Why We Love Cris Bisch

I’ve been blogging on SustainLane’s Creation Care page for ten months now, thanks to Cris Bisch, the amazing woman responsible for rolling out this unique forum. Ivan, a mutual friend, connected us last February after I shyly revealed to him that my book was, in fact, coming out through a Christian publisher. This being my first book, publishing was new and a little scary for me. And having spent my career in the secular world of business, debuting as a “Christian” writer felt even stranger. Desperate for guidance, I called Cris and told her what I was trying to do. “Cris,” I remember telling her, “I’m trying to write a book about sustainability that won’t scare off conservatives. I want to introduce another faith-based voice into the discussion. The problem is, I have never written anything ‘Christian’ before and I feel weird about it.” Cris listened patiently as I unloaded my concerns on her. “Anna,” she told me, “you have a fresh and unique perspective. I want you to share it on our Creation Care site as a weekly blogger.” I was excited and nervous all at the same time. Wondering what I could possibly add to a conversation among theologians and church leaders, I confessed to Cris that I wasn’t sure I could do it. “You will be great. I know you can do this,” she said. “But what would I even write about?” I asked. After some discussion, we landed on the idea of reporting conversations. “You can bring in conversations with people,” advised Cris, “and use these as a way to share insights and explore issues where faith and sustainability intersect.”

Roughly 28,800 words later, I happily report that, thanks in large part to Cris, I am now at ease writing alongside some of the most respected voices for environmental stewardship in America. These include Matthew and Nancy Sleeth, Tri Robinson, Don Bosch, Dean Ohlman, Ben DeVries, Becky Garrison, Alexei Laushkin, and others. Cris has been chiefly responsible for assembling this a group of writers, editing our work, encouraging us, and managing the design and production of the website for the past nine months. Due to her team’s efforts, SustainLane’s Creation Care site now ranks among the top faith-based eco-communities in the country. Thinking about what kind of person it takes to make this happen, I keep going back to this verse in Romans:

We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. Romans 12:6-8

Cris embodies each one of these gifts and uses them to the fullest – that is, in proportion to her expansive faith. It has been a blessing to receive her encouragement. Others may call her manager, but to me, Cris is an angel. Thanks to her support, my blog “Conversations with Anna” has evolved from a pseudo-private journal into a public forum for discussion among old and new friends. No longer having to work in a vacuum, I now get to bounce ideas off authors, bloggers, and faith leaders from all walks of life. One of these new friends, Ben DeVries, recently shared one of my posts on his blog Not One Sparrow. This sort of collaboration is possible because of the foundation that Cris helped us build through launching this very special site.

Ben, in fact, introduced the idea of writing this post to thank Cris. After some back and forth, I happily won the job, but I don’t want to hog the limelight. Others have their own special words of thanks for Cris:

Ben Devries:

“Cris and I met several months ago through an evangelical environmental group on Facebook. She took the time to send me a note, and I've been blessed by her friendship and support ever since. She has truly been one of the most gregarious and others-promoting advocates, and people period, I have known. Not One Sparrow and I personally have benefitted much from her warmth and kindness, and I know the creation care movement on the whole has even more.

“I so much appreciated her invitation to participate in the Creation Care community here at SustainLane. And for the short time I posted under her supervision, she was an incredibly personable and thorough editor and facilitator, a rare combination. There's no doubt in my mind she's a model of how we all should relate to each other, and promote and invest in each other's work. Thank you for that, Cris.”

And from Matthew Sleeth, M.D. and Nancy Sleeth:

"It has always been a delight to partner with Cris Bisch to bring a faith perspective to SustainLane. She is not only a persistent worker and innovative thinker, but she consistently extends her kindness and warmth to our ministry. We are encouraged in knowing that God's wisdom will continue to flow through her efforts as we all work together to restore a love of God's creation among members of the Church and beyond."

On behalf of us and others who participate in this community, we wish you all the best, Cris. Thank you for everything you have done for us!

Anna Clark is president of EarthPeople, a sustainability consulting firm. She is an author, speaker, and blogger on green living and leadership. Anna lives in Dallas with her husband and two toddlers in one of the first LEED-certified Platinum residences in Texas. Visit www.annamclark.com for more on all things green.