Peace Conference SK 2024 | Climate Action For Peace

 9:00 am | Welcome & Introduction  

Denise Martens, with opening remarks by Eileen Klassen Hamm (MCC Saskatchewan Executive Director). 

9:15-10:00am | Theological grounding | Leah Reesor-Keller 

Climate Hope: living our faith as people of hope in challenging times 
It is easy to fall into despair about the state of the world, as we see the rising impact of human-related climate and environmental damage in Canada and around the world. Yet humans have faced challenges and found meaning in difficult circumstances throughout our history. Drawing on her recent book, Tending Tomorrow: Courageous Change for People and Planet, Leah will explore what we can learn from early Anabaptists and others engaged in times of struggle for change about fighting despair and holding onto hope that how things are is not how they need to be.  
 
"Tending the embers of hope, fuelling the sparks and flames that grow and falter and grow again, is our essential task."  - Leah Reesor-Keller, Tending Tomorrow: Courageous Change for People and Planet 
Leah Reesor-Keller, Transitional Executive Director for KAIROS Canada and former MCC representative in Nepal. 

  
10:00-10:45am | International Climate and Peace Projects | James and Joan Alty

There is an intricate relationship between humanity and God’s creation. As the wounds inflicted on creation become increasingly plain across Africa and beyond there are community-based organizations (CBOs) offering a response that is directed at vulnerable small-scale farmers.  At a time when there is great concern in the world about climate change and food security these CBOs are teaching farmers how to care for their environment whilst increasing crop yields, locking carbon into soil and reducing soil erosion providing hope for the future. James and Joan Alty will share their experiences in Lesotho and other countries in southern Africa where people are integrating their way of thinking and being—a way that joins theology with ecology, food, and farming. African Christians are not only modelling how to farm in a sustainable way but contributing to a transformational development where the land, people's lives and communities are being restored. 

James and Joan Alty, former MCC Representatives in Swaziland, Lesotho, and South Africa, Area Directors for Southern Africa, and Representatives in Jordan, Palestine, and Israel.

10:45-11:00am | Break (we encourage you to check out the info tables and artisan tables during this time)

11:00am-11:50am | Workshops (choose one):  

 1. How Local Churches are Responding to Climate Challenges 

11:00-11:25 am: At this workshop, the youth group from Osler Mennonite Church will share about their concerns for the climate and their passions for climate justice. 

11:25-11:50 am: What can ordinary folks do well? We can come together as gifted individuals and churches for informed conversations, to build community, and to act on issues that we care about, including climate change. At this workshop, the Climate Justice Group based out of Mount Royal Mennonite Church will share about their experience of coming together to learn about and respond to climate change and invite others to do the same. 

Workshop facilitators: Luke Bushman, Youth Pastor, and Youth Group at Osler Mennonite Church; Mount Royal Mennonite Church and Friends Climate Justice Group.

2. KAIROS’s “Strengthening Voices for Just Transition” project 

As the world transitions from its dependence on fossil fuels, much work is needed to ensure our communities are supported.  The energy transition is already underway, however equity, respect for human rights, and systemic change are not guaranteed. KAIROS’s project presents a vision for systemic transformation and aims to nurture a cohort of young changemakers to promote the next stages of the energy transition and strengthen just transition policies and programs with principles from Indigenous peoples, young people, and those most affected by climate change.   

Workshop facilitators: Nicholas Jesson, KAIROS Regina, and Mark Bigland-Pritchard, For the Love of Creation. 

 
12:00- 1:00pm | Lunch 
A delicious locally sourced and sustainable meal curated by Chef Jenni Lessard, Inspired by Nature Culinary Consulting.

1:00- 2:30pm | Our Shared Future: An Experiential Activity on the Climate Emergency 

This learning activity presents actions that individuals and groups can take to address an extreme weather event affecting their local community. Participants will work in small groups to consider their options, collaborate with others, and explore various types of climate action. Ultimately it reveals how our potential to address the climate emergency is tied to our ability to collaborate with others and take a diversity of types of climate actions. 

Workshop Facilitators: Amanda Dodge, MCC SK Program Director, and Erika Thogersen, MCC SK Constituency Relations and Education Coordinator.

2:30-2:45pm | Break (we encourage you to check out the info tables and artisan tables during this time)

2:45- 3:45pm | Workshops (choose one):  

1. Thrifting for a better future: MCC Thrift and Sustainability 

The clothing industry has major environmental impact, whether growing and producing textiles, transporting and marketing them, or eventual disposal. This workshop will explore these issues through MCC Thrift’s local work to build environmental sustainability, from repair to reuse to high end research. 

Workshop facilitators: Andy Arthur, MCC SK Thrift Coordinator, and colleagues.
 

2. Climate Change and Hunger: A Christian Response 

This workshop will explore the question: what is it about a Christian response that might be both distinct and helpful? We'll consider possibilities such as the integration of contemplation and action, the good news story of reconciliation and restoration found in Scripture, and a desire to be invitational and equitable for all to contribute to the healthy stewardship of God's creation. Group discussions and personal reflections will also be an important part of this workshop. 
 
Workshop facilitators: Jacquie and Rick Block, Canadian Foodgrains Bank Saskatchewan Regional Representatives and Rod Schellenberg, Pastor of Hepburn Mennonite Brethren Church 

 3:45-4:00pm | Break (we encourage you to check out the info tables and artisan tables during this time)

 4:00-4:30pm | Closing and Calls to Engage 
Leah Reesor-Keller, Transitional Executive Director of KAIROS Canada and former MCC representative in Nepal, alongside Len Rempel, Executive Minister of Mennonite Church Saskatchewan.