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Peter Illyn
Founder and Executive Director - Vancouver, WA
Raised in South Carolina as a Russian Orthodox, Peter graduated from Rhema Bible College where he earned credentials as an evangelical minister. He spent nine years serving as a pastor in Foursquare churches in Portland, OR and Yakima, WA. Peter returned to school for an undergraduate degree in marketing. Upon graduation, as a sabbatical, Peter took two llamas on a four-month, 1,000 mile trek through the Cascades, which set the long-distance record for llama packing.
According to Peter, “I went into the mountains an evangelical minister, but I came out an environmental activist. I believe God made a good earth and I am called to be a good steward; to protect the fruitfulness and connectedness of creation.” Peter returned to school for a Masters degree in social marketing, combining his three passions – nature appreciation, social marketing and Christian theology and began to create an alternative framework for Christians to engage nature, compared to the “dominion” theology perpetrated by the far right.
Though an evangelical, Peter also works with Catholics, Orthodox, mainline Protestants, and Jewish leaders. Peter’s success in reaching the church community with a message of environmental stewardship has been featured on Lehrer Newshour, CBS Evening News, CNN, Outside Magazine, Utne Reader, Charisma, and Christianity Today amongst others. In addition, he has also been interviewed for numerous local newspapers, Christian newspapers, and radio talk shows.
Alexis Williams
Campaign Organizer - Minneapolis, MN
While spending most of her childhood outdoors, Alexis Williams decided to make environmental protection her life’s work after attending Rescuing God’s Creation (RGC) in 2002. She pursued this passion at Western Washington University, where she studied political science with an environmental policy concentration. While at Western, Alexis was the student leader of their Restoring Eden campus chapter, and was also involved with several other Christian ministries.
After graduation, Alexis worked with Conservation Northwest as their Development Assistant. In 2008-2009, Alexis worked as a Field Organizer with Green Corps, where she helped pass a renewable electricity standard in Missouri, worked to increase solar power and energy efficiency in Texas, fought for the protection of public water in California, and campaigned for lower health care costs and climate change solutions in Montana.
Alexis is excited to be a part of the Christian environmental movement. “For so long the church has been silent on the issue of environmental stewardship. But people are beginning to realize how important it is to love and care for what God called good. It’s exciting to see people agreeing with what you have so long felt in your heart to be true.”
Gretchen Peck
Outreach and Development Director - Minneapolis, MN
Gretchen Peck lives in Minneapolis but originally hails from upstate New York. Growing up in a family prone to recycling and biking and a town known for shopping at food co-ops and driving Volvos, she was encouraged at a young age to care for the environment. Her interest in sustainability blossomed during her time at Messiah College-specifically during her life-changing semester abroad in Belize with the Creation Care Study Program (CCSP). At Messiah, Gretchen worked with fellow students to plant a garden that provides food for the dining hall and members of the community. After college she worked with CCSP as a Student Life Coordinator both in Belize and New Zealand.
Most recently, Gretchen worked as Renewal's National Coordinator where she loved working with students who shared her enthusiasm for creation care issues. In addition to expanding her knowledge on how to better care for our world and its people, Gretchen enjoys utilizing her degree in Sport and Exercise Science and learning how to make things. Gretchen hopes to someday combine those enjoyments by making ice cream with a bike.
