| MARCH
2022
BAPTIST
WORLD
AID
CO M M U NIT Y | A U S T R A L I A
MAGAZINE
Churches in the Dirt (and Sunlight)
WORLD
By Bethany Cliff
BETTER
‘We want the community to experience the goodness, joy, grace, and love of God through what we’re doing.’ J OS H D O W TO N (Pic t u r e d a b ove)
When Keith Blackburn and his bible study group from Canberra Baptist Church started a series on Job, they couldn’t have imagined the chain of events that were to follow. Inspired by their study, Keith and his group, ‘felt a responsibility to try and help (because) the basic message is you’re one small part of a large, interconnected creation.’ They realised that their daily behaviours can harm God’s good creation—the earth and every living creature in it—and so they wanted to find practical ways they could intentionally care for his creation. That’s why their church installed solar panels in 2010 and partnered with Baptist World Aid on projects in flood-prone Bangladesh. ‘As a consequence of melting snow and volatility brought on by climate change,’ Keith says of this community in Bangladesh, ‘they are probably the least contributors to the problem, yet they feel the brunt of it.’ It’s the
sad reality that communities most threatened by climate and environmental disasters are those who are least responsible and have limited access to resources to reduce their risk. Twelve years after first installing their solar panels, Canberra Baptist continues to support communities in Bangladesh with income from the panels and gifts collected at their annual Thank Offering. They also care for creation through other initiatives like their community garden, rain-water tanks and energy audits. Canberra Baptist isn’t alone. Many other Australian churches are getting creative in ways they can care for the earth and bless their communities, both local and global. Simple, creative initiatives in the local church are sprouting abundant grace within the community.
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