This August at the Moana Water of Life Talanoa in Fiji, Archbishop Sione Ulu'ilakepa called on every Anglican to find a new way to do more for Creation care – especially in our own back yards. 

"My hope is that when we finish this Moana Water of Life gathering there is synergy in all that we are doing...so we are empowering our people to empower one another and climate resilience becomes a way of life."

This week the 2024 global ecumenical Season of Creation begins on the theme, "To hope and act with Creation." The Season of Creation is when churches show they care for the moana and whenua in their place by doing some environmental good between 1 September - 4th October each year.

The Pacific Conference of Churches' resource introduces the idea behind this year's theme: 

"Amid the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, many are beginning to despair and suffer from eco-anxiety. As people of faith, we are called to lift the hope inspired by our faith, the hope of the resurrection."

"This is not a hope without action, but one embodied in concrete actions of prayer and preaching, service and solidarity."

This year, Anglican churches, communities and schools across Aotearoa New Zealand, Fiji, Samoa and the Kingdom of Tonga have the chance to expand the Church's prayer and work for Creation over the next month by:

1. Holding a service of thanksgiving for Creation
2. Undertaking a practical act of care for Creation (such as tree planting, or removing rubbish from a forest area, riverbank or coastal shoreline)
3. Endorsing the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty call which aims to halt new fossil fuel extraction around the world.

Resources for churches planning Creation-themed services are here:
Pacific Conference of Churches' Season of Creation resources 2024
Diocese of Auckland Season of Creation resources
Diocese of Wellington Season of Creation resources
Anglican Church of Southern Africa (Green Anglicans) resources 2024
Episcopal Church USA Season of Creation resources
Church of England  Season of Creation "Creationtide" resources
Scottish Episcopal Church has Season of Creation resources

Anglican churches, pariha or rōpu in Aotearoa New Zealand, Samoa, Fiji, and the Kingdom of Tonga can get lots more ideas on how church groups have organised their tree planting, foreshore or riverbank clean-ups, or other actions to care for Creation from the Aotearoa New Zealand EcoChurch website Season of Creation page. in the Kingdom of Tonga parishes can work with the No Pelesitiki Campaign-Tonga to pick up plastic waste and bottles from the foreshore, and if you are in Samoa or Fiji, look back to the Season of Creation 2023 to see how Anglican parishes or schools can join in with a wide range of Season of Creation initiatives and activities.