Eco-congregation at St Andrew’s
What is the aim of Eco-congregation?
Eco-congregation is an ecumenical programme and award scheme helping churches make the link between environmental issues and Christian faith, and respond in practical action in the church, in the lives of individuals, and in the local and global community.
Who are the partners?
Eco-congregation is overseen by the Environmental Issues Network of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland. A Rocha UK manages the project in England. More information can be found at: www.ecocongregation.orgWhen did St. Andrew’s gain its Eco-congregation award?
St Andrew’s Methodist Church gained its first Eco-congregation award in October 2006, having successfully followed the environmental programme for churches and undergone an external assessment. The award covers the three-year period 2006-2008.
How did you get started?
With the support of our minister, we got together an enthusiastic Eco-congregation group. They then began in spring 2004 with an environmental audit – a self-assessment form that you can download from the Eco-congregation website. This helped us to look at many aspects of the church life – including worship, resources, work with children, our building as well as personal lifestyles, to see what we were already doing, and to think about how we might be greener.
What else did the church do to become an Eco-congregation?
With the help of many others from the congregation and our church committees, these are a few of the things that happened on our journey:
- invited a ‘Green Theology’ speaker to a local preachers’ meeting
- provided regular articles on green issues for the monthly church newsletter and a notice board to raise awareness
- organised special services for the harvest festival and One World Week
- took a group to Bishops Wood Environmental Centre, Worcester, for a tour
- serve only ‘fair trade’ tea and coffee when we have refreshments at church, and we have had a regular Traidcraft stall after services
- are changing our boiler from oil to a gas condensing boiler and are improving our heating controls, and have changed all our light fittings to low-energy types
- take away our paper waste and milk cartons for recycling
- had a guided group tour of our local recycling plant
- held two ecumenical meetings about environmental issues
- have held several bread and soup lunches and raised money for environmental and development causes, and supported the Make Poverty History campaign.
What next?
We remind ourselves that there is a lot more work to do in our church and the wider community on green issues. We value our link with One Planet Worcester – an umbrella organisation in the city for environmental groups including both the public and voluntary sectors. We are working together towards making Worcester a ‘transition town’, facing the twin challenges of peak oil and climate change.
Links
- Eco congregation: www.ecocongregation.org
- Operation Noah: www.operationnoah.org
- One Planet Worcester: http://www.oneplanetworcester.org.uk
- Christian Ecology Link: www.christian-ecology.org.uk
- Transition Towns: www.transitiontowns.org
Contact
Robert Lewin-Jones, Eco-congregation Co-ordinator: Robert@lewin-jones.net
