Preserved: the view of St Paul's Cathedral from Richmond Park ten miles away has existed for almost 300 years. New regulations for new office buildings could have blocked it, and so the Friends of Richmond Park joined many others in the delight in hearing London's new Mayor pledge to protect this and other very special views of the city.

St Paul's will celebrate A Time for God's Creation with a special Eucharist led by the Bishop of London, with dance by Ballet Rambert at 6pm on Sunday 14th September, to which all are welcome

“WE RECOMMEND that the period from 1 September to 4 October be dedicated to prayer for the protec­tion of Creation and the promotion of sustainable lifestyles that reverse our contribution to climate change.”

This recommendation was put forward at the third European Ecu­menical Assembly in Sibiu, in Ro­mania, in September 2007. It came from the Creation Forum on Creation Time of the European Christian Environmental Network.

In addition, the forum told the Churches: “Global climate change is one of the greatest threats for the present and for future generations. Without a change of mind and heart, technological solutions or political negotiations to protect the climate will not achieve their goals. The Churches should therefore give priority to the cause of responsible and sustainable life styles.

“The specific contribution of the Churches to the environmental move­ment is a better understanding of our interconnectedness with all of creation. Today, a simple lifestyle is an important Christian witness.

“The Christians and Churches of Europe are called to use the Creation Time to pray and act in response to this ecological crisis which already affects the lives of millions of people and the whole creation.

“We call on Churches to provide guiding examples that will inspire and encourage their members and the wider community to practice ex­ellence in eco-management and substantially reduce their carbon footprint.”

The Network’s appeal for a “Time for God’s Creation” was published in 2006 by the Conference of European Churches (and can be found on www.cec-kek.org/pdf/CreationtimeE.pdf).

THIS INITIATIVE followed the call, in 1989, of the then Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios to all Churches to observe 1 September — the first day of the ecclesiastical year for the Orthodox Churches — as a day for the “protec­tion of the natural en­viron­ment”, and to offer “prayers and supplica­tions to the Maker of all, both in the thanksgiving for the great gift of creationn and in petition for its protection and salvation”.

The idea took root in the United States, when, in 1991, the Revd Philip Wilson, Rector of the Church of Redeemer in Morristown, New Jer­sey, initiated a liturgical season dedi­cated to God the creator, and to Creation itself. In the neighbouring parish of St Paul’s, Chatham, the season was celebrated the next year, and members of that church began spreading the word to other churches in the United States and abroad.

In 1999, the Belgium Bishops’ Con­ference created a Com­mission on the Care for Creation, with a mandate to promote reflec­tion on environmental themes and enhance the public witness of the Church with regard to the care of Creation. In the same year, the Synod of the Evangelical Church in Wurt­tenberg, Germany, introduced an annual Day of Creation

In 2000, the Bishops’ Conference of France published “The respect of creation”, and since 2003, the French Churches have held an annual ecu­menical forum on Creation in Bor­deaux, involving Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Reformed, Evangelical, Baptist, and Adventist Christians.

SINCE 2002 Creation Time has been promoted by the environmental section of the Czech Christian Aca­demy, and, in 2006, the Permanent Council of the Italian Bishops’ Conference adopted the double proposal of a Creation Day and Creation Time. Other initiatives have been launched in the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Greece, Switzer­land, and the other countries around the world. In Australia, the Creation season became a national ecumeni­cal event, as the Lutheran Church developed a four-week season, and promoted material on the internet. (www.seasonofcreation.com.)

Similar liturgical expressions have appeared in other world’s religions. Jewish and Muslim leaders have looked at their own scriptural heri­tage to rediscover God’s Creation at the core of their faith, offering the possibility of an Abrahamic festival.

The proposal from the Euro­pean Network included sugges­tions for Christian Churches to join forces with each other and with other faiths, and to open dialogues with scientists and other involved parties. In 2007, the Environment Agency of England and Wales pub­lished a survey of leading scientists and environmentalists in the UK, which put the role of faith leaders in second place in a list of 50 things they thought could help save the planet.

REVIEWING all this activity, it would appear that Churches in England are coming to the party somewhat late in the day, although, to be fair, some churches have been celebrating Creation Time in their own way, and many have held Harvest festivals for years at this time. This year, however, is the first that Churches have the backing — and indeed the encouragement — of their leaders to become involved, and, for the Church of England, the blessing of the Liturgical Commis­sion.

Like most Churches, the Church of England’s journey to environmen­tal awareness has been slow, al­though groups such as Christian Ecology Link have just celebrated 25 years of activity. There has been no shortage of encourage­ment from Eco-Congregation, A Rocha, John Rea Initiative, and Operation Noah; but it is only in recent times that environ­mental manage­ment has been in­corporated within the body of the Church.

Sharing God’s Planet: A Christian vision for a sustainable future was produced by the Mission and Public Affairs Council for the General Synod in 2005. Lambeth Palace un­der­took an environmental review in 2006, and many dioceses have developed and adopted environ­mental policies. And there is a Bishops’ Environmental Group, chaired by the Bishop of London, who also chairs the Church’s own Shrinking the Footprint campaign, launched on World Environment Day 2006.

There are also a variety of confer­ences and workshops for Anglican, ecumenical, and interfaith au­diences, which are following the call of the recently retired Bishop of Canberra, the Rt Revd George Browning, now serving as Priest-in-Charge of a parish in Dorset. He said: “Concern for the environment should be core-business for Chris­tians.”

The Archbishop of Canterbury says: “All Christians have an import­ant role to play in developing their own environmental awareness, and encouraging it in others.”

Further reading: Renewing the Face of the Earth: a theological and pastoral response to climate change by David Atkinson (Canterbury Press); How Many Lightbulbs does it take to Change a Christian? and its follow-up, Don’t Stop at the Lights: Leading your church through a changing climate (Church House Publishing).