Board Chair Rachel Calvert celebrates a milestone
Convinced of the importance of caring well for God’s good creation, Peter & Miranda Harris pioneered the work of A Rocha, first in Portugal in the 1980s, then in France in the late 1990s. They opened the first A Rocha France field study at Les Tourades, in the Vallée des Baux (Provence). A Rocha was officially registered as a French charity in 2000. Since then, the work has grown to include a second field study centre at Les Courmettes (south-eastern France, between the Mediterranean and the Alps), as well as a network of local groups and a lively church engagement programme.
There have been many sleepless nights over the past 25 years, many disappointments and projects which didn’t work out. Sometimes promised funding didn’t come through. Sometimes there were relational strains in the team. There have been major losses and sorrows: Miranda was killed in a tragic car accident in South Africa in 2019, along with A Rocha International director Chris Naylor and his wife Susannah. And yet, God has been faithful through all the highs and lows; answering prayers and transforming hearts and lives.
A Rocha France continues to engage in practical conservation work, collaborating with local landowners, and training young people in the skills they need. We continue to work alongside churches and theological training institutions. We’re excited about the publication of Clément Blanc’s new book Loving Well in a Time of Crisis which is a great tool for helping Christians respond in faithful, biblical ways to current ecological challenges.
Please pray for us over the summer as we host a number of conferences and groups at our field centre at Les Courmettes. Jean-François, our national director, has a sabbatical coming up; please pray that this would be a good time of rest, renewal, and research. I will have extra responsibilities for managing the team for the 10 months that he will be away, and would particularly appreciate your prayer support.
