Climate Sunday launches across Britain and Ireland!

Marking the start of the annual season of Creationtide, the Climate Sunday initiative begins this weekend with local churches across Britain and Ireland holding climate-focused services to explore the theological and scientific basis of creation care and of action on climate, to pray and to commit to action.

With the climate crisis accelerating and greater public support for a green recovery post COVID-19, there has never been a more crucial time for UK churches to come together to pray and act on the climate crisis. Over 700 churches registered before the year-long initiative has begun, so the organisers are hoping that there will be thousands of local Climate Sundays, with congregations from every denomination and tradition.

The culmination of the campaign will be a national Climate Sunday event in Glasgow on Sunday, 5th September 2021, to celebrate the commitments made by churches at local level over the previous year. We will also present the UK government with the combined commitments and calls, which all local churches have made, to show our political leaders that they have our support for acting boldly, justly and compassionately on this issue.

The Climate Sunday initiative, organised by CTBI’s Environmental Issues Network (EIN), is the UK’s largest joint project planned by UK Churches on Climate Change, with formal backing from CAFOD, Christian Aid, Tearfund, The Salvation Army, A Rocha UK, Operation Noah, Climate Stewards, Eco-Congregation Scotland, Eco-Congregation Ireland, Green Christian, the Church of England, the Methodist Church, the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Baptist Union of Wales, the United Reformed Church, The Church of Scotland, Cytûn (Churches together in Wales), the Union of Welsh Independents and the Church in Wales.

The chief executive of A Rocha UK, Andy Atkins, who is also the chair of the coalition, said:

“With the climate crisis accelerating and the UK due to host the COP26 climate talks in November 2021 in Glasgow, we believe the time has come for all churches across the UK to pray about and act on the climate crisis, as we have done in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.” “Our vision is to leave a lasting legacy of thousands of UK churches better equipped to address this critical issue as part of their normal discipleship and mission; and to make a very significant contribution to civil society efforts to secure adequate national and international action at the COP26 conference.”

Church congregations can register to participate in Climate Sunday by visiting www.climatesunday.org, which has service resources for a range of traditions.

Spokespeople available for comment in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland include:

Andy Atkins, Chair of Climate Sunday – England
James Anthony, Coordinator of Climate Sunday – Scotland
Hannah Eves, Researcher at A Rocha UK – Northern Ireland
Gethin Rhys, Policy Officer at Cytûn – Wales

Contact James Anthony (Climate Sunday Project Coordinator) on james@climatesunday.org or 07877319496 for further information or to request an interview with one of our spokespeople.

Registered address: CTBI, Interchurch House, 35 Lower Marsh, London SE1 7RL

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) is a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales; Company number: 5661787; Charity number 1113299;

This release was published on openPR.