Environmental Engagement Office Cate Williams, Martin Gregg Eco Church Lead from St George’s Cam, and Bishop Robert, discuss the importance of community collaboration on environmental issues.
Cam Eco Church Lead Martin Gregg is very involved in Churches Together in Cam and Dursley, all of which are moving forward with the Eco Church agenda.
He said, “It isn’t just St George’s, or even just the Anglican churches who are working hard on this issue locally. There is one world, for all our churches and all our communities and so it makes sense to work together. Environmental catastrophe affects us all and we can’t solve the problem alone.”
Churches Together had A Rocha come to speak to them and Cam and Dursley Climate Action Group invited the Leader of the District Council to their meeting.
Martin added, “We’re looking at areas that can be redeveloped, looking at how we can improve the sustainability of our houses, and that impacts on how we live our lives… The District Council can give us information about financial assistance that might be available and they can learn from us in terms of the breadth of our congregation and what we’re doing.”
Cate Williams, diocesan Environmental Engagement Officer encourages this wider collaboration with our communities. She said, “There is a lot of wisdom in the Christian tradition that we can offer to the wider community. The environment can be a real touching place – there are often many people in our communities who have an interest in the environment and are pleasantly surprised to find that the Church is leading locally in a lot of eco areas.
She continued, “It’s about being confident that the wider community wants to work with us…”
In our churches, we have wisdom, time and connections to offer our wider communities – others in our communities have different gifts to offer to this priority that we share. Bishop Robert said, “Let’s not reinvent the wheel. Others are doing good things, let’s learn from them.”
Why not register your church for the Eco Church Award scheme? It’s free, quick to register and can help your church to be a more responsible steward of our planet. As a diocese, we are committed to being carbon neutral by 2030.
Register your church and pledge one hour per week to make your church greener.
We love to share the creative ways churches across the Diocese are taking part in #EcoChurchInAnHour – send your stories to ku.gr1701493678o.coi1701493678dsolg1701493678@newo1701493678k1701493678
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