By Jac Smith, Truro Diocese
There is much talk about the three pandemics raging around us: Covid-19, racism and climate change. Covid-19 came upon us very quickly and is impossible to ignore. Racism, too often ignored, has sadly been with us for far too long, while climate change is the noisy elephant in the room. Only when the noise stopped as the planet paused during lockdown did the world get a glimpse of how life could be if we did something about this third and most dangerous pandemic.
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How will Climate Sunday make any kind of difference?
As Christians within churches, in the buildings, on zoom, Facebook, or however we now ‘do’ church, we have a very urgent and pressing call upon us to be the change we want to see. Climate Sunday is an initiative launched by a broad coalition of Christian charities and denominations, urging all churches to be a voice, together, in the critical year ahead.
Climate Sunday hope that every church community will lead one or more Climate Sunday services from the beginning of Creationtide in September through to November 2021 when the COP26 takes place. Prayer changes things, and so does action. As well as the Climate Sunday resources, Truro Diocese is also offering a Greening Worship Workshop, during August to help with the creative process.
Simply put the invitation from Climate Sunday is to do one or more of three things:
1. 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.
2. Commit: Make a commitment as a local church community to taking long-term action to reduce its own greenhouse gas emissions.
3. 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.
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To register for Climate Sunday visit the website: www.climatesunday.org
Climate Sunday is being organised by the Churches Together in Britain & Ireland’s Environmental Issues Network (EIN). This gathers the environmental ‘leads’ of the major denominations, some Christian orders, and the Christian environmental and relief and development agencies. Member organisations which have already given their formal backing to the initiative include CAFOD, Christian Aid, Tearfund, A Rocha UK, Operation Noah, Climate Stewards, Eco-Congregation Scotland, Green Christian, the Church of England, the Methodist Church, the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Baptist Union of Wales, the United Reformed Church, The Church of Scotland, Cytûn (Churches together in Wales), the Union of Welsh Independents and the Church in Wales.
