Dear Friends,
I know some of you weren’t thrilled with the rain falling this bank holiday, but what a refreshment it was after the long, hot, parched summer months. I laid awake one night listening to the wind and rain and gave thanks to God for the blessings of water falling from the sky. The farmers are beyond desperate for it, our gardens are revived by it, the depleted reservoirs can start to slowly refill and the natural world in all is forms will breathe a sigh of relief.
As the seasons change we, along with churches all around the country, are entering the Season of Creation, from September 1st through October 4th. This year’s theme is, appropriately, “Living Water,” inspired by Ezekiel 47. I will share more about these verses on Sunday, but in summary they remind us of God’s promise to heal, renew, and bring life to even the most barren places.
Over the next four weeks, we will join together in worship, prayer, reflection and action as we celebrate the beauty of God’s earth and reflect on our shared responsibility to care for it.
On Sunday members of JPEG (Justice, Peace and Environment Group) will lead us as we begin a journey of renewal together, opening our hearts to the flowing stream of God’s grace as we commit to nurturing the world around us.
We will also introduce the brand new annual lifestyle survey which Joanna has written about here:
Lifestyle Survey
As part of our journey to becoming a Gold EcoChurch we’re inviting everyone in the congregation to get involved in thinking about how our lifestyles reflect our concern for Creation. After the service this Sunday, we would be hugely grateful if you could take the time to fill out a lifestyle survey for us – something we hope to do every year in Creation Season so that we can measure how things change. It’s easiest for us if you can fill it out online at https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/eWxZrCCQf1 but paper versions will be provided too.
It’s completely anonymous and you’ve got until 27 September to fill them in. If you have any questions, please ask Wendy or Emma.
Emma Major, LLM