Project: INFLUENCE Newsletter #1

Project: INFLUENCE

newsletter #1

by Grace, Megan, Sam, and Arwen

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Title Page Table of Contents Meet the Team Vision Current Events Environmental News Volunteer Opportunities Prayer Additional Resources 1

THE TEA T M EE M

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Hi everyone! My name is Grace :) I'm in Grade 11 and my favourite subjects at school are Chemistry, Biology, and History. My favourite thing to do outside of school is rock climbing! A fun fact about myself is that I love the Harry Potter book series. I have read those books too many times to count... I started Project: INFLUENCE in February 2021 and began the process of reaching out to youth pastors and assembling this team of student leaders. I constructed our vision and direction and work with the rest of the team on all of our initiatives! I look forward to getting the whole CREO community involved with our work!

Hey there! I'm Megan! I am a Grade 11 IB student in Vancouver. Some of my hobbies and interests include drawing, reading, painting, photography, nature, and animals! A fun fact about myself is that I have two younger brothers and three guinea pigs! Grace asked me to join her in Project: INFLUENCE in March 2021 and it has been such an amazing journey serving alongside everyone! Brainstorming and planning initiatives has been great and I look forward to involving the entirety of the CREO community in our initiatives!

Hello! My name is Arwen, and I recently joined Project: INFLUENCE in January 2022. I am in grade 10, but I take grade 11 courses because I did an accelerated program in which I learned three years of school in two. I take a particular interest in Biology and English, but I enjoy all school subjects for the most part. I have a lot of hobbies, but my favourite past-time is spending time outdoors, especially backpacking or hiking. I have been admiring what Grace, Megan, and Sam have been doing through Project: INFLUENCE for some time now, and I am very excited to finally help them reach their goals to improve our environment and the lives of our neighbours.

Hey all! My name is Sam Byassee, and I’m a grade 12 student in Vancouver.

I’ve been a part of the CREO community since 2017. I love basketball, hiking, running, spike ball, and my friends call me the ‘bottomless pit’ because of how much I love food. Next year, I plan on studying philosophy and theology. I joined Project: INFLUENCE in November 2021, and I am incredibly excited to make an impact within the church community and beyond in all of Vancouver.

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VISION "We love because he first loved us."

1 John 4: 19

Guiding Our Vision Faith In God’s work and calling Hope For heaven on Earth A brighter future of unity in populations and healing for our planet For growth in communities that we reach Love For the people God loves For the Earth God created Guiding Our Action Recharge Societies and individuals with the love of Christ and hope in Christ in order for them to fulfill and encounter their calling from God Restore The environment through action and impactful education in order to honour God’s creation We are committed to influencing the world we live in, whether it is the people we seek out and encounter, or God’s creation. We, as youth, are at an opportune time where our community is in need. Project: INFLUENCE is built from the idea that we have the skills and heart to pour into that need. Project: INFLUENCE is with the goal of being a manifestation of God’s love, as we take the time to water and plant seeds in our community, trusting God to grow this seed. It is with the directive of making a promise and acting to fulfill it, mirroring God’s faithfulness. There are so many youth and young adults who are inspired and excited to do what God has called us to, and this can be a direction of that passion and fire. The goal is for this to be youthdriven, wholehearted, and contagious, spreading the gospel and true message of God’s love.

CURRENT EVENTS Remembering Desmond Tutu This past December 26 of 2021, the world suffered the death of one of the foremost Christian consciences in recent history: Desmond Tutu. Anglican Archbishop of South Africa and a lead activist for God’s justice during the Apartheid, Tutu was a Nobel Peace Prize winner for his contributions to the social and political web of South Africa and beyond—not to mention his heading the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Welcoming Our Neighbours: Helping Refugees in Canada The takeover of the Taliban from May through August 2021 caused a myriad of Afghans to seek refuge elsewhere in the world. Hence, since September 2021 Tenth Church Refugee Coordinator Mim along with the whole of the Tenth community have been actively supporting Afghan refugees that have landed in Canada.

Christians in COVID Our lives were harshly interrupted by COVID-19 in 2020—and now, in 2022, its intensity and impact have hardly declined. The Omicron variant has swept millions to contagion; what is our responsibility now? As Christians, how can we both conceive and express a hope in the midst of global chaos and fragility? See Lamentations, Daniel, and the Psalms for reflection on God and perseverance through destructiveness.

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Environment News B.C. Hummingbird Crisis The cold-snap we encountered during the first month of winter took a toll on the smallest birds of our province. Hummingbirds have been brought to the Wildlife Rescue Association of B.C. in record numbers everyday. However, in some instances, hummingbirds that appear to be close to death are actually fine - they have simply entered a state of torpor to help them survive freezing temperatures. If you find a lifeless hummingbird, do not assume it is dead! Put them in a box somewhere warm away from people and pets and take them to a Wildlife Rescue facility. Maintaining thawed feeders is essential in helping these small birds!

California Sequoias & Fires California’s sequoia grove contains some of the longest-lived organisms on earth. Sequoias are magnificent trees and have been on our planet for thousands of years, however, increase in human activity over the past few decades has contributed to an exponential worsening of global warming and climate change. Recent forest fires have been ravaging the sequoia groves as the trees have not had the time to adapt to the sudden change in intensity of the fires. Christy Bingham says “It is telling us we need to act on climate change now and that every little bit counts. Every carbon reduction will help these forests persist.”

Entangled Cetaceans High numbers of cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) have been becoming entangled in fishing equipment all over the world with the increase in commercial fishing and the development of the fishing industry. "The Scottish Entanglement Alliance (SEA) was set up in 2018 and it brings together conservationists and creel fishers,” and its first phase has been completed. The Scottish Creel Fisherman's Federation is taking part in the project and there is research being conducted to develop equipment and strategies to reduce entanglement of cetaceans and sharks in fisheries. There is now a legal obligation for fishers to report entanglements. Care about cetaceans? If you see a cetacean in distress call: 1-800-4654336 (line open 24/7)!

volunteer opportunities

Volunteer opportunities Salvation Army The Salvation Army is a global Christian organization seeking to support vulnerable people and spread the love of Jesus Christ. This individual volunteer opportunity gives you the chance to identify from a variety of areas where you want to serve in, such as children/youth programming, the kitchen, teaching/tutoring, and recreation/sports.

They will likely connect you with a local branch.

Sign up: https://bit.ly/signupSA Baking with Oasis Cafe (Project: INFLUENCE run) In February/March Project: INFLUENCE is going to run a volunteer opportunity for baking for Oasis Cafe! Oasis Cafe is a part of Tenth Church that seeks to provide hospitality, welcome, and mutual spiritual formation for those who partake in their meals. We will be baking cookies for them and would love to have you participate!

Sign up: https://bit.ly/signupBAKING Content Creator for the Low Entropy Foundation Low Entropy Foundation is a charity trying to make personal development more accessible. They have various programs aimed at empowering youth and at-risk families. They also run “Conscious Connections”, an inclusive space to talk about meaningful topics. They are looking for a volunteer content creator to make posts for their online platforms. This is a position that does not require previous experience and would be a great fit for someone who enjoys writing.

Sign up: https://bit.ly/signupLOWE

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Lookout Housing + Health Society Lookout Housing is a charitable organization providing housing and support services to adults with low/no income. They seek to have minimal barriers to their services.

Volunteering with them allows you to select your interests from a wide variety of opportunities, such as facilitating activities, working in the kitchens, helping at fundraising and community events, and office work.

Sign up: https://bit.ly/signupLH

prayer

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Below is a list of guidelines for how you could engage in prayer about some of the things you've read about in our newsletter so far. Prayer is an incredibly powerful act of putting our faith in God and trusting Him to move as only He can. We encourage you to pick a few things to pray about and watch God move with us!

People experiencing homelessness Protection during the cold months The effectiveness of programs and organizations trying to help them That they would experience love and peace of God The provision of food, water, and shelter A open heart to consider our own biases against people experiencing homelessness and a change in the social stigma around them in our community Animals in need Care for animals displaced by the floods (enough resources, homes/shelter… etc.)

Protection for hummingbirds during the cold weather (healing for those who are injured) Entangled cetaceans California wildfires Protection of the sequoia forests An end to the wildfires + support for the people fighting them Christians in COVID peace and protection a renewed sense of hope Afghan Refugees in the Tenth Community comfort as they experience societal and cultural differences help with adjusting to these differences for them to experience God's love in this time for the Tenth team to know how to help them best Desmond Tutu comfort for his family and those affected by his death

links/further readinG Article about the BC Hummingbird Crisis: https://bit.ly/bchummingbirds Article about California Sequoias & Fires: https://bbc.in/3IgLw8r Article about Entangled Cetaceans: https://bbc.in/3fDTiwY Article about Desmond Tutu: https://bit.ly/dEsmond A Story from Tenth's Refugee Community: https://bit.ly/samarastory Article about living as Christians in a pandemic: https://bit.ly/christiansinthepandemic

If you know of any potential volunteer opportunities (for example, you are a parent that is involved with helping our community and/or environment) or have any inquiries, please contact us!

Our email is Project.INFLUENCE.2021@gmail.com

If you found the hidden message in our newsletter (hint: look at the margins of the pages) then email us! There may or may not be a reward for getting it first... good luck!