Bishop Chris has given his support to a call from EcoChurch South West for people to sign up to daily mailings of resources, prayers and reflections during Creationtide.

Creationtide runs from September 1 to St Francis Day, October 4.

This year the mailings from EcoChurch South West will focus on ideas for action to help local churches work through the Eco Church award scheme. Something as simple as the installation of a bug hotel in a corner of the churchyard, or a switch to ecologically friendly cleaning products, could be enough to achieve an award in churches where prayer and teaching about creation and care for the environment are part of the annual cycle.

‘Beautiful yet fragile’

Bishop Chris said: “We are blessed to live in a beautiful yet fragile part of the world which has long been a home to the celtic tradition of Christian faith.

“Gratitude and care for creation align naturally with who we are and what we believe.

“I have been much encouraged by the creativity and practicality with which individuals and communities across our diocese are increasingly engaging with this aspect of our mission.

“May we use the focus and opportunity of Creationtide to deepen our understanding, to share our enthusiasm and to express our role as godly stewards of creation.”

To sign up for these emails (25 in total; one on Saturday, September 1, then from Monday to Friday through to Thursday, October 4), visit the EcoChurch Southwest website at: https://ecochurchsouthwest.org.uk/

Those who have been on the list in previous years you will need to sign up again for the emails this year, as EcoChurch wants to be sure it is only sending out messages to those who want to receive them.

Resources

Some resources for Creationtide 2018 are available on the new website from the Church of England Environment Programme, www.creationtide.com. These include:

  • Special Creationtide versions of Eucharist, Morning Prayer, and Service of the Word which could be used for Harvest services or other Sundays.
  • Harvest services, agricultural year services.
  • Liturgical resources from the National Environmental Group.

Creationtide, or the season of creation, is the period in the annual church calendar dedicated to God as Creator and Sustainer of all life.

It is a time that encompasses many harvest festivals in our region and ends with the feast of St Francis of Assisi.

As Christians, we acknowledge that the environment is our common home, and we need to tread more gently on the earth and care for our shared planet. This is a special time for us to recall our relationship with the Earth and the Holy.

The Church of England’s lead bishop for environmental affairs, the Rt Revd Nicholas Holtam, Bishop of Salisbury, said: “Celebrating Creationtide marks a shift in the Christian understanding of our relationship to creation under God. The consequences of teaching over recent centuries that humanity has been given domination over creation are clear in the complex environmental crisis we now face.

“It is important that Christians rediscover older traditions of a godly relationship of humanity to the wider created order. The season of Creationtide is a time for Christians throughout the world to pray, reflect, and act, on issues related to the care of all of Creation, the environment and the world in which we live.”

To see a video of Bishop Nicholas inviting people to participate in Creationtide (from August 2016), go to:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXiyuF31BBQ&t=39s