For many years Bramford Road Methodist Church have followed the principles of Eco-Congregation, an ecumenical programme 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.
“We have recently installed 39 solar panels on the church roof. These are now fully working and are significantly reducing our energy cost as well as our carbon footprint. The project was fully funded by grants and donations.”
We have low energy lighting in many areas and encourage recycling with the provision of collection bins for batteries, printer cartridges, paper, drinks cans and plastic bottles. Automatic taps help us to minimise water wastage.
In England and Wales, Eco-Congregation has recently given way to Eco Church – A Rocha UK’s new, web-based award scheme for churches who want to demonstrate that the gospel is good news for God’s earth. Eco Church shares the same aims as Eco-Congregation and the Eco Church website can be found here.
The climate crisis presents us with the most important agenda humanity has ever faced. It is a daunting challenge.
Whatever the horror surrounding the pandemic, it has taught us two important things: we cannot treat global issues as someone else’s problem, and that apparently impossible things are achievable when they are given the priority they need.
We are called to be good stewards of God’s creation, and in so doing to side with the most vulnerable.
People find it hard to comprehend, and even harder to understand what we might do individually. That is why as individuals and as groups, we need to commit ourselves to learning about the issues so that we are less daunted by the unknown. We can put that learning to good use by speaking out and taking action which makes a difference.
The Ipswich Circuit of the Methodist Church has committed itself to respond to this challenge