Bishop John writes:
The waters are beginning to abate but the floods in Worcester, as elsewhere this year have been as high as they've been in the past ever and there have been more of them. It's all a consequence of climate change.
Lent is traditionally a time of penitence and there's nothing for which we need to be collectively more penitent than climate change. It's undoubtedly the most pressing and crucial issue of our times. Penitence involves being sorry but it also involves taking action and unless we collectively take action very soon there will be catastrophe ahead for very, very many people across the globe.
The Church of England is issuing a challenge this Lent. It's a 40-day challenge "Care for God's Creation" and copies of the booklet are available from the Diocesan office or through the Church of England’s app or you can sign up for them to be sent to you via email (www.churchofengland.org/livelent) and I encourage you to reflect on the challenge of climate change and see what action you can take. All of us collected together can, by our own small efforts, make a difference and we really need to do that.
At the same time my Lent appeal this year will be for our brothers and sisters in our link diocese of Morogoro. People have suffered terribly with the floods here, but in Morogoro, as elsewhere, the effects of climate change are causing untold suffering; in flooding, in drought and more recently as across East Africa with the plague of locusts that's affecting people appallingly.
So I ask you to donate to that appeal but most importantly I ask you to think about the environment to respond to the challenge to "Care of God's Creation" as you keep this Lent. May God bless you during it.
