A Rocha USA representatives helped Evangelical Environmental Network celebrate their 30th Anniversary in Washington DC last week. (Left to Right): Rev Mitch Hescox, Dr Rachel Lamb, Rev Dr Jessica Moerman, Rev Dr Ben Lowe, Rev Dr Walter Kim, and Brittany Michalski. 

Dear friend of A Rocha,

Greetings! I’m thrilled to be writing to you as A Rocha USA’s new executive director. Having been part of the A Rocha community in various ways for twenty years now, I’ve seen us go through both good and hard times. And I can confidently say that I’ve never been more excited and encouraged about the opportunities before us than now.

Thanks to so many of you, A Rocha USA is positioned better than ever to deliver on our critical creation care mission through place-based conservation projects (e.g., read more from our Florida team below), national programs (stay tuned for news about the Love Your Place platform), and global partnerships (A Rocha is now in 22 countries and counting). Given the growing urgency of intensifying climate change and biodiversity conservation, I hope you agree that this is good news!

In these early weeks, it’s been wonderful connecting with many of you, whether online or in person in Austin, Nashville, Orlando, and Washington DC. I’m eager to stay in touch and continue getting to know those of you I haven’t met yet. The A Rocha community can sometimes feel scattered across this big country, but we’re out here plugging away faithfully and I’m seeing so many encouraging signs of growth, strength, and momentum.

So, please, don’t be a stranger! Now is a great time to get more involved with A Rocha. We’ve got big plans—from onboarding new project sites and expanding internship opportunities to building long-desired church partnerships and more—and have just launched an expanded monthly donor program to help us scale up in this season of growth. If you haven’t had the chance to contribute yet, it’s not too late to take advantage of a generous matching offer that doubles your gift. Thank you for considering this timely opportunity.

However you can be involved in this season ahead, we are grateful that you are part of the A Rocha community and privileged to be caring for this good but groaning world together. There’s so much more I’m eager to share but, for now, I leave you with this blessing drawn from the Apostle Paul in Philippians 1:3-6:

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I
always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day
until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in [us] will
carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Onward!

Rev Ben Lowe (守仁), PhD
Executive Director
A Rocha USA

Act Locally

Take Root: Long-Term Conservation in Community 

The latest video in A Rocha’s ‘Elements of Hope' video series, Take Root explores the benefits of developing deep relationships and committing to a particular place or community over time.

Being rooted in a community helps us grow and flourish, while also giving shelter and encouragement to others through our faithful and steady obedience to God’s calling for us, whatever it may be.

Join us in watching Take Root and feel free to share the video with your church, school, bible study or youth group. Let us know how you are taking root in your own community!

Think Globally

Photo taken on Pacific Coast of Nicaragua, by Allison Cutting

Small-Scale Fisheries, Fishers, and Marine Biodiversity

We are all connected through one ocean. 

The sea is teeming with life of incredible diversity — from blue whales being the largest animal to have ever lived to microscopic phytoplankton which produce half of the world’s oxygen. Bodies of saltwater link continents and people groups together, providing pathways of exploration and trade. The ocean can be a place of recreation and exhilaration, an expansive horizon that calms the human nervous system, and watery conditions that test the human limits. The sea supports regional ways of life and cultural practices, providing livelihood opportunities and a protein source by way of fish. 

When was the last time you ate something from the sea? A fish stick or tuna sandwich, perhaps a sushi roll or raw oyster? The seafood we eat passes through many hands to go from sea, to ship, to shore, to store, before reaching our stomachs. Fishing has been part of society for centuries and plays a significant role in human and planetary development on a social, economic, and ecological level, and at a global scale. However, given that fish live underwater, and fishing takes place far out at sea, much of this sector’s activity has been unseen – a sort of hidden harvest of creatures from the deep, and the ramifications can be severe.

Get Involved: A Rocha opportunities

Join the A Rocha USA Sustainers!

We're excited to introduce A Rocha USA Sustainers—our monthly giving community—committed to seeing all of creation flourish.

When you join A Rocha USA Sustainers as a monthly donor, you help us make long-term plans with confidence, contribute as a vital part of our hands-on conservation efforts protecting vulnerable ecological communities, and support our mission to live out God's calling to care for creation and equip others to do likewise. 

A generous donor has committed to a donor-matching challenge, offering to match the monthly gifts of our first 30 A Rocha USA Sustainers. Help us meet this challenge and unlock this gift while doubling your impact!

Thank you for your support of A Rocha USA and for joining us in our mission as Christians caring for creation through practical conservation.

Photo taken in April 2023 by the ARUSA team of the meadow restoration project within the Stenis Tract in Central Texas. Wildflowers have started to return to the meadow following the removal of invasive plant species. 

Join the restoration efforts in Central Texas!

Do you want to join the restoration efforts at the Stenis tract in Central Texas? Work with A Rocha USA and our partners at the Bull Creek Foundation on June 17.

During this workday, we will use a technique called solarization to combat King Ranch bluestem — an invasive grass.

Sign up and more information below!