When Hospitality Meets Creation Care

3775 Crosshaven Drive,Vestavia Hills AL 35223

06 November, 2022

Description

Co-hosted by the Saint Stephen's Episcopal Church and the Diocesan Task Force for Creation Care, this evening will feature an introduction to the work of A Rocha by its founder Peter Harris and a book launch, celebrating the release of A Place at the Table by Jo Swinney, daughter of Peter Harris. A Rocha is a global family of Christian organizations which, inspired by God’s love, engages in scientific research, environmental education, and community-based conversation projects. Learn more about A Rocha at arocha.org. Join us early at Saint Stephen's for the Celtic Service at 5 p.m. and/or for a simple dinner at 6 p.m., followed by the presentation and concluding with a reception where you will have the opportunity to meet our guests and mingle. ABOUT THE BOOK Rooted in the story of the Christian environmental conservation charity, A Rocha, and the life of its late co-founder Miranda Harris, A Place at the Table: Faith, Hope and Hospitality (Hodder Faith, 2022) is a profound reflection on hospitality and the transformative power of community. Miranda Harris’s tragic death in 2019 sent a shockwave across the globe to those closest to her and the many who found her approach to hospitality and community a life-long inspiration. In A Place at the Table, Miranda's daughter Jo Swinney honors her mother’s dedication to a life of community and fellowship—pairing her own words with her mother’s writings and exploring how sharing food is at the heart of a shared life. Lyrically written and structured around the shape of a meal, A Place at the Table explores the six parts of a meal: hunger, preparation, welcome, at the table, the clean-up, and the forever feast. With prayers, biblical examples and stories, and personal reflections, A Place at the Table meditates on themes of belonging, loss, and community, and is an encouraging call to action to make hospitality a part of daily life. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jo Swinney is a writer, speaker, and editor. She is the Director of Communications for A Rocha—the international Christian environmental conservation charity founded by her father and her late mother, Miranda Harris, who co-authors A Place At the Table. Jo is author of eight books and a regular contributor to many Christian publications in the UK and elsewhere. Learn more about Jo at her website, joswinney.com.