A creative project in Cirencester is preparing to take its message to the House of Commons.
“Please do something.”
The same words appeared time and again on postcards written by children as young as eight. They became the starting point for Our Mark, a project led by Cirencester Deanery and inspired by the Letters from the Global South exhibition at Cirencester Parish Church.
The exhibition visited Cirencester at the beginning of July and featured letters from children living in parts of the world already feeling the effects of the climate crisis. Visitors were invited to read their stories and reflect on what they could do in response.
Local schoolchildren, including pupils from Powell’s School, came to see the exhibition, and people were encouraged to share their own thoughts and concerns on postcards addressed to local MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown.
“By the end of the week, around 200 postcards had been collected, many beautifully illustrated by children. Their messages were honest and moving. They expressed concern about the future of the planet and frustration that not enough was being done to protect it,” said Emma Anderson, Deanery Operations Lead for Cirencester Deanery. “It was important that these messages did not simply end up in a pile of postcards. We wanted to find a way to bring them together and share them more widely to encourage action.”
Drawing inspiration from the Church of England’s Fifth Mark of Mission, which calls Christians to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth, the deanery commissioned a giant fingerprint using words taken from the postcards for people to see and engage with.
“Viewed from a distance, the installation looks like a fingerprint, but if you look closer the individual words and messages become visible,” Emma said.
Alongside the installation, Emma put together a book containing scanned copies of every postcard, preserving the children’s drawings and messages. She also included selected quotations and Bible verses, bringing together the concerns expressed by local people and the Christian responsibility to care for and celebrate God’s creation.
“We wanted to do something that was impactful, so we staged an exhibition space to allow the postcards and fingerprint to be displayed together. It was a striking way to highlight the sheer number of voices involved and give the messages room to be read and reflected upon,” Emma said.
Local MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown then met with local children and adults, who asked him questions about climate change and discussed how the issue could receive greater attention in Parliament.
“The meeting with the MP proved encouraging,” Emma said. “He showed interest in the book of postcards and the fingerprint, and wanted to support us to help our concerns to reach a wider audience. He was keen to support us and get our voices heard, and he was the one that offered our visit to the House of Commons. It’s an exciting next step for the project. I hope it will help bring greater visibility to creation care and encourage more MPs to engage with the concerns raised by local people.
“Climate change has implications for food security, sustainable farming, jobs and the wellbeing of communities. As an agricultural deanery, Cirencester has a particular connection with the land and the environment, making these questions especially relevant to local churches and communities.
“Part of our charge as Christians is to care for the earth, to guard it and make sure we are stewards for the environment, as well as each other, and the animals that live in it,” Emma said.
At the latest Cirencester Deanery Synod, a Creation Care Resolution of Intent was agreed, which set out how the deanery can promote creation care with hope and urgency, encouraging action to reduce carbon emissions, protect and restore nature, and support communities affected by climate change.
“I hope Creation will become a more integral part of our deanery’s life and activities. We’d love to support even more worshipping communities across the diocese to get involved with creation care, whether by hosting the ‘Our Mark’ exhibition, sharing its message with their communities, or arranging a screening of the ‘People’s Emergency Briefing’ to encourage discussion about the climate and nature crisis,” Emma said.
We’d love to collect more voices so we can make a strong mark and call to action from all across our diocese. Worshipping communities are welcome to contact Emma at ku.gro.coidsolg@nosrednae to arrange to display OUR MARK or contact Letters from the Global South – Empower your community to act on climate and nature to host the Letters from the Global South exhibition.
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