Simple ways to care for creation with your congregation – starting this Sunday!

By Marnie Klassen, Communications and Admin Assistant, A Rocha Manitoba 

June 28, 2022

The number one question we get about creation care is this: where do we start?

If you are part of a church and want to know where to start, this post is for you! Below are 7 ways to integrate creation care into your church life right now! 

1.  Pray to Creator God

Every church I know of prays on Sunday morning, and most of the time, prayer begins with an address –  whether this is as Father, Jesus, Lord, or another name for God! So here’s the creation care challenge: this Sunday, ask a pastor, worship leader, or someone else praying in the service to address God as Creator. You could even take it a step further and thank God for creation, pray for a specific environmental issue facing your community, or pray for the reconciliation of all creation!

2. Sing about Creation

Does your church sing about creation? If you are on a music team, suggest a song or two that praise God for creation! If your church sings hymns, this list can help. If you sing contemporary worship music, consider something from this new album by The Porter’s Gate. You can also look at this playlist for some inspiration!

3. Read about Creation

For your church’s next book study, choose a book that combines creation care and spirituality. Here are a few recommendations:

• When the Trees Say Nothing: Writings on Nature, by Thomas Merton
• This Sacred Life, by Norman Wirzba
• A Christian’s Guide to Planet Earth: Why It Matters and How to Care for It, by Betsy Painter
• God of All Things: Rediscovering the Sacred in an Everyday World, by Andrew Wilson
• Watershed Discipleship, edited by  Ched Myers
• Planted, by Leah Kostamo
• For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision for Creation Care, by Steven Bouma-Prediger
• Christ of the Celts: The Healing of Creation, by J. Philip Newell

4. Move your event or worship service outside

If you have an event that you’ve already planned (like a potluck, young adults gathering, small group, or meeting), try moving it outside! Use your church yard if you have one, a local park, or even somebody’s porch or yard. The more time we spend outside, especially in prayer and worship, the more connected we are to creation!

5. Clean up your neighborhood

Grab a couple church friends, some garbage bags, work gloves, and a sharps disposal kit and hit the streets!* You can pick up trash for half an hour, or scour for three hours – whatever you have capacity for! Not only will you help clear out local pollution, but you’ll probably meet some neighbors, too.

6. Recycle your bulletins

Collect paper bulletins after church and toss them in the blue bin. If  your church doesn’t have a recycling program yet, that’s okay, just bring a stack home to be recycled. Paper is the most successfully recycled material in Canada, so every little bit really does help.** 

7. Participate in the Season of Creation

Season of Creation is “a time to renew our relationship with our Creator and all creation through celebration, conversion, and commitment together.”
It runs from September 1 to October 5, and there are plenty of opportunities and resources ready for your congregation to tap into.

We hope this list helped you imagine a starting point for creation care at your church! Send us an email to tell us what you did from this list – we’d love to hear your stories. 

*Most pharmacies in BC, MB, ON, and PEI will provide a sharps disposal kit for free!

**This article outlines what actually gets recycled in Canada.