Glimpses of Creative Resistance

by Rev. Rob Mark

(Excerpted from Unbound: An Interactive Journal of Christian Social Justice)

Some­times, upon wak­ing, the weight of a wounded planet is pal­pa­ble. We are beset by extreme weather events that con­tinue to raise high the warn­ing flags of the new nor­mal that is cli­mate chaos—and by a shame­fully decreased polit­i­cal will to be the least bit prophetic (or at least respon­sive). It is enough to stymie even the most hope­ful per­son who claims faith in the Author of Hope. And often, even the best efforts from for­ward think­ing churches, who reg­u­larly weave in all-things eco, don’t seem to be enough to curb the tides of depressed inactivity.

We are over­whelmed into inertia.

This is why I wear an Eco-Stewards bracelet year-round.This sim­ple shock cord, given to each par­tic­i­pant in the pro­gram, reminds me there are peo­ple engaged in moments (if not move­ments) of cre­ative resis­tance. It reminds me that the anti­dote to this iner­tia is reg­u­lar expo­sure to sto­ries of cre­ative, alter­na­tive, grace-laced com­mu­nity resis­tance to the broadly accepted myth of con­sump­tion par­adise and fos­sil fuel inevitabil­ity. These sto­ries point to sim­ple moments of local­ized change we can believe in—and begin to embody. Shar­ing such sto­ries should become a val­ued spir­i­tual discipline.

Since its hum­ble yet ener­gized incep­tion in 2006, the Eco-Stewards Pro­gram has been striv­ing to cre­ate such forums for a grow­ing com­mu­nity of shock-chord bracelet-ed souls. And it remains a true anti­dote against cyn­i­cal stag­na­tion for me: a fluid, con­structed the­ol­ogy of grace that encour­ages engagement.

Here are the basics: the Eco-Stewards Pro­gram is a Chris­t­ian com­mu­nity respond­ing to God’s call through applied eco-stewardship. It seeks to edu­cate, train, and inspire young adults (ages 20–30) in the ways of eco-stewardship within the wider con­text of Chris­t­ian faith. The pro­gram shares roots in and draws par­tial sup­port from the Pres­by­ter­ian Church (U.S.A.) Envi­ron­men­tal Min­istries, Pres­by­te­ri­ans for Earth Care, and the Pres­by­ter­ian Camp and Con­fer­ence Asso­ci­a­tion (PCCCA). The over­ar­ch­ing goal of this grass-roots ini­tia­tive is to help young adults con­nect and share their pas­sions for faith and envi­ron­men­tal stew­ard­ship through par­tic­i­pa­tion in place-based learn­ing pro­grams that explore how faith com­mu­ni­ties are respond­ing to chal­lenges from cli­mate change to moun­tain­top coal removal. Dur­ing these week-long pro­grams, eco-stewards spend time reflect­ing upon and shar­ing per­sonal eco-faith jour­neys, tak­ing part in a hands on eco-project, explor­ing the out­doors, play­ing music, and expe­ri­enc­ing wor­ship together. Paid sum­mer intern­ships are also offered. Com­post­ing toi­lets and used tire earth-ships have been built; urban gar­dens have been vis­ited; and numer­ous con­ver­sa­tions with eco-faith-practitioners have been enjoyed…

Click here to read more about why Rev. Rob Mark is involved in The Eco-Stewards Program.

Click here to apply for our 2013 Eco-Stewards Portland, Oregon Program: June 1-8, 2013

Eco-Stewards bracelet power!

Eco-Stewards to Visit Portland, OR

Greetings to all! We are excited to announce specific plans for our June 2013 Eco-Stewards Program in Portland, Oregon: Connectional Urban Living as Creative Response. We are eager to recruit a new crop of Eco-Stewards (Ages 20-30), so please help us spread the word by sharing the link to this blogpost with any young adults who care deeply about faith and environmental stewardship. You can find more information about the program below:

Connectional Urban Living as Creative Response

Portland, Oregon: June 1-8, 2013

This place-based learning program for young adults (ages ~20-30) will consider how people of faith in the Portland area are responding in creative ways to environmental challenges such as climate change (Oregon coal export controversy), food inequality and urban sprawl. We will spend the week exploring the city by foot, bike and public transport as we visit farmer’s markets, ecumenical partnerships, co-housing communities, food cooperatives and farms. Along the way, we’ll meet with community organizers, city planners, church leaders and environmental activists to discuss how they are laying connectional roots to build a sustainable urban community. During the week, we will also take time to reflect on our individual eco-faith journeys while staying at Menucha Retreat & Conference Center and hiking and recreating in the Columbia River Gorge and foothills of Mt. Hood in the Cascades. For more information, contact Rev. Rob Mark: revrobmark@gmail.com

Application Deadline: Applications still being accepted this week, so apply ASAP. (Rolling admission).

Eco-Stewards 2013 Application

Program Cost: $400* (Participants must pay their own travel expenses to/from Portland; *Financial assistance available)

 Want to host an Eco-Steward intern in Summer 2013? Click here to download a copy of our Intern Request Form. Send questions to revrobmark@gmail.com

Happy New Year & Peace on Earth

As we begin a new year of faith and eco-stewardship, we wanted to say Happy New Year to our Eco-Stewards Family. And we have exciting news to announce: Portland, Oregon will be the location for our 2013 Eco-Stewards Program! Stayed tuned for specific dates, but likely the first week of June: 1-8.

Now Playing: Eco-Stewards Slideshow

Dear Friends,

Happy Thanksgiving from the Eco-Stewards Program! We have just published the multimedia slideshow from our June 2012 program in Vermont and Boston. The slideshow contains photos, interviews and music captured by our team of Eco-Stewards reporters. Enjoy the show!

Eco-Stewards Community Update

Many of you in our Eco-Stewards community are involved in wonderful work and studies related to our themes of  faith, environmental stewardship and community-building. We’d love to hear from you and share any of these projects, presentations, celebrations etc. To get this sharing started, we have news from two members of our Eco-Stewards family.

Vickie Machado (Montana ’11 and Boston/Vermont ’12) recently returned to Boston to present her thesis research at the Peace and Justice Studies Association’s Annual Conference at Tufts University. The theme of this year’s conference was Anticipating Climate Disruption: Sustaining Justice, Greening Peace.

Vickie, a graduate student at the University of Florida,  used her excellent public speaking skills and dynamic Prezi presentation to  discuss “The Sustainability of the Catholic Worker Movement through Bioregionalism: Sustaining Peace.” She provided a great comparison of the strengths and challenges of the L.A. Catholic Worker (large, urban) versus the Gainesville Catholic Worker (smaller, less urban), where she lives. Be sure to view her presentation using the link above! Becky and Rob were excited to attend Vickie’s presentation and catch up over lunch.

David Mark (Montana Host ’11) recently launched the Bighorn Valley Health Center in Hardin, Montana. He writes, “I am thrilled to share with you that the Bighorn Valley Health Center had our official opening day today, and it was a great success! Beginning bright and early at 7am, our newly-hired staff members made sure that all aspects of the BVHC system worked smoothly, and our first patients were welcomed to their new medical home with grace and certain touch of flair. The many long hours and months of planning and building are at last beginning to take shape in actual clinical care, and we couldn’t be happier…we hope to serve with passion and dedication, seeking to foster a culture of health and healing here in Big Horn County.”

Eco-Stewards Explore Climate Activism

The June 2012 Eco-Stewards trip brought us to Boston and Vermont to focus on climate change and Christian activism. Our opening service at Church of the Covenant in Boston was followed by an engaging dialogue with panelists Dr. Willis Jenkins, an environmental ethicist at Yale Divinity School, and Rev. Dr. Jim Antal, president of the Massachusetts Conference UCC. Later that afternoon, we toured the former Occupy Boston site in Dewey Square with Protest Chaplain Sarah King, a Harvard Divinity School student who recounted her experience with the movement. We finished our full day with delicious food and conversation served up by the Cambridge Cooperative Club, an intentional community dedicated to ecological sustainability, peace and justice.

Dr. Willis Jenkins of Yale Divinity School speaks during a Climate Change & Christian Activism Forum at Church of the Covenant in Boston.

We awoke early to prepare and serve breakfast to homeless women at the Women’s Lunch Place, a nonprofit organization housed in the basement of Church of the Covenant. The rain kept us inside for a talk by BU biologist Caroline Polgar, who discussed her research, which uses Henry David Thoreau’s journals to track how climate change is contributing to earlier leaf-out dates in the trees around Walden Pond. Her talk was followed by a soggy visit to Walden, where we participated in a silent, meditative walk before beginning our road trip to Vermont.

Our soggy hike through the woods of Walden Pond.

We arrived at the Bishop Booth Retreat Center in Burlington in time for dinner with UVM field naturalist Ryan Morra, who introduced us to the local ecology of the Lake Champlain area, including the famous thrust fault at Rock Point. In the morning, we hiked up to the peak of Buck Mountain to survey the agricultural landscape of the Champlain Valley. We ate an entirely locally-sourced lunch and then descended the mountain in time for a Skype call with 350.org founder Bill McKibben, a Christian environmentalist working at the forefront of climate change activism. The day ended with a nourishing dinner with our Middlebury hosts– Dave, Claire, Andrea, Avery, Innis & Rupert. We sang songs around the campfire before retiring to our tents.

Vermont-made cheese and kale sandwiches…mmm!

The next day found us working on a service project in Waitsfield, a town on the Mad River that experienced devastating flooding during Hurricane Katrina. With shovels, rakes, and wheelbarrows, we spent the day leveling the yard and creating  natural drainage for the reconstructed home of a local family. Our last day in Burlington was celebrated with a zero-carbon day as we traveled by foot and bike around the shores of Lake Champlain, down city streets and through the farms of the Intervale. Collectively, we shared our eco-faith journeys, recounting moments in our lives when issues of faith, justice and environment shaped our identity.

Biking through the Burlington Intervale.

Upon returning to Boston, we met with John Bach, Quaker peace activist and Harvard Chaplain, who shared his personal experience around non-violent activism for peace and justice. That night we returned to Church of the Covenant for a closing service, where we reflected upon on our week and shared communion, realizing once again the interconnection of our lives and the world around us.

Our closing service, from processing the week on Post-its to bracelet-making to communion.

Postcard from Vermont

The Rock Point thrust fault on Lake Champlain.

Hiking the wet trail up Buck Mountain.

Learning about the landscape of Addison County from the top of Buck Mountain.

Our delicious, locally-sourced bag lunches.

A Skype call with Christian Environmental Activist Bill McKibben.

Our lovely Middlebury hosts: Dave, Innis, Avery & Claire

Setting up camp in Dave and Claire’s backyard.

The Mad River runs through Moretown. We were told the river ran as high as the prayer flags during Hurricane Irene.

Our service project involved improving drainage efficiency in the backyard of this rebuilt home, which was destroyed by flooding during Hurricane Irene.

The solar field at the Bishop Booth Retreat Center, where we stayed in Burlington.

Our car-free day of biking & hiking in Burlington.

Lunch on the shores of Lake Champlain.

We returned to Boston for a conversation with Quaker peace activist John Bach in Cambridge.

Our closing communion service.

Eco-Stewards bracelet power!

Our fearless (and very tired) program leaders: Dawn, Becky and Rob.