Rachel Mash

Today we remember the words of our beloved Arch on his Birthday ECO UBUNTU Before colonization, most Africans lived in societies that were almost closed systems. Any material goods, energy, love that you gave ‘away’, never really went ‘away’, they  built up the community that protected you, comforted you, counselled you, corrected you, mourned and celebrated with you. People living in that time were acutely aware that physical survival and a human identity were not possible as individuals. Humans don’t survive or thrive as individuals. When hard times came, as they surely do in Africa, when drought gripped the land, and fire consumed the plains, it was groups of people that searched together for food, for water, for grazing. It was a few families, a clan, and a tribe that survived together, or perished. Ubuntu  acknowledges what we are, biologically. We are not individual beings; we have evolved as social organisms. This is the literal meaning of the expression which defines Ubuntu; Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu – “A person is a person through people”. As we grow in awareness we see how we are linked to all living beings by flows of matter and energy, how we breathe the same air, drink the same water.  Shouldn’t we extend Ubuntu beyond people to all other living beings? Ubuntu arose as relatively small groups of people cooperated to survive in a challenging environment, in an ecology that was often dry, hard, thorny and hot, periodically scorched by fire, permeated by diseases, parasites and venomous creatures, not to mention larger creatures with teeth, claws, hooves and horns.  We are in the midst of the sixth great extinction event, facing planetary crises of climate change, water availability and pollution.   This suggests a need for a change in our relation to the web of life, for a new gentleness and appreciation. We are human because a lion is, because a snake is, because a mountain is, because rain and drought are.  We are totally dependant on the ecosystems which support us, so to see those ecosystems as ‘us’, as a system that we are embedded in, as an extension of our being is pragmatic, and accurate. As is the traditional practice of Ubuntu. If Ubuntu encourages us to cultivate and care for ourselves, for our families and our brethren, so too should we care for our larger, extended body –the veld, bush, soil, air, water, and the wetlands. We need to widen the circle of our Ubuntu as we become aware of the totality of what we are. Our bodies extend into the soil, into the air, into the rivers and oceans. . Let us practice planetary Ubuntu, widen and deepen the circle, act with love to all that we are, to our entire community, to our extended planetary being. I am because you are We are because the planet is Archbishop Emeritus Tutu icon Bob Mash

Season of Creation in Namaqualand The parish of St Augustine’s O’Kiep with its outstations celebrated a wonderful Season of Creation full of creativity and vibrancy! In Concordia they held an open air church service, with Sunday School children sharing their stories through creative artwork about God’s Creation. Elders Hester (89 years) and Oom Willieboy and Oom Piet planted trees. Members of the congregation signed the environmental pledge A celebration of St Francis day marked the end of the Season of Creation Sunday School  held an exhibition to show the  children’s understanding of God’s Creation. There was the admission of new Altar Servers. The Confirmation Candidates shared their spiritual journey of the previous  week’s spiritual hike and workshop at Namaqua National Park. The Season ended as we planted trees as we commit ourselves again to be loyal stewards of God’s Creation. By Rev Earl Richards (The Northern Cape and Namaqualand is a dry, hot region that is classified as semi-desert. It scarcely ever rains and some areas have less than 100 millimetres of annual rainfall. ) #seasonofcreation #communionforest

BE A CRAZY NOAH! Girls Friendly Society is one of the oldest organisations in the Anglican Communion. They are focusing on three themes for a three year period: Praise and Worship, Gender Based Violence and Climate Change The GBFS held their South African National Conference in Paarl, and invited Rev Rachel Mash to share on the topic of Climate Change The session started with an enthusiastic singing of “Be green in the corner where you are” She shared the impact of climate change in South Africa. Firstly we are seeing flooding – just before Easter 500 people (including one GBFS member) lost their lives due to the ‘rain bomb’ that fell. As the oceans warm we get more evaporation and so we are seeing these torrential rains. The other impact is drought – as the earth dries up – as we saw with ‘Day Zero’ in Cape Town and now Gqeberha is affected.  These droughts are then followed by fires and the trees and vegetation become too dry. We are also seeing the impacts of plastic pollution – by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans! Due to climate change people lose their lives and homes, we see a drop in crops which will lead to rising food prices and loss of jobs. So what can we do as Christians? We must remember that we are called to renew the face of the earth – we do not have a Planet B to go to! We need to become the activists – changing our actions but also inspiring and challenging others. God called Noah to build an ark – people thought he was a crazy person, but he saved the human race and all creatures. Now God is calling on us as to be crazy Noahs in the area where we live  – act local, fight plastic, don’t waste water and electricity, but also think global, get involved in marches, and be the climate activist. People may laugh at you and think you are crazy like Noah – but God is calling you! Ngena Noah!! Photo credit Zodwa Makhehle

“Let’s have more services outside!” This is the feeling of so many parishioners of all ages who enjoyed outdoor worship – many for the first time – during Season of Creation 2022, which was actively encouraged by the Johannesburg Anglican Eco-spiritual Initiative (JAEI). Many of the 75 parishes in the Anglican Diocese of Johannesburg followed either the Season of Creation 7 or the Burning Bush, from 1 September and concluding with St Francis Day on 2 October.  Exciting additional elements include potted arrangements in church, rosemary sprigs given out, tree planting, food gardens, new JoJo water tanks, youth pledges, paintings, handprint murals, clean ups, prayer walks, confirmation hikes.  Rev Martha Gordon #seasonofcreation

The World Council of Churches held its 11th Assembly from August 31 to September 8, 2022, in the German city of Karlsruhe. I attended the Assembly as a delegate from the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil and was asked to be part of the Committee on Programme Guidelines, which discusses the activities of the WCC for the following 8 years. The Assembly was particularly focused on the care for God’s Creation and the issues of environmental, economic and social justice, the three pillars of sustainable development. As a cross-cutting issue, which permeates almost all human activities, the three pillars were addressed in thematic plenary sessions, in approved documents, in ecumenical conversations, and in discussions about all forms of injustice. It also was the theme of many workshops held by participants in what was called the ‘networking zone’. The struggle of indigenous peoples to keep their ancestral lands and conserve their biodiversity, so important for their culture and spirituality, was particularly emphasized, together with Climate Change, which is already being felt acutely in Europe. It became clear that climate justice is the most pressing issue of our time for the Churches, and that it involves the quality of life on Earth and our very survival. In the final plenary, the report of the Programmatic Guidelines Committee, of which I was part, requested the Central Committee to create a Commission on Climate Change and Sustainable Development. Elisabeth Ivete Sherrill – ACEN Steering Committee participant for Brazil Photo WWC – Thematic Plenary – the wholeness of life

Bright light 🕯️Bright future 🔆 Let go and let God On the 3rd of September the Anglican Youth Fellowship in the Diocese of False Bay held a conference at St Peters church in Khayelitsha. Green Anglicans were invited to present to the conference. John-Paul Roberts from Green Anglicans did a bible study reflection with us on the book of Nehemiah. Touching on the aspect that like Nehemiah, we as young people need to lament the struggles that our fellow young people face because of the destruction of our environment, living in pollution, lack of clean water, air pollution and the like. To understand that in the story of Creation God made all things good, but we have broken it and made it bad.  JP inspired us as young people to see the context that we live in and see where we can act and what needs to be rebuilt so that this generation of young people and those to come may enjoy the beauty of creation, and just like in the story of Nehemiah the wall was not built by one professional builder, but all the communities helped in rebuilding the wall. Likewise, we need to work alongside our communities, and other organizations, civil servants and seek to fix what is broken. Green Anglicans has shown us that the young man and woman of the church are the future of tomorrow and the future of the church. We as the youth and adults of tomorrow hold a big responsibility not only to the church but on how we build a brighter future for our young ones looking up on us, how we treat the creation of our earth is important as we are saving the world for tomorrow. When we let go and let God as the youth, we are saying that we cannot put old wine into new wineskins as we have to have to bring new thoughts to the brighter future of tomorrow and make it bright. We were also empowered by other guests Mrs Bathandwa Dabula (former AYF member and now MU member), Lakhe Booi (Diocesan AYF Chairperson), Mel Awu (UCT Sport Administrator and International Toastmaster & ANSOC Coordinator for CPUT, UWC, UCT). We were blessed as well to have Bishop Margaret come through and say hello. Kagisho Phetlo and John-Paul Roberts #seasonofcreation