| Powershift 2009- Student Leadership Team member, Jason Vates, reports back! |
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There I stood in snow covered shoes, inches from a massive “Powershift” sign, listening as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. encouraged the massive crowd of green activists. My hands were numbed and teeth chattered as I thrusted a black “NO MORE COAL” sign into the air. Our song and shouts echoed deep harmonies across the west lawn of the Capitol Building: the earth’s cry had touched our hearts, we could no longer simply exhale voiceless. Less than 24 hours prior, I sat listening to the verse of Wendell Berry and other artists at the Artists for the Climate Benefit. Kathy Mattea energized the room of 1400 with a great finale of solidarity. The chorus we sung still echoes in my mind: “. . . we’re gunna work for change together. Never turning back, never turning back.” A night earlier 12,000 youth and adults gathered in the DC Convention Center for the Saturday night Powershift keynote address. Powershift 2009 marked the largest gathering in the environmental movement, and included several conferences, workshops, lobbying, a rally at the Capitol Building, and an opportunity for direct non-violent protest with a march on the DC coal-fired power plant. My shoes were still damp as I left the snow to the warmth of our van. Our pilgrimage had met its peak, and it was time to return. I joined fellow Spring Arbor University, Goshen College, and Dordt College students as we caravaned under the wing of Restoring Eden back to my Michigan home. Memories of the event still resonate in my mind. Powershift 2009 provided an excellent experience and connected us with great people from organizations like Restoring Eden and Christians for the Mountains. I return from the sojourn with great hope for Renewal, its place in this movement, and for God’s Creation itself. This rescue is growing, our prayers grow louder, this rescue is growing.  Pictured above, left to right: Student Leadership Team member, Jason Vates from Spring Arbor University, and Dee Bakker and Stephanie Argo from Dordt College |