Planting marked Creation Sunday events in Mennonite World Conference congregations around the world. They responded to the Creation Sunday worship resource invitation to find an area that needed restoration to proclaim God’s glory.
The first Sunday of September 2026, Anabaptist churches joined other Christian free-church traditions in celebrating Creation Sunday for the first time. Ecumenical bodies agreed to designate this first Sunday of September as a feast day on the Christian calendar. Creation Sunday, like other regular celebrations such as Pentecost and Advent, calls us to remember God’s intervention in the world in our daily lives.
Mennonite World Conference’s Creation Care Working Group prepared a resource package to help congregations focus on Creation in their worship.
With the support of texts Genesis 1-2, Psalm 148:1-14, John 1:1-5 and Acts 17:22-28, this Creation Sunday was a celebration of God’s goodness in Creation which is embodied in Jesus as the Word of God. In reflecting God’s glory back, Creation is also the first evangelist pointing to God’s shalom.
At Emmanuel Chapel (Bengali), a BJCPM congregation in Kolkata, India, the young people observed nature in a park early in the morning. There was teaching on creation followed by a time of expressing what they had learned through drawings. The next day at church the young people focused on Psalm 148.
At Sunderganj Mennonite Church, a Mennonite Church in India congregation in Dhamtari, India, each family was encouraged to bring one plant to the service. The worship service, following the worship resources provided centred on Creation. “These plants have further enhanced the beauty of the worship building and the church premises,” says Ashish Milap.
At Rock of Salvation Mennonite church in Johannesburg, South Africa, careful advance planning made it possible for a local man to plant a shade tree in the courtyard of the rented meeting place before the congregation’s 2-hour meeting time began. The congregation received the tree with joy. Two women from the worship team are tasked with watching over the tree to water it and protect its growth.
“A brother poured water at the foot of the tree where it had just been planted, so that it may grow – reminding us of God’s life-giving water that restores the earth. We prayed for creation before continuing with our normal worship service,” says pastor David Kateta.
At Teusaquillo Mennonite Church in Bogota, Colombia, members brought forward fruits, plants and other reminders of God’s provision at the start of the service. They shared why each item was significant. The day’s theme was simplicity and obedience to Jesus’ mandate. Each participant wrote a personal commitment to care for God’s creation, placed together in a bowl as a sign of shared responsibility.
“Our central reading, Psalm 148, reminded us that all creation praises God simply by fulfilling its purpose – and as followers of Christ, we are called not to hinder that praise,” says Juliana Morillo, a church member and Latin America representative on the Creation Care Working Group.
At the close, a bowl of offerings, which was a visible sign of gratitude and connection to God’s gifts, was shared and enjoyed by the congregation, a joyful reminder of God’s abundant provision.
At Berkey Avenue Mennonite Fellowship, Goshen, Indiana, USA, pastor Mark Schloeneger drew parallels between the destructive power of a Pharaoh’s empire in Exodus and God’s life-giving creativity in Genesis 1. After the service, parishioners gathered in an outdoor worship space near the church’s community garden for focused attention to God’s creation and for prayer in nature.
In the wake of the catastrophic climate-change-caused floods in Nepal, the country “is still living in fear and trauma,” says Brethren In Christ (BIC) Nepal president Shemlal Hembron. Although no BIC congregations were affected, the church’s aid society provided relief to victims and is now collecting funds to support at least 50 families and 2 congregations as they work to construct permanent shelters and worship centers in coordination with the local government.
“In the midst of this, I am glad to report that some of our BIC churches celebrated creation care by sharing God’s Word to encourage believers to be responsible for the creation he has entrusted to us,” says Shemlal Hembron. BIC congregations planted decorative trees in the church compound, as is their annual tradition, and also provided cloth bags to people, to replace plastic bags, on Creation Sunday.
“It is moving to see the varied ways that churches around the world celebrated Creation Sunday this year. I hope that it can become a treasured tradition that sparks a deeper love for God the Creator and God’s living craftsmanship all around us,” says Jennifer Halteman Schrock, North America representative on the Creation Care Working Group.
“The Creation Care Working Group is looking forward to the annual celebration of this special Sunday,” says chair Doug Graber Neufeld. “Each year, we will expand the library of resources to help congregations incorporate creation care both on Creation Sunday and at any time of the year.”
Did you know the Creation Care Working Group has a grant to help congregations respond to ecological crises in their own location?
How did your congregation observe the first ever Creation Sunday?
Share your story in the comments below.
Leave a Reply