St Mary’s Church hosted a Remembrance Sunday service last weekend, which drew attention to the national emergency that is climate change.
The sermon, preached by retired priest Chris Brice, was a warning to Hackney residents that “personal and national sacrifices” similar to those during World War I and II, “will be required of us” in the face of the climate crisis. He reminded listeners that a generation of young men had died to protect our future and we should not be rash with it.
Brice urged the congregation to be “prepared to vote” for “leaders with the character and capacity to lead us … out of this darkness to a carbon free world”. He urged the government to “immediately declare a state of national, wartime climate emergency” in order to confront the imminent threat of climate change.
Brice’s sermon continues St Mary’s commitment to raising awareness of environmental issues and urging action from the community. A group from the congregation, organised by Jane Hutchinson, has been participating in circles of silence together since 2019.
The most recent one took place on Sunday, 7 November 2021 in Clissold Park and involved a group of climate-concerned congregation members standing together in a circle formation, holding placards with statements about climate change written on them.
Jane described the “circles of silence” as a “very positive experience” that allowed people to be “witness to the crisis”. People were keen to take photos of the group and engage in discussion with them about their activism.
The group has also participated in events across London, including a circle held outside St Paul’s Cathedral. Jane explained that they aimed to be “very open” and inclusive events that were not restricted by religious belief.
Jane explained that St Mary’s had also held an “inter-faith discussion on climate change” and Dilly Baker, the rector, has been keen to assert the church as a beacon of social change within Hackney.
