A Rocha’s largest communication outreach activity this year reached a global audience as well as Australian churches provoking a mixture of surprise, fascination and encouragement.
In Brisbane over 3,500 Baptists met from over 137 countries for the Baptist World Congress. Held every five years, the Congress with the theme of “Living the Good News” ran from 7-13 July and was an opportunity not to miss! A Rocha Australia attended with the twin aims of promoting creation care as integral to Christian discipleship and mission, and also raising awareness of A Rocha amongst Australian and worldwide Baptist churches.
A Rocha Australia took an exhibition booth for the week and our Executive Officer, Julia, was a speaker at two breakout sessions – “Faith, Justice and Creation Care”, and “Becoming a Church that Cares for Creation”. Around thirty people attended each of these, and heard some of our family stories from Ghana, Uganda, and Canada, and about the various eco-church and church partner programs highlighted. These were well-received and we are heartened that the Baptist World Alliance provided space for these conversations in the program.
Our vibrant booth and rolling video attracted numbers of visitors and we are encouraged by the level of interest and support from Baptist pastors, denominational leaders and Baptist societies and institutions within Australia and beyond. Many people hadn’t previously heard of A Rocha, and were eager to engage with the Biblical foundations for caring for creation, and were fascinated by the range of practical conservation work undertaken around the world. Many too were interested in how A Rocha supports churches in caring for creation, and learning where to go for resources.
It was a delight to present the A Rocha family to the Congress, and we thank God for his faithfulness during this week, and trust that there will be positive follow-up and engagement with A Rocha going forward.