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Home , Day of Prayer, World Day of Prayer

A newly formed group of clergy calling themselves CREATION CARE have been meeting monthly for about six months at the WEMEAC offices. Under the leadership of George

Heartwell and Bruce Menning, they have formed three committees: and Liturgy, Advocacy, and Programming. The Prayer and Liturgy Committee have invited the members of the group – and by their suggestions – any and all communities of – to celebrate the international SEASON OF CREATION. Below is a description of the call as well as a compendium of , theological reflections, resources from a variety of religious traditions.

Current members of the Prayer/Liturgy Committee are Bruce Menning, Sister M. Brigid Clingman OP ([email protected]), and Miriam Bush

Celebrate the Season of Creation

Preparations are underway for the ecumenical Season of Creation which is slated for September 1 through October 4. It is a time when people of faith around the globe will come together to pray and care for creation.

During the Season of Creation, people of all around the world are invited to pray and care for creation. September 1 was first proclaimed as a World for Creation by Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I for the Orthodox community in 1989, and embraced by other European churches in 2001. Pope Francis declared it a day of Prayer for Creation for the in 2015.

During these weeks, Faith communities are encouraged to host prayer services and symbolic actions that highlight “the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor” throughout the globe. The month of prayer and action begins with the September 1, for the Care of Creation. Resources and additional information can be found at http://seasonofcreation.org/.

Some ideas to consider: • Help your community respond to the creator’s call. Host a prayer service with the easy- to-use toolkit. • Begin study groups on Care of Creation for preachers, Faith formators, adults and teens • Support local projects/programs with representatives and/or finances o WMEAC | West Michigan Environmental Action Council https://wmeac.org/ o Interfaith Power and Light www.interfaithpowerandlight.org o Climate Witness Project www.interfaithpowerandlight.org o Creation Care Coalition George Heartwell ([email protected]) o Citizens’ Climate Lobby https://citizensclimatelobby.org/ • Evaluate the greenness of your campus, buildings, and practices – stewardship committee • Other activities that address your needs and ministries. PRAYER SERVICES: Steps to organize: http://seasonofcreation.org/steps-to-organize-a-prayer-vigil-for-creation/

Liturgical resources • Ecumenical Season of Creation website. • Worship resources for the four Sundays produced by Eco Congregation on behalf of the Church of Scotland. • Sustainable September resources from the Uniting Church in Western . • Educational resources for all ages from Creation Justice Ministries. Prayers, songs and texts on climate, spirituality and peace with the Earth available in English, French, German, Kisuaheli and Bahasa on the website of the United Evangelical Mission.

• Multilingual brochure "’s creation – a house of life for all" published by the Evangelical Church in Central in cooperation with partner churches from Slovakia, , Tanzania and the . • Season of Creation eucharistic prayer in English, Portuguese and other African languages, by the Anglican Church of Southern Environmental Network. See also their revised Season of Creation resource collection (pdf). • Sermon notes, intercessions, group study and harvest festival ideas by Churches Together in Britain and (in English with Welsh and Irish translations). • Resources including a set of worship service outlines by the United Church of • Resources collected by the Environmental Network • Resources provided by Let all Creation Praise • Exegetical and liturgical resources collected by the Network of Earthkeeping Christian Communities in (in English and Afrikaans) • Prayers, blessings and meditations collected by the European Christian Environmental Network (in a variety of languages). See also their Time for Creation dossier. • Readings, sermons, songs and other liturgical resources are also available on the Australian website Season of Creation. • Worship, teaching and prayer material by the Uniting Earthweb • Prayers and liturgies, preaching and educational resources by the Canadian Green Church project (in English and French) • Prayers by the Christian conservation organization A Rocha. • Season of Creation resources by Rev. Dr Jason John of the Mid North Coast Uniting ecoministry in Australia • Creationtide collection compiled by the Diocese of Rochester in the Church of • Resources in Swedish by the Christian Council of Sweden • Documents by the Globalization and Environment unit of the Federation of Protestant Churches in Italy (in Italian) • Outline of the ecumenical prayer service at COP21 prepared by the Council of Christian Churches in • Prayers related to the Sustainable Development Goals • Outline of a prayer service on the theme of creation held at the Ecumenical Centre on 22 April 2013 • See also the Ecumenical Water Network's reflections and resources from the Seven Weeks for Water. • RESOURCES • Prayers of/for creation -- John Phillip Nowell - many sources on internet o http://heartbeatjourney.org/weekly-prayers/ • Rev. Dr Jason John, B. Sc (hons), PGrad Dip Env Stud, B, Min, PhD. http://ecofaith.org/papers/index.html • SIMPLE SERVICE: The third Saturday of each month, young adults are invited to join in the good works of the Capuchin ministries for a morning of service. http://solanuscenter.org/plan-a-visit/young-adults/simple-service • Bible Verses about the Environment - Lutherans Restoring Creation www.lutheransrestoringcreation.org/Home/.../bible-verses-about-the-environment • Creation Care | Christian Reformed Church https://www.crcna.org/welcome/beliefs/position-statements/creation-care • The Washington Theological Consortium: resource for all persons of faith to engage this challenge with greater ecumenical understanding and depth. The focus is on churches in the United States, and their global communions http://washtheocon.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Ecology-and-the-Churches- 2015-FINAL-for-website1.pdf • US Catholic Conference: Prayers for Creation http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and- worship/prayers-and-devotions/prayers/prayers-to-care-for-creation.cfm • Laudato Si o http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa- francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html o http://livelaudatosi.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/LSPledge-promotion- toolkit-merged.pdf • St. Francis Pledge to living out their Catholic values through deep reflection, concrete action, and advocacy. Those who take the pledge show resolve and constancy in living the way of St. Francis and seeking a right place in creation, day after day. http://www.catholicclimatecovenant.org/pledge • Bulletin announcements: http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and- dignity/environment/upload/laudato-si-bulletin-insert.pdf •

Theological reflections • "A Biblical Theology of Creation Care" by Sandra Richter - Asbury ... http://place.asburyseminary.edu/asburyjournal/vol62/iss1/5/ • Social Principles: The Natural World - The United Methodist Church www.umc.org/what-we-believe/the-natural-world • Creation Care Preaching Challenge: Office of Social Justice/CRC http://crcna.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=609fec3901a75e4f839cb401a&id=7f515ddc56&e=1ab799a494 • Reformed Church in America https://www.rca.org/environment • Environmental Justice Office of the Presbyterian Church (USA ... http://fore.yale.edu/religion/christianity/projects/ej_pcusa/ https://www.presbyterianmission.org/ministries/environment/worship-and-eco-justice/ • http://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/20280 https://www.cilecenter.org/en/articles-essays/revitalising-ecological-ethics-islam-way- islamic-education/ • Buddhists http://www.arcworld.org/faiths.asp?pageID=34 • Alliance of Religions and Conservation http://www.arcworld.org/ • Forum on Religion and Ecology http://fore.yale.edu/about-us/ • Ecotheology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecotheology http://www.ecotheo.org/2014/08/exploring-ecotheology-toward-a-christian-theology-of-creation/ • Exploring Ecotheology: Toward a Christian Theology of Creation http://www.ecotheo.org/2014/08/exploring-ecotheology-toward-a-christian-theology-of-creation/