Sacred Parks Staff
Paul Busekist, Director
US-Canada border,Glacier-Waterton NP
In October of 1999, I encountered my first “world-class” park: Zion National Park, in Utah. Since then, I have returned five times - not because Zion is the best or most conveniently located national park for me (far from St.Louis or Chicago, my homes since then). Neither was Zion the most economical to visit, especially on a tight budget. Yet by God’s grace (and some creative financing) I returned because I am in relationship with that place. Zion has been the place to which I have gone for key milestones, personally and professionally, and where I began the Sacred Parks Project earlier this year. Zion is where I was inspired to care and advocate for God’s earth, and perhaps most importantly, it was God (not merely being in Zion itself) that taught me through relationship.
In much the same way I believe we all relate with(in) sacred places – areas perhaps less remote and often far more “ordinary” than Zion. Those parks, churches, and other sacred places can be extraordinary especially because of what happens in them and beyond them. What we experience inside a local, state, or national park can inform and transform our lives and how we faithfully walk through our ordinary settings and times. For me, it has meant really reducing, reusing, and recycling, as I daily labor to learn more about our connections to the earth and to simplify my life in a culture that preaches the gospel of accumulation. What I have learned this year, after traveling to over 30 parks and engaging with their surrounding communities, however, is this: time spent in sacred parks often does not automatically translate into lives of Christian stewardship of creation. It is because of this connection of parks to stewardship, and how many of us fail to connect the dots, that I now feel called to help re-frame the biblical message of creation care through a lens of relationship with place, and more specifically, with parks. I invite you to visit this site, and to contact us if you, too, feel the call of the wild.
Paul is a part-time chaplain and recent graduate from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (2010, Master of Divinity) and Washington University in St. Louis (2009, MA in American Culture Studies) He is an active associate member of Ebenezer Lutheran Church in Chicago.
In much the same way I believe we all relate with(in) sacred places – areas perhaps less remote and often far more “ordinary” than Zion. Those parks, churches, and other sacred places can be extraordinary especially because of what happens in them and beyond them. What we experience inside a local, state, or national park can inform and transform our lives and how we faithfully walk through our ordinary settings and times. For me, it has meant really reducing, reusing, and recycling, as I daily labor to learn more about our connections to the earth and to simplify my life in a culture that preaches the gospel of accumulation. What I have learned this year, after traveling to over 30 parks and engaging with their surrounding communities, however, is this: time spent in sacred parks often does not automatically translate into lives of Christian stewardship of creation. It is because of this connection of parks to stewardship, and how many of us fail to connect the dots, that I now feel called to help re-frame the biblical message of creation care through a lens of relationship with place, and more specifically, with parks. I invite you to visit this site, and to contact us if you, too, feel the call of the wild.
Paul is a part-time chaplain and recent graduate from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (2010, Master of Divinity) and Washington University in St. Louis (2009, MA in American Culture Studies) He is an active associate member of Ebenezer Lutheran Church in Chicago.
Jessica Dawson, Interpretive Naturalist
Meeting a moose on a trail in Yellowstone
I have always enjoyed the outdoors. It started as a child, going on family vacations to many of America’s state and national parks. My family and I would hike, camp, fish, white-water raft, ride horses and of course, take the obligatory pictures at places such as Old Faithful Geyser. I recall the profound experience during my first trip to the Grand Canyon. While I spent much of a cold spring morning wrapped up under a blanket, I still vividly remember the moment I looked out to see the golden sunlight burst out of the blackness and spill into the canyon below. That was during an Easter morning sunrise service. Many of my favorite memories come from family vacations in our nation’s parks.
During my college years I took part in my community by performing with the University Marching Band and completing my education with an internship at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park in West Virginia. I have worked for three summers at my lifelong dream in Yellowstone National Park as an Interpretive Park Ranger, providing educational programs for the public.
My faith has been an important component throughout my life. I believe strongly in leading by example, not solely preaching the good word, which is why you will find me during work or play helping and giving to others. When I needs spiritual guidance or rejuvenation I will most likely go out into nature and seek solace there.
Jessica graduated with honors from Western Illinois University in 2007 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Recreation, Park and Tourism Administration. She is an active member of United Lutheran Church in Oak Park and is currently a member of the Church Council, Altar Guild and acts as an Assisting Minister.
During my college years I took part in my community by performing with the University Marching Band and completing my education with an internship at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park in West Virginia. I have worked for three summers at my lifelong dream in Yellowstone National Park as an Interpretive Park Ranger, providing educational programs for the public.
My faith has been an important component throughout my life. I believe strongly in leading by example, not solely preaching the good word, which is why you will find me during work or play helping and giving to others. When I needs spiritual guidance or rejuvenation I will most likely go out into nature and seek solace there.
Jessica graduated with honors from Western Illinois University in 2007 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Recreation, Park and Tourism Administration. She is an active member of United Lutheran Church in Oak Park and is currently a member of the Church Council, Altar Guild and acts as an Assisting Minister.
The Sacred Parks Board of Directors
They come from varied backgrounds, and ministries. But the three board members for Sacred Parks share one thing in common: their love for the outdoors, and their call to care for the earth. One board member is a chaplain, one a professor, and the other a pastor...Check this page soon to find out more about David Rhoads, John Garrity and Adam Miller-Stubbendick!!