News
EPRe - Joint Action - 12-24
The Eglise Protestante de la Réunion sent 3 representatives to Madagascar, to take part in the Cevaa Common Action Seminar - Southern Africa and Indian Ocean region.
On their return, the participants chose to report on the exchanges and times of sharing they had experienced, but also to put into practice the resolutions taken at the end of the Seminar by proposing theoretical and practical workshops to the members of their church.
Workshop 1: the cutting technique
Workshop 2: Creation of a community and parish garden - Inauguration on 08/12/2024
Seminar paper inspired by Colossians 1:12-20
More than a framework for life given by God, Creation is first and foremost an element in God's relationship with human beings. God wants human beings to be with him. It's God's plan, his goal, his mission.
It's for this reason that we must care for Creation.
Stage 2: Creation (in progress) of an orchard with a multitude of fruit trees (like the Garden of Eden) for parishioners' consumption.
Workshop 1: Creation of an "alternative" nursery: papaya, lemon, passion fruit, pineapple, avocado, banana...
Workshop 2: Introducing parishioners to the nutritional and therapeutic benefits of each fruit
Putting into practice the techniques proposed in the EPR garden
Stage 1: "We had to redesign the existing EPR garden to make it more beautiful, more serene, more pleasant for parishioners, but also a showcase for our Church. A showcase to attract the attention of passers-by "in search" of spirituality or simply looking to fill a void in their lives..."
Promising results: every Sunday we see new people arriving and old ones returning. The Gospel is making its way...
Step 3: Create a "scented", ecological garden corner containing mosquito repellents (citronella, geranium...).
"Based on our reflections and the workshops we've run on the theme of "Living differently with Creation", we can draw the following conclusion:
We can take action by providing training (through workshops in the field) to the churches according to the following criteria:
- The churches must have a plot of land of a size that can accommodate the creation of the garden (because this is the "material" objective of the proposed solution).
- Ideally, they should have a majority of young and active people, who are the future of the parish.
- They must "adhere" in the sense of "agreeing" with the Cevaa's principle of Common Action for Living the Creation Differently
Based on these criteria and the exchanges we had during the seminar, we propose to intervene with the churches of Mauritius and Madagascar."
Haja Yvette RAKOTOMAVO
January 13, 2025 in Saint Denis de La Réunion