Why Do We Do What We Do?

In a recent newsletter, Craig and Tracy Sorley, serving with Care of Creation in Kenya, expressed one of the goals of our ministry:

“Our hope is that the farmers of Kenya will look to the First Farmer (God, Genesis 2:8) and catch a new vision. A vision to make their gardens as beautiful and bountiful as God’s garden… Christ-centered farmers, who have a vision to glorify their Creator, can make great gains in restoring land and eliminating hunger.”

We believe that when farmers determine to glorify God in the way they care for their land, God will honor them with land that is rich and fruitful and harvests that are plentiful and sufficient to feed their families and many others as well. We are seeing this happen – and we thank you for helping us in this great work.

Environmental Hero!

This ministry vision is not unique to Care of Creation, but our particular strategy of doing this through mobilizing the church is starting to attract attention. Craig Sorley has always has been a hero to us, of course, but the rest of the world will know Craig as well when Time Magazine lists him as one of its ‘environmental heroes’ in an upcoming issue of the magazine. He was interviewed by one of Time’s reporters not long ago, and we expect a story to run in the first half of October. We are happy for the publicity, but even more for the opportunity Craig had to share the heart of our vision -that we are calling the church to care for God’s creation as an act of worship and that it has been our human sinfulness that has caused the environmental crisis we face, and only God’s grace can lead us out of it.

Please Pray!

There are times when we think that there must be easier ways to make a living. While we have many things to be encouraged about, we face some significant challenges, and we need your prayer and partnership more than ever:

In Kenya, where Care of Creation Kenya is a newly registered NGO, we are finding it difficult to get work permits approved for our expatriate staff members (Sorleys and Jan Korbel). I won’t bother you with the details – but I would ask you to pray with us for a solution quickly.

Related to this: Not having a work permit, Jan Korbel needs to temporarily leave Kenya, and so will be spending a few weeks in the US visiting those of you who have been supporting her and seeking to increase her funding base. If you’re on her list, you can probably expect to hear from her early in the month of October. Perhaps you can help her by organizing an event in your area where she could meet and speak to potential new partners. You can write to her directly here.

We need also to let you know that Care of Creation was turned down for a major grant a few days ago. We had hoped that this request would fund the ongoing operational needs of Care of Creation Kenya, including local staff salaries, and our tree nursery operations. Please pray with us about this – the possibility of operational cutbacks is very real. But maybe you know of a donor or an organization that would consider helping us through this emergency. Would you contact me directly if that is the case? You can write to me at ed@careofcreation.org

New opportunities – wisdom and staff are needed

At our board meeting two weeks ago, we wrestled with a paradox: Even as we struggle for the funds for our current, limited operations in Kenya and the US, we are being given opportunities to expand our activities into new countries. Ethiopia, Uganda and Tanzania are all places where our approach to the environmental crisis is needed desperately. We have no funds for such expansion – but we have faith that God will provide for his work. We will shortly be looking for potential staff to help us open up some of these new countries; if that interests you (some of you have been asking us about this for a couple of years!) send us your resume or CV and we’ll start talking.

Our Father’s World Seminar: October 10-11

Our next seminar will be held in Wheaton IL on October 10-11. Online registration is open now. This is a potentially life changing event as we know from others who have attended in the past. If you are not in the Chicago area, contact us about scheduling a seminar at your church.

Finally, if you haven’t visited our website lately, you might want to take another look. We’ve moved to a new server (some of your old links won’t work, unfortunately) and we will gradually be revising and updating the entire site. You can buy my book, send a donation to one of our staff members, or help us plant trees in Kenya . You can even order other Care of Creation merchandise (Mugs, anyone?).

Thank you for your partnership with us – we appreciate you!

Ed Brown,
For the Care of Creation Family