Repeating Challenge
Celebrate World Environment Day using A Rocha's Environment Sunday materials.
Repeating Challenge
Incorporate environmental issues into your Sunday prayers – see A Rocha’s Environment Sunday materials.
Occasional
On Sunday, cancel the indoor meeting and go for a walk / to the local park to worship God instead. You could pick up litter/plant bulbs as part of your act of worship.
Occasional
Have an outside worship get-together with your small group/cell group. Go to a local beauty spot, park or someone’s garden and have an evening when you focus on the reality that all creation has been made by and for Jesus Christ (Col. 1:16).
Think on This
Get hold of a Celtic prayer book (the ones by David Adams and by the Northumbrian Community are helpful) to provide inspiration for your prayers.
Think on This
Christian Ecology Link have lots of creation-focussed prayer and worship resources; especially their prayers for hope, community of prayer, and daily prayer guide.
Occasional
The yearly calendar has traditionally been divided into four: midsummer (the longest day), yule or winter solstice (the shortest day), spring equinox and autumn equinox. Each of these gives a good opportunity to celebrate our Creator God. On the Sunday closest to each of these hold an outside celebration with opportunities to thank God for his earth and to look at our responsibilities.
Occasional
Hold a picnic with your church or small group in an outside location, with space to reflect on how all creation exists for Christ (Col. 1:16). Specify that the picnic has to follow the LOAF (local, organic, animal-friendly, fair-trade) principles.
Think on This
www.arthurrankcentre.org.uk/publications/rural_worship/search/index.asp is packed full of worship resources that can be used for the many opportunities that there are throughout the year to focus the Church’s worship on creation.
Occasional
Celebrate ‘Creation Time’ in your church, between September 1st and the second Sunday of October. For more information see www.ecen.org/cms/index.php?page=creationtime and some at www.christian-ecology.org.uk/creationtime.htm.
Occasional
Hold a service that focuses on waste reduction. Ask the children to bring a week’s worth of plastic bags from the family shopping and exchange them for cotton bags.
Repeating Challenge
Include an eco-prayer in the church notice sheet.
Occasional
For your Candlemas service invite in the local Energy Advice Officer to give a presentation, and give away low energy light bulbs.
Occasional
Worship in wellies! Come dressed in your ‘gardening best’ and follow your service/meeting with a picnic lunch and gardening work (on your church land, in a community place, or wherever is appropriate).
Occasional
Celebrate the life of St. Francis on the Sunday nearest 4 October.
Occasional
Join with another church to have a service that focuses on environmental concerns. See if there is joint action that can arise as a result.
Occasional
Incorporate One World Week, held during the last week in October, into your Church’s life.