Photo by Max Beck on Unsplash

Dear friend of A Rocha,

“Expectant longing” could describe the position of many in this season of Advent. Thousands of years ago, Mary, nearing the culmination of an impossibly joyful and astounding pregnancy, was likely filled with expectant longing. Christian communities today across the globe, observing Advent with prayers, fasting, and almsgiving bent toward the return of Christ the King, yearn in unity for the expected second coming of Jesus. And we at A Rocha USA also wait with anticipation for the mysteries of God to be revealed as we quietly and faithfully seek to do the will of the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer of the cosmos.

Advent is designed to cultivate yearning and waiting and, ultimately, hope. As an Advent companion, we highly recommend Tish Harrison Warren’s latest book, Advent, The Season of Hope. Warren is an author, Anglican priest, and friend of A Rocha (you may recognize her from The New York Times piece she wrote about A Rocha last year). Enjoy this short excerpt from Advent below, and our full book review linked here.

“Advent, ultimately, is a season of hope, which is why it is mostly about Christ coming in glory. This is the truest object of our hope. We celebrate that Jesus came in his incarnation and find comfort in how he comes to us in our daily lives, but all of our longings meet their end in Christ coming again, bringing healing, peace, joy, and an unimaginable wholeness in his wake.”

Our expectant longing extends to our connection with you, friend of A Rocha. Your prayers, financial support, and the other forms of partnership allow our team to pursue our mission to live out God’s call to care for creation and equip others to do likewise. To see where God is leading us in the year ahead, and how you can support us at this critical time, please read our 2024 Proposal, A New Season for Creation Care.

We are grateful for all the ways you join us to care for the full community of creation, and we pray that this Advent season will fill you with the expectant longing for Christ’s return.

Brittany Michalski
Director of Conservation Projects
A Rocha USA

Act Locally

Tish Warren's latest book Advent: The Season of Hope

Advent, the Season of Hope: A Reflection on Tish Harrison Warren’s New Book

By: Brittany Michalski

Happy New Year! While December 31st is the end of our Gregorian calendar, the liturgical season of Advent, which begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, marks the start of a new year for Christians.

In her latest book, Advent, part of the Fullness of Time series by InterVarsity Press, author and Anglican priest (and dear friend of A Rocha) Tish Harrison Warren provides theological insights and personal reflections on this liturgical period. She observes that instead of creating sacred space for spiritual reflection, faith communities often fall prey to the commercialized frenzy of Christmas while secular culture mainstreams Advent calendars as another way to consume the holiday season. Thankfully, she also outlines a number of prayers and practices we can embody as a means of living out the hope, longing, and even mourning native to a season of waiting for the coming Lord.

Think Globally

A Rocha's 40th Anniversary

A Year to Remember: A Rocha’s 40th Anniversary Highlights

By: Laura Vessey

40 is a number of spiritual importance throughout the Bible, associated with periods of testing, preparation, transition and renewal. As A Rocha’s 40th anniversary year comes to a close, we cannot help but reflect on the significance of this milestone and appreciate the foundation on which we now firmly find ourselves. Thank you to all who have faithfully walked with us this last year, either here at home with A Rocha USA, or internationally with our worldwide A Rocha family. Perhaps you are new to A Rocha, or perhaps you have been with us since the beginning. In either case, you have a place at the table and we’re grateful you’re here.

From gatherings in Texas to anniversary parties with old friends at Cruzinha – it has been a whirlwind of a year, in the best possible way! In case you missed it, we wanted to share some of the highlights of A Rocha’s 40th year and ways you can still join us in this joyous and commemorative time. See some of the highlights from A Rocha’s 40th anniversary below!

Get Involved: A Rocha opportunities

A New Season for Creation Care

To see where God is leading us in the year ahead, and how you can support us at this critical time, read our 2024 Proposal, A New Season for Creation Care.

Learn More

Spreading the Word

Our Central Texas Project Director Verónica Godoy (shown left) presented at the Texas Children in Nature Summit on December 7 on Picnics en el Arroyo, which we recently celebrated one year of being an A Rocha USA program.

In Florida, our Marine Conservation lead Scientist, Dr. Bob Sluka, along with Jeffery Greenberg and our 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 Conservation and Community Engagement intern cohorts, have submitted abstracts to present at the Indian River Symposium on February 22.

Their topics include the Atlantic Mole Crab Distribution on the Space Coast, Review And Gap Analysis of the Northern Indian River Lagoon Biodiversity, and Stormwater Monitoring as a Crucial Contribution of Citizen Science on Behalf of The Indian River Lagoon Restoration.

Join us in cheering on our A Rocha USA family in sharing their important work at these events!