As national delegations and countless global NGOs have descended upon Paris to observe and influence the outcome of the Paris climate talks, a community of evangelical Christians has also come to add its voice. Under the umbrella of the Lausanne Creation Care Network and A Rocha International, over 100 evangelical Christians from all around the world gathered today for an all day conference in the city called A Christian Response to Climate Change. Theology, personal stories, science and moral philosophy combined for a day of deep learning and conviction.

Kyle Meyaard-Schaap with other evangelicals in Paris.

Although the conference only ran for one day, most of the attendees are staying in Paris to participate in the COP 21 conference in other ways: side events throughout the city, prayer walks and vigils, events at the COP 21 Climate Generations site, and even sitting in on the official negotiations and lobbying government negotiating teams for a just and durable Paris agreement.

In all of it, evangelical Christians are sending a strong and unified message to the world gathered in Paris: evangelicals care about God’s creation, they care about the poor and how climate change disproportionately affects them first and most destructively, and they care about a just and equitable climate agreement in Paris that will protect the earth, the poor, and future generations. While some evangelicals have chosen to stay silent, these evangelicals gathered in Paris, are turning their faith into a public witness for the sake of God’s world.

YECA has been here too, playing our own small part in the larger movement and doing our best to represent the concerns of all of you in our network back home watching the events of Paris unfold and working in your communities to educate and advocate on behalf of God’s creation. We feel honored to represent you at this global event.

And while talks continue and negotiations heat up, we know that whatever comes out of Paris at the end of next week, your work–and the work of YECA–will continue.

Let us continue on in faith, in hope, and in love.

Want to hear more about Kyle’s experience in Paris, and meet other YECA activists?  Join us on Thursday, Dec. 10th at 9 pm EST for a webinar where we’ll hear from Kyle, Brian Webb of Climate Caretakers, and Lauren Bechtel, a Climate Fellow also in Paris this week.  Please register here.