Season of Creation 2024
Season of Creation is almost upon us, so what’s it all about?
In 2008 the World Council of Churches (WCC) invited member churches to observe “time for Creation” through prayers and actions. The Season for Creation (SOC)is celebrated from 1st September with a day of prayer for God’s creation and ends on the 4th October. The motivation for the season comes from an awareness of the importance of creation and the need to explore what scripture is saying about it.
Each year our Conference directs us to observe the SOC but for many of our congregation the celebration may assume a narrower” harvest” theme focusing on God’s faithfulness in providing for our needs and may not address our relationship with and responsibility for care of His creation. We should care for creation all year round but during this season we unite with Christians across the world to act, reflect, pray and praise God for all that he has created and entrusted to us.
The WCC has a committee which develops the theme and resources for SOC each year, these are posted on www.seasonofcreation.org The theme this year is,” To Hope and Act with Creation” based on Romans 8 19-25.
MCI is part of the recently formed N I based, “Join the dots together network”, a diverse community of people which seeks to address the urgent challenges of climate change and promote environmental justice.
Following COP 28 in Dubai, the network wants to build on the platform of the joined witness of faith- based organizations and ensure that the input of faith communities is maximized and working towards positive change at local, national, and global levels. Locally the current priority is to raise awareness of “Season of Creation” and highlight International Day of Peace, Saturday 21st September 2024.
We hope you will join the WCC on -line prayer service or organise your own, plan special worship services and other activities during the season engaging with other churches and community as much as possible. But you are also warmly invited to join events which have been planned from the 19th to the 21st September.
Two are based in Methodist venues:
The “Land and Lough” forum
Friday 20th September, 7.30pm
Glengormley Methodist
“Faiths Together for Climate Justice and Peace”
Saturday 21st September, 10am
Agape Centre
Please go to www.jointhedotstogether.org for details of all events.
UPDATE OCTOBER 2024
Videos from these events are available to download here.
Hazel Baird
Council on Social Responsibility of the Methodist Church in Ireland