Food for thought this Creationtime

The Bishop of London is encouraging churches to celebrate the season of Creationtime by focusing on the role of food in God’s creation and everyday lives.

Resources have been put together by Churches Together in Britain and Ireland for group or individual use during the season, which runs from September 1 to October 4.

They cover a range of themes around sustainable living, including diet, trade-justice, animal welfare, sharing and agriculture. Additional creation resources, especially for harvest festivals, are available in The Church of England's Common Worship: Times and Seasons.

The Rt Rev Richard Chartres, chair of Shrinking the Footprint, the Church of England’s national environment campaign said: “Human beings, according to the Book of Genesis, are to ‘till and keep’ the earth.

"This balance between preserving and developing the creation is reflected in the thanksgiving of the Church for our daily bread as ‘fruit of the earth and work of human hands’.

"The prayer of thanksgiving transforms the fruits of creation into gifts of divine love and Creationtime is a season for contemplating this wonderful mystery.”

Helen Stawski, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Deputy Secretary for International Development, appears in the latest Church of England podcast challenging churches and individuals to support food programmes in the developing world and to take a fresh look at everyday food consumption during Creationtime.

The London Churches Environmental Network (LCEN) is celebrating Creationtime with a walk along the length of the Olympic site at Stratford.

The Rev Dr Barry Goodwin, acting Archdeacon of Croydon, said: “The most obvious environmental and social concern in London this year, next year and beyond is the Olympic Games, and the development of the main site at Stratford. The 2012 Games are being promoted as the most sustainable ever."

Resources can be found at www.ctbi.org.uk/creationtime