Events

Friendship Collaborative workshops are held on college and university campuses, drawing participants from the network of religious groups and scientists affiliated with the institutions. Other participants are local students, professors, and congregation members.

What Happens at a Workshop?

The workshops are registered events to keep the numbers limited and balanced, ensuring their intimate nature and equal representation from the science and faith communities. The only agenda is to establish personal contact between members from each community in the context of a shared concern to address the global environmental crisis. The hope is that by meeting in person, scientists and people of faith from the same local area can form trusted relationships and call upon each other to help make progress in confronting the environmental challenges we face.

Each workshop begins with  casual introductions made over coffee, tea, and some breakfast snacks. Participants gather around a large table, and share their name, affiliation, and a brief comment. At the OSU workshop, for instance, host Greg Hitzhusen allowed each guest only three words to describe their hopes/expectations for the day.

Following the introduction, the local host often says a few words, followed by one or two short presentations (about 10-15 minutes) by the workshop facilitators– one from science and one from the faith community. The science presentation addresses the current threats to the environment and how they relate to human activities, focusing on climate change and biodiversity loss. The talk also discusses the need for an environmental ethic within science, encouraging scientists to go beyond producing data and become advocates for the responsible application of their work

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The faith presentation discusses the roots of environmental stewardship within the evangelical faith and provides information about how creation care fits into the larger framework of this religious tradition.

Each presentation opens the door for discussion among the full group, lasting for about 30 minutes after each presentation. During this time, participants raise questions, concerns, and share initial thoughts and reactions to each presentation.

Then, its time for lunch.

During lunch, participants are asked to break into smaller groups, where they can get to know a handful of participants more closely. There is no set structure to this socializing time; participants share thoughts that range from why they decided to attend a workshop to their favorite hobbies.

After lunch, everyone gathers back around the main table as a full group for the last presentation. This may be two more short presentations by the science and faith facilitators, or it may be a combined “tag-team” presentation, depending on the facilitators’ choice. The afternoon session focuses on climate change, and the role that scientists and people of faith can play in helping to address this most pressing problem of our time.

Following this session, participants once again break into small groups and discuss the topics covered during the day, and then, ideas for moving forward. Those participants wishing to take a more active role can sign up for “follow-up” activities, such as meeting with another workshop participant to discuss suggested reading, or inviting a scientist or faith leader to speak within their own community. All participants are encouraged to sign-up to an email list to receive updates from the local organizer regarding future local events.

The goal for the science community is to become informed about how to engage with a broader audience, and motivate them to share their knowledge with this sector of society in a manner that is accessible and respectful.

The goal for the faith-based community is to become more aware of the environmental crises, begin to view fellow scientist participants as trustworthy sources of information, and be inspired to act based upon this new perspective.

In a nutshell, a workshop is:

….about learning to listen.

…a chance to share.

…an opportunity to connect.

There are no long-term obligations, though we encourage participants to engage in follow-up activities. The workshop at its core is simply a getting-to-know-one-another event that provides background content on the environment and the evangelical faith. The goal is for us all to learn how to communicate better and engage in effective, inspired ways to help care for Creation.