(Update from Renewal's very own Student Leadership Team member, Anthony Waldrop) 

Westmont didn't know what hit them when Renewal showed up on Friday, February 27th, as part of the Green Awakening Tour.  Even I, one of the Renewal’s student leaders, was surprised at the transforming power of this visit.  

The tour stop came up fast for A Rocha Westmont, our environmental ministry, which was hosting the stop while running its own busy week of events.  As a leader for both, it had been an exhausting week! However, with a restful morning under my belt, I eagerly awaited the arrival of Anna Jane and Ben from Renewal, and Emily from Renewal's partner organization Floresta.  

When they arrived, we headed to our first meeting- the director of special programs at Westmont.  We set up this meeting to discuss the possibility of an upcoming sustainability focus week for Westmont. The meeting went very well, with the group collaborating on how Renewal could help with this endeavor. We came up with some great ideas!

The meeting truly exemplified the unifying ability of Renewal, and how it serves to bring together administrations, students, and creation care experts to work together to care for God's creation. One topic that kept coming up was the need to mobilize the student body around creation care. Most Westmont students would say they agree with the Biblical mandate to care for creation. However, this wide-felt conviction has yet to turn into collective action and we brainstormed ways to make that happen.

After the meeting, we set up out to table in front of Westmont's cafeteria. I figured they might display a few sign-up cards, Renewal brochures, and perhaps a couple of pinecones. To my surporise, there was a giant triad of sharp-looking signs that caught the attention of every passing student. Renewal immediately achieved awesome status once their impressive set-up was complete.  All we needed now were the masses now.  And come they did.

After chapel, a rush of students headed to lunch, where Renewal was prepared to meet them.  Anna Jane and I decided to dive into the masses with post-card petitions to the White House, asking our government leaders to make the good stewardship of all of God’s creation a national priority. Once we mentioned the White House, heads perked up and students jumped at the opportunity to express their concern. It was a great way for Westmont students to get involved and show that we care for the environment.   

The tour stop was incredibly successful.  Aside from tabling and getting hundreds of post-cards signed, we were able to hold an open discussion with Westmont students and faculty. It was great to see biology professors, philosophy professors, and students all get excited about Renewal. 

I think the most important part of the tour stop was that students got a sense of Renewal and saw firsthand that the creation care movement is happening right now, on our campus. This is not a movement that has been around for years and is on cruise control, this is a movement that has risen out of our generation in response to a crisis, and is happening right now for all who feel called to join in.

So now the task is to keep the momentum going.  Will the energy that Renewal provided energize the student body, faculty, and administration to confront the ecological crisis head on, or will the momentum quickly fade? Has Westmont been awakened?















Pictured above, left to right: Emily Skocypec from Floresta, Julia Johnson, Westmont student and participant in last October's Renewal Summit, Anna Jane Joyner, Renewal's co-coordinator, and Anthony Waldrop, member of Renewal's Student Leadership Team and leader of Westmont's creation care student club, A Rocha Westmont