The LCI is not only continuing but expanding!
An update from Charlotte Screnock, the LCI Administrative Coordinator
I’m delighted to be able to share with you the ongoing news and developments of the Logos and Cosmos Initiative as it evolves over the coming months.
After five fruitful years of equipping 96 scholars in Francophone Africa and Latin America to explore the intersection of science and theology, our generous grant from the John Templeton Foundation ended in 2025. However, the LCI has continued and even expanded!
New cohorts of Catalysts will start the program in February in Francophone Africa and April in Latin America. There are plans for an LCI in South Asia in 2026, and the Logos and Cosmos Initiative at East Asia (LCI EA) is halfway through its first year.
LCI EA began in May 2025, with the aim of providing opportunities for students and national movement staff to lead projects that spark curiosity and wonder about science and theology. LCI EA Stewards, Lisman Komaladi and Prarthini Selveindran, believe the Initiative will encourage young Christian voices to be both informed and influential within broader dialogue, capable of offering biblically grounded perspectives on issues of contemporary importance in East Asia.
At an equipping event in July, Dr Mike Brownnutt, Course Director of the Faraday Institute, sketched a vision for learning as a form of discipleship: that the university has a place in the students’ truth-seeking journey, while embracing their vocations as Christian learners. Mary-Ruth Low, a Christian scientist and conservationist, then shared how her faith and pursuit of ecology enrich one another, presenting a real-life example of what can happen when science and theology interact within a person’s career.
Eight project teams, comprised of 21 students, 3 alumni, and 10 national movement staff members, are diligently working on their projects in East Asia. Each project team has a Christian mentor, who is also an expert in an academic discipline involved in the project, and there to meet about and influence the project regularly.
Sarakeyzia Kaunang and her four project team members live in Manado, the capital city of North Sulawesi province in Indonesia. They are aware of three truths about where they live:
- Climate change is a devastating reality in Manado, with one particularly heavy rainstorm in March 2025 causing floods and landslides, affecting over 5,000 residents.
- The construction sector contributes 34% of global carbon emissions (UNEP, 2025), and in Manado the materials widely used in construction are not sustainable. If these materials continue to be used, the microclimate temperatures will increase, leading to further natural disasters.
- There is a lack of available space to support Christian student fellowship, due to high rental fees, a scarcity of conducive spaces, and the early closure of many fact places because of Manado’s social conditions.
To address these three issues, the team members have planned to build a traditional bamboo stilt structure to be used as a fellowship place for Christian students.
Bamboo is a readily available, sustainable resource that is also energy efficient, earthquake resistant, and low cost. However, it is rarely used due to people’s limited sustainability knowledge and lack of bamboo construction skills. By collaborating with students at the Sam Ratulangi University from various disciplines, the project team aims to raise awareness of sustainability practices, empower others with practical skills, and help preserve God’s creation.
Using the students’ knowledge of architecture, and civil, environmental, and electrical engineering, they have finished the building design in both two and three dimensions. It was proving difficult to find a suitable location, but then some Perkantas alumni who had unused land decided to offer use of their land to the team. It is an ideal location as it is 15 minutes from campus, so it can serve as a meeting point and a retreat place for students. The bamboo structure is now in the early stages of construction.
Anggriadi Ricky, the General Secretary of Perkantas Indonesia, the IFES national movement, says,
“This project brings together students from various disciplines to respond to real needs in their context – both the lack of space for Christian fellowship and the urgency of sustainable living. I believe this kind of initiative is what we need more of: rooted in biblical conviction, shaped by student leadership, and relevant to the pressing issues of our time.”
This project was made possible through the support of Grant 62750 from the John Templeton Foundation. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.
Science for Seminaries and the ECLAS project are funded by the £6.3 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation, running 2023-2027. ECLAS is led from St John’s College, Durham University in partnership with the University of York and the Church of England, and administered by Singapore Bible College in the Eastern Asia Hub.
Please pray with us:
- Thank God for the continuation of LCI in Latin America and Francophone Africa, and the growth into East Asia and South Asia.
- Pray for IFES LCI staff and Catalysts to have joy and stamina as they take part in the program.
- Ask God to continue to provide human and financial resources for the LCIs in the four regions.