Bulletins

Acting for Creation Bulletin #24 - Prepare (27/08/2026)

Acting for Creation Together in Gippsland

Email: acting@gippslandanglicans.org.au

This month’s reflection is brought to you by Bec Hayman. But first the news:

Next Tuesday 1st September:

Called to Care – online book discussion – all welcome!

Session 1 (corresponding to part 1 of the book) The call: God’s plan for all creation The response: holistic transformation Discussion led by Cath Connelly 7.30 pm Tuesday 1 September

The Zoom link for the book club is available by emailing acting@gippslandanglicans.org.au

The book: Called to Care for people and planet, by Jo Knight More info about the book and the author here: https://calledtocare.co/pages/about-called-to-care

Session 2: Call: describing and naming the problem Response: listening to global perspectives Tuesday 15th September 7.30pm Discussion led by Dean Spalding

Session 3: Call: tuning into our own calling Response: being part of something bigger Tuesday 29th September 7.30pm Discussion led by Jack Beamish

1. Invitation to run Called to Care Study Groups Great resources available (free) Parishes or groups who would like to run a study series on Called to Care: for people and planet can order books (with discounts for 5+ books) and find a wealth of free, downloadable study resources for individuals, groups and churches at https://calledtocare.co/ including a Companion Journal, Action Sheets, videos and more.

Now over to Bec:

Prepare for Disaster and Disruptions Climate change has progressed to the point where the ordinary person simply feels helpless to do anything or change anything. This has led many to a kind of horrified paralysis, as if all we can do is watch while all we hold dear is destroyed. But the truth is: people who survive disasters and who can help others survive disasters are typically those who have thought through the risk factors and then planned and prepared. In June a group from Friends of the Earth came to the Cathedral to guide, challenge and encourage us to think proactively about adapting to the reality of climate change and the climatic disasters the changes are causing. Our first task was to think through the risk factors particularly pertinent to Gippsland. As residents of the area, it didn’t take us long to fill the whiteboard with catastrophes we had personally witnessed from sea level rises and flooding to bushfires and extreme heat to the collapse of biodiversity. The Friends of the Earth facilitators encouraged us to think about what we as church community were uniquely placed to offer in the face of crisis. As followers of Jesus, we have a culture of service, love, hope, advocacy and mercy. These are all traits which can help a community pull together and support each other. We have a huge network that spreads right across Gippsland. This represents not only a wealth of resources that can be shared but also a great diversity of climatic conditions, which means we can be sure that we will not all be flooded at the one time or all in the midst of a bushfire. Therefore, whenever crisis hits there will be areas within Gippsland at rest who can reach out to the areas in crisis. We were then encouraged to home in on a takeaway. What’s one thing we can do right away to be more prepared? An obvious thing for many of the parishes represented was to sharpen our communication structures. For example, most of us have phone trees to pass on information. Those same communication channels can be primed to pass on crisis information to quickly assess the level of need and then match the need with a resource. The workshop with Friends of the Earth was the start of the conversation and the tools to continue the conversation. The group who came were four young people volunteering their time, offering their respect and affirming our willingness to begin the conversation. They later passed on this link (see below) to show us how other churches are entering this new era and loving their neighbours by offering their buildings as refuges in times of crisis.