CREATION
CARE
Presenters & Panelists
VERA AYRES BOWEN
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El Ranchito - www.elranchito.org Shield Ayres Foundation - www.shield-ayresfoundation.org Vera Ayres Bowen is a third generation owner of the Shield Ranch which manages ranch lands for conservation and nature education. Currently she serves as the President of El Ranchito, a nature immersion camp for underserved children. She is also President of the Shield Ayres Foundation, a nonprofit family foundation supporting human services, social justice and environmental conservation. She earned a BA from the University of the South. She lives in Austin, Texas.
TY BURK
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Westfold Farms, LLC Ty and Sara Burk own and operate Westfold Farms, LLC, in Manchaca, TX. After serving four years as the Director of Short-Term Projects for New Mission Systems International, Ty pursued his MBA in International Development. During his studies, he became interested in small scale livestock (goats, chickens, rabbits, etc.) In the spring of 2014, Ty and Sara started raising a flock of Dorking chickens. What began as a small backyard hobby quickly developed into a passion that would lead them where they are today. The Burks partnered with the Sustainable Poultry Network to further their knowledge in breeding techniques and practices. Westfold Farms, LLC, is dedicated to preserving and restoring heritage breed poultry. Their business works alongside GrubTubs, a local compost and insect feed company, to pioneer new feeding techniques for their chickens. By God’s grace, Westfold Farms is scaling up to bring heritage Delaware chickens to the marketplace in Austin. Creation Care is a guiding principle and primary motivating factor for their business venture.
KYLE WELLS
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Lead Pastor - Christ Presbyterian Church (PCA), Santa Barbara Kyle Wells hails from Memphis, TN — the birthplace of Rock and Roll, home of the Blues, where Elvis is King, Jesus is Lord, and Barbecue is spicy. This upbringing has deeply influenced this love of food, music, and Jesus. He is author of Grace and Agency in Paul and Second Temple Judaism (Brill, 2015), for which he was awarded the 2016 Manfred Lautenschlaeger Award for Theological Promise. His most shining accomplishment, however, is getting his wife Pam to say “yes.” They have one daughter, Niamh (pronounced Neeve), whose looks and personality bear an uncanny resemblance to her father, which makes him as scared as it does proud.
SANDRA McCRACKEN
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Sandra McCracken is a singer-songwriter based in Nashville, Tennessee. Her prolific contributions as a songwriter, modern-day hymn writer, and record producer have brought grace and clarity to her soulful, folk-gospel sound. Whether in a theater or in a chapel, she is a dynamic performer who blurs the lines of what church music sounds like, captivating and inviting audiences to sing along. While many of her songs like “We Will Feast” and “Thy Mercy My God” have settled into regular rotation in Christian worship services internationally, Sandra has also had songs performed by All Sons And Daughters, Audrey Assad, Caedmon’s Call, ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, and others. Her most recent collection, Songs from the Valley, was released on February 15. Sandra is a friend to A Rocha and helps direct the A Rocha USA’s Arts Program. She has worked with Nashville A Rocha to lead songwriting retreats, gathering artists to create new songs for the church that stir hearts and habits to a deeper love and care of people and places. These efforts have resulted in two albums, From Smallest Seed and Together in the Harvest.
