Care for Creation
In the Lord's prayer, we pray "may your kingdom come on earth as in heaven" - and through the Holy Spirit, we are empowered to restore and redeem our neighbourhoods, towns, cities and beyond. We want New Zealand to be the best place for young people to live, and in doing so, we are committed to being good stewards of our corner of the Pacific, and that living well here in Aotearoa doesn't come at a cost for the rest of the planet.
MARK OF MISSION #5 TREASURE
To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation,
and sustain and renew the life of the earth’.
Bible Explore
Bible Explore has some updated resources for Season of Creation, and can be found on this page, or the first Sunday of September.
Resources
Liturgy of the ElementsA liturgy written by Silvia Purdie (https://www.conversations.net.nz) that reflects on creation through stone, air, fire, and water
Resound WorshipResound Worship have released a 13 track Doxecology album of ecologically themed worship songs designed for congregational singing, along with a 13 week study guide.
Worship in the WoodsEngage Worship have prepared an amazing 10 week resource for worshipping outdoors, focussing on trees, light, roots, fungi, leaves, seeds, flowers, fruit, water and birds.
Messy Church goes Wild
Messy Church Goes Wild is the movement within Messy Church which aims to encourage Messy Churches to meet God outdoors, love the natural world, experience a sense of awe and wonder there and to be more eco-aware in all we do, both inside and out, as gathered and dispersed church, for the good of the planet. Messy Church Goes Wild is the movement within Messy Church which aims to encourage Messy Churches to meet God outdoors, love the natural world, experience a sense of awe and wonder there and to be more eco-aware in all we do, both inside and out, as gathered and dispersed church, for the good of the planet.
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Eco Church NZA Rocha Aotearoa New Zealand established the Eco Church NZ Project in 2020 as an ecumenical initiative to support church communities across Aotearoa NZ to actively care for God’s earth as an integral part of their mission. There are currently 80 eco church communities in New Zealand (August 2024).
Keen to find out more about Eco Church? Visit the Eco Church website here. Intergenerational WorshipIntergen Australia have collated some intergenerational worship ideas for the Sundays of the season, around the themes of Forest, Land, Wilderness and River. Written and compiled by Michelle Cook.
Creation Care in the BibleA comprehensive survey of Biblical verses from Genesis to Revelation that tell us about ourselves and creation. As a bonus, Leunig made some cartoons to illustrate it.
Kelvin the KakapoHow do we teach about looking after our world to young children from a Christian perspective? This beautiful resource was produced by Green Anglicans in South Africa, who generously allowed the Anglican Schools Office to adapt it for use in Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia. It provides all you need for 10 lessons on caring for creation, including age-appropriate input, activities, stories from around the world and meaningful things you can do together.
Wild WorshipWild Worship - Rachel Summers
Wild Worship is a practical book, a guide full of reflection, prayer and activities to help families and church groups experience God in a new way. As a forest school practitioner Rachel Summers wants to "...hold space to allow others to connect with creation" helping people find joy in finding God without walls and ceilings. Prayer IdeasPrayer ideasIdeas from Prayer Spaces in Schools:
Climate Change Prayers
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Media
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Plastic Free July
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Plastic Free July is a campaign to encourage us to make some small changes to our plastic consumption. We'd love our churches to sign up for the challenge too, and think about how our care for creation is reflected in the items we purchase and throwaway. Some ideas include:
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