Eco church

LORD, you have made so many things! How wisely you made them all! The earth is filled with your creatures. There is the ocean, large and wide, where countless creatures live, large and small alike.
(Psalm 104: 24-25)

A Rocha (which means ‘the Rock’) hosts the Eco Church scheme. A structured programme of activity where churches can gain awards of Bronze, Silver or Gold across 5 categories. These categories are:

  • Worship and Learning

  • Buildings and Energy

  • Land and Nature

  • Community and Global

  • Lifestyle

High Street currently has a Bronze award but our ideal aim is to move from Bronze to Silver and then to Gold. There are so many different ways to get involved in Eco Church. It is up to each church to decide how they want to flourish. In basic terms it’s about doing more of what supports God’s creation and doing less of damaging activity. ‘Work it and take care of it’ (Genesis 2:15), as stewards of the Earth we are challenged to do something good.

  • None of us alone can change the world. The environmental need can feel quite overwhelming and often results in us either opting out or not knowing what to do. There may also be some areas we are less sure about but other areas that are more in line with what we hold as important. As we each evaluate what our contribution needs to be inevitably there is an element of grief, frustration and injustice about how the world is progressing. There can also be concern about the impact of measures to reduce human impact and a reluctance to get on board with some elements. Fear, frustration, concern, anger and grief can all hold us back from actually taking action. We acknowledge this while looking at what is possible for us individually and as a church. Choosing what feels most interesting and possible to contribute to is the recommendation, small steps completed by individuals working together is the way to make progress. It’s really important to consider what we can do, rather than what we can’t do or what we disagree with.

    At the Eco Church Launch Evening, which was held on Monday 8th June, everyone broke into small groups to focus on one of the categories and to come up with a plan for the next few months.

    • Our Worship and Learning group will look at what resources we have available in the Resource Centre and ensure there are materials to support the church.

    • Our Buildings and Energy group will undertake a full carbon evaluation and review the Church’s boiler usage to see if this can be improved.

    • Our Land and Nature group will look at what is possible in terms of homes for nature and what planting can be done on site.

    • Our Community and Global group will look into joint working with Batford Springs (a River Lea exhibition), hosting a film night and even supporting a community with a cow!

    • Our Lifestyle group will be setting up a programme of communication to support all church members in taking their own small steps forward to support God’s creation.

    This programme is up to all of us as a church together. We have ideas, we have a commitment, we have determination, now we need some action. Are you up for it? Whether small or substantial, together, we can make a difference.

    If you would like to join the Eco Church Groups, please email the Church Office. We will meet as a big group 3 times a year in total and in the meantime our small groups will be meeting and communicating as needed.