The COP27 event is beginning today and it will run until Friday 18th November. The information of the COP27 can be obtained from a number of locations which includes the United Nations website page which includes this image and the words below and there are many other links that can be obtained from their website. For those of us who are attending or responding to our Churches that are operating today it would be fantastic if those groups would promote and pray for this event to have a successful outcome for our world. One of the people who attended COP26 last year and who spoke about it during that time was Ruth Valerio who is the Global Advocacy & Influencing Director of Tearfund. It is very exciting to see how Tearfund is promoting COP27 as you can see below and Ruth stated

Thank you. Yes, colleagues are there and it would be great to pray for them and for the talks. You can keep up to date via their various channels”.

There will certainly be many people attending and we need our Nation to make many radical decisions. Here is the text from the United Nations website.

Delivering for people and the planet

From 6 to 18 November, Heads of State, ministers and negotiators, along with climate activists, mayors, civil society representatives and CEOs will meet in the Egyptian coastal city of Sharm el-Sheikh for the largest annual gathering on climate action.

The 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change – COP27 – will build on the outcomes of COP26 to deliver action on an array of issues critical to tackling the climate emergency – from urgently reducing greenhouse gas emissions, building resilience and adapting to the inevitable impacts of climate change, to delivering on the commitments to finance climate action in developing countries. 

Faced with a growing energy crisis, record greenhouse gas concentrations, and increasing extreme weather events, COP27 seeks renewed solidarity between countries, to deliver on the landmark Paris Agreement, for people and the planet. 

Here is some of the text from the Tearfund website that is available here

Ways to pray – Listed below are five ways you can creatively pray for COP27. These are:

1. praying using scripture; 2. praying using a map; 3. pray while making a lifestyle change; 4. going on a prayer walk; 5. and writing a prayer of hope.

1. Pray using scripture

Scripture can help remind us of who God is and what he has called us to do.

The following passages highlight God’s heart for justice and how he desires us to care for our global neighbours and for the wider environment. Speak them outloud and pray that the scripture will direct world leaders attending COP27 in how they engage in the talks and the commitments they will make:

‘The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.’ (Genesis 2:15)

‘Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendour, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.’ (1 Chronicle 29:11)

‘And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.’ (Micah 6:8)

‘Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honours God.’ (Proverbs 14:31)

2. Pray using a map

Using a map or a globe, invite the Holy Spirit to reveal a particular country to you that is attending COP27.

Once you have chosen somewhere, lay your hand above it on the map. Lift up those who will be representing the country at the conference and pray for wisdom and openness to engage with the conference. Ask God to reveal specific things you can pray for, or use prayer points in this guide to help.

Reflect on the ways this country is experiencing the impacts of the climate crisis and pray for those who are most impacted.

If doing this activity as a group, you could take it in turns to choose a location to pray over.

3. Make a change for the climate… and pray while doing it

There are simple changes you could make during COP27 that help tackle climate change. When we come together to make changes like these, it can have a real impact. Commit to one or more of these during COP27. As you then carry out these activities, spend time in prayer for COP27 using our prayer points above.

• Where possible, walk, cycle or get public transport instead of using a car.
• Eat less meat or eat meat sourced locally.
• Only drink fairtrade tea or coffee.
• Cut down on single use plastic; only use a refillable water bottle.

Families in Borena, Ethiopia, dig deep in search of water. It’s getting more difficult as the drought – made worse by climate change – has caused water sources to dry up. Millions of people are going hungry each day in the country | Image credit: Ayaana/Tearfund

4. Go on a prayer walk

Getting outside and going for a walk can give you a new perspective, and the things you come across during your walk can also prompt and guide your prayers. If you or anyone in your group struggles with walking, you may want to choose a location, such as a park, that has benches so that everyone can join in.

Stop and spend some time enjoying the nature around you. If you brought a camera with you, try to find something new or unusual to capture. Praise God for his wonderful creation. Focus on the weather, plants and the conditions they need to grow and flourish. If you can, listen to a worship song as you do this.

Lament for the ways in which we have destroyed and damaged our world instead of protecting it, and the impact that is having on some of the world’s poorest people. Pray for people who are suffering from the effects of the climate crisis. Ask God to bless those at COP27 who are speaking up for people living in poverty and pray their voices and concerns will be heard.

5. Write a prayer of hope with God

Praying about the climate crisis can seem overwhelming; many of us can feel climate anxiety when we reflect upon the devastation that climate change is causing. It can help to fix our eyes on God, who will sustain us and give us the strength we need to continue to pray and act to help protect our global neighbours and the environment from further destruction.

• Find a place where you won’t be disturbed.
• Welcome God’s presence.
• Read the following Bible verse about hope and God’s faithfulness to people living in poverty. ‘But God will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish.’ (Psalm 9:18)
• Read it again, but this time ask God to highlight a word or phrase to you for COP27. Ask God to reveal why he chose this for you. Spend some time listening and asking more questions if you want to.
• Using this word or phrase and what God has been speaking to you about, write a short prayer about COP27. Ask God to guide you.
• Stick this prayer somewhere where you’ll see it often – on your fridge, in your Bible, by the door – and commit to praying it regularly during COP27.