Rachel Mash

Clean up day in NairobiGreen Anglicans Movement of Kenya was joined by Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit for a #worldcleanupday in Nairobi CBD for #SeasonofCreation

celebrating the Season of Creation at St Lukes Church in Swaziland

WE ARE THE GUARDIANS OF NATURE The Diocese of Lebombos (Inhambane Archdeaconry) had a service dedicated to the Season of Creation under the theme “Jubilee for the Earth” The service took place in the Chambone Mission, with 25 participants. including  the Venerable Emanuel, Father Buque, Father Uqueio and the Diaconisa Fatucha. Green Anglican District Directorate was  launched, followed by a  blessing and planting of  shade trees at the Manche Manche Masemola de Chambone School.

Please find the new Season of Creation materials for 2020 available for download at this link https://www.greenanglicans.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/manual-2020online.pdf  

HEARING INDIGENOUS VOICES The Anglican Communion Environmental Network has committed itself to hearing the voices of indigenous people. During the month of August, the Anglican Indigenous Network has prepared sermon notes which can be found at www.sustainable-preaching.org Archbishop Mark Macdonald, National Indigenous Anglican Bishop for the Anglican Church of Canada, Says this “A number of years ago, I was sitting with a group of Indigenous clergy at a regional church gathering, a gathering largely populated by and representing the perspective of non-Indigenous people. The discussion at the gathering was about the now common proposal that we follow a “Season of Creation” in our schedule of daily and weekly Scripture readings. The season would identify texts that are specially focused on Creation and our relationship to it. As the discussion proceeded, someone tapped me on the shoulder. I looked behind to see the whole group of Indigenous clergy with very confused looks. One finally said, “I thought all of Scripture was about Creation.” I am a supporter of a “Season of Creation.” The Indigenous point, however, is vital. An Indigenous reading of the Scripture is not filtered through the centuries of Western Scientism and Materialism and the progressive alienation of human beings from the rest of Creation. The alienating trends that have spread through the globalizing culture of money have made it difficult for people to see the underlying “Creationism” in every text of Scripture (Creationism is the best word I can find to describe a primary cosmological element of Scripture, the embedded point of view that there is an essential communion of humanity with the rest of Creation.). This view is primary and basic to Indigenous Peoples around the world. The symbiotic relationship between humanity and Creation is a defining feature and an existential commitment to the People of the Land and Seas. I have heard many people say that we must import other more earth-friendly ideas to enhance our reading of Scripture, assuming that Scripture shares the basic cosmological assumptions of globalizing Western society. I would heartily endorse the application of science and other disciplines of knowledge and life in the illumination of Scripture. It is urgent, however, that the underlying Creation cosmology of Scripture be appreciated again, uncovered again. We must read it with this always in mind. The communion of Creation, so much a part of the Indigenous cosmology, is infused in every word of Scripture.” Notes for this Sunday can be found at : http://sustainable-preaching.org/2020/08/02/proper-13-9th-sunday-after-pentecost/ Reverend Dr. Bradley Hauff, Indigenous Missioner for The Episcopal Church, Oglala Sioux Tribe of South Dakota http://sustainable-preaching.org/2020/08/16/proper-15-11th-sunday-after-pentecost/ if you would like to sign up to receive “sustainable preaching” notes for the Revised Common lectionary by email each week, please sign up at : http://eepurl.com/gnIlCj  

67 Minutes for the Earth for  Mandela Day On the 18th of July to celebrate Nelson Mandela’s birthday, the call was for people to celebrate the 67 years of public service with 67 minutes of working for the earth This year with COVID-19, the actions had to be a bit different, and many did #separatebuttogether events during the course of the day to avoid large groups Auriel from St Joseph’s Macassar hosted a Mandela day event at a park where they  do a  soup kitchen. Cleaned the rubbish, rescued the plants that were overgrown by weeds and ended the day with lunch and party packets. Members from St Timothy’s factreton and  Good Shepherd Kensington planted Avos from Anglicans! Members of  St Stephens Pinelands joined the #separatebuttogether  spekboom planting on the Elsies Kraal river and others picked up litter and bottles from the river The Bernard Mizeki guild (mens guild ) from Eluvukweni Church in Crossroads did a big plastic bottle sort out for their recycling fundraising project