Peter Illyn

Founder and Executive Director of Restoring Eden; 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 also serves as Vice-President of the Christian Environmental Council and sits on the Board of Directors of the White Cloud Council. He is also part of the Noah Alliance, a coalition with Paul Gorman of the National Religious Partnership for the Environment (NRPE), and Jim Ball of the Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN).

Peter worked as the Northwest representative for the Evangelical Environmental Network and for Target Earth before starting Restoring Eden in 2001. 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 Illyn

Outreach Coordinator

While spending most of her childhood outdoors, Alexis Illyn decided to make environmental protection her life’s work after attending Rescuing God’s Creation (RGC) in 2002. She is currently a senior at Western Washington University pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Political Science.

At Western, Alexis is a student leader of their Restoring Eden campus chapter, as well as involved with several other Christian ministries. During the school year, she works part time for Conservation Northwest, an environmental non-profit based in Bellingham, WA.

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.”

Jason Duba

Communications Associate

In his hometown of Spokane, Washington, Jason helped start a group called the Faith and Environment Network.  He even managed to get AmeriCorps to sponsor his position as the Network's coordinator.  While organizing the first event for this new organization, Jason crossed paths with Peter Illyn and Restoring Eden.  Peter came to speak at that first forum, which Jason remembers well, thanks in part to Peter's excellent talk, but more because he met his wife to-be at the event (Christian environmentalism is good for more than just the earth).

After two lobbying trips to Washington, D.C. with Restoring Eden, Jason felt convinced that he would like to work for the cause of Christian environmental activism.  "I'm excited to be part of this movement in which so many people are taking action in their own lives, at their churches and on their campuses, speaking up to their leaders, and just getting outside to enjoy the wonderful world around them," Jason said.