Creation Care Course
The words 'Climate Crisis' has become the soundtrack to our generation, but maybe we are tempted to 'leave it to the experts and activists'.
This Creation Care series seeks to consider what response we should have as Christians to God’s creation, creating time and space for us to deepen our understanding and share our thoughts around the subject of climate change.
What's the Course About?
Our Creation Care Course is based on the chapters from Dr Ruth Valerio's book - “Saying YES to Life”.
Ruth is an environmentalist and theologian, social activist and author, and is at present the Director of Global Advocacy and Influencing at Tearfund. https://ruthvalerio.net/ We recommend you purchase a copy of the book or audiobook to help you follow along with the series.
The Plan
The plan for the course is that we will follow along with the themes from Ruth’s book, based on the 7 days of Creation in Genesis 1. The content for the upcoming week will be presented in the Sunday preach across our sites and then accompanying small group notes that you can access on these pages along with some brilliant short films and interviews to watch.
All of these resources will aim to provide a foundational understanding for personal responses to the climate crisis through prayer and action. We will learn new and additional ways that we can positively impact creation keeping Jesus at the centre.
We will consider topics such as:
God’s heart for his creation in relation to us
How we respond to the climate emergency as part of our discipleship and worship
Aligning the theology and practice of caring for all people at the centre of our faith
How we can be better stewards of God’s creation by developing sustainable habits rather than destructive ones
How we can keep our eyes fixed on the God of justice and share the integral nature of Jesus and the Gospel in answer to this crisis
Group Participants Notes and Weekly Resources
Each week we have thoughts from the Sunday preach and questions for you to complete in your small groups or as self-guided study.
Creation Care Course Introduction
Week 1: Let there be light
Week 2: Let the waters be separated
Week 3: Let the land produce vegetation
Week 4: Let there be lights in the vault of the sky
Week 5: Let the waters teem with living creatures and let the birds fly
Week 6: Let the land produce living creatures and let us make humankind in our image
Week 7: The seventh day - conclusion
Creation Care further resources for continued learning
Is there any homework?
Yes, the course has some, but it's really fun! We have prepared 3 levels for each week to help us set goals to live more sustainably:
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Short Term
I can do this tomorrow
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Medium Term
I can look at this in the next 3 months
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Longer Term
This needs more prayer and planning
For the Small Group leaders
Firstly, a huge thank you for being willing to prepare the ground for your small group members each week.
We have created a Leaders Guide which has everything you need to walk your group through the small group time each week.
Remember you don't always have to lead the content and you don't have to have all the answers (we are learning together!). Why don't you ask another member of the group to look through the leaders notes and prepare a week in advance - it's a great way to train up new leaders!