Advocacy

In the final episode of Season 4, Edgar Aguilar, senior researcher with La Asociación para una Sociedad más Justa, or the Association for a More Just Society in Honduras joins us. Edgar shares how organizations and communities advocating for Covid-19 vaccine equity have resulted in increased vaccination rates in Honduras.

Dena Nicolai, chaplain and refugee support mobilizer with the Christian Reformed Churches of British Columbia, shares the simple starting place for much of her engagement with people who have been refugees: joining them for a cup of coffee and saying “tell me how you’re doing.” Dena and Chris also talk about the ministry of sharing in lament, the importance of advocating ‘with’ and rather than ‘for’, and how the advocacy of faith communities and sponsors alongside newcomers changed government policy to provide a more “full” welcome for refugees in Canada.

In this episode, Kyle Meyaard-Schapp, vice president of the Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN) shares how he got involved in climate advocacy as a Christian - including the middle-school humor nickname for the lake near the town where he grew up! Kyle and Chris also talk about lament as a necessary component of hope, how to encourage folks wherever they are on their justice journeys, and taking the long view when it comes to bringing about change.

Julia Beazley, Director of Public Policy for the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, tells the story of the survivors, church communities, and policy makers who advocated to instate Bill C-36 into law. Chris and Julia also talk about the responsibility to stop treating people in vulnerable circumstances like the problem and address the systemic problems that make people vulnerable. 

You don’t have to be a history geek to appreciate the vintage vibes in this episode! Susan VanLopik, Director of Program Excellence with World Renew joins Chris Orme to look at the broad overview of how (and how long) the CRCNA has been involved in working toward justice throughout its history. Chris and Susan talk about words from a 1973 report to Synod that still pack a punch today and Susan shares the powerful stories that inspire her (and all of us) to keep working toward justice for the long haul. (Sadly, we never get the details about Susan’s finger tattoos.

A month ago I returned home from the COP26 talks to a province suffering from the biggest flood of my lifetime and the second unprecedented climate-related disaster of the last seven months. It was surreal to see flooding in my hometown make international headlines due to “atmospheric rivers.” Needless to say, abstract discussions about climate change have real world consequences.

“What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? NOW! What do we want…” I heard, as I walked through the heart of downtown Ottawa. The cries of a nation in uproar and disgust at yet another death of an innocent body; a person who continually had experienced disregard and distrust in a system where they were trodden on, discriminated against, and continually and systemically put at a disadvantage in this society.  

With the release of the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, a future of increasingly extreme weather appears to be a reality. And it is in communities that can least afford mitigation where the burden of climate change will fall the heaviest. That’s why Christians in North America need to hear the story of Hunting Park. 

Those of us who are Christians committed to ending the climate crisis receive solace from Isaiah 40:31. “Yet, the strength of those who wait with hope in the Lord will be renewed. They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and won’t become weary. They will walk and won’t grow tired.” 

The Hebrew word for “wait” in this passage is “Qavah” which means to wait actively with anticipation, watching with hope for God to act. 

During Congress’ August recess, members of the Office of Social Justice and the Climate Witness Project prepared for a handful of advocacy meetings with legislators. I attended four of these meetings—two on the topic of immigration and two with the Climate Witness Project to discuss climate action.