I have recently been the results of the question asked of the congregation of St Marys: 'Who is God?' and 'What is St Mary's?' The results show that God's creation is not high in our agenda as 4 people from 58 related who God is to 'creator' and only 2 people mentioned the environment when thinking about what St Mary's is. I have been wondering why that is when, in church we often have reference to the environment in sermons and prayers and focused specifically on creation during the 'Creationtide' season.
Now this doesn't mean that the people of St Mary's don't care about God's creation. I know they do from actions that have been taken including writing to our MP and pledges made in the past to take action on caring for the environment. It does however strike me that we need to raise the profile of the church in being good stewards of creation and working out what this means and how we do it. For that reason, the environment will be a key focus in our Mission Action Plan and Parish day on 4th May as well as for the 'Justice and Peace' Group who will be putting together an action plan that we, as St Mary's, can work towards.
I invite you in your prayers and reflections to look at God's creation that we are privileged to live in and think about what you can do to make a difference. It might mean a small sacrifice and might seem meagre in the face of the enormity of climate change, but if we all do small things it will make a difference. Let us be God's good stewards of this amazing planet.
Nigel
Comments