Newsletter

Autumn 2001: From the Director

Colleagues-in-Community
By Calvin B. DeWitt

In the Au Sable Official Bulletin-the document on the web that details the structure and operation of the Institute-the word community appears 31 times. It refers to the people we serve, to the organisms we study, and mostly to the interconnecting relationships that bind us together as "Au Sable people." All of us know that this community lies at the heart and soul of the Institute. It is a kind of living fabric of learning, worship, story and song that helps all become "citizens of the Kingdom"- the children of God whom the whole Creation is eagerly awaiting.

We are woven together by interest, study, passion, and practical experience that is basic for a wholesome society, a sustainable biosphere, and a fruitful Creation. We have worked within our day-long time blocks on courses that integrate environmental studies with long-standing Christian values and with re-creation and worship. We have worked together to build community in our weekly Integrative Sessions during which all faculty and students participate as colleagues-in-community to address critical environmental problems and issues in Christian context. And we have shared in noontime devotions and community worship to grow in moral stature.

With these and many other "ties that bind" we are weavers who are creating and nurturing a living fabric that brings all of us to serious and dedicated pursuit of Christian living, environmental sustainability, Creation's fruitfulness, and environmental stewardship. In weaving this fabric, each of us nurtures the respect, love, and care for Creation expected from people who respect and serve their Creator- from those who seek to follow the One described in Colossians 1:15-20 through Whom the world is made, sustained, and reconciled. Thank you for being a strand in this life-giving and life-fulfilling fabric!

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