Many of us joined the Big Garden Birdwatch at the weekend, including the young people at Forest Church who saw pigeons, robins, crows and a woodpecker as well as kites overhead.

A couple of congregation members also headed over to Newtown Community Garden where there was birdbox building, bulb planting and more - see their Facebook Page for some great photos.

The Letter: A Message for our Earth

Before Christmas, a couple of members of our EcoChurch team watched The Letter: A Message for our Earth. It is the story of Pope Francis's Laudato Si' encyclical and some of the many many people who are acting on the issues it raises. 

They were so impressed they suggested we invite home groups and any other congregation members to join us to watch it together at church.  This will be happening this Thursday, 2nd February at 7.30 - all are welcome to join us and refreshments will be available.

 

Campaigning for action at COP27 and in the Lords

Representatives from St John's have been at demonstrations calling for real action at COP27: this is Richard B on yesterday's march. Christine was in London at the prayer vigil on Wednesday. The conference has been in our prayers at our midweek services too.

After church today we were looking at the Community and Global Engagement section of the EcoChurch survey and realised that quite a few of us are involved in the local Newtown Community Garden. Several of us also committed to take up Zero Hour's request to write to peers this week to encourage them to support the Climate and Ecology Bill when it comes to its first reading in the House of Lords on Friday.

 

Praying for COP27 as Kingdom Season begins

It feels rather appropriate to be hoping for miracles, praying for a world in which the rich and powerful finally put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first, as we enter Kingdom Season. This week's church email included invitations to pray - either through Tearfund's SMS updates by texting PRAY to 07916 874441 (save the number as a contact); or subscribing to the daily prayers sent out by Leeds Diocese.

There was also an invitation to join Christian Aid, Tearfund ARocha and other campaigners on 12th November at demonstrations including one in London. They'll be calling for the actions needed to stop warming going over 1.5 extra degrees, and to support the countries suffering loss and damage as a result of the past emissions that our wealth was built on.

You can find out more about this and other ways to get involved with prayer and campaigns around COP27 from Tearfund, A Rocha, or the Climate Justice Coalition websites.

The Kingdom by R. S. Thomas
It’s a long way off but inside it
There are quite different things going on:
Festivals at which the poor man
Is king and the consumptive is
Healed; mirrors in which the blind look
At themselves and love looks at them
Back; and industry is for mending
The bent bones and the minds fractured
By life. It’s a long way off, but to get
There takes no time and admission
Is free, if you purge yourself
Of desire, and present yourself with
Your need only and the simple offering
Of your faith, green as a leaf.

(From Selected Poems)

(Photo - Ash from Modern Afflatus on Unsplash)