Celebrate Creation Time
Churches in Ireland are encouraged to join with Christians throughout the world by celebrating Creation during Creation Time on at least one Sunday, or over the five weeks from 1st September to 4th October 2011.
This year's theme is Our Daily Bread - Food in God's Creation and churches are encouraged to focus on the role of food in God's creation and in our lives.
A wide range of resources, including sermon outlines and intercessory prayers, are free to download from the Churches Together in Britain and Ireland website
here
Eco-Congregation Ireland (ECI), a project of the Irish Inter-Church Meeting’s Church in Society Forum, was involved in preparing these resources, which also include a service with accompanying Power Point, group study notes, harvest festival ideas and background information on food and agriculture.
Creation Time is an opportunity each year for churches to celebrate creation and consider how they care for the earth. It grew out of a resolution adopted by the European Christian Environmental Network (ECEN) in 1999, which recommended that churches consider and promote the preservation of creation as part of church life at all levels. The rationale behind the initiative was that "Commitment to preservation of the creation is not an issue among many others but an essential dimension of all church life."
The Third European Ecumenical Assembly held in Sibiu in 2007 concluded with the recommendation "that the period from 1 September to 4 October be dedicated to prayer for the protection of Creation and the promotion of sustainable lifestyles that reverse our contribution to climate change".
The World Council of Churches supports these resolutions and promotes the observance of Creation Time throughout the globe.
ECI encourages churches to adopt an eco approach to worship, lifestyle, community outreach and contact with the developing world. It offers resources and practical suggestions for churches and individual Christians who wish to live out their vocation to care for God’s Creation as part of their Christian faith. For further information see www.ecocongregationireland.org