Eco Church…… one year on

Genesis 1 v28 “Be responsible for the fish in the sea and the birds in the air, for every living thing that moves on the earth”

In September 2019, POTR launched its Eco Church initiative under the umbrella of A Rocha, a Christian environmental charity that, among other things equips churches to reflect the full scope of the gospel in their congregational life and to acknowledge their achievement in that.

In May 2020 POTR achievedthe Bronze Award. We are now working towards gaining the silver award and, thanks to your help we have done the following:

Following a suggestion from Carol Palmer, we installed boards in each church & asked people to consider sending a Christmas card to the Parish rather than lots of individual cards
We set up boxes for recycling Christmas cards in each church and collected thousands! They were passed to Ruth Randall’s Mum for turning into cards & gift tags. As this was so successful, we will (once our buildings are open properly again) put boxes in each church for collecting any type of greetings card throughout the year.
Cycle racks are about to be installed at St Lawrence church, to encourage people not to use cars to travel short distances and to facilitate cycling visitors. Thanks to John Hubbard & Tim Duddridge for doing the leg work on this & there will shortly be applications for racks at the other churches.
Rob Simpson has worked with ACAN on the development of a wildflower garden in All Saints’ churchyard. Sowing, due to take place in March was stopped by lockdown, but took place in October using seeds from Gilbert White House, so local to the area. You can read the press release here

Holybourne Churchyard has always been maintained to look after wildlife and this has been extended by the creation of a compost heap.

Shortly bird feeding stations, being made for us by Mike Loxley, will appear in the churchyards of All Saints, St Peter’s & Holy Rood.
Energy audits were carried out for each of our four church buildings to determine how they could be made more energy efficient – progress on this was again stalled by Covid but will go to the top of the agenda once the new normal is in place.

There is so much more to do but taking the first, sometimes small steps, is important and we will have a busy programme in 2021 and beyond.

If you would like to learn more about Eco Church, you can listen to this talk by Ruth Valerio. Or you can read Julie Howe’s report about it here

Other information about Eco Church can be found in these short clips from New Wine.

Creation in crisis: building back better Amidst the pain and loss of the pandemic, many are spotting the potential for a better future. A world with cleaner air, greater community and revived faith. Join us as we explore the emerging shifts in society and the role each of us can play in building back better.

Creation in Crisis: Creativity and Hope Thandi and Jack discuss the role of creativity in responding to the climate crisis: how it grounds us in reality and helps us reimagine the world.

Creation in crisis: what can I do? In this practical seminar, we’ll explore what we can each do about climate change and environmental breakdown. As people called to love our global neighbours, we each have a part to play. If you’re wondering where to start, or what you can do next, this is the place for you!

Thank you for your support over the last year and a bit. If you would like to be involved, please get in touch. Please remember the work of A Rocha and the Eco Church group in your prayers.

Elspeth Mackeggie Gurney (elspethmary59@gmail.com 07545 310911)

Eco Church Update October 2020

Eco Church Update November 2020

Eco Church Update December 2020

Eco Church Update January 2021

Eco Church Update October 20201