The Anglican Church of Southern Africa (ACSA) Provincial Guild of St Mary Magdalene held its Provincial Elective Conference from 15 to 18 October 2026 in Cape Town, under the theme “Listen, Reflect and Restore.”
The during the opening Eucharist Bishop Deseko ( Dean of the Province ) and Bishop Charles ( Guild Liason Bishop) The Provincial Green Anglicans team was invited to deliver a presentation on Saturday, 17 October, focusing on the Church’s role in caring for God’s creation. During his presentation, Bino Makhalanyane from Green Anglicans encouraged members of the Guild not only to pray for the healing of creation but also to take practical action to restore and protect the environment. He reminded participants that caring for creation is part of our Christian responsibility, especially given that God declared creation good.
As we begin to listen, Romans 8:22 reminds us that “the whole creation has been groaning.” Today, this groaning can be heard through devastating floods, prolonged droughts, environmental degradation and extreme heatwaves, which often lead to wildfires, displacement, loss of life, disruption of education and long-term trauma for affected communities.
St Mary Magdalene was encouraged to reflect on the growing climate crisis across Southern Africa. Our region continues to experience climate-related disasters, including floods, droughts, wildfires and heatwaves. In May 2026, several provinces across South Africa, as well as Lesotho, experienced heavy rainfall, strong winds and snow, resulting in loss of life and the displacement of thousands of people. This followed the January 2026 floods that affected Limpopo, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and North West. The crisis continues, with warnings of potentially severe El Niño-related conditions during the 2026/27 season and drought emergencies affecting parts of the region.
The Anglican Communion Fifth Mark of Mission calls all Anglicans to “strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth.” Caring for creation is not an additional activity outside the Church’s mission, it is central to who we are and what we are called to do. As women of faith, members of St Mary Magdalene are encouraged to become agents of hope and restoration, following the example of faithful women who proclaimed and lived out the Good News.
Ms Zikhona Mzalisi, a member of the Guild and Green Anglicans Coordinator in the Diocese of Khahlamba, also encouraged members to begin with small, practical actions that can make a meaningful difference. At home, these include fixing leaking taps, taking shorter showers, avoiding single-use plastics by carrying reusable shopping bags and reducing food waste.
She added that churches can also play an important role by establishing recycling stations, growing trees, creating indigenous gardens, organising community clean-up campaigns and building partnerships with local stakeholders, including municipalities and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment.
Members were further encouraged to use their voices to hold local leadership accountable by engaging ward councillors on issues such as regular waste collection, clearing blocked drains and strengthening local emergency preparedness. These actions are essential for building resilient and sustainable communities better prepared to respond to climate-related disasters.
The message was clear: we are called only to listen to the groaning of creation, reflect on our responsibility, and restore what has been damaged. Through prayer, faith and practical action, the women of St Mary Magdalene can become powerful agents of change in caring for God’s creation.
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