The Climate Justice Candle was lit continuously at the All-Island Creation Care Conference in the Canal Court Hotel, Newry, Co Down on Saturday 17th January. In the closing liturgy, Rev Dr Heather Morris, General Secretary of the Methodist Church in Ireland, prayed beside a bowl of water taken from the polluted Lough Neagh, to which waters from around Ireland and a melting glacier had been added:
“Lord of life, we pray for your creation and especially these waters. May they awaken our hearts, cleanse our indifference, soothe our grief, and renew our hope through Christ our Lord.”
The liturgy brought an ambitious day to a close. “Let Justice Flow Like Rivers” was hosted by the Irish Council of Churches (ICC), the Inter-Church Meeting, and the Church leaders. In her opening remarks, the Right Reverend Sarah Groves, President of ICC, described the event as the first formal occasion on which all member denominations met to consider their environmental responsibilities. It brought together not only church leaders and clergy but international theologians and academics, a Northern Ireland government minister, and the everyday volunteers who strive to deliver the work of creation care in church buildings, grounds and communities.
The keynote speakers were:
Dr Hillary Marlow, researcher, writer and tutor on theology and the environment, Girton College, Cambridge
Dr Jim McAdam, environmental and agricultural researcher in the government sector in Northern Ireland and Queens University, Belfast
Dr Gail Heffner, author of Reconciliation in a West Michigan Watershed and co-founder of plaster Creek Stewards
Andrew Muir MLA, Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
The afternoon session explored the question “What contributions can and do churches make to Creation Care?”, through the perspective of speakers from Eco Congregation Ireland, the Archdiocese of Dublin, the Moravian Church and Methodist Centenary Church, Dublin.
Material from the Conference will be available soon on the Irish Council of Churches website and will provide valuable insights for everyone with a concern for Christian stewardship of the earth. www.irishchurches.org