Bulletins

ACTinG Bulletin #15 (30/9/2025)

ACTinG Bulletin #15 September 2025 Email us: acting@gippslandanglicans.org.au

1. ‘Spiralling into Active Hope’: ACTinG workshop

St Nicholas, Lakes Entrance Thursday 16th October, 1–4pm (with a break for afternoon tea) Led by Cath Connelly and Jan Down

This interactive workshop explores the root cause of the sustainability crisis, and how we can respond as Christians. Where is hope for humanity and all creation? What spiritual insights and practices can help us to act in hope? What can we do to make a difference? Please email to let us know you are coming, or to find out more: acting@gippslandanglicans.org.au

2. A reflection on the Season of Creation

As the 2025 Season of Creation draws to a close, it is timely to reflect on our calling as stewards of God’s remarkable world. This year’s theme, “Peace with Creation,” invites us to contemplate the beauty and uniqueness of the earth entrusted to our care, while renewing our spiritual commitment to live harmoniously with it.

This year also marks 800 years since the Canticle of the Creatures, the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, which celebrates the interconnectedness of creation. In his canticle, Francis speaks of the sun, wind, air, and fire as brothers, and the moon, water, death, and the earth as sisters, with the earth honoured as our mother. This prayer reminds us, as Colossians 1:15 declares, that Christ is the Firstborn of All Creation and that divine presence shines through all life.

True peace is more than the absence of conflict. As Isaiah 32 reminds us, peace is the fruit of justice, care, and righteousness—an active, lived harmony with creation. To achieve this, we are called to take responsibility for the damage done to our world and to seek ways to restore and protect it. By fostering a genuine relationship with nature, we can inspire healing, nurture sustainability, and pass on a thriving earth to those who come after us.

Across our parishes, many have responded with creativity and commitment, enhancing worship with environmental stewardship and engaging deeply with local communities. Efforts such as protecting native flora and fauna, addressing pollution, and controlling invasive species reflect our shared commitment. Here in Gippsland, our bond with the land is deeply ingrained in our daily lives. Caring for it sustains both our industries and our way of life, reminding us that greed and neglect can sever our relationship with Sister Earth.

Isaiah’s prophecy of the wilderness blossoming into a fruitful field inspires hope for transformation. In the meantime, we are called to use the gifts of air, land, and sea wisely, preserving the delicate balance of our ecosystems.

Our Season of Creation began at St Paul’s Cathedral, where the Bishop, the Dean, and Warragul Youth Minister Jack Beamish led worship that connected our Diocese in prayer for the planet. About 80 people joined online, uniting in a shared commitment to environmental care. Jack’s message challenged us to consider the real obstacles to safe and peaceful habitats and to take meaningful action.

As October approaches, many parishes will mark the Feast of St Francis, which coincides with World Animal Day. Here in Gippsland, our celebrations also honour the diverse habitats of our unique wildlife—from the Burrunan dolphins of the Gippsland Lakes to our koalas, kangaroos, wombats, echidnas, turtles, and blue-tongued lizards. Each creature contributes to the richness of our local environment, calling us to deeper stewardship.

This year’s worship resources encouraged us to “embrace the weird”—to notice and delight in the small wonders of creation during our walks outdoors. Awareness leads to appreciation, which in turn leads to protection, ensuring that future generations inherit a world of peace and beauty.

Though this Season of Creation concludes, our mission continues. The Anglican Communion’s fifth mark of mission reminds us that caring for creation is central to our life as followers of Jesus, the Firstborn of Creation. Together, we commit ourselves: To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth.

In doing so, we help to establish justice, nurture righteousness, and create spaces of quiet trust and flourishing for all of God’s creatures.

St Peter’s by the Lake, Paynesville, will host “Stations of Creation” on Sunday, 5 October, at 3 pm in the newly refurbished Quiet Garden. The Bishop will re-hallow the grounds, and with Bishop Jeffrey Driver, inter the late Archdeacon Emeritus Ted Gibson in the Memorial Garden—a fitting close to a season dedicated to life, peace, and stewardship.

Peace be with you,

From the ACTinG team