Praying in Times of Extreme Weather is a gathering of prayer points and links to online prayer material for use before, during or after an extreme weather event. It includes materials that can be used by those directly affected and/or by those praying for them. Download it here.
The environment is the first thing that God created in the creation story. And caring for the environment is the core responsibility given to humanity. According to Genesis (1:28, 2:15), Adam and Eve were given two responsibilities: to develop well and be productive themselves, and to manage the world so that it also would develop well and be productive.
The Reverend Dennis Milanzi is Director of the Kachere Development Programme, the official Social Development arm of the Anglican Diocese of Eastern Zambia. This piece shares the biblical grounds for his concern for the environment, the particular natural resource challenges that his region faces, the way that the Kachere Development Programme is helping communities to respond, his reasons for hope, and what he’d like to see Christians around the world doing to “reverse ‘the groaning of creation’ caused by lack of good stewardship of God’s good creation.”
Download the pdf here: Dennis Milanzi Why I care about the environment.
Photograph: The Reverend Dennis Milanzi with children in Chipungo, Eastern Zambia, ©Elizabeth Perry
This piece is one of a series entitled ‘Why I care about….’ in which Christian experts write about what motivates them to care about their particular area of concern, and how their Christian faith informs that passion. We hope that these deliberately short essays will be used for personal reflection, small group discussion, reproduced in church magazines and used in church services. Please feel free to share them with your friends, colleagues and congregations; we simply ask that you quote and attribute them fully. If you want to reprint this reflection and would find a Word version helpful, please email us.
“Today, we are in the midst of major biodiversity loss and extinction. There is an accelerating pace of deforestation worldwide. Exposed hillsides are vulnerable to subsidence and in tropical areas, the soils are quickly degraded. In many places, denuded scrub and landslips have replaced fertile forests. In addition, the impact of climate change is catapulting every creature on Earth into an unknown and unpredictable future. Is there any hope?”
This is the question posed by theologian Margot Hodson in her reflection “Why I care about the environment” (download here). In response to the question, Margot introduces the concept of “robust hope,” a hope that grows from suffering and perseverance, that can endure, and that “brings the ultimate hope of restored harmony of creation into the present.” Read the reflection to find out more …
This piece is one of a series entitled ‘Why I care about….’ in which Christian experts write about what motivates them to care about their particular area of concern, and how their Christian faith informs that passion. We hope that these deliberately short essays will be used for personal reflection, small group discussion, reproduced in church magazines and used in church services. Please feel free to share them with your friends, colleagues and congregations; we simply ask that you quote and attribute them fully. If you want to reprint this reflection and would find a Word version helpful, please email us.
An Invitation to Care for God’s Earth, Care for Each Other is designed for churches that are just beginning to think about how we can live out the Gospel in our relationships with the environment and our global neighbours.
The full-colour leaflet provides an introduction to the idea that caring for creation and practically expressing love for our global neighbours are an essential part of any church’s mission. It contains five steps to help churches incorporate prayer and action in these areas into church life. It also has a selection of prayers “for the journey.”
The leaflet is free to download (Download it here) or may be purchased in hard copy, with a discount for bulk orders.