, resourcing, opportunities to petition legislators on specific bills, and non-violent direct action. Almost every time I’m invited to speak on climate change, the question of how to stay hopeful emerges.

Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John—  although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.  Now he had to go through Samaria.  So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph.  Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well.

There is a relatively new threat to the health of Americans and Canadians. The flourishing future for all people, which our religious tradition envisions, is threatened by PFAS chemicals, which contaminate our water supplies and exist in various consumer products. Vulnerable and frontline communities, for whom we are particularly called to care, are especially affected. Of the approximately 5000 PFAS chemicals produced, only perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanoic sulfonate (PFOS) have been studied extensively. 

Not too long ago, I was in a Christian Climate Observers Program (CCOP) leadership meeting discussing and making plans for COP25 which concluded last month. During the course of this planning meeting, our team wrestled with the idea of what ‘role’ as well as the scope of engagement our CCOP delegates would have with other civil society groups present at COP25. 

As reformed believers the staff at the Office of Social Justice and Centre for Public Dialogue understand that we live and work to the glory of God.  This past year has continued to demand much of our hearts, minds, bodies, and souls as we seek to live in light of that. So as we place the labour of 2019 in God’s hands and turn the page towards 2020 we’ve taken a moment to reflect on our lives, learning and work in 2019 and appreciate how we’ve learned and grown over the past year.  Enjoy!  

In 1992, the nations of the world met in Rio de Janeiro and agreed that they had a responsibility to respond to the reality of climate change. They created the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and agreed that the participating nations would meet once a year. 

I have yet to join a Friday Climate Strike. Not because I don’t think climate is important. I understand the clear science behind climate change and have seen firsthand the devastating impacts both in Kenya and in British Columbia, Canada to human and non-human communities. I know that humans are adding more toxins, more carbon dioxide, more destruction than the earth is capable of dealing with right now. No, I agree with the words being spoken on the placards and through the megaphones. 

The “F” word that I encounter regularly has a way deeper impact than the one you are probably thinking about. FEAR. 

"Forget Everything And Run” or “Face Everything And Rise. "

As I write this, it’s just a couple of hours after the Prime Minister asked the Governor General to dissolve Parliament and call an election.  I know that elections come with a lot of partisan silliness that can cause us to groan and slip into cynicism and apathy. But as people of hope, rooted in Christ, it’s important to buck the trend of political cynicism, to be surprising by being hopeful, even grateful.  Visible gratitude for the opportunity to act as citizens for the good of our communities is counter-cultural in an age of cynicism.

September 6th is National Read a Book Day! With the upcoming Canadian election in mind, the Centre for Public Dialogue has compiled this great list of books for you to read on Sept 6th, or any other day this fall. These titles have been read and enjoyed by our staff and board members as they endeavor to speak hope to elected officials, and to engage our families, neighbourhoods, and church communities in doing justice.