A Reordered Imagination
It was a refreshing experience attending the Creation Care Forum held by Our Father’s World (OFW) on 12 September 2026. The forum opened with a keynote speech by Dr Quek Tze Ming (Biblical Graduate School of Theology), who explained the gospel story through the lens of creation care, beginning with the garden God created for all creatures to dwell in and the vocation humans were given as image bearers of God to serve the rest of creation. He then ended with a reminder that we are looking towards the restoration of the garden city, the earth and the New Jerusalem. This address created a solid framework for the dialogue that unfolded throughout the rest of the forum, where people involved in ministries spanning all age groups came together to learn how they could disciple their communities in caring for creation. Some of this dialogue took place formally, during a panel discussion between representatives from seminaries and churches. More importantly, however, it continued informally over our lunch breaks, during the workshops, and through the first iteration of a Guided Action Planning (GAP) segment that OFW launched at the forum. Leaders from various ministries raised questions about whether the topic of creation care could be proposed without conflicting with or diverting attention from an organisation’s other areas of ministry – for example, evangelism or social justice. Such sentiments suggest something about the current state of understanding within the church, that there remains a dichotomy between what is viewed as core Christian witness and the call to care for all of creation.
Kimberly (rightmost) helping as one of the facilitators for GAP segment
From the perspective of a student who is well aware of the urgency of the global crises at hand, it feels like systemic changes to disciple congregations and to make practical changes in sustainability practices within the local church are not moving along as fast as decline is happening. Yet, through the conversations I was surrounded by, I was heartened to see heart-work happening, individual attitudes being molded, more Christian leaders and lay people allowing God to transform the way they respond to creation care as a way of life of a follower of Christ. As a facilitator for the youth ministry conversation during the GAP segment in this forum, the energy and creativity of the youth sparked hope in me because in them I envision the next generation of church leaders making the big changes we desire to see. No longer just a lone pastor and a youth leader, but an entire body of united believers living out their vocation to tend and keep the earth. Concurrently, as individual students existing in this dismal state of climate urgency, I refer back to an exhortation from the keynote address: that we are encouraged to each live lives consistent as image bearers of God as part of His creation, to be a signpost for the promise God has given us for the restoration of all creation.
— Kimberly Su is a PhD student in the NUS Faculty of Science and is currently the co-chair of VCF’s Postgraduate Christian Fellowship.
During this forum, I attended the workshop on ‘Discipling Adults’ conducted by Prarthini Selveindran (FES Singapore). The workshop prompted me to reflect on my attitudes toward caring for creation. As a busy working adult and young parent, most of my attention is consumed by immediate responsibilities like school drop-offs, work, pick-ups and the evening routine with our young son. In this season of life, creation care feels like something for people with more time and capacity.
I am generally identified as a “creation care person” and am aware of environmental issues and supportive of environmental action. However, I rarely find myself putting in time to keep up with such things in my daily life. I have always given myself the excuse that the issue is a lack of time. Yet the workshop challenged me to consider whether the issue was really a lack of time, or whether my attention and imagination had simply been captured by other things.
Having first been introduced to creation care in 2020, I am cognitively aware of many of the issues and the practical ways we can respond. However, Prarthi reminded us that possessing knowledge does not necessarily lead to lasting change. Instead, what sustains change in our behaviour is a re-ordered imagination. Her quote especially stayed with me:
“Christian formation is, in part, rightly ordering our attention: learning to see God’s good earth well, that we may love and inhabit it well.”
I realised that while my understanding of creation care may have grown over the years, my imagination towards caring for God’s creation has been stunted.
This became clearer as I reflected on something I readily make time for: running. Despite the busyness of work and family life, I look forward to my training sessions each week. I organise my schedule around them and am willing to make sacrifices to ensure they happen! When I found myself wanting a particular piece of running gear and repeatedly being drawn to the advertisements for it, I realised that these companies are not just selling me fabric. They are selling me an image of who I want to be, someone who is athletic, and someone who is committed to running. What captures my imagination inevitably shapes my habits, attention and spending.
The workshop left me wondering what it would mean for God’s creation to capture my imagination in the same way. As students and young adults, we are constantly being invited into competing visions of what the good life looks like. Some of these capture us so deeply that we willingly give our time, money and energy to pursue them. As we reflect on the things we readily devote our time and attention to, we may have a better sense of the stories and visions that are already shaping us. After all, we seem to find time for the things we truly love. My hope is that I might learn to see God’s creation in a way that deepens not only my awareness of it, but also my love for it.
— Rebecca Goh is a former FES staff worker and is currently a civil servant in the Ministry of Law.
Editor’s Note: This reflection is part of our September news on the Season of Creation. As we join Christian brothers and sisters around the world in observing the Season of Creation, we also rethink and reimagine our relationship with other parts of creation. This month’s feature article encourages us to engage in earthkeeping as part of God’s mission for the church and an embodiment of the hope we have.
