EARTHKEEPING NEWS A NEWSLETTER OF THE NORTH AMERICAN COALITION FOR CHRISTIANITY AND ECOLOGY Volume Ten, Number Five July/August 2001 They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter... And the people complained against Moses, saying "What shall we drink?" He cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. (Exodus 15: 22 - 25) RESTORING ROMANIA'S RIVERS: MISSION OF CHURCH YOUTH Marah International, begun in 1999 as a non-profit, interdenominational Christian relief and development organization, has as its mission "the healing of human lives and restoration of earth in those areas most affected by ecological deterioration." The organization chose to work in Romania as one such place. The effects of pollution in Eastern Europe are staggering. About 20% of Romania's rivers have no life, and there are no facilities for properly managing garbage. Nearly 400,000 children suffer from lead poisoning. In portions of the Czech Republic, one out of every 10 children suffers from lung disorders and skin diseases. In one Romanian town, over 50% of the people have cancer and other life-threatening illnesses from exposure to radiation in the uranium mines. The Danube River is choked by pollution and the Black Sea is dying a slow death. In 2000, a cyanide spill killed nearly all aquatic life in the Somes and Tisa Rivers in Romania, Hungary and Serbia. Marah Int'l has sent teams of American volunteers, recruited from Nazarene colleges and Pentecostal churches, to help young people in Romania form ecology clubs and restore Romania's rivers (the 3R program). Ecology clubs have been formed in Sighisoara and Oradea. Volunteers have so far been recruited from local high schools and from Nazarene, Baptist and Pentecostal churches in these towns. Participants in the ecology clubs learn to test the water and monitor their rivers. They learn how to collect and identify living organisms from streams, and relate the kinds of organisms they find to the pollution level in the water. Lessons in composting, recycling, forests, wetland and the effects of agriculture on the environment are envisioned for the future. Marah Int'l has developed a course on the biblical basis for environmental stewardship to help Ecology Club members recruit youth in the churches. (Youth are not taught about the environment in their schools or churches.) Volunteers are also raising awareness of environmental stewardship in the United States. In January 2001, a presentation was made to Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro, Mass. entitled "Environmental Health for the Health Care Professional." In May 2001, a Pastor's Stewardship Luncheon was organized in Decatur, Illinois. Speakers addressed such issues as the biblical mandate for creation care, environmental justice, and environmental health. For more information, contact Jonathan Twining, President, Marah International, 80 Oakdale St. #36, Attleboro MA 02703; <info@marah.org>; www.marah.org; 508/223-2336. Home     Table of Contents