A Rocha USA is a national community of Christians working in biodiversity conservation to protect and restore vulnerable habitats, species, and communities. We are part of a worldwide family of A Rocha organizations spanning more than 20 countries, with a shared 40-year history of caring for creation. In USA, we have projects in Texas and Florida, and national programs available for churches and individuals.
Peter Harris, Anglican clergyman and founder of environmental non-profit A Rocha, lost his beloved wife Miranda in a car accident in South Africa. Miranda left behind a grieving community, and an unfinished book.
Their daughter, Jo Swinney, found her mother’s unfinished book, full of wisdom and stories from a life dedicated to hospitality. She finished and published it, and in the process, learned much about both grief and joy.
In this episode, Peter and Jo sit down in front of a live audience to discuss the legacy of hospitality and faith that Miranda left, what it has been like to grieve, and what it might be like to see a deteriorating world with the same hope that Miranda did.
‘Blue,’ the fifth installment of A Rocha’s ‘Elements of Hope’ video series, delves into the relationship between mental health challenges and the positive effects of nature on our wellbeing. We investigate how immersing ourselves in nature can pull us out of our internal struggles and rekindle our connection to God and His call for us to be stewards of creation. Link to a study guide is available in the Vimeo notes.
Bounce Back, the fourth installment in A Rocha’s ‘Elements of Hope’ video series, asks us to examine where we find our hope amidst environmental disasters, such as extreme wildfires or terrible floods. The film explores the idea of ‘refugia’, defined as an area in which a population of organisms can survive through a period of unfavorable conditions, especially glaciation and fire.
Forests do not regenerate without fire, and, like our own personal walk with Christ, we too must face challenges and be pruned and refined to grow in our faith. Loving God’s creation comes with lament and heartbreak for the things that are lost. But there is hope.
Learn more about finding hope amidst disaster in the ‘Bounce Back’ film and share with your church, school, bible study or youth group. You can find the accompanying discussion guide at arocha.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Study-Guide_Bounce-Back.pdf and download the video from our Vimeo channel.
A Storymap about Picnics en el Arroyo, our program for Spanish-speaking Latino families in the Austin, Texas area. Picnics offer outdoor recreation and environmental education opportunities, fostering a sense of inclusion and community, while also promoting pro-nature behaviors.
When the wind is just right, on a small beach in Titusville, Florida, horseshoe crabs crawl out of the water and onto the beach to lay their eggs. Jim and Colin joined up with two marine biologists—Bob Sluka who works with A Rocha, a Christian conservation organization and Margaret Miller, a coral biologist who works with SECORE International—and three A Rocha interns to survey the horseshoe crabs. That experience began an exploration into paying attention to many of the creatures that surround us, extending hospitality, and learning from the creatures, even from the ocean itself, about how we might better worship the creator of it all.
The third video in A Rocha’s ‘Elements of Hope’ video series, Take Root, explores the benefits of developing deep relationships and committing to a particular place or community over time.
Take Root highlights A Rocha’s approach to conservation over the long term through two specific stories: the protection of vulnerable habitats of the Alvor Estuary in Portugal, and living by example amidst a younger population in Uganda new to ideas like as creation care.
A Rocha USA’s Marine Conservation program is based in Titusville, Florida, and reaches all the way to Southern California. We work to study, protect, and restore marine habitats and biodiversity, raise awareness of marine pollution, develop resources, and build capacity in support of coastal areas.
Preston Sprinkle talks with A Rocha USA Executive Director, Ben Lowe, about a Christian theology of Creation Care, the nature of the new creation, how to interpret 2 Pet 3, where it seems like God is going to destroy the earth. We then spend the bulk of our time looking at various environmental issues related to climate change, biodiversity, sustainable living, and how Christians can live reasonable and just lives that honor our task to care for creation.
You may think of Florida as a state surrounded by beaches and covered in wetlands, but it is also home to more than 1,000 naturally occurring, crystal clear, freshwater basins. These basins are Florida springs. Learn more in this storymap by A Rocha USA Conservation Interns.
A Rocha USA
A Rocha USA, Inc.
PO Box 223
Wheaton, IL 60187
Email: [email protected]
© 2024 A Rocha USA
A Rocha USA
A Rocha USA, Inc.
PO Box 223
Wheaton, IL 60187
Email: [email protected]
© 2024 A Rocha USA
A Rocha USA
