This Sunday was a very special service. Not only was the church the fullest it has been since returning to the church building earlier in the summer, but we were also joined by Bishop Christopher to bless the newly refurbished balcony and lead our Climate-focused All Age worship.
We shared in joyful sung worship led by Jim and the Christ Church worship band and praised God for the many reasons we have to be grateful as a church family which we have collected over the summer through our ‘10,000 reasons’ project. One of these reasons was the completion of the balcony refurbishment which has left the church more open, spacious, and connected. The Bishop of Southwark, Bishop Christopher, blessed the balcony and delivered a thought-provoking talk about our responsibility to nurture and care for God’s planet.
The young people of Christ Church created a film about the need for action and climate justice. It was an emotive wake-up call and the whole congregation was struck by the urgency as their voices rose up:
“When the world looks back at the Church in 200 years’ time, will they think the Church helped to stop climate change or was the Church part of the problem? Will the Church be viewed as a catalyst of change, or negative and outdated?”
Sue, our Junior Church leader, held everyone entranced as she told the story of creation through Godly Play, showing how God created a perfect world and how humanity has turned away from the light and not looked after God’s amazing gift.
As part of our church commitment to climate justice and being more environmentally aware, we reflected on how we can change our behaviour on an individual level. Writing these personal commitments on flower shaped post it notes, we combined them on a world map as a personal and collective promise to act against the injustices of climate change.
When the official service ended, the fun wasn’t over! We gathered in the church garden for a shared lunch of Jamaican Street Food from a local provider. It was wonderful to spend quality time as a church family, reconnect after being distanced during lockdown, and enjoy food and drink together in the sun.
Keep an eye on our YouTube and social media over the next few days to see the films and photos from the service.
This is part of an ongoing mission to heal God’s groaning creation and commit to being better stewards of His creation. Especially seeing as climate change disproportionally impacts the poorer and more vulnerable in society. As Christians this is the work Jesus calls us to, and this Sunday was a reminder to keep going.
“Be strong and courageous and do the work.”
- 1 Chronicles 28:20