Past Events
Renewal’s 2nd Annual Day of Prayer for God’s Creation!
Renewal’s 2nd Annual Day of Prayer for God’s Creation was a great success, with Christian students from eighteen campuses across North America joining together to pray and fast for the renewal of God’s creation!

From candle-lit vigils to worship services, energy fasts, art walls, prayer meetings, and poetry readings, Christian students demonstrated their passion for creation care in a variety of creative ways! 

Recognizing the severe degradation of human and environmental health caused by poor stewardship of energy resources, Renewal’s student leaders chose to focus this year’s Day of Prayer events on energy stewardship & climate change. By coming together in prayer, Renewal’s student leaders stood in solidarity with the people and places that are being harmed by poor stewardship of energy resources, and asked for grace, forgiveness, and guidance as we seek God’s help in addressing this crisis.

By happenstance, one of Renewal’s advisors was meeting with Senator Graham (SC) on this momentous day. He mentioned Renewal’s Day of Prayer and Senator Graham was so encouraged to hear that Christian students across the country were praying for the renewal of God’s creation! Praise God, our prayers are being heard!!!

Participating campuses included: Asbury College (KY), Bethel University (MN), Belmont College (TN), Dordt College (IA), Eastern University (PA), Gordon College (MA), Grace College & Seminary (IN), Houghton College (NY), John Brown University (AR), Montreat College (NC), Moody Bible Institute (IL), Mount Vernon Nazarene University (OH), Point Loma Nazarene University (CA), Redeemer University College (ON- Canada), the University of New Hampshire, Westmont College (CA), Wheaton College (IL), and Whitworth College (WA). 



Pictured above: After participating in an energy fast and prayer walk, students at Trinity Christian College in Illinois attended a bonfire service and enjoyed fair-trade hot chocolate warmed over the fire! 

 
2009 National Day of Service for God’s Creation

In Genesis 2:15 God instructs Adam to abad and shamar - literally translated 'to serve and to care.' We are called to be careful servants in God's garden- His creation. With this in mind, on April 22nd 2009 Renewal’s student leaders called for a National Day of Service for God’s Creation. Sixteen Christian campuses across North America participated in this exciting initiative, actively demonstrating the unity of the student creation care movement and commitment of Christian students to caring for God’s creation.  

The theme for this year was “Serving Hands for a Fallen Creation.” In choosing this theme, Renewal asked Christian students to reflect on how Jesus lived simply, lovingly, and intentionally. “Jesus came to bless and reconcile people and the earth,” said Student Leadership Team member Aaryn Joyner, an Outdoor Education major at Montreat College. “We hope this initiative will encourage Christian students to not only be conscious of how our choices impact the world, but also encourage them to actively bless God’s creation through participating in a service activity.” 

Christian students from around North America answered this call and planned service activities on their campuses. From stream cleanups to fundraising hoola-hoop-a-thons to wildflower rescues and letter writing campaigns, passionate students demonstrated their care and concern for God’s earth through getting their hands dirty. Some highlights include: 

-Students at Asbury College in Wilmore, KY planted a native perennial garden around the original Asbury building and installed a rain-water barrel to conserve water resources.

-The Creation Restoration club at Bethel University in St. Paul, MN hosted a hoola-hoop-a-thon to raise money for a local conservation organization. They had over 40 people participate in this creative event! The students also worked with facilities management to plant four oak trees on campus.

-At Eastern University outside of Philadelphia, PA, the Earthkeepers club encouraged students to sign pledges committing to be conscious of their environmental impact and follow in Jesus' footsteps. Students made a variety of commitments- from turning off the faucet while brushing their teeth to driving less and gardening more.

-Wheaton College’s A Rocha student group sponsored a letter writing campaign. They sent over 120 letters to 41 senators in 25 states emphasizing that as Christians we are called to be good stewards of the earth. What’s more, the letters encouraged our national leadership to take action on critical environmental issues such as climate change, soil and land degradation, overconsumption and species extinction. 

-The Earth Shepherd club at Spring Arbor University in Michigan had over 20 students participate in a campus-wide litter clean up!
 

-The Green Team at Redeemer University College celebrated the National Day of Service by planting native shrubs and wildflowers on campus property that struggles with soil erosion.

-The Environmental Stewardship Coalition at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI held a wildflower rescue to replant native flowers from a wooded area scheduled to be taken down this summer. 

-Students from Hope College in Michigan organized an end-of-term recycling extravaganza! They encouraged students moving out of dorms to donate old furniture, clothes and appliances to a local charity, and recycle batteries and other electronics, as well as paper, plastics and metal.

-The A Rocha student club at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA hosted a sustainability pledge drive. 315 students, faculty, and staff committed to decreasing their environmental footprint!

-Seeds, the newly formed environmental club at Montreat College in North Carolina, hosted a creation care talk by Renewal’s coordinator Ben Lowe. They also cleaned up a local stream & broke ground on the new campus garden! 

Other colleges that participated in the Day of Service include: Dordt College (IA), Trinity International University (IL), Moody Bible Institute (IL), Gordon College (MA), John Brown University (AR), & Azusa Pacific University (CA).  

Renewal is so thankful for the many Christian students that participated in the National Day of Service for God’s Creation!  May God grant us grace and determination as we continue to join hands and hearts in our efforts to care for this beautiful planet. 


 
The Green Awakening North American Tour
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Pictured above: Renewal at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA. From left to right: Emily Skocypec from Floresta, Renewal Student Leadership Team member Anthony Waldrop, and Westmont student Julia Johnson.

THE GREEN AWAKENING NORTH AMERICAN TOUR

Feb 25 – Apr 25, 2009

Building on the success of the Renewal Summit and our first Day of Prayer for Creation, Renewal is dispatching its coordinators on the Green Awakening North American Tour to campuses and communities across the United States and Canada. 

This 21st century circuit, featuring recent grads Anna Jane Joyner (co-author of the Faith in Action report) and Ben Lowe (author of the new IVP release, Green Revolution), will ride to fifteen states and two Canadian provinces over the course of seven weeks.

Our mission is simple: Wake our generation up to the urgent call to care for all of God’s creation. 

To do this, Anna Jane, Ben, and other Renewal student leaders will be speaking to campus-wide gatherings, student groups, dorm fellowships, classes, churches, and all who want to hear the good news of the growing creation care movement and answer the invitation to join in.  Staying true to Christ’s example and our grassroots identity, we will also be holding regional retreats to train and equip a new wave of students who will lead change in their communities.

And, along the way, we will be exploring and documenting the rising number of student-led earth-care efforts out there for a groundbreaking Campus Creation Care Report (tentative release date set for the fall of 2009).

Renewal’s Green Awakening North American Tour is becoming a reality through partnerships with InterVarsity Press (through the release of Green Revolution) and many friends in the creation care movement. 

Tour Overview: (check out Renewal's calendar under the "Happenings" tab for detailed information on each tour stop)

1st Leg of the Green Awakening Tour:

2/25 – Point Loma Nazarene University, San Diego, CA

2/26 –  Biola University, La Mirada, CA

2/27 –  Westmont College, Santa Barbara, CA

2/28 –  Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, CA

3/2 –    Northwest University, Kirland, WA

3/3 –    Trinity Western University, Langley, BC

3/4 –    Regent College, Vancouver, BC

3/5 –    Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, WA

3/10 –  Whitworth College, Spokane, WA

3/12 –  Bethel University, St. Paul, MN

3/13 –  Northwestern College, St. Paul, MN

 

2nd Leg of the Green Awakening Tour:

3/22 – Wheaton Chinese Alliance Church, Wheaton, IL

3/23 – Trinity International University, Deerfield, IL

3/23 – Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, IL

3/24 – Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL

3/25 – Trinity Christian College, Palos Heights, IL

3/26 – Waynesburg University, Waynesburg, PA

3/26 – Grove City College, Grove City, PA

3/27 – Malone University, Canton, Ohio

3/30 – Grace College, Winona Lake, IN

3/31 – Taylor University, Upland, IN

4/1 –   Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI

4/2 –   Hope College, Holland, MI

4/2-3 – Spring Arbor University, Spring Arbor, MI

4/3-4 – Goshen College (Regional Leadership Retreat), Goshen, IN

4/6 –   Redeemer University College, Ontario, Canada

4/7-8 – Houghton College, Houghton, New York

4/9 – Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

 

3rd Leg of the Green Awakening Tour:

4/14 – Gordon College, Wenham, MA

4/15 – Drew Theological School, Madison, NJ

4/15 – Eastern University, St. Davids, PA

4/21 – Morningstar University, NC

4/22 – Montreat College (Annual Day of Service), Black Mountain, NC

4/23 – Lipscomb University, Nashville, TN

4/23 – Belmont University, Nashville, TN

4/24-5 – Asbury College, Wilmore, KY

4/26 – Return home!

UPDATE: Campus Tour a success!!!  Download the full report here.

 
2008 Day of Prayer

The National Day of Prayer for God's Creation went beautifully as hundreds of Christians from 27 states and 5 continents joined hands and hearts to pray. This collective prayer was expressed in a variety of creative ways- from personal prayers to creation care Bible studies and prayer vigils. Some neat examples include:

- The Nature Society at John Brown University in Arizona sponsored a sunrise prayer and worship service.
- Students at Westmont College in California kicked off their Earth Ministry club with a Day of Prayer devotional.
- Eastern University in Pennsylvania held a creation care chapel service.
- The Creation Care club at Dordt College in Iowa posted a prayer/art wall for students to express their prayers for God's creation.
- At Seattle Pacific University, a geography professor devoted time to pray for the renewal of creation in each class! 
- Students at Eastern Mennonite University in Virginia gathered mid-campus for a circle of prayer for creation care!
- And students from Montreat College in North Carolina held an "early thanksgiving feast" to celebrate the bounty of God's creation and pray for its renewal!

Thank you so much for joining with us in prayer for the renewal of God's creation! We hope that you will continue to participate in Renewal's efforts to lead our communities in Christ-centered stewardship of all of God's creation. We look forward to praying with you next year!

 
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