Rev John is a Companion of Green Christian and follows the Green Christian Way of Life. They have produced this resource to help people pray, reflect and take action to lobby as we move closer to the COP26 meeting in Glasgow at the start of November. He invites you to use the resources below.

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Rev John invites all who are interested to come and join him in the church garden on Wednesday morning to see what we might do next. He says on the Great Big Green Week webpage:

“Autumn 2020 we [Bishop Auckland Methodist Church] achieved an Eco Church bronze award, this autumn we want to take the practical steps to achieve a silver award. The morning will look at steps to increase biodiversity in the church garden and grounds, and bring an enhanced green space to the growing network of green spaces on Cockton Hill Road. Do come along on Wednesday between 11.30 and 1pm to share your creative green ideas.”

Rev John is taking his themes for Creationtide and the Sundays leading up to COP26 from the book of the prophet Jeremiah, who was a prophet with an unpopular message, that the people needed to hear…

This month the CJ4A team are in Italy for a Pre-COP conference…

Click on their logo below to go to the resources for September:

Or watch their new YouTube video here:

It was great to see so many folk in the building and online. However if you missed it, the link to watch the service back as it happened is here:

Please click on the three images below to open the pdfs of the order of service and flyers that those attending in person were given:

Or for the above petition, you can sign virtually on the internet by following this link to CAFOD’s website

If you have booked on EVENTBRITE for a virtual ticket, you will now have received the direct link this evening to the YouTube placeholder where the stream will be shown – this link is https://youtu.be/22RYRGaHaeU.

The link to watch is now live and you can also simply watch here when the stream starts. It is no longer necessary to sign up on Eventbrite:

If you are intending joining us virtually or in person tomorrow, click on the three images below to open the pdfs of the order of service and flyers that those attending in person will be given:

Or for the above petition, you can sign virtually on the internet by following this link to CAFOD’s website

Something different is planned for the beginning of Creationtide. The churches are increasingly concerned, as are many others, about the loss of biodiversity and the changing nature of our planet. It will cost lives, and already lives are being lost, as agriculture and housing are under threat in different countries due to drought, flood, storm and the greater unpredictability of the weather. Temperatures are rising because of historic and ongoing emissions, especially carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels, and this has been evidenced this summer in record breaking temperatures in Europe and beyond, and the resultant spread of wildfires.

In our beautiful rural county of Durham, we have so much richness in flora and fauna on our doorsteps, but this is under threat. In a county list, the following are some of the priority species on a watchlist:

^{Black Poplar, Juniper, Pale Bristle-Moss, Yellow Marsh Saxifrage, Bats, Brown Hare, Dormouse, Harvest Mouse, Hedgehog, Otter, Pine Marten, Polecat, Red Squirrel, Water Vole, Corn Bunting, Linnet, Tree Sparrow, Skylark, Reed Bunting, Yellow Wagtail, Lapwing, Curlew, Snipe, Redshank, Peregrine, Cuckoo, Grasshopper Warbler, Grey Partridge, Kestrel, Mistle Thrush, Swallow, Yellowhammer}

How many of the above have you seen or heard in the countryside around us? Do you even know of the Mud Snail or Northern Brown Argus?

As a child whose summer holidays were spend on a farm, out in the fields and bogs, exploring hedgerows, I want the generations to come to have the same opportunities.

Bishop Auckland Climate Action alongside Bishop Auckland Fellowship of Christian Churches, with the backing and support of church leaders, including our own Chair of District, are organising this dramatic action and are together gathering to grieve our losses, but prayerfully call us to hopeful action. You are invited to join us in-building or watch the funeral online.