Season of Creation 2019: Pray, teach and act for creation

Dear fellow faith leaders and colleagues

A most important day is approaching, for the attention and action of all faith leaders and faith communities. It is essential that Christians, and people of all faiths, pray for the well-being of creation and commit themselves to care for creation.

Around the world, Christians and other faiths are joining a movement to care for our common home, Earth.

The Season of Creation starts with The World Day of Prayer for Creation on 1st September. This year it falls on a Sunday and continues to Friday 4th October, the Feast of St Francis of Assisi among liturgical churches.

The theme for this year is “the web of life: biodiversity as God’s blessing.”  On the Season of Creation website, you will find links to resources such as the Celebration Guide, Denominational Resources, Resources for Clergy and for Youth, among others. See the full list of resources further below.

The interfaith organisation, GreenFaith says “We are facing a Climate Emergency. It’s time to call it like we see it.”

“More than 750 local governments in 16 countries have already declared a climate emergency and committed to actions that will help drive down greenhouse gas emissions at emergency speed. As people of faith, it is our moral obligation to speak truth to power and get the rest of the world on board … especially those who are causing the most damage to Earth.”

They have called on people of faith to write or approach their politicians and media to say: “No longer can we deny the fact that climate change is the greatest threat to every living being who shares our common home. No longer can we ignore the damages already being wrought upon Earth. No longer can we neglect how poor people and communities of colour are being hit first and worst by the climate emergency. No longer. The time for action is now.”

GreenFaith’s Living The Change initiative invites religious and spiritual leaders from around the world to make a commitment to sustainable living as a way for people of faith to embody their deepest values and practice what they preach.

We are asking that you and your faith communities pray for personal lifestyle changes and for transformation by political leaders, to make the well-being of people and the planet our priority. Our future is threatened, not only by climate disruption, but by biodiversity loss and the extinction of millions of species, as well as pollution and destruction of our life support systems of air, soil and water.

The Season of Creation is an opportunity for us to spring-clean our lifestyles and participate in campaigns like the youth-led global climate strike, the call for divestment from fossil fuels, International Coastal Cleanup, the use of unsustainable palm oil and cruel animal and unhealthy crop farming practices.

We must therefore pray and call for:

• Sustainable living which upholds values and relationships rather than materialism;
• Divestment from and urgent ending of the burning of fossil fuels. God has provided us with the energy we need – it is blowing in the wind and shining on us every day;
• Food systems that work with, not against nature’s diversity, and which provide healthy nutrition;
• An end to the destruction and deforestation of tropical and temporal forests**;**
• The banning of plastic packaging;
• The transformation of our consumer-oriented economic system, so that money supports human and planetary well-being and not just the priority of profit.

And we ask you to pray daily for the care and protection of Creation, our only home.

Bishop Geoff Davies    
Founder and Patron

If you are hosting an event during the Season of Creation, please register your event here, or view some of the important global events taking place during the Season of Creation such as the Climate Strike and International Coastal Clean-up Day

Season of Creation resources, found on: seasonofcreation.org and safcei.org
Celebration Guide 2019
Denominational Resources (Anglican, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Other Protestant, Ecumenical, Interfaith)
Clergy Resources
Youth Resources
Interfaith prayers
Anglican Church of Southern Africa, Season of Creation Year C. Liturgical Resources, Bible readings and Sermons

Johannesburg Anglican Eco-spiritual Initiative Enviro Prayer Diary

Creation Day service Kalk Bay

Bishop Geoff Davies will be leading the Sunday worship in celebrating the Creation Day.

Date: 1 September 2019
Time: 8:30 – 9:30am
Venue: Holy Trinity Anglican Church, 40 Main Rd, St James, Cape Town, 7946