Season of Creation
Resources for Churches
The Season of Creation, which runs from 1 September to 4 October, is an annual celebration of prayer and action for creation that Christians on six continents have commemorated for years. The Season of Creation is a time to renew our relationship with our Creator and all creation through celebration, conversion, and commitment together. During the Season of Creation, we join our sisters and brothers in the ecumenical family in prayer and action for our common home.
Every year, the Season of Creation ecumenical steering committee comes up with a theme to help churches around the world strengthen our united response during this shared season of reflection and action. A Rocha is part of this steering committee.
The official Season of Creation theme for 2024 is:
There are more and more resources available for the Season of Creation as church communities and denominations recognise the Season of Creation and incorporate it into their church calendar. On this page, we have collated a variety of resources arranged in a way that will allow you to scroll through the ideas below and use appropriate ones that would work for your church community. We have drawn from a number of resources as well as sharing ideas from the Eco Church community here in Aotearoa New Zealand. We hope you will find these resources helpful as you plan for the Season of Creation.
Opening Words / Prayers
Thanksgiving Prayers
Confession Prayers
Intercessory Prayers
Closing Words / Prayers
Creative ideas to incorporate into services
Here are some creative ideas to incorporate into your church services. We hope the photos help get your creative juices flowing as you consider activities and worship that are interactive and include whānau of all ages and ability.
Ideas for Tamariki / Children’s Ministry
Some activity and curriculum ideas for Children’s Ministry and Sunday School to get tamariki involved in celebrating the Season of Creation.
Songs and Hymns
Fundraise for Environmental Mission during Season of Creation
Take up a special offering for the Eco Church project, or another care of creation cause. You can share the above video to invite people to fundraise or give towards the Eco Church project.
Grow some native trees and vegetable seedlings and sell them on behalf as a donation to an environmental cause.
Encourage resource recovery and fundraise via a secondhand sale.
In lieu of gifts when celebrating a happy occasion, ask people to donate to environmental cause.
Have a bake sale with a twist – by making it a fair trade or vegan bake sale.
Get together with creative types and auction your arts and crafts as a fundraiser.
Celebrate cultural diversity by having an international food festival fundraiser.
If you have local businesses represented in your church community – pool together donated goods and services for a fundraising raffle.
Other Ideas for the Season of Creation
Invite an A Rocha speaker to share at your service.
For the Season of Creation month, have small groups do one of the studies listed on our page of small group resources.
Organise a creation walk or guided walk in nature. See examples offered by A Rocha’s Auckland local group here.
Do a pilgrimage to a significant ecological site or a site that witnesses ecological or social injustice.
Participate in a local conservation project, citizen science project, beach clean-up etc. See our resource page on Practical Conservation here.
Invite those in your church involved in conservation to share during the service.
Participate in an advocacy campaign. See current campaigns on 350Aotearoa and Common Grace Aotearoa. See also our resource page on Advocacy and Climate Justice here.
Do a prayer walk in nature.
Host a creation-themed retreat. As an example, here’s a retreat resource from A Rocha’s John Stott Memorial Birding Day.
Attend a creation-themed retreat.
A Rocha is organising two mini retreats in Auckland to bookend the Season of Creation. The first one will be at Waiake Beach and the second retreat will be at Māngere Maunga.
In Wellington, Silvia Purdie is organising a retreat day called Ocean Deep, Moana Nui Retreat Day at St Ronan’s Presbyterian Church in Eastbourne, Lower Hutt.
Quotes and Poems
Sermons
Preaching for God’s World is a resource for preachers, offering thoughts and reflections on each Sunday’s Revised Common Lectionary readings viewed through the lens of the Anglican Five Marks of Mission – in particular, caring for people and planet. It helps preachers explore the set lectionary readings for each week from the perspective of creation care.
This year they have invited six women bishops to prepare the sermon notes during the Season of Creation. They come from Kenya, Brazil, Lesotho, Eswatini and the UK (formerly of NZ). These will be posted week by week in due course.
See also:
The Methodist Church of New Zealand’s Season of Creation 2024 resource.
Strandz for the Anglican Church of Aotearoa NZ and Polynesia’s Season of Creation page, Care of Creation page and the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time resources
Anglican Movement Diocese of Wellington’s Season of Creation: Resources for children’s ministry and all-ages worship
Anglican Diocese of Auckland’s Season of Creation Children’s Ministry Ideas
Anglican Diocese of Auckland’s Season of Creation Intergenerational Service
Anglican Diocese of Auckland’s Celebrate the Season of Creation
Ecology, Justice and Peace Commission’s (Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington) Season of Creation Activities 2024
Rev Bosco Peters’ (www.liturgy.co.nz) - Creation Season
A Rocha Australia’s Prayers and Bible Readings for Season of Creation 2024 and accompanying reflection questions.
Queensland Churches Together Season of Creation Devotional - available as an app and pdf download.
The Episcopal Church’s Season of Creation 2024 A Celebration Guide for Episcopal Parishes
The Scottish Episcopal Church’s Season of Creation page on worship material
The Church of England’s Creationtide resources
Catholic Climate Covenant’s Season of Creation 2024 page.
Green Anglicans’ (The Anglican Church of Southern Africa) Season of Creation liturgies
Relevant Eco Church stories
Know of a good story to include? Let us know and we’ll follow up!
