Christians put climate change under spotlight (From York Press)
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Christians put climate change under spotlight
7:37am Thursday 12th April 2012 in Eco info
By Mike Laycock, Chief reporter
THE Archbishop of York and other senior churchmen will lead a service at the Minster exploring the Christian response to climate change.
The service will be followed by a series of workshops at York St John University, presented by scientific and development organisations such as CAFOD, Christian Aid, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, Tearfund and the Christian Census On Climate Change.
The events take place on Saturday, April 21, with the 90-minute Minster service starting at 10am. The workshops will run from noon to 4pm.
The Archbishop, Dr John Sentamu, said the natural world was a “gift from God to enjoy; but we are also called to join with God in sustaining and caring for it.”
He said: “At the service, we must continue to focus on how we as the people of God are fulfilling that call of God to be stewards of all the good things He has given to us, especially Planet Earth.”
The Reverend Stephen Burgess, the chair of the York & Hull Methodist District, who is also leading the service, said the Methodist Church was committed to responsible Christian discipleship in the context of climate change.
He said: “The presentations of the My Mission Catholic Youth Team, Tearfund and Operation Noah, as part of this special service, and the workshops that follow, will all help to focus people’s thinking. We all have a moral responsibility to take action and become more effective stewards.”
The Bishop of Middlesbrough, the Right Reverend Terence Drainey, will also attend. The Christian Census On Climate Change was launched by a group from the Diocese of Middlesbrough last November, and was designed to open debate and gather opinions from Christians from all denominations on whether climate change is of little importance and untouchable, or something to be tackled from both scientific and moral perspectives.
•Registration is required to attend the afternoon workshops by going to concc.wikispaces.com.
