Shandirai Bwawa

STEWARDSHIP OF THE EARTH AND ENVIRONMENT

The care of creation is a top priority for every Christian disciple in our day. It’s clear in Scripture that God wants us to steward this beautiful Earth we’ve been given. Tracing from our origin in the garden of Eden, humanity was entrusted by the Creator to be in charge and take care of the precious gift from God.

“Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”,So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them .Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Genesis 1:26-28)

We need to take care of the earth at a time when global warming and climate change are creating enormous pressures. We all know there is no planet B. This is an issue for every occupant on planet earth and, of course, believers of every faith. Pope Francis, representing the Catholic Church, and his counterpart, Patriarch Bartholomew of the Orthodox Church, have called on all faiths to pray for Mother Earth during Creationtide, which runs from September 1st until October 4th, 2016, for the care of God’s creation and in particular on 1 September 2016, the World Day of Prayer for Creation Care.

WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR CREATION CARE

As Pope Francis put it, “The annual World Day of prayer for the Care of Creation offers to individual believers and to the community a precious opportunity to renew our personal participation in this vocation as custodians of creation, raising to God our thanks for the marvellous works that He has entrusted to our care, invoking his help for the protection of creation and his mercy for the sins committed against the world in which we live.” WorldDayOfPrayer-Global Catholic

This is a spiritual issue, not just a technical, economic or scientific issue, but something we need to pray about, to ask God to help us. Remember the day the disciples were going across the Sea of Galilee? When they encountered raging waves which threatened their lives, they called upon Jesus. Jesus spoke to the sea and it obeyed his word. Our God is able and there is nothing he cannot do.

This day has been set aside historically since 1989 by the Orthodox Church.

During the season of creation care and beyond, organize something as a local church, organization, district, or individual which might be a worship service, lay training , or tree planting exercise, as we become the prophetic voice in society that is suffering the consequences of global warming and climate change due to pollution of the environment by man’s activities and unguided exploitation. Good stewards call upon our Creator God.

Let us rise up as faithfuls in calling upon our creator to give us the grace to be active participants in this critical pillar of God’s mission to care for the environment. Let us join hands with other actors in this field of climate change and hold our governments accountable to the commitments they made at the COP21 through their INDC’s and follow up towards the COP22 , the Cop of Action to be held in Marrakech, Morocco 7th-18th November 2016.

Follow these links to see the activity of these churches on climate change;

The United Methodist Church-Caretakers of God’s Creation

The Anglican Church of Southern Africa-Anglican Communion Environmental Network

The Roman Catholic Church-Global Catholic Climate Movement

I’m also calling on every believer to call upon our God and be agents of Environmental and Climate Justice.

I am a Global Mission Fellow , Young Adult Missionary of the United Methodist Church, volunteering with Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance , an advocacy continental alliance of Civil Society Organisations on the African Continent with a common goal of promoting and advocating for climate-related and equity based paradigms that consider climate change as the key driver of sustainable development. It also ensures that pro-poor and people-centred response measures are put into consideration as governments seek to mainstream climate change into national development strategies .Currently PACJA membership is drawn from NGO’s ,Foundations, Trusts , Community Based Organisations , National Coalitions , regional networks and Faith Based Organisations networks. I am a program support officer working to coordinate activities of Alliance with Faith Groups , mobilizing faith based organisations into PACJA membership , networking and building capacity of Faith Based Organisations in interpreting climate change dialogues and building their resilience and adaptation .

Visit PACJA website for more insight – PACJA website

Shandirai Bwawa

Pan African Climate Justice Alliance

Nairobi, Kenya

GMF International, Class of 2015-2017

3022061

NO TURNING BACK…..

⁵⁷As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” ⁵⁸And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” ⁵⁹To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” ⁶⁰But Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”⁶¹Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” ⁶²Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9 : 57-62 NRSV

As I was reading this passage, it resonated with my experience in my new home, which is my placement site in the beautiful country of Kenya. One of the main theologies of the Global Mission Fellow program is that of Missio Dei, meaning it is God’s mission. Though I might be physically present and though the road becomes steep sometimes, when it comes to certain decisions, I try to remember the truth remains that God is in charge. He is faithful in His watch over us and He gives us an enduring spirit as long as we decide to be anchored in Him.

In the passage in Luke, Jesus is calling different people to become his followers and to make a personal decision to follow him. Following Jesus makes you vulnerable, remembering that Christ himself didn’t have somewhere to rest his head. As a Christ follower, you will proclaim the kingdom of God even in the face of different cultural practices, and some challenges and events that may take away or reduce the time we give to do God’s work. However, as Christ urges, we must make a conscious decision to rid ourselves of all other obstructions and commit to God. Again, the journey of following Christ is not an easy one, but in all things, we must remain forward focused and never allow past limitations or painful moments to overshadow us.

The following lyrics also resonated with me, “I have decided to follow Jesus, though I may wonder I still will follow, The world behind me the cross before me, though none will go with me still I will follow, will you decide now to follow Jesus,” and all the stanzas in the song end with the words “NO TURNING BACK, NO TURNING BACK.” It was my personal decision to accept the Global Mission Fellow program when I had other options I might have taken and so was the decision for my fellow GMFs. I might have some falls but I will always make an effort to rise on this journey and so should you. I will always focus on the symbol of victory, which is the cross of Christ, and so should you. I shall take a priority to stand for the gospel and justice work even when it means becoming vulnerable and so should you. I will call upon others and connect with them in working for the kingdom of God, and the joy of the Lord shall always be my strength and so it should also be for you.

The Global Mission Fellow program is a transformative journey. We transform the world and we also get transformed along the way. Continue raising the flag of Christ and remain grounded in Christ, especially in the community you are placed in. God bless you. AMEN

I will be sharing my journey stories in my blog and newsletters. Please, your prayers and support are treasured a lot.