Healers of the Earth and Planters of Trees

We met on Wednesday 18th February to Learn, Share and Pray together.

Learn - Healers of the Earth

We read 1 Kings 3v5-9 (about Solomon) and Nehemiah 2v11-18 (about, er, Nehemiah) and for each of them asked:

1. What state was Israel in at the time?
2. What job did they (Solomon/Nehemiah) need to do?

Comparing the two:

• Both were seeking God
• Both were seeking to get the people behind them
• Solomon was starting from a pretty good state, he had resources and a united, powerful country whereas Nehemiah had one ruined city.

We then read Genesis 2v15 and compared Adam and Eve's work in the garden/the earth with ours.

• They were serving and keeping an earth that was in a good state.
• We are starting from an earth that is not in a good state: we need to redeem and restore, to be earth healers.

Share - Blossom trees and China

China's greenhouse gas emissions fell last year, following a year in which they did not increase.

Following the sad felling on Beechwood Road of a much-loved cherry blossom tree, a Morello Cherry tree was saved from felling elsewhere and was seeking a new home; it has now been planted on Beechwood Road. Please pray for it to take root and get established.

(it's the nearest tree to the camera that isn't a Christmas tree)

Pray

We declared the greatness of God together using these words of Saint Patrick:

Our God is the God of all, the God of heaven and earth, of the sea and of the rivers.

The God of the sun and of the moon and of all the stars;

The God of the lofty mountains and of the lowly valleys.

He has His dwelling around heaven and earth, and sea, and all that in them is.

We prayed for the following things

1. PEACE in Ukraine, Sudan and Congo. In two areas of North Darfur in Sudan, Um Baru and Kernoi, a famine has been declared. In East Darfur, Tearfund partners have provided support to around 1,300 households, but the need is increasing. 
1. Pray for those who have had to flee conflict to find safety and provision, and for protection and strength for Tearfund’s partner. 
2. Pray for the international community to pursue a ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian access
   
   
2. Flooding in Mozambique: almost 160,000 houses have been destroyed, more than 325,000 livestock killed, 1100 square miles of farmland flooded, and the government has had to delay the start of the school year by a month.
1. Pray against disease spreading.
2. Pray for more money: the UN estimates that it needs $187 million to offer urgent, life-saving assistance, so far it only has $3.5 million.
3. Pray for changes in hearts and minds around the world that will lead to climate action and climate justice.
   
   
3. Emissions reduction:
1. China’s next 5-Year Plan will be published in March. Pray that officials prepare a plan that is committed to transparency, justice and peace, and that helps China meet its climate targets and limits coal-power.
2. Colombia and the Netherlands, backed by 22 nations, will independently develop a roadmap to fossil fuel phaseout, beginning with a conference in April in the coal port city of Santa Marta, Colombia
   
   
4. The UK Government's Clean Energy Campaign, which aims to signpost people to ways to save energy at home, use greener travel, cut bills and reduce emissions
1. Pray that people will use it!
2. Pray that work will be done well and against fraud.
   
   
5. The UK Big Walk and Wheel scheme which is taking place 16-27 March: registered schools compete to get the highest percentage of their pupils walking/cycling/scooting to school
1. Thank God that 1,566 schools with 474,458 pupils are registered (about 5%).
2. Pray for schools to register, particularly in Bradford

Please keep on praying for all these things 🙏🌍💚

Our next meeting will be on Wednesday 18th March, 7:30pm, at Shipley Baptist Church (Facebook event!). 

Confessing our part in the system and Praying for a Change

We held our first Eco Prayer Meeting of the New Year on 21st January 2026 at St Stephen's Church, West Bowling. We also ate flapjack.

Learn - What would Nehemiah do?

We read Nehemiah chapter 1:

The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah:

In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.

They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”

When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. Then I said:

“Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.

“Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’

“They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favour in the presence of this man.”

I was cupbearer to the king.

We looked at how Nehemiah

• Was faced with a massive, complicated problem (the devestation of Jerusalem)
• Mourned
• Confessed his part and his people's part in bringing the problem on themselves
• Declared God's goodness
• Prayed for a CHANGE...

We tried to apply this to ourselves. We, too, are faced with multiple massive complicated problems (climate crisis, extinction of species, wars, global instability, inequality). How can we, faced with these:

• Mourn
• Confess our part and our people's part in bringing the problem on ourselves
• Declare God's goodness
• Pray for a CHANGE...

Share some good news

We watched a video about the finalists for the Earthshot prize, which was very encouraging:

St Stephen's is about to receive the Silver Eco church certification from A Rocha and it is wonderful to see some of the accommodation for nature in the church grounds. 

UPDATE! Pictures of the insect houses!

Confess and Pray

We used this prayer from https://engageworship.org/:

Lord, when we have taken your creation for granted;

Forgive us, gracious Father.

When we have abused its resources and polluted its purity;

Forgive us, gracious Father.

When we have not fulfilled our calling to steward your earth;

Forgive us, gracious Father.

[SILENCE]

May we work with you in the renewal of creation;

Empower us, Holy Spirit

May we speak and act for the good of your planet.

Inspire us, Jesus Christ.

May we value and share the good gifts you provide;

Encourage us, Father of creation. Amen

We prayer for these things:

1. PEACE in Ukraine, Sudan and Congo.
   
   
2. God to open the eyes of voters and leaders around the world to the destruction of our common home.
   
   
3. The UK heat pump and solar panel initiative.
   
   
4. The Nobel Prize Committee have rejected Ecosia’s call for a Nobel Prize in Climate and Planetary Health (Ecosia have raised €1m to initially fund the award). Pray for them to change their minds!
   
   
5. Emissions reduction:
1. China’s next 5-Year Plan will be published in March. Pray that officials prepare a plan that is committed to transparency, justice and peace, and that helps China meet its climate targets and limits coal-power.
   
   
2. Colombia and the Netherlands, backed by 22 nations, will independently develop a roadmap to fossil fuel phaseout, beginning with a conference in April in the coal port city of Santa Marta, Colombia
   
   
3. Pray for a change of heart in the US government about renewable energy, climate science and fossil fuels.
   
   
6. Veganuary will encourage people to explore less meaty options.
   
   
7. In Bradford:
1. Social enterprise Fruit Works Co-operative are planting ten more orchards in January and February in Allerton, Bowling, and Queensbury, Bierley, Farcliffe and Keighley. Pray that the schemes will succeed and help people to have a closer relationship with nature and food growing.
   
   
2. More love for nature in all the communities of Bradford.
   

Please keep on praying for all of these things.

We will meet again on Wednesday 18th February, 7:30pm, at Shipley Baptist Church. You can use this facebook event to invite people.

 

Advent - a time of waiting and praying

Learn - The Advent Prayers in the Gospels

Advent is a time when we practice a dual waiting:

1. Waiting for the celebration of Jesus' first coming at the first Christmas.
2. Waiting for the restoration of the earth at Jesus' second coming.

We looked at Zechariah's prayer from Luke chapter 1 verses 68-79 and asked:

1. What were Zechariah and his fellow Jews waiting to be saved from?
2. What are we waiting to be saved from?

You can read our answers above. In summary:

• Zechariah and his people wanted to be able to serve God without fear; they were waiting for salvation from an oppressive foreign empire (the Romans), sin and death.
• We are waiting to be saved from:
• guilt and sinfulness
• sickness and death
• a destructive system of greed, war, destruction of the earth

Share - Norway, Herons and Rain

We shared some good news of various kinds:

• In Norway almost 100% of new car sales are EVs.
• Lots of wonderful rain has been blessing West Yorkshire.
• Several of us shared recent sightings of herons: one in Hampstead Heath and several more local.

Pray

We used the following Advent prayer from https://prayandfastfortheclimate.org.uk/:

"Lord God,

Who sent a star to call the Magi to Bethlehem

As witnesses to Christ’s birth:

Help us now to follow The Light of the World,

Witnessing to His love in worship and service

For the good of all the earth and the glory of your name."

We prayed for God's light to shine in the darkness of the sinful and destructive systems of the world:

1. At COP30, countries could not agree to include a statement about moving away from fossil fuels in the official statement. Pray for God to open the eyes of voters and leaders around the world to the destruction of our common home.
   
   
2. Pray for a blessing on the work and crops of the Jamaican farmers as they rebuild after Hurricane Melissa.
   
   
3. Pray for Ecosia’s campaign for a Nobel Prize in Climate and Planetary Health (Ecosia is an IT company who give their profits to climate action. They have raised €1m to initially fund the award).
   
   
4. Pray for unity in decisions about when the next scientific reports from the IPCC (Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change) will be published. Good decision making climate change requires good scientific data, and there are concerns that some countries are deliberately slowing down the process of producing the reports to slow down climate action.
   
   
5. As the Reform party (who are hostile to climate action) grow in popularity in the UK, pray that the truth about climate change will be heard and believed in public.

Please continue to pray about these things.

We will meet again in 2026 on January 21st, 7:30pm, location TBC (Facebook event). 

 

Act Justly and Pray for COP30 in Belém/Bethlehem

Learn - God's mišpāṭ

We read this verse from Micah chapter 6 verse 8:

"He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly with your God."

We made a list (on the left in the picture below) of what we think of when we hear the word justice or justly.

(Note the chocolate biscuits of justice holding our sheet of paper in place)

The word "justly" is translated from the Hebrew word מִשׁפָּט (mišpāṭ); we read the following Bible verses where the same word occurs and then expanded our list to include what Micah thought of when he said "act justly" (on the right in the picture above):

• Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 1: “These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess”
  
  
• Deuteronomy chapter 10 verses 17-18: “For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.” 
  
  
• Deuteronomy chapter 18 verses 3-5: “This is the share due the priests from the people who sacrifice a bull or a sheep: the shoulder, the internal organs and the meat from the head. You are to give them the firstfruits of your grain, new wine and olive oil, and the first wool from the shearing of your sheep, for the Lord your God has chosen them and their descendants out of all your tribes to stand and minister in the Lord’s name always”
  
  
• Isaiah chapter 42 verse 1: "Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations."
  
  
• Jeremiah chapter 8 verse 7: "Even the stork in the sky, knows her appointed seasons, and the dove, the swift and the thrush observe the time of their migration. But my people do not know     the requirements of the Lord

CONCLUSIONS:

• God's justice is good news for the oppressed, the poor and the whole of creation.
• Remember we are not only to act justly but also to love mercy and to walk humbly.

Share - Otters and ROCK

Some of us had recent been on holiday and seen otters swimming in the sea near Holy Island.

The recent session on creation and creation care at Farfield Primary Christian after school club (a.k.a. ROCK club!) went well; below you can see a picture of the children's prayers for the world:

Pray - COP30 and Bowling Park Community Orchard

7 facts about COP30 in Brazil:

1. Every year, 26 million people are pushed into poverty by extreme weather events and natural disasters.
2. The Amazon rainforest has about 3 million species of plants and animals, as well as 1 million indigenous people. Yet, up to 47% of the Amazon Rainforest is at risk of collapse by 2050.
3. Agriculture and food systems emit 37% of greenhouse gases. Even if fossil fuel emissions stopped totally, these food emissions would push us beyond 1.5°C of global warming.
4. At least 146 land and environmental defenders were killed or disappeared globally in 2024, about 82% in Latin America.
5. The climate crisis is expected to increase inequality within every single country around the world.
6. In the first six months of 2025, the world’s wind and solar farms generated more electricity than coal plans for the first time.
7. The host city for COP30, Belém, has been nicknamed the ‘Gateway to the Amazon River’ and the word Belém is the Portuguese word for Bethlehem.

Prayers that we said (even though COP has now finished you can still pray some of these!)

1. That the beauty of the Amazon rainforest will be both an inspiration and a motivation to take urgent action, for all those meeting in its shadow.
2. For local churches, youth activists and indigenous groups from Tearfund and other organisations to speak up and be heard.
3. For governments to raise ambition on climate finance so that poorer communities can adapt to the impacts of climate change.
4. For countries to set their emissions targets with boldness, accountability and integrity.

Bowling Park Community Orchard 

The Orchard is run on 9 allotment plots by Bradford Environmental Education Service (BEES). Their allotment plots are rented from the Council. Please pray that the Council will commit to creating a bespoke contract for the orchard, recognising its value as a community asset for food growing, biodiversity and education.

We also ate the chocolate biscuits of justice (recipe available on request to our Facebook page 😊). 

Please keep on praying for these things; COP30 is over but now we can pray for governments to take action on the commitments they have made.

We will meet again on Wednesday 17th December at 7:30pm, Shipley Baptist Church (https://fb.me/e/5hPXR160P).  

The fulness of the Earth is His Glory

Learn: Isaiah chapter 6 verses 1-4:

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;

    the whole earth is full of his glory.”

At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

verse 4 can also be translated as:

The fulness of all the earth is His glory

(Professor William Tooman, Professor of Hebrew Bible and Ancient Judaism at St Andrews says this is the right translation, see https://sermons.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/2025/02/10/the-fullness-of-all-the-earth-is-his-glory/ )

What does this mean?

"Fulness of the Earth" suggests:

• The vast array of  plants and creatures and things in the earth
• The abundance of the earth (there is more than enough)

"Is his glory" suggests:

• A great achievement, maybe the best things that someone has done
• A great action
• Exultation! Rejoicing

Share: some good news

This year there has been an incredibly abundant harvest of pears, apples and blackberries, some of which was on display at our meeting.

(that picture is from one of our kitchens, not the meeting)

We talked about the joy of wildlife photographer Hamza Yassin's passion for wildlife (you can read more about him here: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/oct/19/hamza-yassin-looks-back-i-lived-in-my-car-for-nine-months-while-i-cut-my-teeth-as-a-wildlife-cameraman)

Pray

We prayed for:

Peace, particularly in Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine.

UK - Peace between communities; some of the protests against refugees are hateful and worrying.

The Catholic Church - Pope Leo spoke at the “Raising Hope Conference”:

• "God will ask us if we have cultivated and cared for the world that he created for the benefit of all and for future generations, and if we have taken care of our brothers and sisters - what will be our answer, my dear friends?"
• (less important but nice: Arnold Schwarzenegger described the Pope as a real world "action hero" for committing to installing solar panels at the Vatican, and encouraged the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics to use their collective power as a force for good)

Praise God that the High Seas Treaty will become law in January.  The treaty sets up a system for establishing marine protected areas (MPAs) in international waters.  On Sept. 19, Morocco became the 60th country to ratify the deal, which means it will become binding international law in January 2026.

• Pray for more countries to ratify the treaty, and for them to enforce it!

Reducing Greenhouse Gases

• Pray for countries planning their NDCs (Nationally Determined Contributions, national emissions targets) before COP30.
• President Trump made a speech to the UN general assembly in which he made lots of false statements about climate change, calling it a “con job”
• Pray for more Americans to believe the truth about climate change.
• Pray for the President’s speech to have the opposite effect to the one he intended.

Bradford - Farfield Primary School after school Christian club are having a session on God and the environment on 6th November

Please continue praying for these things 🙏💚

Our next meeting is at Shipley Baptist Church on Wednesday 19th November at 7:30pm (Facebook: https://fb.me/e/3MaGAGOXF)

The Kingdom and the Church

We held our fifth meeting on 17th September at Shipley Baptist Church.

What does Jesus say about the Kingdom and the Church?

We read Matthew chapter 16 verses, 15-18, Matthew chapter 13 verses 24-30 and verses 36-43 and asked what Jesus says about:

• the World
• the Kingdom
• the Church

Observations about the Church are in orange and the Kingdom are in red. We also tried to draw a venn diagram of how they overlap, recognising that:

• The Church are the people of the Kingdom. 
• The Kingdom is bigger than the Church: it includes space, the natural world and anywhere where God's will is being done. 

We also ate cake:

Some Good News

The rain has been excellent news for our land, in particular the way that it has come gently at first rather than in floods.

We heard about the origin of the Pray and Fast for the Climate movement:

• Typhoon Haiyan brought devastation to the Philippines just as the climate negotiations were beginning in Warsaw in November 2013. Filipino delegate Yeb Saño, despairing both at the devastation of his country and the slow progress made by world leaders in reaching any kind of progress towards a new agreement on tackling climate change, announced he would fast either until the end of the two week conference or until real progress was made. He has continued to fast on the first of every month and his example has led to the international ‘Fast for the Climate’ movement.
• In 2015 Christiana Figueres, UN Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), asked people of faith to pray for world leaders and their negotiators to reach a meaningful global climate agreement – and with much rejoicing this was agreed in Paris December 2015.

The "Contains Strong Language" poetry festival in Bradford this weekend has several sessions with an eco theme, for example:

• Laurel Prize workshop: Ecopoetry’s Cutting Edge (Saturday 2-4, £25)
• Sustainability Panel: Future (Sunday 12:30 free)

Pray!

We prayed for:

1. Peace, particularly in Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine.
• In Sudan, pray for the army forces and the RSF to agree to the ceasefire plan proposed by US, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt on Sept 12th.
  
  
2. Farmers in Rwanda:
• 80% of the Rwandan population work in agriculture
• Unpredictable weather, limited market access, poor agricultural practices and lack of money are issues that hinder farmers’ success. The Rwandan government has developed a digital platform that connects farmers to local traders, giving them better access to markets. Pray for the Tearfund team as they work to make the platform more accessible and appropriate to the needs of smallholder farmers.
• Pray for self-help groups run by Rwandan churches.
  
  
3. Bradford:
• Pray for the eco-poets at the Bradford 2025 sessions this weekend
• Home Energy West Yorkshire is offering loans between £5,000 and £20,000 for energy efficiency projects - pray for people to make good use of them!
  
  
4. COP30: Pray for countries to submit bold NDCs (Nationally Determined Contributions, national emissions targets) before the conference; so far only 31 countries have submitted their targets.
   
   
5. Earthquakes in Afghanistan:
• Pray for comfort for those facing the loss of loved ones, homes and livelihoods
• Pray for help to reach those who need it most in time
• Pray that God gives Tearfund’s local staff and partner staff strength, safety, wisdom and the resources required to respond to this emergency.

Our next meeting is on Wednesday 15th October at 7:30pm at Shipley Baptist Church again, you can use this Facebook event to advertise it. 

Seekling the Shalom (and solar panels) of the City

We held our 4th Eco Prayer meeting on 20th August at Shipley Baptist Church.

Seeking the Shalom of the City

We read Jeremiah's letter to the Jewish exiles in Babylon from Jeremiah chapter 29 verses 1-14 and Peter's letter to the first Christians throughout the Roman empire in 1 Peter chapter 2 verses 11-17.

We said that:

1. Like the Jewish exiles in Babylon, we are exiles too: not in Babylon but in this world.
2. Like the exiles in Babylon we are commanded to seek the prosperity and growth or our city and our country. We should pray for our cities and countries!
3. We need to submit to the authorities in the places where we are, unless they are telling us to do something that is against what God tells us to do.

Some Good News:

The city that closes its streets to cars once a week: read about it here.

An arts group called ROAR is organising an collaborative exhibition in Bradford about the climate crisis which opens soon (will add details here when we have them) 

Pray!

We prayed this prayer by Father Henry Eikhlein:

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for the wonders of your creation.

Thank you for guiding us, leading us, protecting us, developing us since the beginning of the creation till now.

Make us grow in the awareness of the urgency of safeguarding and developing the wonders of your creations

and take a concrete response to it.

Help us to live and work harmoniously with your creation. 

Protect us from all dangers and destruction.

Amen.

And we prayed for the following things (most taken from the August edition of Pray and Fast for the Climate):

1. Humanitarian work throughout the world (19th August was World Humanitarian Day):
1. All doing humanitarian work: ask God to protect them from danger and give them wisdom to work effectively. 
2. Countries, as a matter of justice and love, to reverse their cuts to development assistance and climate finance.
   
   
2. Growth of Renewable Energy; we thank God for rapid growth in many parts of the world, but we need MORE!
   


3. International Court of Justice Opinion that countries have obligations under international law to act in line with the best scientific evidence to reduce emissions, regulate potentially harmful activities within their jurisdictions, and cooperate with each other in good faith.
1. We thanked God for the courage of persistence of the young people who started this and many others.
2. We prayed for the influence of this opinion to grow and spread.
   
   
4. Bradford to become a carbon negative city.
   
   
5. Leeds tram to actually happen!
   
   
6. Peace in Gaza.
   
   
7. Redemption - save your creatures, God!

Please KEEP PRAYING! Keep these matters on your hearts and keep talking to our Father about them.

Our next meeting is on Wednesday 17th September at 7:30pm at Shipley Baptist Church. Yoiu can use this Facebook event to share it with friends.