Prayer Resources for Hope for Creation www.hopeforcreation.

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By prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6 As Christians, we believe that prayer is vital in bringing about change in our world and ourselves. A global movement of Christians will be getting down on its knees on Sunday 6 November to pray and speak up for urgent action to protect Gods good creation and our global neighbours who are hit hardest by the changing climate. We hope that you and your church will join us in praying in hope for action on this issue. Whatever your prayer time looks like during this day of prayer and action we ask that you spend some time focusing our prayers on the following three areas: 1. Thanksgiving: God saw all that he had made and it was very good Genesis 1:31 Give thanks for Gods good creation and for the thousands of people who will be praying in hope for action to tackle climate change and its impacts on the worlds poorest people. Give thanks for the vision and faith of churches globally seeking to challenge the injustice of climate change and to God for bringing hope by equipping them to speak out to and pray for people in power. 2. Real change: for action and prayer as part of Hope for Creation to lead to real change - in the lives of individuals across the world as they respond personally to the changing climate and by Governments through increased commitment to reduce global emissions and provide money to the poorest and most vulnerable people who are hit hardest. 3. Power: Prayer for God to move in power at the UN climate talks this December bringing truth and justice into negotiations and decisions that empower poor countries to respond to climate change. Hope for Creation prayer Please use this prayer in church services, or in personal prayer times. Father of all Creation, We praise you for the wonders of the world you have gifted to us. We give thanks for the air we breathe, the water we drink, the mountains and hills we roam, the deserts and valleys that give us space, the wilderness that teems with life and for all living creatures. We praise you for the sustenance you have provided for us through your creation and we thank you for the role you have given us as caretakers of that gift. Forgive us when we have not been good caretakers of the earth. Forgive us for the suffering that has been inflicted on the global poor because of unsustainable actions that have led to the destruction of the environment we draw life from. Lord of Hope, birth your hope in us through the seed of a new vision for how our world could be. Make us into people who recognize, nurture and act towards a more sustainable world for the benefit of all who draw life from this planet. Holy Spirit of renewal and transformation, guide our leaders, communal, national and international, towards decisions that forge a new path for our relationship with creation. We pray for hope to be present in their dialogue and negotiations. Imbue their talks with a spirit of cooperation and a sense of family where each works for the benefit of the other. We ask for this wisdom to be upon all those who gather for the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa at the end

of November. May we be a global people who live within our means, blessing one another and nurturing your creation so graciously gifted to us. All this to the glory of the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Written by Frank Ritchie, Tearfund New Zealand Prayers from organisations participating around the world You could use these during a service and ask a number of different people to stand up and read them out. Otherwise you might like to use them in your own personal prayer time. Australia Like many of the world's poorest countries, Australia relies on the land and agriculture for our national livelihood. But unlike people living in poverty, we can afford to adapt. I'm praying that Australians' hearts will be softened and moved into action. Viv Benjamin, Tear Australia Hong Kong Hong Kong's energy consumption is higher than world average. With a lack of effective policies, enforcement and government support, recycling industries and deployment of green living has difficulty in taking root. Pray for the Government and people in Hong Kong to seek more drastic improvements. Cedar Fund, Hong Kong Nepal On 6 November, I'll be praying about climate change in Nepal because I know people whose lives depend on increasingly uncertain rains. And people who are vulnerable to flash floods and landslides. I'll be praying because I have two young sons, and they along with all the children of Nepal and the world deserve a future of sufficiency and celebration in harmony with God's creation. Ben Thurley, United Mission to Nepal. Netherlands Give thanks for the vision and faith of churches globally seeking to challenge the injustice of climate change. Thank God for bringing hope by equipping them to speak out to and pray for people in power. Thimo den Hartog, Tear Netherlands United Kingdom Give thanks for the UKs Climate Act which commits the UK to reduce its emissions by 80% by 2050. Pray that the UK Government will keep to this commitment and show fair and ambitious leadership internationally. Helen Heather, Tearfund UK

Weve also produced a Responsive Prayer that is structured in three parts. It can be used all together as one prayer, or it can be split into three sections and used throughout a church service with the Hope for Creation theme. The first part lends itself to use in the thanksgiving or call to worship time, the second part is a prayer of confession, and the third part lends itself to use in a time of prayers/intercession. It can be accessed at www.hopeforcreation.org/resources

Thank you for praying with us during Hope for Creation. Please do keep on using these resources to pray to protect Gods good creation and our global neighbours who are hit hardest by the changing climate.