Something powerful happens when we decide to have hope. I don't mean the passive kind of hope, where we cross our fingers and wait to see what happens. I'm talking about the active kind of hope - the hope that calls us to act in line with the future we long for.
At the weekend I looked around me and I saw around 1,400 hopeful Christians. I was at the No Faith In Fossil Fuels Service at St John's Church Waterloo and so many people had turned up that we couldn't all fit in the church building – people were spilling out into the church foyer and then when this was full, they started filling up the church garden.
A sense of excitement was in the air, the Salvation Army band was playing, there were speakers, hymns and prophetic prayers read out. There was a magnificent sense of unity at the event – Catholics, alongside Anglicans, alongside The Salvation Army, Baptists, Methodists and URC members. Liberals were worshiping alongside evangelicals, and high church were standing next to low church. Instead of the infighting that can sometimes be present within the Church, Christians of different denominations were standing shoulder to shoulder, demanding a world free from climate suffering.
There were many bishops who felt called to be in attendance at the No Faith In Fossil Fuels Service. Rt Revd Olivia Graham, the Bishop of Reading, said: "Our faith calls us to take a stand against suffering, whatever form that takes. Fossil fuel expansion will lead to tremendous suffering for our young people, for those in climate vulnerable countries and ultimately for all humankind along with many other species.
"Our faith also calls us to nurture and cherish our planet Earth, knowing that our health and survival, along with that of all living things, depends on it. I am here to stand in prayerful protest against fossil fuel expansion and to pray for just, wise and swift decisions from our Government. On this issue we must stand together."
At the end of the service Bishop Olivia gave a final blessing and we then walked together in pilgrimage – from outside the front of St John's Church, to join in The Big One, a climate protest which was happening outside Parliament. At the front of the walk, people held a banner reading 'No More Fossil Fuels. Amen'.
Instead of the usual protest signs, people had written climate prayers on cardboard and paper and were holding them in the air. It was powerful reading people's prayers. Some were prayers for creation, some were for the people who are already suffering the effects of climate breakdown across the world. Other prayers were written by people who had children – these were more of a personal plea to keep their little ones safe.
Reading people's prayers is a stark reminder that behind the excitement of the event is an important cause. In 2021, the International Energy Agency said that exploitation and development of new oil and gas fields must stop if the world is to stay within safe limits of global heating. Since this warning, all major oil companies are continuing to explore for and develop new fossil fuel reserves.
And despite the advice of the IEA, the UK government has opened a new licensing round for companies to explore for oil and gas in the North Sea. Nearly 900 locations are being offered for exploration, with more than 100 licences set to be awarded.
The Big One climate protest happened across April 21 to 24. As part of this, Christian Climate Action held a whole host of prayer and worship activities. We had worship sessions led by friends at Black Majority Churches and young people among others.
Seeing the Church take a stand against climate suffering is something I have longed for, for over a decade. I have long looked at the church - an institution that preaches love and justice, and felt frustration that it isn't taking a stand for our brothers and sisters around the world who are on the frontlines of climate breakdown. Last weekend I was alongside a sea of Christians who had chosen to step outside of their comfort zones to make a difference. What happens now, only God can say. But I will continue to pray – "No More Fossil Fuels. Amen."
If you want to join us, you can find out more about Christian Climate Action's here.
Holly-Anna Petersen is a co-founder of Christian Climate Action, a group dedicated to prayerful protest. She was also an organiser of the Faith Hub at The Big One climate protest.
