Plenty! is a new small group discussion resource developed as part of Green Christian’s Joy in Enough project. It’s a six week course designed to get churches talking about and engaging with the Big Issues of climate change and economics, and we tested it out at St Peter’s in the run-up to COP26. Here’s what we loved about it:

It’s unashamedly big picture. Plenty isn’t frightened to explain and explore the economic and cultural underpinnings of climate change, from the economic drive for perpetual growth to the psychology of consumerism. It can be heavyweight in places, and not afraid of controversy in others, but if you’re keen to get stuck in, it definitely delivers.
It’s packed full of excellent content drawn from charities, journalists and academics, from personal stories to new economic theories. The sheer amount can be tricky to navigate in 75 minutes, but it means you can pick the bits which will resonate best with your audience.

It’s biblical and theological too, drawing on two or three Bible passages each week. The biblical reflections are suggested as pre-reads, but we worried they might get overlooked that way, so we made them the basis of a sermon series which ran parallel with the course. It’s also constructive and hopeful, exploring emerging alternative models for economic growth, and focusing you on action rather than leaving you in a pit of despair. And it’s currently freely available (although financial contributions are welcomed) so you can check it out and see what you think.

So to conclude, if, like us, you have a hunch that climate change won’t be solved by recycling your newspapers and switching your energy tariff alone, and you want to be more informed and inspired, this is an excellent, if at times demanding way to properly explore the biggest challenge facing the world right now from biblical, cultural and economic perspectives. We recommend it!

St Peter’s Church, St Albans