Life is better…under the sea!

This year’s Creation Season has a special focus on Making Peace in the Garden of Creation. There are gardens on the land, but beneath the sea, there are gardens too, with communities of plants and animals hidden beneath the waves. The Lyme Bay Reserve is often called the “Coral Garden of England’ St John’s West Bay celebrated sea gardens and their treasures this summer with a creative and joyful outreach event.

More than 400 summer visitors joined the “Come and Sea” event, where crafts, games and science experiments helped families discover the treasures of the sea, enjoy time together, and explore themes of wonder, gratitude, and prayer.

The day was led by Lesley Hill and a team of volunteers, who demonstrated a “Cartesian diver” experiment – affectionately known as Bob the deep-sea diver, linking the science to the theme of grace under pressure. Revd Cally Burch invited families to write prayers on fish cut-outs, while Janet, a member of the parish’s Eco Church project, helped children create jellyfish crafts and learn what makes these creatures thrive.

Revd Dr Mike Perry, the new Bishop’s Adviser for Creation Care and Climate Action, celebrated the initiative as an example of faith and marine biology working hand in hand.

Five Things You Can Do This Month to Care for the Ocean

As part of our call to care for God’s creation, in this Season of Creation, here are five simple ways we can help protect the seas and the life they sustain:

• Join a clean-up: Take part in a local beach or river clean-up, or organise one with friends from church. A Rocha International have clean-up resources, whilst councils and groups like the Marine Conservation Society will even lend you equipment. Every bag of litter collected helps keep plastics out of the sea. Or you can clean up in simple microbursts: 2minute.org challenges us to do a 2-minute litter-pick or beach-clean throughout our day.
• Choose sustainable fish: When buying seafood, look for the MSC logo or check the Marine Conservation Society’s Good Fish Guide. Shopping locally and sustainably helps fish stocks recover and supports coastal communities. 
• Be a citizen scientist: Record wildlife sightings or litter findings for projects like Beachwatch or iNaturalist or the British Trust for Ornithology’s BirdTrack app. It’s a fun family activity and contributes valuable data to scientists. Why not try a “science walk” after Sunday lunch?
• Pray and worship with the sea in mind: Use prayers and readings that celebrate the ocean and those who depend on it – A Rocha International have produced a Marine Devotional resource to help you. In services or Messy Church, include a focus on the “garden under the sea.” A Rocha UK’s Eco Church site has resources to help, whilst the Anglican Church in Southern Africa has produced a brilliant children’s resource helping explore how we can clean up the sea.
• Fundraise and speak up: Host a marine-themed fundraiser—perhaps a “Big Blue Day” with themed cakes, crafts, or even a sponsored swim. You could also write to your MP about marine protected areas or support national campaigns. Together, our voices can make a difference.

Let’s each take one step this month to love the sea, care for God’s creation, and bring hope for future generations.

To help us towards the Church of England’s target of Carbon Net Zero by 2030, we need 31 more churches to register as Eco Church, 60 additional churches to be awarded Eco Church bronze and 18 more to achieve silver (or above). Check out our webpage on Eco Church to find out how to register.