Earth, sky and sea:
Faith perspectives on nature, environment and land

You are very welcome to come and hear the views of our preachers within the beautiful setting of Evensong on Sundays at 6.30pm.

As human beings, we share this planet with all living things, and we are beginning to fully understand our deep inter-connectedness to nature and the environment. During this Easter Season, we remember that the story of creation began in a garden, the good news of the resurrection was first proclaimed in a garden, and the risen Christ was first thought to be the gardener. We reflect on the blessings of the earth, sky and sea and we welcome theologians and environmentalists who will explore the spirituality and the expanse of nature, help us discover what we can learn from our wonderful world, and encourage us to become enablers of new life in all of its fullness.

Consider the lilies of the field

Sunday 4 May 2025

Preacher: The Rev’d Canon Perran Gay
                 Canon Emeritus, Truro Cathedral 

Perran read English at St. Catharine’s College, Cambridge and Theology at Oxford. He spent much of his ordained ministry as Canon Chancellor and then Canon Precentor at Truro Cathedral in his native Cornwall. He has served as a member of General Synod, the Church of England Liturgical Commission and the Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England, and he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the Guild of Church Musicians in recognition of his service to cathedral music. His final full-time post was that of Chaplain to the Isles of Scilly, where he is now based in retirement, spending some of the year in locum positions around Europe. As well as his continuing interest in all things musical, he is a keen long distance walker and birdwatcher.   

Perran Gay

Resurrection and renewal: the hope in creation

Sunday 11 May 2025

Preacher: The Rev’d Canon Grace Thomas
                 Canon Missioner, Manchester Cathedral 

Grace is Canon Missioner at Manchester Cathedral and Diocesan Environmental Officer for Manchester Diocese. She is currently researching climate grief and has publications relating to ecotheology, clergy wellbeing and chaplaincy. Grace teaches ecotheology at a local ecumenical theological college and regularly presents Radio 2’s Pause for Thought and Radio 4’s Daily Service. 

Grace Thomas

Our earth, our responsibility: beyond personal dominion

Sunday 25 May 2025

Preacher: The Rev’d Andy Marshall
                 Chaplain, Royal Veterinary College

 

The Rev’d Andy Marshall is a minister with over 30 years' experience serving diverse communities. He currently serves as the Chaplain and Interfaith Advisor at the Royal Veterinary College in London, a role he has held since 2017. He also serves on the Bishop's LGBT+ Advisory Group. His ministry began in 1993 in South Africa, working in communities divided by apartheid. He then served in various parishes before moving to the UK in 2003. Since November 2006, he has been a university chaplain, and has extensive experience in secular chaplaincy, including major events and workplaces. He is passionate about interfaith dialogue and LGBT+ equality. He has supported Pride in London, worked with inclusive faith groups in San Francisco, and served as a trustee for an LGBT+ inclusive faith charity. He is also committed to refugee support and serves as Safeguarding lead for TimePeace. Throughout his ministry, Andy has worked to challenge exclusion based on identity, delivering equality training and serving on university committees. He believes in the inherent dignity of every person and strives to build inclusive communities. He values cultural exchange, exemplified by his recent time in Oman studying Arabic and engaging with an interfaith centre.

Andy Marshall

Carried about with every wind?

Sunday 1 June 2025

Preacher: The Rev’d Canon Dr Peniel Rajkumar
                 Global Theologian, USPG

 

Peniel joined USPG in 2021, having previously worked as Programme Coordinator for Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation at the World Council of Churches in Geneva. Peniel’s important contributions to the understanding of mission today and key interfaith dialogues on behalf of the WCC serve as excellent experience at USPG where we hold Anglican theologies that are genuinely global in their vision and scope.  Peniel was ordained in the Diocese of London and served his curacy in North London (2005-2008), while completing his PhD in Applied Theology from the University of Kent at Canterbury. He has also held teaching positions at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey and the United Theological College in Bangalore, and has written extensively on Dalit theology, missiology and interfaith dialogue. He is also an Honorary Canon Theologian of York Minster and Worcester Cathedral.

Peniel Rajkumar

Holy ground and the life of the Spirit: reflections on ecology and the spirit of life

Sunday 15 June 2025

Preacher: Professor Celia Deane-Drummond
                Senior research fellow in theology, Campion Hall, University of Oxford

Celia Deane-Drummond began her academic career in the natural sciences, focusing on plant physiology and agricultural botany, particularly the biochemistry of nitrogen nutrition in plants and the biophysics of ion transport across plant cell membranes using novel tracers. The global and ethical challenges of the use of GMOs encouraged her to retrain in theology, education, and environmental ethics. As Director of Laudato Si' Research Institute, she leads the multidisciplinary research work of the Institute, develops and fosters its collaborative partnerships and projects, including those with the church and other allied organisations. She is also responsible for LSRI's strategic plan for growth and promotes its education and outreach work nationally and internationally.  Celia was Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame from 2011 to 2019 (together with teaching responsibilities in the College of Science), and before this was Professor of Theology and the Biosciences at the University of Chester from 2000-2011. She is currently Honorary Professor in the Department of Theology and Religion at Durham University.

Celia Deane-Drummond

The leaves of the trees will be for the healing of the nations

Sunday 22 June 2025

Preacher: The Rt Rev’d Graham Usher
                  Bishop of Norwich

Bishop Graham began life as an ecologist and was appointed lead bishop on the environment by the Archbishop of Canterbury in June 2021. He has been a member of the Anglican Consultative Council since 2020, a Church Commissioner since 2022, and a member of the Council of St George’s House Windsor Castle since 2023. In October 2023 he took his seat in the House of Lords as a Lord Spiritual and spoke about Norfolk’s biodiversity in his maiden speech. He was a member of the International Commission for Anglican Orthodox Theological Dialogue from 2017 to 2023, leading their work on agreed statements about the care of creation and the use of human organs in transplantation. He is a keen beekeeper and regularly tweets @bishopnorwich. He has written about spirituality and landscape in Places of Enchantment, Meeting God in Landscapes, and his second book, The Way Under Our Feet: A Spirituality of Walking, was published in April 2020.

Graham Usher

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