Caring for God’s gift of Creation is a spiritual commitment.
The Earth is a sacred trust. We recognize God’s call…to draw on the Earth’s sustenance responsibly, and to care for it that all may benefit equitably now and in the future.
—from One Earth Community (1992)
What We Believe
A New Creed calls us "to live with respect in Creation." Creation is a gift of God, and caring for Creation is a spiritual commitment. We cherish Creation's rich diversity and respect its inherent value and right to protection.
Climate change impacts us, the local eco-systems of which we are part, and partners the United Church is connected with around the globe. The greatest burden of climate change is falling on people in the Far North and global South—those who have contributed least to the problem.
Indigenous voices in the church remind us that we are called upon to look after Creator's gifts and to pass along these gifts to our children. We can be part of a just transition to a renewable energy economy by pressuring governments and industries, ending unsustainable overconsumption through lifestyle choices, and working with United Church ministries and partners engaged in climate justice.
What You Can Do
- Participate in education, theological reflection, and advocacy efforts of the National Ecumenical For the Love of Creation campaign for Climate Justice. Conversation and community are key to the transition we need to make away from burning fossil fuels. Hold a Faithful Climate Conversation in your community of faith. Download simple guides and check out these stories and a short video to hear how well it works at the community of faith level. Help us reach our goal of 100 conversations.
- Celebrate Creation in worship, while committing to action for its well-being, with the use of Climate Change Worship resources.
- Earth Hour (the fourth or fifth Saturday of March)
- Earth Sunday (the Sunday closest to April 22) and part of Together for the Love of Creation week
- Environment Sunday (the Sunday closest to June 5)
- Indigenous Sunday (the Sunday closest to June 21)
- Creation Time in the Season of Pentecost (five Sundays in September and early October)
- Thanksgiving Sunday (the second Sunday in October)
- World Food Sunday (the third Sunday in October)
- Develop spiritual practices for a climate in crisis individually or with a group using Act/Fast, the 2024 Lenten devotional from United Church Publishing House.
- Reduce the environmental impact of your faith community's buildings. Faithful Footprints offers United Church congregations inspiration, tools, and grants to help the church and its communities of faith live our climate commitments.
- Learn more about the role people of faith play in climate justice:
- Read The United Church of Canada's second sustainability report (2023), “Deepening Climate Integrity” for examples of how it is putting its house in order, raising its spirited voices, and reconnecting with the earth, featuring examples from across the country.
- Join the United Church e-mail network Concerned for Climate Justice.
- Look for ideas in the World Council of Churches' “Walk the Talk” toolkit to promote an economy of life and ecological justice.
- Engage in watershed discipleship—a process of learning more about our place (our watershed) and the injustices that affect it.
- Learn more about Mining and Resource Extraction and Fracking.
- Attend a United Church camp that offers programming and initiatives related to the environment and climate change (more information available under Downloads, below).
- Research policy decisions related to the environment and ecology on United Church Commons.
- View Pope Francis' landmark encyclicals Laudato Si': On Care for Our Common Home (2015) and the most recent Laudate Deum: To All People of Good Will on the Climate Crisis (2023).
- Read KAIROS Canada's backgrounders on key climate justice issues.
The Work of Our Networks and Partners
- For the Love of Creation
- Climate Action Network
- Citizens for Public Justice
- KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives
- Faithful Footprints
- United Church Camps
- Faith & the Common Good
For more information, contact
Cherishing Creation
Rev. Melody Duncanson Hales writes about Creation Time as a time of heightened awareness, stewardship, and action for the gifts God has given us.Statement on the wildfires burning across Canada
The United Church of Canada is deeply concerned about the wildfires raging across our nation.The United Church of Canada shows marked progress in climate actions
On the heels of Earth Week, The United Church of Canada released its second Sustainability Report, which highlights the work it is doing to combat… continue readingCommitted to Climate Action: The 2021-2022 Sustainability Report
For Earth Week 2023, the United Church is pleased to share our new Sustainability Report for 2021-2022!Acting for Climate Justice
Conor Russell shares his recent experience attending Canadian Foodgrains Bank’s Hunger on the Hill, in Ottawa.The End of the World as We Know It
For Earth Week, Moderator Carmen Lansdowne writes about actions and choices for climate justice that may preserve our future.The Incredible Difference Your Gifts Make: Bill’s Story
YGM 2023: April 30. Bill’s childhood experience of camp wound up inspiring one of the world’s most influential environmental movements.Your Generosity Shows Love of Creation
YGM 2023: April 9. Your Mission & Service gifts support the development and delivery of climate initiatives and educational opportunities. Thank… continue readingYour Generosity Increases Food Security
YGM 2023: April 2. In Zambia, Merit Mabenga has felt the deep impacts of climate change. Thanks to donors like you, she has planted a diverse… continue readingReal-Time Relief Really Makes a World of Difference: Thivan Hoang’s Work
YGM 2023: April 23. At a time when it feels like there’s a new crisis confronting us each and every day, it’s reassuring to know that Mission &… continue readingDownloads
- God among the Wild Things (Mandate, May 2016) (498.09 KB) (PDF)
- Leaders of Today (Mandate, May 2016) (287.19 KB) (PDF)
- Overcoming Barriers (Mandate, May 2016) (669.63 KB) (PDF)
- United Church Camps and Climate Change (100.17 KB) (PDF)