Hope for the world:
BMS at The Big One
Last week, BMS World Mission joined with Christians across the UK at The Big One climate pilgrimage. BMS’ Writer, Laura Durrant, shares thoughts on why The Big One left her with hope.
The day began with a service of worship at St John’s Church, Waterloo. Hundreds of Christians from all walks of life were packed into a church hall to sing together in worship, give God the glory for all he has given us, and ask forgiveness for the ways we’ve sinned against creation.
There was a sense for many of us that we wished church could always be like this: so many of us packed in the sanctuary that there was only room to stand, knowing that despite your different backgrounds, you’re united together in Jesus. Buoyed spirits from the service spilled out to the streets once it had finished, and, despite the threat of rain, we began our pilgrimage into the centre of London.
The crowd mingled together as we walked, people caught up with old friends and introduced themselves to new ones. We came to the office of oil company Shell, to hand in a letter from Christian Climate Action highlighting their lack of action against phasing out fossil fuels, and to raise our voices in a chorus of Amazing Grace.
Around the BMS banner, supporters, staff and former mission workers marched together, taking shifts at holding our banner which proclaimed that we still have hope for the world. I spoke to BMS supporter Sara Simms, who is the head of creation care at her church in Guildford, about why she thought it was important for us to be there. “I see God’s mission as threefold: to reconcile us to himself, to each other and to the planet that we live on,” she explains. “If we’re to serve the poor, we need to look at this issue that has made people poorer.”
As the crowds converged in Parliament Square, I was fortunate enough to snap this photo of the BMS banner waving boldly in front of Big Ben. I asked BMS staff member Ruth Whiter what she thought about the message on the banner. “A lot of messages at climate protests are, understandably, angry, but at BMS we’re all about hope,” explains Ruth. “We’re all about positive change.”
One of my favourite things about the day was the community feeling that came with it. Being able to reconnect with former colleagues and meet BMS supporters, and knowing we were all together for the same cause, made me really resonate with the message on our banner. Thousands of people coming together to share fellowship in the Lord and fight together for his creation must be some reason to have hope!
As the day came to a close, I asked Ruth and Sara what they would ask for prayer for – and wonderfully, they both ended up saying almost the same thing: that our leaders would listen. That they would get the message, that they would hear the voices of those crying out to them, and listen to God’s wisdom as they determine how to act.
Words by Laura Durrant, Editor of Engage, the BMS magazine.
