Embracing Creation Care

Westwood Community Church’s Journey with the ‘Consider the Lilies’ Conference

By David Wiebe, Westwood Community Church member

July 30, 2024

I attended the first Consider the Lilies Conference in 2023, mainly because I wanted to hear Norman Wirzba speak. What I didn’t expect was the quality workshop I experienced, led by Manitoba Director Scott Gerbrandt.

Scott engaged us through a series of considerations specifically aimed at how we might engage with creation care in our local churches. This turned out to be a “game changer” for me and my home church, Westwood Community Church.

When planning began for this year’s Consider the Lilies conference, Westwood was asked if we could host. I was prepared in my heart to do so, and once we figured out logistics, our church leadership was on board.

Rick Faw from A Rocha Canada led a workshop on Becoming Good Neighbours: how churches can become earthkeeping communities where all God’s creatures flourish

This year the Consider the Lilies conference offered a wonderful blend of lectures, discussions, workshops, and activities. Westwood sent 16 participants, which, though it may seem small, actually represents about 10% of our membership.

The insightful lectures stimulated deep thinking and a reorientation towards the existential challenge of climate change. However, it was the hands-on participation that truly excited and motivated people.

Two highlights were the field trips to the Boreal Ecology Centre and local farms. These experiential learning events helped tie concepts to reality.

Perhaps the most impactful part of this year’s conference was tree planting in the Woodhaven Park area. About 30 participants assembled to plant 171 trees under the direction of City of Winnipeg personnel. It didn’t take long, and we were all invigorated by connecting our theological reflections with practical action in our community. We were even joined by a couple passing by. They were curious about this activity as they had immigrated to Winnipeg from India only a month prior. They planted several trees before continuing their walk.

Workshops related to “doing this at home” also hit the mark. A young registrant from our leadership board immediately stepped up and within a few weeks emailed every registrant (plus some who wanted to attend but couldn’t). He is calling us to contribute ideas for implementing creation care steps in and around our church grounds.

My own response is to work with these interested people to develop a permanent creation care plan for our church. We envision Westwood becoming a beacon for creation care in our part of Winnipeg, fostering connections with other churches interested in this vital work and exploring collaborative opportunities.

The Consider the Lilies initiative, spearheaded by A Rocha, has been instrumental in inspiring our church to take meaningful steps toward creation care. It’s an exciting journey, and we’re eager to continue growing in this direction.