As of January 2021, I will be leaving the position of National Organizer and Spokesperson at YECA.
YECA is a youth-led organization, and maintaining young leadership is not only critical for the integrity of YECA’s mission, but necessary for the vibrancy and efficacy of its programming. After 4 years in this role, I have officially aged out of our target audience (having turned 31 in June). Thankfully, new leadership is aging in every day.
Last week, thirty passionate, talented, and committed students gathered on Zoom for five days straight to learn and grow together. They are all part of our 2020-21 Climate Leadership Fellows cohort, and they gathered to learn, grow, act, and plan together for their coming year of work on their campuses and in their churches and communities. As usual, I was blown away by their ability, knowledge, and skill.
It was only the latest example of why I am so full of hope for the future of YECA, and one of the countless reasons I feel so confident in YECA’s rising generation of leaders.
I am prouder than I can say of the work we’ve been able to accomplish together over the last 4 years. We marched in the streets and knocked down the doors of Congress. We prayed and we protested. We shared our message around the world. We launched new programs like our Field Organizers and Advocates. We grew our Fellows program 400% and year over year giving to YECA increased by a factor of 4.
More important than any of that, though, we all together deepened in our commitment to Christ-centered, gospel-rooted climate action.
Doing this work alongside you has been a gift, and I’m glad I won’t be leaving YECA’s orbit entirely. I plan to transition to Vice President at YECA’s partner ministry, the Evangelical Environmental Network, where I will also supervise YECA’s next National Organizer and Spokesperson.
May we all continue to spur each other on toward deeper affection for God’s world, greater love for our neighbors, and more courageous climate action.
