Photo: Valentine's Park, Ilford, in the Parish of St Margaret & St Clement. Credit: Rev. Peckett."How wonderful the work of your hands, O Lord..."The July 2026 meeting of the Church of England's General Synod authorized a new liturgical observance, called The Festival of Creation in Christ. It will be celebrated each year on the first Sunday in September.The Festival of Creation in Christ is one of the fruits of a growing ecumenical movement across churches worldwide and offers an opportunity for Christians to give thanks for God’s creation and redemption of the world, and to reflect on humanity's responsibility to care for the natural world and to pray for its renewal. The choice of title - ‘Creation in Christ’ - emphasizes that creation is understood through the person and work of Jesus Christ: created through him, sustained in him, and destined for renewal in him. At St Margaret's, we will celebrate the Festival on Sunday 6th September at the 10.30am Sung Eucharist. It will be one of a few events throughout September and early October during which we will give particular thanks for God's work in creation.
Photo courtesy of the Council of Lutheran Churches."There is one body and one spirit..."The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (WPCU) takes place each year from 18th to 25th January - the octave of St Peter and St Paul. This ecumenical celebration provides an opportunity to focus our prayers on Christian unity and to know that we are joining with our siblings in Christ in countries around the world.WPCU is also a great chance to speak about and experience Christian unity personally in our local area. This year WPCU takes Ephesians 4.1-13 as its central text, and its theme is summed up in verse 4: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling.”St Margaret's is praying for Christian unity, using some of the resources jointly prepared for this year by the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity and the Faith & Order Commission of the World Council of Churches in partnership with Christian churches in Armenia, during our services from 18th to 25th January.This week, Rev. Joshua, was also invited to preach at an online service for the WPCU hosted by the Council of Lutheran Churches in Great Britain (CLC). The CLC is a communion of churches coming together to further the work of all Lutheran churches in the UK. Many of its member churches are in full communion with the Church of England through the Porvoo Agreement.Rev. Joshua reflected on two prayers from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer - the Collect for Unity, itself based on Ephesians 4.1-13, and A General Thanksgiving - and our commitment as Christians to nurture the dispositions that lead to greater unity and understanding between us. You can watch the service below:
