News from the Pews

Have you ever seen a tree so large that as you walked towards it you could not see the top and all perspectives of height began to whirl within you?

We live in a land that was once covered in trees so expansive that you would have to make a concerted effort to walk around them. Trees that stood for generations. Trees that were nourished by salmon carcasses strewn about the forest by eagles, wolves, and bears. Trees that welcomed new life into the world, provided clothes and baskets, and then stood watch as lives waned and returned to the earth.

This summer, I had the opportunity to participate in a learning tour with the Canadian Aboriginal Ministry Committee, World Renew, and the CRC Office of Race Relations focusing on places of racism, resistance, resilience, and reconciliation within urban Indigenous communities in southwestern Ontario. One of the places we visited was Aamjiwnaang First Nation, located on the St. Clair River, within the Sarnia city limits.

In the hundreds of conversations I’ve had about climate change, hope, and stewardship, the talk inevitably turns to politics. Rightly so. There is a lot we can do in our own homes, but we also look for guidance and direction from our governments: local, provincial, and federal. Recycling and waste recovery programs tend to be local, whereas larger programs like green energy generation and carbon taxes are left to the provinces or the federal government.

Cameron is the newest member of the Office of Social Justice team. He joins our team this week as the Justice Mobilizing and Advocacy Fellow, a one year position with our office. Cameron comes to us from a background in international development after attending Calvin College in Michigan where he received a Bachelor of Arts in International Development Studies with minors in Spanish and Ministry Leadership. This past year, Cameron served as an Marketing and Resource Development Americorps VISTA volunteer for Latin United Community Housing Association in Chicago.

As we sat in the fireside room at A Rocha’s property, Sir Ghillean Prance, a small group of volunteers and I (a stay-at-home mom) we felt a sense of awe that this man, who had been knighted by the queen for his work as a botanist, was so down to earth and hope-filled. One thing he said has stuck with me. When asked what gave him hope over his long career –he knew about and was working towards combating climate change already 20 years ago – his answer was: “Christ’s resurrection and human ingenuity”. 

On April 10, Aung Ko, Nang, Jet and Joli boarded a plane in Malaysia. Catching three flights, this young family would fly half way around the world to flee poverty and danger to find safety in the United States. With Jet just two years old and Joli only 8 months, it took some desperation and courage for these young parents to fly 17 hours to an unknown place called Michigan.

The news from Israel and the Palestinian territories seldom sounds hopeful. More often than not, the more we learn about the many complex layers of the conflict, the more discouraged we can become about the prospects for the future. When I speak about the realities on the ground there, people frequently ask me: What does hope look like?

As a black Christian with roots in the south and the Baptist church, I always knew that the Jewish people were important. Their struggle in the book of Exodus was likened to the struggle of slaves in the south – “Go Down Moses”, that great Negro Spiritual.

I am from Madagascar.

Like the movie? Usually the response of anyone aged 25 and under.

I’ve never met anyone from Madagascar. From those 25 and over.

The island of Madagascar broke off from the continent of Africa eons ago, allowing the flora and fauna present to evolve to such a degree that the biodiversity you find on that glorious island you will find nowhere else in the world.

In my previous post about gentrification, I established a simple premise. Any development and revitalization of  a neighborhood that leads to the involuntary displacement of already existing people, history, and culture is inequitable, and antithetical to God’s desire for wholeness and flourishing for all of his creation.