MK Eco Church Network – July 2026 Update
Dear MK Eco Church friends,
I’d like to draw your attention to 3 items in this month’s Update.
First, following the first screening of the People’s Emergency Briefing film organised by MK Climate Action Network, the faith community has been encouraged to arrange a screening for members of the faith communities in Milton Keynes. It has been agreed that Churches Together in MK, the MK Eco Church Network and probably Interfaith MK will arrange a PEB screening on Sunday 13 September, between 2pm – 4pm at the Church of Christ the Cornerstone. The screening will be followed by a short discussion.
Second, you may have read that many church denominations have recently formally agreed that from this year onwards another Feast Day will be added to the Christian calendar: the Feast of Creation, which will be celebrated on the first Sunday in September. You can read more details about this below, but please consider how you can mark this Feast of Creation on 6 September, as part of events in the Season of Creation (1 September – 4 October).
Third, I’d like to highlight that the next MK Eco Church Network meeting will be held on 10 October, 10.00am – 12.30pm, at St Michael’s Church, Woburn Sands.
Please share this Update with other people who may be interested.
Best wishes,
Stuart Kean
Convenor, MK Eco Church Network
MK Eco Church Network – July 2026 Update
Events
Milton Keynes Parks Trust – Community Volunteering
Wednesday 22 July, 1pm, Ouse Valley Park, Summer Butterfly Stroll
Saturday 25 July, 12 noon – 2pm, Campbell Park, Community Volunteering: Meadow Makers
Monday 27 July, 11am, Community Litter Pick: Canal Broadwalk
Friday 21 August, 12 noon – 4pm Love Wetlands Day at the Floodplain Forest
Wednesday 26 August, 11am, Community Litter Pick: Bancroft Roman Villa
For details: https://www.theparkstrust.com/events/?Event+Category=Volunteering
Committed: Fresh hope for creation: A Rocha is holding a webinar about its 5 areas of commitment: The webinar will be on Zoom on Thursday 16 July 2026 at 4pm-5pm. To register: Select tickets – Committed: Fresh hope for creation – Zoom
Big Butterly Count, between 17 July and 9 August. All you have to do is choose a place to spot butterflies and moths and watch for 15 minutes! Details of what’s involved can be found on the following website: https://bigbutterflycount.butterfly-conservation.org/
Feast of Creation: 6 September. Many churches have been working to add ‘The Feast of Creation’, to the Christian calendar to be celebrated annually on the first Sunday in September. The URC General Assembly recently agreed to encourage its churches to observe this Feast from 2026 onwards and last weekend the General Synod agreed a similar proposal. Similarly, I participated in the recent global webinar organized by the World Council of Churches that launched the initiative for the Free Churches – there were senior global figures of the Evangelical Alliance, Baptist Alliance, Salvation Army and others – here is a link which also has some good resources: https://www.feastofcreation.com/
Season of Creation, 2025 Theme: Living Water: 1 September – 4 October: A lot of resources are already available to help you plan activities at your church during the Season of Creation, which you could link with planning your Harvest Festival services. More resources will become available on these websites:
i. The Season of Creation Ecumenical Steering Committee has a large collection of resources: https://seasonofcreation.org/resources/
ii. A Rocha has recently launched a new page on its website: Living Water – Season of Creation 2026 – Resources
iii. The Church of England website has a page of resources for Creationtide: https://www.churchofengland.org/about/environment-and-climate-change/creationtide/creationtide-resources
iv. The Methodist Church ‘Creation Time’ webpage has a range of resources, including hymns: https://www.methodist.org.uk/for-churches/resources/seasons-and-themes/themes/climate-and-creation/creation-time/
Date for the Diary: 13 September, 2pm-4pm, Screening of the People’s Emergency Briefing film for the faith community, followed by discussion. The screening will be held at the Church of Christ the Cornerstone and co-hosted by Churches Together in MK and the MK Eco Church Network.
Date for the Diary: 10 October, 10am – 12.30pm, the next MK Eco Church Network meeting will be held at St Michael’s Church, Woburn Sands.
Advocacy Opportunity
Plastic Free July: Campaign Actions
Plastic Free July is an annual initiative led by the Plastic Free Foundation, working towards their vision for a world free from plastic waste. You can take action by:
- Making your Plastic Free Pledge here.
- Signing the Friends of the Earth petition for new UK climate legislation here.
Resources
Recently released is the much-anticipated new Church of England eco theology document ‘Hope for all Creation – A theological response to the environmental crisis’. It has been produced by the Faith and Order Commission for the House of Bishops and has been described as a teaching document somewhat equivalent to Laudato Si. You can read it and many other related resources that go alongside the document online here and it can also be bought from CH Publishing.
Three dioceses have recently released new podcasts talking about the environment and net zero carbon.
- The Diocese of Oxford has a brand new series Common Ground, where Bishop Mary Gregory talks to a range of guests about faith and the environment across six episodes.
- The Diocese of Bath and Wells have a new episode of Low Carbon, Higher Power discussing community energy and the climate crisis with Paul Gilligan, CEO of Pure Leapfrog.
- Finally, the Diocese of Coventry has a new episode of Zero Interest, featuring a discussion with Mary Creagh CBE, MP for Coventry East and Minister for Nature and Alison Wilkes, Project Manager for the development of the Churchyard Biodiversity and Heritage Project about caring for God’s Creation.
Green Christian Prayer Guide for July: Prayer Guide – GreenChristian
Good News!
UK finally ratifies High Seas Treaty to protect the World’s oceans
The UK has formally ratified the UN High Seas Treaty, more than three years after signing the landmark agreement and months after it entered into force internationally, following criticism that the government had been slow to complete the process. The treaty, officially known as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, creates the first international legal framework for establishing marine protected areas in international waters, which make up almost two-thirds of the world’s oceans. Ratification means the UK will be able to participate fully in future meetings that will determine how marine protected areas are designated and managed on the high seas. The treaty also supports the global target of protecting 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030.
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