Taylor’s love for the environment is in the hands of this steward of creation.
Starting at the end of last year, sophomore Josh Groeling became president of Stewards of Creation, a student-organized club that dedicates itself to promoting a love for God’s creation of the natural world and our calling to let it prosper.
“In my junior year of high school, I always cared about the Earth,” Groeling said. “I was always in love with the variety that I found in nature,” Groeling said. “But I think that class taught me to see the environment in sort of a scientific way, rather than just a plain form of existence.”
Groeling gained a much greater appreciation for the environment through more and more learning. One of his main reasons for preserving it is so that other Christians can come to love the natural world and maintain what God has created and keep it as it should be.
Groeling first heard about Stewards of Creation being advertised at Shop the Loop. When he attended, he heard of a callout meeting later that week. After the callout meeting, he attended several following events, including the annual Randall Fest.
“Since then, I’ve just been an active member,” Groeling said. “Partially because I’m also involved with an organization called Young Evangelicals for Climate Action, and it’s a nationwide organization that helps to guide students in promoting climate action in their campuses. And so that has been a really big help in terms of resources and ideas moving into this year for me.”
The Randall Fest is an annual event that Stewards of Creation club hosts. The event promotes local sustainable goods by handing out sustainable prizes and raises awareness of the club’s existence.
People who attend often enjoy being around like-minded people who feel a similar way about protecting the Earth. The club has been planning to get new posters printed for Earth Day, which is an important day for the club for several reasons, according to Groeling.
Stewards of Creation officially meets every other week, holding discussions regarding creation care, sustainability topics and integration of faith into these matters, along with devotionals.
Some of the specific topics include climate change and fast fashion, and in an upcoming event, they will control invasive species around campus. One of these invasive species is the bush honeysuckle that lives around the edges of the vegetation around campus.
Another event Groeling is looking forward to is camping out at the Turkey Run State Park, which is set to happen on April 26.
“We’re going to be taking a car trip together, and we’re going to have a day trip there where we hike the trails for a while,” Groeling said. “And then we’re going to try to come back and stay the night in the Randall woods. So we’re going to try to do just a little camping out together.”
From what Groeling heard from his peers, Turkey Run has great geology, which can help learners appreciate the beauty of the Earth and the processes of its functions. Indiana’s geology appears to be really amazing, according to Groeling, in the south and the west, where Turkey Run is located.
The more you know about God’s creation, the more you come to love it, along with his design and wisdom, Groeling said.
One of the tough challenges of leading the Stewards of Creation club for Groeling is the political debate in the nation and the world concerning environmental matters.
“Environmentalism has become something that’s very politically changed in recent years, just because a lot of Christians believe that it’s part of a certain political orientation, which then causes them to, as a result, just deny it de facto,” Groeling said. “It’s just that we are called by God and by the Bible to appreciate and take care of what God has created.”
Groeling wishes to thank Phil Grabowski, assistant professor of sustainable development, for always providing ideas for the club and important information regarding their cause.
Groeling’s advice for students who are curious about taking care of God’s creation is that there is no single solution for environmental care.
“I honestly suggest that the greatest way a person can slowly begin to change their orientation towards nature is to try to cultivate gratitude more in their daily life,” Groeling said. “That’s always a really good first step in trying to live a more ecologically friendly life. Because it can be very easy to not take or to take for granted many things that God has given us.”
