MORE than 150 people from parishes across 4 dioceses — Guildford, Portsmouth, Chichester, and Winchester — gathered at St John’s, Stoke, in Guildford, over the weekend to debate caring for God’s creation.
The Bishop of Dorking, the Rt Revd Paul Davies, led a gap panel discussion with the Bishop of Portsmouth, Dr Jonathan Frost, the Bishop of Lewes, the Rt Revd Will Hazelwood, and the Archdeacon of Winchester, the Ven. Richard Brand. They outlined the climate vision of their respective dioceses for the following decade, each emphasising that take care of creation is “deeply woven” into all Five Marks of Mission.
Archdeacon Brand said: “Creation care shouldn’t be seen as burdensome; there’s joy in safeguarding the fantastic thing about what God has created.”
He continued: “At a time many Western governments are retreating from the climate debate, the Church has a possibility to step in and be a prophetic voice on the damage that’s being done and what we are able to do to make a difference for good. Working along with young people in our church schools, too, we actually is usually a louder voice that folks take heed to.”
Participants also heard from the director of the Church of England’s Net Zero Programme, Julian Atkins, who provided an update on the Church’s commitment to achieving net-zero carbon by 2030. Breakout sessions within the afternoon explored how churches could communicate effectively about climate change, advocate for creation, alongside organisations similar to A Rocha and Christian Aid, and strengthen environmental partnerships with church schools.
Among the outcomes was a collective recognition that reducing carbon footprints and improving environmental practice required significant resourcing. The Bishops agreed to make a joint case to the Church Commissioners to ask for increased funding for net-zero work ahead of the following Triennium.
Bishop Davies said: “My prayer is that of Pope Francis: that there may be a worldwide ecological conversation as increasingly more people wake as much as the urgency of creation care and climate motion.”
