As Christians, we believe that the earth belongs to God; that all things have been created and will be redeemed in Christ; and that we have been entrusted with the care of the earth.
The Bishop’s Committee on Creation Care provides support to individual Anglicans, parishes and the Diocese as a whole to make creation care an integral part of our worship, life and witness. Our mandate is to encourage Anglicans in the Diocese of Toronto in creation-informed, Christ-centred discipleship.
Care for creation is lived out through the Cast the Net Calls to Action, including Call #4 (Recognize and act on opportunities to participate in God’s healing work in the world); Call #5 (Make explicit connections between following Jesus and working for justice and peace) and Call #8 (Intensify advocacy and action in response to the climate crisis).
To learn more, contact the Rev. Susan Spicer and the Rev. Paige Souter, co-chairs of the committee, at creation.care@toronto.anglican.ca.
Learn more about the Communion Forest Movement
Earth Sunday resources
Many parishes in our Diocese hold services with a creation care theme on a Sunday close to Earth Day (April 22). Here are some resources to help you plan an Earth Sunday service:
- The Prayers of Creation: An Earth Day Litany (from A Rocha Canada)
- Prayers of the People for Earth Sunday
- Hymns suitable for a creation-themed service
- Earth Day Liturgy from the Anglican Church of Southern Africa Environmental Network
- For the Love of Creation, a nationwide initiative of Canadian faith communities, invites congregations across the country to participate in prayer, learning and action for the love of creation during the week in which Earth Day falls every year.
Preaching
Need help preaching on creation care? Here are two resources:
- Preaching for God’s World: a resource for preachers, offering thoughts and reflections on each Sunday’s Revised Common Lectionary readings viewed through the lens of the Anglican Five Marks of Mission – in particular, caring for people and planet.
- Wild Lectionary: a resource for preaching on climate justice themes from Salal+Cedar, a ministry of the Diocese of New Westminster that meets regularly for worship outdoors, education and action. Each week a different contributor offers commentary on the lectionary readings, suggestions for preaching and links to additional material.
Zero Emissions Church - Parish Heating Survey
We encourage all parishes to participate in the first step of the Zero Emissions Church process by filling out a survey form about your parish heating system. early 50 parishes completed forms distributed at diocesan Synod in 2023. If your parish hasn’t already done so, you can fill out the form.
More resources
Worship and Preaching resources
Bring concern for creation into prayer, preaching, and worship.; plan a service of Hiking Church; design an outdoor worship space
Environmental advocacy
Join with others working for action on climate change and environmental protection.
Educational resources
Explore how the call to creation care is woven into the biblical story.
Practical greening
Find ways of making your parish more eco-friendly, including buildings and gardens.
Diocesan policy and reflection papers
- Report to Diocesan Council on Environmental Synod Motions, June 17, 2021
- Diocesan Policy Paper on Environmental Issues, 2019
- World of Wonder: Contemporary Discipleship, Climate Crisis and Anglicans
(reflection paper by the Rev. Dr. Stephen Drakeford)
Connecting with others
We’re connected to the Creation Matters working group of the Anglican Church of Canada, and through it to the global Anglican Environmental Communion Network.
We commend these other Canadian faith-based organizations working on environmental justice and stewardship:
- Citizens for Public Justice: a Christian voice for social and environmental justice in Canadian public policy
- Faith and the Common Good: an interfaith organization helping faith communities with practical greening through their Greening Sacred Spaces program
- KAIROS: a coalition of Canadian churches working together for justice and peace
- A Rocha Canada: a Christian environmental stewardship organization working in conservation, environmental education and sustainable agriculture
