We meet over Zoom on the second Tuesday of each month, and offer four one-hour options to try to accommodate as many time zones as possible. Our next scheduled date is April 9.

Click here for Zoom links.

Our meetings typically have four parts: a brief liturgy, praying about current news gathered from the headlines, praying about a more developed theme, and then using breakout rooms to pray for local requests.

[To give you a taste of specifics, April’s headline prayers will include the heartbreaking drought in Western Afghanistan, and the theme prayers will focus on Carbon Capture and Sequestration; that God might enable engineers to bring CCS to scale quickly and that the public might not be swayed by false claims made about CCS by the fossil fuel companies.]

Another feature of Climate Intercessors is our monthly newsletters which features a brief reflection from Scripture about the climate crisis and prayer. Writer Lowell Bliss calls these “injective Bible studies”: what happens when you inject the topic of climate change into old familiar stories from the Gospels and the Old Testament? The titles might be tongue-in-check—such as April 2023’s “Lazarus’s Sisters Emote over the IPCC Report (John 11)—but our careful handling of God’s Word is a serious call to go beyond the standard “creation care verses” and to explore how all of Scripture can instruct us in the climate crisis.

Read old newsletters, subscribe to new ones, and find the timings for meetings at www.climateintercessors.org. No registration is required for the meetings. Just show up. All are welcome.

In 2023 and 2024, global leaders are negotiating a treaty to ban plastic waste. Renew Our World, a global coalition for justice and creation care including Tearfund, A Rocha and many national partners, is spearheading a campaign to put pressure on our political leaders to act on plastic waste.

While the official Rubbish campaign week of prayer just passed, we invite you nonetheless to continue to pray!

Join people around the world in responding to the world’s rubbish problem through prayer and action. Here is a prayer resource you can use: Rubbish Campaign Week of Prayer and Action.

If you are not yet familiar with the work of Climate Intercessors, we encourage you to check them out. They are “a global network of people whose prayers are as real and urgent as the climate crisis,” and they hold online prayer events on the 2nd Tuesday of every month, conveniently timed for different time zones around the world. Being convinced that for all of our activism, few of us pray as much as we should, this is an initiative we whole heartedly recommend.

In addition to the monthly prayer event, their monthly prayer reminder is a gem. Here’s a portion of the latest from Lowell Bliss:

Over a decade ago, I had a strange, but encouraging encounter with Scripture at the first faith-based conference on climate change that I had ever intended.  On the Thursday of the conference, during a coffee break, I was chatting with Allen Johnson, director of Christians for the Mountains, an organization engaged in the struggle to stop mountain top removal coal mining in Appalachia.  Allen was talking about the lack of alternative jobs for coal mining families in West Virginia, and then he said this—and it cut me to the quick— “So they have no other choice but to keep making bricks for Pharaoh.”  Allen was comparing his beloved Appalachians with the Israelites still in bondage in Egypt.  So much of the world—including our economies and many of our politicians—seem enslaved to the fossil fuel industry.

I woke up on Friday morning aware that our agenda for the conference that day was “Creating a Pathway for Mobilizing Christians for Climate Action.”   It was 2013, and in the U.S., we felt stymied.  I also woke up with Allen’s statement bouncing between my head and my heart.  As well, I woke up to my regular routine at the time—which was to grab my Bible (using the New Living Translation at the time) and do some reading which would include a randomly chosen psalm.  That day—randomly—I landed on Psalm 77.  The words Red Sea, Moses and Aaron jumped out at me.  So did that word “pathway”—the very thing we were looking for that day as a conference.  

When the Red Sea saw you, O God,
    its waters looked and trembled!
    The sea quaked to its very depths.
The clouds poured down rain;
    the thunder rumbled in the sky.
    Your arrows of lightning flashed.
Your thunder roared from the whirlwind;
    the lightning lit up the world!
    The earth trembled and shook.
Your road led through the sea,
    your pathway through the mighty waters—
    a pathway no one knew was there!
You led your people along that road like a flock of sheep,
    with Moses and Aaron as their shepherds (Ps 77:16-20, NLT)

Here are four quick thoughts on this passage:

1. The possessive pronoun for the pathway out of slavery, the pathway that delivers from violence, the pathway through trouble waters, refers to God.  It is “your” road, O God, which led Israel through the Red Sea.

2. And who is our God?  Our God is so mighty that when the Red Sea saw him, it trembled and quaked to its very depths.

3. And yet, God’s pathway is described as “a pathway no one knew was there!”  Whereas on that Friday morning, we climate activists may have used that phrase as lament and frustration, the psalmist here uses it for worship.  God sees and knows what is obscure to humankind.  He is never baffled.

4. But where do human leaders fit in?  The final verse begins with the pronoun “You.”  The psalmist is still speaking to God so this second-person pronoun refers to him and to his leadership–“You led your people along that road…” –but the sentence doesn’t end without mentioning Moses and Aaron and without conflating their labours with God’s: “You led your people along that road like a flock of sheep, with Moses and Aaron as their shepherds.”   We co-shepherd.  We co-led.  This surely means that we never give up in searching out pathways, however obscure they might be to us.

As we write this, the war between Russia and Ukraine is only five days old, but more than 500,000 people have become refugees in that time, and of course many more remain in the country – some fighting, many hiding. We asked LWCCN friend Alexander Malov, who is one of those who has remained, for his thoughts:

This war has done what nobody in Ukraine could have done for thirty years of Independence, namely, unite the nation. If I may say, the war is the greatest ecumenical project, since the Church seems united as well. Everyone is involved. Some, as volunteers, help refugees. Some have entered the territorial defense forces (an hour ago a good friend of mine, an aspiring theologian, texted me that he entered the forces). Some oppose Russian propaganda via social media, posting the truth about the ongoing situation, calling Russian Christians not to believe their government and raise their voices against the war. All are praying day and night! 

Concerning the environment. I’m worried about two things in particular. First, the Russian troops have exploded at least three oil tank farms (two of them in the Kyiv region). This may be a serious ecological catastrophe. Moreover, most people are busy defending their cities and cannot put out the fire. Second, yesterday Russian soldiers shot a civilian with his three German shepherds. I suppose there are many such cases when animals suffer.

And we add a prayer composed by Rev. George de Vuyst, a missionary with Resonate mission. Feel free to use this prayer yourself and to share with others. Prayer is not the least weapon we have in this time of turmoil:

Heavenly Father, we come to you with heavy hearts as we see war in Ukraine.  We pray that you would be merciful on the people of Ukraine and Russia and end this war.  Grant wisdom to world leaders to effectively stop evil.  Allow for the truth to be known, for lies to be shown for what they are, and for evil-doers to be thwarted.

Lord, we pray for those who have lost loved ones, homes, and livelihoods.  Comfort and provide for the needs of those who have been displaced and seek refuge.  Lord, we ask for mercy and we seek justice.  We pray that you would be at work in both.

We pray for the day when all wars will cease and when your peaceful reign will come fully.  But in the meantime, we pray that you would use us to facilitate the coming of your kingdom here and now.  Help us to take action to bring peace, to care for the victims of war, and to work for justice.  Help us to live according to the principles of your Kingdom today, and to remain faithful until your Kingdom comes fully at your return. Grant courage to your church in Russia, in Ukraine, and here to speak truth to power and to prophetically proclaim the truths of your Kingdom as well as the day of grace that still remains for those who repent.  

Lord, we pray for Vladimir Putin.  We pray that you would change his heart and work your miracle of salvation in his life.  If he continues in his wicked ways, we pray that you would restrain his evil and have mercy on those who suffer because of it.

In all these things, we trust you, because you are our loving Father.  We ask that you would keep us faithful by the power of your Spirit and that you would be with your church in Ukraine – that in times of war it would faithfully follow you and represent you before the nations.  Heal the wounds, we pray, both physical and the wounds of the heart.  Reconcile the nations with you and with each other by the power of the cross of our reigning Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.

Following last month’s Pollinator on taking the long view of creation, one of our readers, Thomas Hieber, sent along a copy of what has become known as The Romero Prayer after Bishop Romero of San Salvador who was martyred in 1980. While it appears that the prayer was not actually written by him (see here), it remains a beautiful and meaningful piece and very appropriate for those of us called to this long ministry of caring for God’s creation. (I have it in my office now – Ed)

It helps, now and then, to step back and take the long view.

The Kingdom is not only beyond our efforts; it is even beyond our vision.

We accomplish in our lifetime only a fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work.

Nothing we do is complete, which is another way of saying that the kingdom always lies beyond us.

No statement says all that could be said.  No prayer fully expresses our faith.  No confession brings perfection.  No pastoral visit brings wholeness.  No program accomplishes the church’s mission.  No set of goals and objectives includes everything.

This is what we are about.

We plant the seeds that one day will grow.  We water the seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.  We lay foundations that will need further development.  We provide yeast that produces effects far beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.  This enables us to do something and to do it well.  It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest.  We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.

We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.

We are prophets of a future not our own

http://www.romerotrust.org.uk/romero-prayer

Here’s an invitation from Climate Intercessors to join them in prayer for the climate crisis. Prayer times are being held over Zoom and three times each scheduled day in order to accomodate different time zones. The next event will be February 8 as follows:

Join our global zoom prayer meetings on
Tuesday, February 8

13h00 GMT (8h00 EST; 5h00 PST; 21h00 Singapore)
20h00 GMT (15h00 EST; 12h00 PST; Wed: 4h00 Singapore)
20h00 EST (17h00 PST; Wed: 1h00 GMT, 9h00 Singapore)

Zoom link for all meetings:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3908003224
Meeting ID: 390 800 3224

Here is a unique and important idea: Join your prayer concerns with those of others around the world byusing WEA Sustainability Center’s digital world map.

Here’s how it works:

What creation care concern near you draws you into prayer? What need of creation leads you to supplication? What nature-based blessing leads you to pray in thanksgiving?

Over the course of the next seven weeks, the World Evangelical Alliance Sustainability Center (WEASC) collects prayers for creation from around the globe on a digital world map. The “World Map of Prayers for Creation” is an impressive visible sign of the transformative power of prayer to preserve and care for the creation entrusted to us. It is also a testimony of the many blessings we have received through creation.

During the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) in Nairobi/Kenya in early March 2022, the digital map will be turned into a physical world map. It will be used during a creation care focused church service in Nairobi and will be presented to environment ministers from around the world who will gather in Nairobi to discuss pressing issues of environmental protection and global sustainability. The country-specific prayers submitted by believers from around the world will be – as much as possible – handed over to the respective environment ministers from these countries.

Please send your prayer for creation by 22 February 2022 at the latest by email to prayer@wea-sc.org with the subject “World Map of Prayers for Creation”. Please make sure that your prayer text has a maximum of 300 characters (including spaces) and that you mention your place and country. You can also send a photo of your specific prayer request or the object of your thanksgiving if you wish.

We want to make sure that environment ministers at UNEA are aware that Christians around the world are working for the integrity of creation, and in doing so, are advocating for very concrete environmental issues in their place of life, in prayer and in action.

Find out more: https://wea-sc.org/en/get-involved/world-map-of-prayers-for-creation

Matthias Boehning of the WEA Sustainability Center has compiled the following important summary of coming events for 2022.

Please read, pray, and share:

There are great expectations for the new year 2022 in terms of global sustainability efforts. Much has been postponed from 2020 and 2021 to a later date in the hope of finding better framework conditions for discussions and decision-making processes. For example, “second sessions” are scheduled for several important UN conferences, which many hope can be held as face-to-face meetings after the first part only took place virtually.

Key conferences tackling the triple planetary crisis

2022 will be a crucial year in terms of the triple planetary crisis – climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. Each of these complex crises will have a landmark conference this year. For this reason alone, 2022 is already a special year for everyone who is thematically concerned and actively involved with the preservation of God’s wonderful creation.

With regards to the global environmental pollution crisis, great hopes are pinned on the United Nations Environment Assembly, which will take place in Nairobi/Kenya from the end of February to the beginning of March. Among other topics, the conference, technically referred to as “UNEA 5.2” (as it is the second session of the fifth UN Environment Assembly), is dedicated to the question of whether negotiations on an urgently needed global plastic pollution treaty will finally begin.

To mitigate the crisis of nature and biodiversity loss, the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Kunming/China from 25 April – 8 May 2022 will address the establishment of a Post-2020 Biological Diversity Framework. As believers for whom the gift of God’s creation in all its biodiversity is precious, we can hope and pray that the new conservation framework will be comprehensive and ambitious in order to halt the current rapid species extinction.

Later this year, high hopes are once again pinned on the 27th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to make important progress on mitigating further global climate change and adapting to the climate change that is already taking place. When the parties meet in Sharm el-Sheikh/Egypt from 7-18 November 2022 much of the unfinished business from the Glasgow Climate Summit (COP26) must finally be taken a decisive step forward, first and foremost the important issue of climate finance.

A year of reflection

The year 2022 will also be a year of looking back. The Stockholm+50 Conference on 2-3 June 2022 will give the global community the opportunity to reflect on the journey so far of collective efforts towards greater environmental protection and collective responsibility for our planetary home. Fifty years ago, the nations of the world came together for the first time for a UN conference on environmental issues under the title “United Nations Conference on the Human Environment” from 5-16 June 1972 in the Folkets Hus building in Stockholm/Sweden.

The outcome document of this first world conference with an environmental focus defined 26 key principles for action and made 109 recommendations in three categories in its Action Plan. One of the most important results was the founding of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which will also celebrate its 50th birthday in 2022.

Much in the new year is thus reminiscent of the beginnings of the global environmental movement and the structural handling of environmental issues at the level of the United Nations. World Environment Day 2022 (also hosted by Sweden immediately following the Stockholm+50 conference) also looks back into history and picks up the theme “Only One Earth” of the 1972 conference.

However, given the triple planetary crisis mentioned at the beginning, looking back in the middle of the year should not be limited to happy celebrations and birthday songs for UNEP. If the Stockholm+50 conference gives itself the title “A healthy planet for the prosperity of all – our responsibility, our opportunity”, then during the two days in Sweden the unpleasant realisation that the global community has not fulfilled its responsibility in the past five decades should also be discussed. And that it has not taken advantage of opportunities for individual and collective action to preserve a healthy planet for the prosperity of all.

Strength of action from the power of lament

Stockholm+50 offers the opportunity to pause and acknowledge what has not been achieved despite all the lofty goals and grand ambitions. And this from the level of global organisations, through heads of state and government, national ministries, and agencies, to local actors and even individuals. It would be appropriate to collectively acknowledge ruthlessly for a moment that failures at various levels – from personal immorality in relation to an aspired sustainable lifestyle to the level of high politics with often a lack of political will – have led to a massive worsening of the environmental crisis and the galloping increase of complex problems for human coexistence on this earth.

Of course, the can-do mentality that is expected to be the defining atmosphere at the three major triple planetary crisis conferences (especially when face-to-face meetings will finally be possible again after almost two years) is in principle good and to be welcomed. However, the world community would reach a new level of joint effort if proactive activism was coupled with strength of action, which is fed by personal concern about what has not been achieved and by the creative power of personal and collective lament. This would create a completely different, hitherto unknown, momentum in 2022 to tackle the important milestones for overcoming the triple planetary crisis.

For this reason, 2022 can and should be a defining moment for faith communities around the world, including the Evangelical Creation Care community. As believers, we have something to offer at this point that is not part of the classic toolbox of environmental campaigners, which consists primarily of fear on the one hand or action euphoria and group dynamics on the other.

Looking back together in dismay in combination with individual and collective lament offers the chance of an even deeper connection with each other in the pain over one’s own inability to act, which is often observed, and the search for further sources of action and motivation. This creates the historical possibility for repentance and conversion to be recognised as decisive factors for a real, deep change of traditional ways of thinking and acting even at the level of global politics.

The year 2022 – an opportunity for faith?

Against this background, the Stockholm+50 Conference and World Environment Day 2022 could be a unique global moment of faith. A chance for spiritual truths to receive honest and open-minded consideration even at the level of global UN policy. Provided, of course, faith actors worldwide recognise and seize the opportunities inherent in this year that has just begun.

As Christians, we hope and pray that by looking back and deeply reflecting, the year 2022 will lead to greater realisation of how we got to where we are: In the midst of a humanly caused and humanly amplified global crisis, which in turn delays global decision-making processes that are critically important to contain global crises of equally enormous magnitude in time and hopefully resolve them in the medium term.

And we hope and pray that this year will see decisive progress in the triple planetary crisis fields of action (environmental pollution, biodiversity loss and climate change), so that the year 2022 becomes a year of hope for people and planet.

by Matthias K. Boehning, Co-Director of the World Evangelical Alliance Sustainability Center

Prayer Assignment  

• “Do two work together unless they have agreed to do so?” Amos 3:3 So often we imagine we can accomplish much on our own, yet God calls us to walk in unity and friendship. There is a lot of conversation about collaboration in COP26 – because they have found it works so much better to work together. Pray for humility to honour one another in those conversations as they work collaboratively towards improving people’s lives.   
•  “ … I have filled him with the Spirit of God and with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills.” Exodus 31v3  (referring to Bezalel and Oholiab who collaborated on crafting the tabernacle of Moses) With so much of the detail still to be worked out and less than two days before the scheduled end of negotiations on Friday, teams will be working through the night again tonight to have agreed texts ready in the morning. Pray (again) for God’s purposes to be worked out and for Him to block the things that do not please Him.  

• “Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you in exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Jeremiah 29:7  Cities can be exciting yet overwhelming. Most of the world’s population now live in built up areas. Thursday’s conversation is about how cities, regions and built up areas will collaborate towards climate action. God knows and has purposes for each city. Pray for those purposes to be released.   

There is going to be a lot of climate news over the next two weeks as COP26 gets under way. The conference opened in Glasgow a few hours ago, and in the next couple of days will move from ceremonial speeches to hard-core negotiating. No one knows how this one will turn out, but it appears that everyone from politicians to the Pope agree that COP26 is a last-chance for the planet, or at least for human society’s future on the planet. Earth will survive; whether our children and grandchildren do is an open question at the moment.

We’re going to publish some extra Pollinator posts in this space over the next couple of weeks, including several today that will give you an idea of how to pray and what to pray for.

In the meantime and because there is too much for us to try to cover (and we really don’t want to be the ones responsible for your overflowing in-box!), may we suggest these options if you would like to hear direct from those on the ground in Glasgow:

Climate Intercessors

have an excellent guide to prayer on their website (“Pray through 10 Strategic Prayers for COP26“) and are also sending out daily updates. We’ll be including some of their material ourselves, but if you want to get them direct, sign up here.

TearFund Scotland

are hosting daily prayer services live-streamed on YouTube. You can participate live from their Facebook page here, and click on past services as well.

Christian Climate Observers Program (CCOP)

is participating in their second COP. This program is designed to allow participants (mostly from the US) to attend and engage in some of the behind-the-barriers activity at COP26. We heard they were able to sit down for an hour with former Vice President Al Gore yesterday. They will be sending out daily newsletters as well. Sign up here.

There are probably more ongoing news sources. If you find one that is particularly useful, send it our way!