Resources for churches and individuals:
- Church of England resources including why you should take action, steps you can take and wide variety of inspirational materials.
- Eco Church resources from environment charity A Rocha. They are also currently running the Wild Christian scheme, a community of families and individuals exploring the connections between our Christian faith, the natural environment, and how we live. Visit the A Rocha site here to find out more.
- Our Diocese of Leicester Travel Toolkit for Local Churches
- Diocesan staff Workplace Travel Plan
- Our diocesan podcast Re:Thinking ALOUD discussed the environment and God's creation in a 2020 episode here
- York Course - Caring for Creation Written by Brian Davis this course look explores the fact that the human race is facing its greatest challenge: global warming, leading to climate change. This, along with the damage we have done, and are still doing to the environment, God’s wonderful creation, means that we all have to make radical changes to our whole way of life.
- A Facebook group for anyone in our churches keen to learn more, and pick up or share ideas for being 'greener', celebrating and protecting creation, and becoming Eco Churches.
- A book published by Church House Publishings - A Time for Creation: Liturgical resources for Creation and the Environment may be helpful in the planning of services. It can be ordered from the Christian Resources bookshop in St Martins House.
- Resound Worship's new album Doxecology which contains 13 ecologically themed worship songs.
- Resource bank and slides from the recent Christian Climate Conference held in the diocese and led by the Bishops Youth Council.
- Prayer Resources for COP26 can be found here
- With COP26 in progress, PCCs and church congregations may be thinking about how they might further respond to the climate emergency and the move towards net carbon zero by 2030. The Church Buildings Team have drawn together various sources of information about the environment and church buildings into a Guidance Note to assist.
Saying Yes to Life with Dr Ruth Valerio
This recorded Webinar is a wonderful opportunity to hear Ruth speak about our call to care for God’s creation and its most vulnerable people as part of our everyday faith, and to reflect on our own personal actions and response. She refers to her book, “Saying Yes to Life” which was the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent book in 2020 as well as relating to current climate events happening around the world.
In this video Ann Scott, a licensed pioneer in the diocese who leads a mission shaped community called “Greenlight”, shares a sermon preached for Holy Trinity church at the very start of Creationtide. Grab a coffee, and listen to her answering the question: “why should we, as followers of Jesus, care for the world?”
Local churches are encouraged to hold a local Climate Sunday any time during a one-year period starting on 6 September (the first Sunday in the annual season of Creation Time/Season of Creation).
Free resources will be provided to suit every tradition and style of worship.
During their local Climate Sunday, churches are invited to do one or more of three things:
- Climate service: Hold a climate-focused service, to explore the theological and scientific basis of creation care and action on climate, to pray, and to commit to action.
- Commit: Make a commitment as a local church community to taking long term action to reduce its own greenhouse gas emissions.
- Call: Join with other churches and wider society by adding its name to a common call for the UK government to take much bolder action on climate change in this country in advance of COP26, and to strengthen its credibility to lead the international community to adopt a step change in action at COP26. The culmination of the campaign will be a national Climate Sunday event on Sunday 5th September 2021, to share church commitments and pray for bold action and courageous leadership at COP26.
Climate Sunday has been organised by Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) with support from charities including CAFOD, Christian Aid, Tearfund, A Rocha UK, and Operation Noah.