Ministries Tags: sustainability
A letter from Michael and Rachel Ludwig serving in Niger
March 2016 - A Sustainable Witness
Mud brick classrooms collapse and the roof falls in on students' bedrooms at a Bible school. A local church splits and looks for how they will stay active in God's mission around the world. A small church is attacked, necessitating long-term social and physical rebuilding. Mission personnel worry about the future of their positions and the witness to Jesus that might be lost in their part of the world. We’re being confronted with the problems of sustainability over and over.
Our family is privileged to witness firsthand these struggles across the cultures of the U.S. and Niger. That is, both the struggle for sustainability of a fellowship that represents Jesus Christ and the sustainability of each person's participation in God's life-giving work. These struggles lead me to share with you a proverb from the Hausa people of Niger: Ka yar da alheri baya, ka tsince shi gaba, or "Throw your grace behind you, and you will collect it ahead of you." The Christian community links this saying to the wisdom of Ecclesiastes 11:1, which uses almost identical Hausa wording in encouraging us to "cast thy bread upon the waters, for thou shalt find it after many days" (KJV). We’re excited to witness that this is a season when our partners in the Evangelical Church in the Republic of Niger (EERN) are seeking to follow that wisdom for the future sustainability of the church.
Continue readingA Spiritual Journey through Mining Contamination and Destruction to a Sustainable Future in Bolivia
By Rev. Don Shaw, Joining Hands Partnership Presbytery of Cascades
Carrying out an Andean ritual, giving thanks to the Pachamama (Mother Earth) on Lake Titicaca with Calixto, a unique Aymaran spiritual guide and Catholic priest. Photo Credit: Chenoa Stock.
Chenoa Stock, our JH facilitator in Bolivia, met us at the world’s highest international airport, located up 13,325 feet on the altiplano in El Alto, Bolivia. El Alto is the nation’s second largest city, claiming more than 1,000,000 people, although just 20 years ago there were …
Continue readingJust Living seasons and celebrations
Sustainable Autumn Living
Autumn is the season of harvest, a time of plenty, a time for final preparation before the chill of winter. For those who have plenty, this can be a season of celebration, but for those who are struggling autumn can be a time of great difficulty.
As people of God we are called to be Christ’s faithful evangelists in the world. Christ’s earthly ministry was one of service with the poor and outcast. Autumn is a season full of service opportunities for individuals and congregations. Together we can work to bring …
Just Living seasons and celebrations
Alternative Thanksgiving Ideas
Perhaps more than any other time of the year, we celebrate the bounty of the harvest at Thanksgiving. While Thanksgiving is not a Christian holiday, the way we, as Christians, celebrate reflects our faith commitments. Our celebrations can extend the love and fellowship of Christ beyond our own dining room tables.
We can practice our faith at the table by choosing foods and ingredients that honor the people who produced them as well as God’s creation. We can engage in Christian hospitality by welcoming strangers and providing for those in need. …
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