Creation Time

In 1989 the Ecumenical Patriarch (the spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians worldwide) suggested that 1 September, the first day of the Orthodox Church’s year, should be observed as a day “of protection of the natural environment”.

Ten years later the European Christian Environmental Network (ECEN) widened this proposal, urging churches to adopt a Time for Creation stretching from 1 September to the feast of St Francis on 4 October. This was endorsed by the 2007 European Ecumenical Assembly, which recommended that the period “be dedicated to prayer for the protection of Creation and the promotion of sustainable lifestyles that reverse our contribution to climate change”. This period is known as Creation Time.

The easiest place to download the most up-to-date materials for use in Creation Time is the CTBI (Christians Together in Britain and Ireland) website. Here you can also find archived resources from previous years.

On Singing the Faith Plus, we maintain our own Creation Time page. It includes links to additional resources. If you have used resources that have been helpful to you (produced either nationally or locally), do let us know so we can consider adding them to our recommended resources.

StF+ has produced a selection of hymns for use in Creation Time, including some published only on our website.