Books ¢ Dennis Tan firmly believes that the Church can do more to care for creation. He leads the Advocates of Creation Care and Environmental Stewardship at Sengkang Methodist Church. He is also a founder of Creation Care SG, a community that aims to equip fellow believers to care for creation by transforming their lives and churches.
Season of Creation
T
he Season of Creation is the annual Christian celebration of prayer and action for our common home. From 1 Sep to 4 Oct, we unite with the global Church to pray and protect God’s creation. This year’s theme is “A Home for All? Renewing the Oikos of God”. Oikos is the Greek word for “home”. We proclaim that the Earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it—yet the environmental crisis threatens the homes of millions of God’s creatures, including humans, around the world. It challenges us to ask the question: How can we claim to love our neighbours as ourselves, yet turn a blind eye to the devastation of our common home? While there are many resources overseas about creation care, there is still a dearth of resources for Christians in Singapore seeking to live out God’s mandate to care for His creation. Through the Season of Creation Devotional 2021, we hope to provide a resource adapted for our unique local context.
The Season of Creation Devotional
2021 is put together by Dennis and Michelle from the creation care team at Sengkang Methodist Church (MC) under the guidance of Rev Khoo Cheng Hoot. Dennis leads the team and is also a
We also hope to educate readers on how to care for creation in practical ways, through conscious acts of repairing our broken relationship with the rest of creation—human and non-human alike—in all areas of our lives. This devotional is a display of Methodist unity in caring for God’s world. We are thankful for contributions from Bishop Dr Gordon Wong and various Methodist pastors. This year, God has also grown our pool of writers significantly, with nine laypeople from all three Annual Conferences. As was the year before, the 2021 devotional is anchored by laypeople to express that caring for creation is the responsibility of all.
founder at Creation Care SG, an initiative that aims to equip fellow believers to care for creation by transforming their lives and churches. Michelle is a Local Ministry Staff with the Youth Ministry, anchoring the organisation and design. The team of contributors include three pastors
from
different
Methodist
churches: Rev Raymond Fong (Wesley MC), Rev Dr Andrew Peh (TTC, Charis MC) and Rev R Prabhu (Ang Mo Kio Tamil MC). Our team of lay writers hail from diverse
The Season of Creation Devotional will challenge your existing notions of what it means to create a home for all. It will compel you to reflect on what it looks like to live in a world that is inclusive, just and full of peace and hope. It will push you to unite in addressing the environmental crisis and its problems and embrace a life as a responsible steward of God’s creation.
backgrounds as researchers, educators
Readers will be able to access the Season of Creation Devotional 2021 via the various MCS channels in late August. However, while written for the Season of Creation, the devotional can be used by anyone at any time. Individuals, cell groups, and churches who wish to use the devotional will also be able to access versions without dates.
Winnie (Ang Mo Kio Chinese MC) also
and students. They are Ann Shin (Faith MC),
Benjamin
(Living
Waters
MC),
Jillian (Holy Covenant MC), John (Ang Mo Kio Tamil MC), Jonathan (Wesley MC), Michele (Barker Road MC), Prarthini (Charis MC) and Wilfred (Sengkang MC). contributed to the devotional’s design.
METHODIST MESSAGE August 2021
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