The Season of Creation runs from 1 September to 4 October each year, and we now have a new ecumenical festival and a new theological text to help us to celebrate God’s calling to “strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth.”
Hope for All Creation
The Church of England has published Hope for All Creation, a landmark new theological text, or teaching document, from the House of Bishops, produced by the Church of England’s Faith and Order Commission (FAOC). You can download a digital version or buy a copy from Church House Bookshop. There are also further reading resources on the Church of England website which you can find here.
Creationtide Webinars for Hope for All Creation
Open to all, aimed at church leaders wanting to engage with the material and tackle some common push backs to creation care. Tuesdays in the Season of Creation, 5:30-6:30pm. Presentations and then Q&A.
Tuesday 8 September To tend and to till – humanity’s role in creation. Dr Hilary Marlow & Revd Dr Dave Bookless explore the interconnectedness of God’s creation and the distinctive role of humanity within it. Register here.
Tuesday 15 September Missio Dei – the five marks of mission in the local church. Revd Margot Hodson explores where environmental action fits in the mission of the local church and how the fifth mark of mission works together with all the marks of mission. Register here.
Tuesday 22 September A new heaven and a new earth. Dr Ben Fulford explores where our environmental action fits in the coming of God’s Kingdom Register here.
New annual Festival of Creation in Christ – first Sunday of September
In July, General Synod approved the new Festival of Creation in Christ, to fall on the first Sunday of September at the start of the Season of Creation. You will find the video introducing it below. Celebrating this festival forms part of the second edition of the Church of England’s A Time for Creation, Liturgical Resources for Creation and the Environment, available online and also through the Lectionary app. The Church of England has also published practical information about how to celebrate the Festival of Creation in Christ.
And to complement all of the above, we have the following local offers:
Porch Prayers– compiled by Susanna Gunner in response to a regular contemplative prayer session at Surlingham Church. These are two booklets in Word format to enable editing/copying and pasting from into local contexts/needs.
Environmental hymn – written by Susanna Gunner and sung for the first time at the Bishop’s Teaching Morning in July
A series of local creation care videos to use in services/at events to encourage and inspire on our YouTube channel HERE
Further Season of Creation resources:
Season of Creation – the main website for the global gathering – this year’s theme is Living Water
Season of Creation – A Rocha UK
Indigenous community prayers: Indigenous prayer collection VER 02 KJG.pdf – Google Drive