Newton churches will ring their bells for 11 minutes at 11 AM on Earth Day, April 22, to signal that humans are deep within the eleventh hour of time remaining to address environmental issues, as the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reported only a few weeks ago in its most alarming warning to date. Participating churches ask that those hearing the bells reflect for those 11 minutes and then move beyond contemplation/prayer to action through reducing consumption and working with public officials to enact effective policies to address this increasingly large threat. The participating churches are:
- St. Mary’s Episcopal Church (258 Concord Street)
- United Parish of Auburndale (64 Hancock Street)
- First Unitarian Universalist Society in Newton (1326 Washington Street)
- Our Lady Help of Christians Church (573 Washington Street)
Throughout history, church bells have been used to call people to worship as well as to sound warnings or signal important civic events. In December 2009, churches around the globe rang their bells to send a strong message to world leaders about to gather for COP 15 in Copenhagen.