Creationtide or the ‘Season of Creation’ is the period in the annual church calendar, from 1st September to 4th October, dedicated to God as Creator and Sustainer of all life. It is a time to celebrate the gift of creation and renew our commitment to care for God’s planet, through taking practical action for the climate and nature.

This year’s theme for Creationtide is the ‘Garden of Peace’. Find out more about this year’s theme and its theological foundations, and find resources on the Season of Creation webpage.

 

How can I get involved?

There are many ways you can get involved in Creationtide. Whether it be making a lifestyle change, praying, or hosting a dedicated service or event as a church – there is something for everyone.

Have a look at the resources on the Church of England Website and see the links below for some planning inspiration. More resources will be released from our Diocese soon.

 

Worship & Teaching

  • Some time ago, Bishop Christopher commissioned a series of Propers for Creationtide, which you can find online (alongside other seasonal resources) here.
  • Greening the Lectionary has many resources for preaching in the context of the climate and ecological emergencies.
  • Preaching for God’s Worldprovide weekly thoughts and reflections on each Sunday’s set lectionary readings from the perspective of creation care and ecological justice.
  • A Rocha, who run Eco Church, have a webpage with worship and teaching resources.
  • Choose Life! This e-book by Diane Craven and Revd Johannes Nobel (Diocese of York) contains prayer and worship suggestions combined with practical actions for creation for each liturgical season. Head to the website to download the e-book in PDF format and for accompanying resources. This is useful for Creationtide, and beyond!

Prayers

  • Green Christian provide daily prayers for creation in different formats which are released monthly.
  • A Rocha have a list of 26 prayers for the climate and ecological emergency, written by Revd John Swales.
  • Tearfund have a Praying for our Climate Resource including local prayers for a global climate crisis, with guided audio and a downloadable PDF guide to pray wherever you are.

Hymns & Songs

Small Group Discussion

  • Plenty! is a small group discussion resource developed as part of Green Christian’s Joy in Enough They offer excellent training for those wishing to facilitate this course.
  • Saying Yes to Life by Ruth Valerio was the Archbishop of Canterbury’s 2020 Lent Book. Rooted in the themes of Genesis 1, the book connects the biblical story of creation with urgent global issues such as climate justice, ethical living, and social concern. Each chapter ends with discussion questions and prayer to aid thoughtful reflection.

Youth resources

  • A Rocha have a range of children’s (ages 4-7 and 7-11) and youth (ages 11-14 and 15-18) resource packs.

Communion Resources

Practical activities

The Eco Church scheme provides churches with a brilliant framework to think about how they are caring for creation in different areas of church life. Their survey covers the following sections:

  • Worship & Teaching
  • Land
  • Buildings
  • Community & Global Engagement
  • Lifestyle

We encourage all churches to register for the scheme – once registered, you are officially an ‘Eco Church’. From there, you can work your way up to bronze, silver, or gold awards by taking practical steps to care for God’s world.

  • A Rocha’s Target 25 has identified 25 threatened species and habitats in the UK which we can support.
  • The Church of England have a series of environment webinars you can watch on demand – on topics such as solar panels, heat pumps, fundraising and Eco Church.
  • Caring for Creation on a Budget includes 15 low-cost and no-cost ways to care for the planet, created by our Diocese.
  • Take part in the Big Bank Switch – a campaign run by Just Money Movement helping churches to switch to a greener, more ethical bank.

Outdoor Worship

  • Guidance from the Church of England – produced in the COVID-19 pandemic, but still containing useful advice.
  • An information document by Roots ecumenical partnership, on creating a ‘Forest Church’ style outdoor act of worship – created for COVID but still relevant to those wanting to take part.

Harvest (5th October)

Training

  • Foundations for Creation Care – a 90 minute online foundational training session on 11th September 18:30-20:00. The session will explore what it means to love God and our neighbour in the context of the climate crisis, and how creation care can be woven into different areas of church life and our everyday discipleship. Email [email protected] to sign up.
  • Hope for the Future host training events to equip people to have constructive conversations with their local politicians, to advocate for the climate.
  • Lausanne Global Classroom have a training series on creation care, with individual videos that can also be watched by themselves – An Introduction to Creation Care (YouTube videos) Creation care course – Lausanne Global Classroom – Resources (course).

Videos

Tearfund

Christian Aid

  • Climate Justice faith resources | Christian Aid – resources from Christian Aid including a reflection film, prayer wall guide, a prayer from Bishop Geoff Davies (South Africa’s ‘Green Bishop’) and prayer activities for children and youth.
Back to all blogs