ECO CHURCH
There are lots of things we can all do to make our lives and homes more sustainable.
This is a helpful article - '50 ways to green your lifestyle'.
And below is a guide from Greenpeace of 100 ways to make your lifestyle more sustainable.
Eco-Church Award
The choices we make today, as individuals, organisations and businesses, and the policies of our governments, will make a huge difference to the world we live in tomorrow. Especially to the extent we do or don't keep global warming below the threshold of 1.5 degrees.
The responsibility of taking good care of the earth,
valuing all living things, and living in a kind and just way that enables people everywhere to thrive are key ideas in the Christian faith. Though we have not always been guided by them in practice.
As we try to demonstrate in every area of our lives that the gospel of Jesus is good news for all God's earth, and care for creation is an integral part of loving our neighbours and faithfully following God, we are taking part in the Eco Church award scheme run by the charity A Rocha.
An online survey and supporting resources equip churches to express care for God’s world in worship and teaching; in how they look after buildings and land; in engaging with their local community and in global campaigns, and in the personal lifestyles of their congregation.
We are pleased to say that St Andrew's has now been awarded the Bronze Eco Award, and so we will now work towards the Silver Award.
Lent Book
Our Lent book in 2020 was 'Say Yes to Life' by Ruth Valerio. Saying Yes to Life is about lifting our focus from natural, everyday concerns to issues that are having an impact on millions of lives around the world. As people made in the image of God, we are entrusted to look after what he has created: to share in God’s joy and ingenuity in making a difference for good. Ruth Valerio imaginatively draws on the Days of Creation (Genesis 1) as she relates themes of light, water, land, the seasons, other creatures, humankind, Sabbath rest and resurrection hope to matters of environmental, ethical and social concern.
Foundational to Saying Yes to Life is what it means to be human and, in particular, to be a follower of Jesus. Voices from around the world are heard throughout, and each chapter ends with discussion questions and a prayer to aid action and contemplation.
Dr Ruth Valerio is Global Advocacy and Influencing Director at Tearfund. An environmentalist, theologian and social activist. Ruth holds a doctorate from Kings College London, and honorary doctorates from the Universities of Winchester and Chichester. She is Canon Theologian at Rochester Cathedral and her home church is part of the 24/7 Prayer Network. She enjoys living sustainably – practising what she preaches and inspiring others as she does so – in the south of England with her family. She is the author of L is for Lifestyle: Christian living that doesn’t cost the earth and Just Living: Faith and community in an age of consumerism.
See some short videos about the book and its content here