Registering your congregation with us is a declaration of your intent to care for creation. Its free and comes with no pre-requisites. Register online today.
Registering your congregation with us is a declaration of your intent to care for creation. Its free and comes with no pre-requisites. Register online today.
This is a Season in itself, created during a retreat experience, staying at Loch Ossian Hostel, on Rannoch Moor (only accessible by train). Expect to be challenged.
Week 1: Choosing Life: [13 mins 50] available for Download in up to 4k.
Heeding warnings …. NB Includes one shot of a dead bird.
Week 2: Honour the Lost [12 mins 56 ] available for download in up to 1080p [4k from mid August]… Who is lost, who is not, and do we listen to the voice of God in those we have marginalised and despised?
Week 3 : Jesus blunt and wild
Week 4 : Net Zero Life . NB: some consideration of death and bereavement, including one shot of a funeral.
Scottish faith communities call on COP26 President to honour Glasgow Pact commitments
Eco-Congregation Scotland chairperson Richard Murray is among diverse faith leaders and groups calling on COP26 President Alok Sharma to honour the Glasgow Pact commitments.
The Pact includes commitments from 197 nations to build resilience to climate change, curb greenhouse gas emissions and provide finance for both, agreed at the COP26 United Nations climate conference in Glasgow last November.
Religious leaders and faith organisations across Scotland have signed a letter requesting a meeting with Mr Sharma to discuss progress.
At COP26, Mr Sharma said the pact was a “fragile win” and that “unless we honour the promises made – to turn the commitments in the Glasgow Climate Pact into action – they will wither on the vine.”
Scottish religious leaders at the COP26 Vigil on 31 October 2021 courtesy of kelvinstudio.co.uk
Representatives of Scottish faith groups are concerned that world developments have diverted attention from COP26 commitments.
United Nations Secretary General, António Guterres, has warned it is “now or never” to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees.
Director of Interfaith Scotland, Dr Maureen Sier said: “The fragile win achieved at COP26 is at grave risk. It is essential that all governments commit to actioning the Glasgow Pact and work together, with others, to ensure a future for all”.
The letter was developed by the COP26 Interfaith Working Group and signed by faith leaders and organisations across Scotland. The COP26 Interfaith Working Group is made up of representatives from Scottish faith groups and organisations working on climate issues. The group is chaired by Interfaith Scotland with Interfaith Glasgow acting as Secretariat.
Chair and Secretariat of the COP26 Interfaith Working Group
The Rt Hon Alok Sharma MP, COP President Designate
Dear Mr Sharma,
cc Prime Minister Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP and First Minister Rt Hon Nicola Sturgeon MSP
Faith and Belief Communities request meeting in preparation for COP27
We write to ask for a meeting with you to hear what your Presidency has been doing to honour the Glasgow Pact commitments and what progress has been made.
As representatives of faith groups from across Scotland, we were proud to welcome delegates, campaigners, pilgrims and others to COP26. We joined people of faith from around the globe demanding action to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
We are increasingly concerned that developments around the world since COP26 have diverted attention from the commitments that were made. The persistence of the Covid pandemic, a terrible war in Ukraine and dramatic energy price rises that are promoting calls for new oil and gas development put these commitments at risk.
You told us at the close of the conference that it was a “fragile win” and that “unless we honour the promises made – to turn the commitments in the Glasgow Climate Pact into action – they will wither on the vine.” And UN Secretary General, António Guterres, has warned us it is “now or never” to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees.
We call on you to ensure that the COP26 commitments are put into effect and that climate justice and real energy security are available to all. As priorities we call upon you to ensure the following:
End new oil and gas exploration as recommended by The International Energy Agency
Build sustainable economies powered by renewable energy
That no one lives in fuel poverty, in the UK or overseas.
As representatives of faith groups across Scotland we commit to doing our part. Many of us are working across Scotland to promote community action on climate change. We will redouble our efforts and assure you of our continuing support to ensure the commitments made at COP26 are put into effect.
Yours, in hope,
The COP 26 Interfaith Working Group and Scottish religious leaders
The Right Rev Dr Iain Greenshields, Moderator of the General Assembly, The Church of Scotland Sheikh Hassan Rabbani, Chair of Scottish Muslim Forum Acharya Ji Mishra, Priest of Hindu Mandir Glasgow Rev Bonnie Evans-Hills, Priest, Scottish Episcopal Church Revd Paul Whittle, Synod Moderator, National Synod of Scotland, The United Reformed Church Choje Lama Yeshe Losal Rinpoche, Abbot, Kagyu Samye Ling Sr Isabel Smyth OBE, Catholic Bishops’ Interreligious Dialogue Committee Baha’i Community of Scotland Muslim Council of Scotland Richard Murray, Chairperson, Eco-Congregation Scotland Sally Foster-Fulton, Head of Christian Aid Scotland Alistair Dutton, Director, SCIAF Ravinder Kaur Nijjar, Chair, Religions for Peace UK Women of Faith Network, Sikh Representative, Scottish Religious Leaders Forum, Advisor, Sikhs in Scotland Dr Rose Drew, CEO, Interfaith Glasgow Dr Maureen Sier, Director, Interfaith Scotland Professor Joe Goldblatt, Chair, Edinburgh Interfaith Association Olivia Fuchs, Coordinator, Eco Dharma Robert Harrap, General Director, Soka Gakkai International – UK Jill Kent, Chair, Justice and Peace Scotland Elizabeth Allen, Clerk of General Meeting, Quakers in Scotland Rev Dr Carolyn Kelly, Chaplain, The University of Glasgow Harjot Singh Kambo, Lead Coordinator Scotland, EcoSikhUK Jonathan Baxter, Curator, A+E – Pilgrimage for COP26 Sister Mary McClure, Provincial Leader, Sisters of Notre Dame (British Province) Christine Anderson, Faithful Companions of Jesus William G Crook, The Order of Interbeing Plum Village Tradition Aekus Kamboj, Environment Officer, CEMVO Scotland David Somervell, Member, South Edinburgh Quaker Local Meeting Mahrukh Adnan Shaukat, Amina Muslim Women’s Resource Centre The Iona Community Glasgow Baha’i Community Brahma Kumaris Earth Holders Edinburgh The Scottish Council of Jewish Communities (SCoJeC)
Supporting organisations Shanon Shah, Director, Faith for the Climate Fletcher Harper, Executive Director, GreenFaith Rev Henrik Grape, Co-Chair, Interfaith Liaison Committee (ILC) to the UNFCCC
it is, of course, absurd, to say, or tolerate the saying, that ‘religion and politics don’t mix’, since both are concerned with the good of people and planet. The Timothy passage can. however, be read in a way which encouraged quietist disengagement.
A hymn-poem on the ‘reward’ Jesus said was worth rejoicing over, that the names of those who were prepared to go and heal on his command had their ‘names written in Heaven/the Sky. [Luke 10:20 ]
Tune – LM, ideally ‘Church Triumphant’.
The ‘skyness’ of Heaven is part of the experiential dimension of faith, which of course happens within the unified Creation of ‘Heaven and Earth’
(on the occasion of my 59th birthday, an indulgent, opinionated piece in the good old blog post genre.)
I keep getting led to ‘The Wizard of Oz’ in many ways: I don’t know if I’d recycle the whole thing, but Frank Baum’s introduction of 1900 was fascinating as a starter.
And God saw that it was good – Liturgical artist Yvonne Bell
See Below: scroll down to find and click to play and/or download
Net Zero Prayer: downloadable video and PDF: approaching the Net Zero ambitions of the churches as a response of faith.
Thematic Reflection from Rev Fiona Bennett, General Assembly moderator of the United Reformed Church
Glasgow Multi-faith Declaration – leading up to COP, people of faith discovered both common ground and common responsibility : check the signatories as well as the text.
Two poems by , by poet Lorn Macintyre: Lusan: a moving poetic memory of Scottish rural wisdom. And ‘The new Calvary’ – a reflection on the purpose of prayer, inspired by the experience of extreme weather, made more frequent by climate change. Downloadable video and PDF
Reflection on Season of Creation by ‘Green Christian’ Chaplain Rev Andrew Norman. Downloadable video.
Looking down on Earth…. & Heaven: John L Bell, Iona Community
‘Psalm of Questioning’ by Rev Dr Nicola Robinson, ordained this year, candidating via Silver award EcoCongregation Augustine United
Fly-on-the wall video from the faith bloc in the Great Climate March during COP in Glasgow
Grace Cube: Instructions and PDF for a food celebration, from Robert Ritson, in training for ministry in the Scottish Episcopal church
Cruachan- Praise be, my Lord, through Sister Water: reflections on the impact and benefits of a major and pioneering sustainable energy project.. Marian Pallister, chair of Pax Christi
A tale of two Jameses: former Climate Change Officer and veteran of global environmental gatherings Adrian Shaw reflects on what is learned from different ways of looking, rather than merely speculating, about the Creation we encounter.
Season of Creation Global: Link to the wider international and ecumenical SOC movement
Link to Churches Together in Britain & Ireland season of Creation page
Link to Joint Public Issues Team page for Season, with focus on food
Pope Francis’ own launch for Season of Creation 2022, drawing on his important and radical document of 2015: ‘Laudato Si;
