Prayer for the Climate
Creator God, giver of life, you sustain the earth and direct the nations. In this time of climate crisis, grant us clarity to hear the groaning of creation and the cries of the poor.
Challenge us to change our lifestyles. Guide our leaders to take courageous action. Enable your church to be a beacon of hope. And foster within us a renewed vision of your purposes for your world,
through Jesus Christ our Lord, by and for whom all things were made.
Amen
(Archbishop of York)
Diocesan Climate Change Group
We have been thrilled with the engagement of congregations in our diocese at the four Area Council Gatherings held in October and November 2021, and with the wonderful fellowship and commitment to work together and encourage each other in addressing the pressing issues of climate change.
We will be highlighting your stories and projects to celebrate steps taken toward better care for creation, and to challenge and encourage all of us on our journey to becoming carbon neutral.
If you have a climate action story to share please email the Convenor of the Climate Change Group revelainegarman@outlook.com.
We can DO this… together!
See stories, highlights and resource links here.
Our Stories
Featured: Tiger Lily
Young Lily Drage lives with her family – parents Dan and Kimberly, and younger sister Joanna – in St Andrews. They each are inspiring leaders in raising climate awareness and modelling and encouraging change. Together, they are quite a force for climate action in our community.
At thirteen, Lily is doing her part to help keep her carbon footprint small. She is most pleased about her and her family’s efforts to buy second hand, reuse items and reduce plastic – especially single use. She has been encouraged by what is happening at home and at school, saying, ‘My family has been buying a lot less single use plastic and brand new things made of plastic; and my friends and I do make an effort to put our rubbish in the bin and avoid single use plastic.’
In addition to these actions, Lily believes that two of the most tangible impacts she is making personally are using a reusable mask and a metal insulated water bottle. ‘It makes me feel better that I am doing something to help,’ she commented.
In addition to efforts at her home and school, Lily is very pleased with the commitment she sees in her church community of Saint Andrews, St Andrews and is encouraged by the initiatives underway. It is inspiring to see her so knowledgeable and attuned to what is happening within the congregation, and to hear her, without skipping a beat, mention all the impactful initiatives our Eco Congregation group here have stewarded (it perhaps helps that her mother, Kimberly Drage, is a key member of this group!):
- Double glazing the windows in the church hall.
- Getting solar panels on the roof of the church soon.
- The green ticket scheme people are using to track their carbon savings and sacrifices.
- The COP26 24-hour prayer vigil with reflection stations held at the church.
- Developing the gardens around the church (in which Lily and other members of our Young Church take part, led by Jenny Evetts, the church’s wonderfully dedicated ‘garden keeper’ and Eco Congregation member).
Lily helped make the signs for the plants in the beds on the outside wall of the church and said she ‘got cool information about potatoes from Jenny – how they grow and how to take care of them.’
Lily feels most passionate about climate change when she is out in nature: ‘It’s about respecting the world,’ she says. Nature – especially animals and walking the Lade Braes in St Andrews – is what is most personal for her, what is most familiar and what she likes.
She cares very much about the impact of climate change on wildlife and took part in making climate change posters at her school. For her part, Lily made a drawing, and named the work Tiger: Paws, a play on the homophones ‘paws’ and ‘pause’. She said she imagined ‘wildlife talking to us humans and asking us to hear them – they don’t like it.’ She said she feels guilty (on behalf of all humans) about the animals’ predicatment – ‘It’s not their fault.’
She hopes to encourage people to pause and pay attention to our wildlife.
Like most, Lily feels the enormity of climate change and the challenges we face, especially in believing we can make a difference as individuals. She comments, ‘Sometimes you feel like you are on your own. . . and it can be hard to feel hope about it’. But she offers encouragement:
‘Keep going, even though it may seem like a lot of other people aren’t doing enough. There are lots of people who are. A lot of people are aware and that gives me hope.’
And she, like so many young people who are helping to lead climate action efforts, give all of us hope.
For further information please click the links below:
COP 26 Information and Reflection
Click this link for our page containing updates, information, resources and reflection on COP26 in Glasgow, which occurred over two weeks in November 2021.
Registration is now open for the COP27 Resilience Hub!
https://mailchi.mp/cop-resilience-hub/looking-back-on-cop26-9180857?e=57b4590a15
Climate Project Funding
Funding available to install low carbon or renewable energy systems at places of worship and community buildings. Please click the following link for further information:
CARES Let’s do net zero community buildings – stakeholder pack
Registration is now open for the COP27 Resilience Hub!
https://mailchi.mp/cop-resilience-hub/looking-back-on-cop26-9180857?e=57b4590a15
