EnviroSeminars@U’09
For the first time (ever!) Urbana is offering an entire selection of Environmental Seminars
They call it a “Major” (like your major at school but a bit more flexible). Here are some of the offerings, with more details on the U09 main site here. Sorry we can’t give you the schedule or meeting places ahead of time as everything is subject to change. Oh – for the uninitiated, “Seminars” are Urbana’s version of a workshop or breakout session – they are 90 minutes each and offered each afternoon. There are hundreds of topics to choose from, and that’s why we thought highlighting the important ones (!) would be helpful for you.
[Schedule update: See when and where these seminars are being offered here.]
Introductory Seminars
1. Creation Care and God’s Redemptive Plan
Presenter: Ed Brown (Care of Creation’s own)
What, if anything does the environmental crisis have to do with the central message of Urbana – the gospel of Jesus Christ? You might be surprised at how central it turns out to be. Ed will build on some of the theology in his book, Our Father’s World: Mobilizing the Church to Care for Creation. You will be able to get the book at the Urbana bookstore – or you can order it ahead of time from us and do your reading early!
2. The Perfect Storm: Earth 2009
Presenter: Lowell Bliss (Eden Vigil, one of our Partner Organizations).
What’s really going on in the world, behind the headlines? Today’s environmental crisis is different than anything that came before. With years of service in India, Lowell will be able to give a first hand look at the crisis – and some ways that we can respond as ‘Christ’s beloved people.’
Missions and Creation Care – Making the Connection
3. Global Warming: Voices from the South Pacific
Presenters: Parimal Christian and Nirosh Schindra Samararatne
Climate Change becomes less political and more human when your own homeland is subject to the rising seas. Two residents of one of the most affected areas will bring a first-hand account.
4. Creation Stewardship and Missions
Presenter: Care of Creation Staff
Care of Creation’s pioneering work in Kenya, combining discipleship and practical training in agriculture and tree planting, shows how environmental missions can at the same time bring people hope for eternity and hope for today.
5. Missions Meets Climate Change
Presenter: Lowell Bliss (Eden Vigil)
Is climate change just a political football – or does it, perhaps, represent one of the greatest opportunities for missions we have had in a generation? Assisting people in the poorest countries in the world with climate adaptation efforts can open both closed borders and closed hearts.
Responding to the Challenge
6. Creation Care on Your Campus: How to Begin
Presenter: Ben Lowe (Renewal)
Most people attending Urbana09 are students – and the world begins outside our dormitory doors. Ben is a recent graduate of Wheaton College, and one of the national coordinators for Renewal, a new student movement that you will want to connect with if you are a student. Ben will show how it is possible to start an environmental movement right on your own campus.
7. Mobilizing Your Church for Creation Care
Presenter: Ed Brown (Care of Creation)
If we really believe that the church is the hands and feet of Jesus, then getting those hands and feet involved is responding to the crisis in God’s creation is really, really important. Ed will share how a vibrant creation care ministry can transform every part of your church’s life, from worship to the parking lot.
8. Organizing Faith Communities for Environmental Justice
Presenters: Lisa Sharon Harper and Rachel Anderson
When you come right down to it, it is simply not right that the poorest people and the poorest nations in the world are those who suffer most from environmental problems. It’s a question of justice – and of finding and discipling Christian leaders who will work for justice for the poor in this vital area.
9. The Green Gospel: Christians Caring for Creation
Presenters: Laurie and Mark Russell
In this seminar, Laurie and Mark will discuss their journey from nature lovers to creation care advocates. Their story demonstrates the interconnectedness of humanity with our treatment of the environment as pollution infected the lungs of their newborn baby and their second child was hospitalized from environmentally unfriendly cleaning chemicals. But they will also share from years of Bible study why it is not only practical, but also biblical for Christians to care for creation.
