Over the past 18 months, the Church House team has taken important steps on its journey towards caring more faithfully for God’s creation. This has included getting a clearer picture of our carbon emissions, strengthening the way that net zero carbon governance is supported across the diocese, and thinking carefully about how our long-term ambitions connect with everyday life in churches, offices and communities.
The next stage of this journey is about bringing those plans to life in practical, visible ways. Across the Church of England, one of the main ways dioceses and churches do this is through the Eco Church and Eco Diocese award. The Diocese of Gloucester achieved the Bronze Eco Diocese award in 2021, and we are now working towards Silver, with the aim of reaching it this year. A key part of this process is encouraging more churches, schools and diocesan teams to engage with Eco Church.
Throughout Lent, we will be sharing reflections on the recent move to the new Church House premises, including the challenges and opportunities involved in working towards an Eco Office Silver award for our building. There is much to celebrate in the environmental features built into the refurbishment, as well as opportunities to continue improving how the site supports local wildlife and the wider community.
Each week will explore one of the five Eco Church categories: worship and teaching, land, buildings, community, and lifestyle. Each week will also include a simple three-level challenge, offering ideas for what can be done with just five minutes, half an hour, or half a day. These are small, practical invitations to pause, notice, and take part in caring for creation, and to discover the joy and encouragement that often comes with it.
Sometimes the phrase ‘Eco Church’ can sound like an extra project or an added burden on already busy church life. In reality, it is often about noticing and building on what is already happening, and recognising the many benefits that come with caring for creation. This includes demonstrating to the younger generations that the Church takes its responsibility for the world seriously, and that faith speaks meaningfully to the challenges of our time. For Christians, caring for the beauty of God’s world is embedded in worship, teaching and everyday discipleship.
Here are some tips for getting started:
- Progress is often easiest when ideas are shared. Bring together a small group of people with slightly varied interests to share thoughts, plan actions, and encourage one another. We thought about our Eco Office progress in the existing Staff Reference Group, but all you really need is a few people to sit together and discuss. Gather a few people in Jesus’ name, and use each other as sounding boards. It can generate meaningful steps forward.
- Separate tracking progress from implementing every change at once. The Eco Church survey is designed to reflect where a church or organisation is now, and what level they could achieve. When we looked at the Eco Office survey, we realised we could still achieve the Silver award with a number of things not yet tackled. There were a few times where we could have stalled the application timeline, trying to actually enact an improvement, when we just needed to accept that it wasn’t in place yet. Celebrate what is already in place, and focus on next steps without feeling pressure to do everything immediately.
Five minute challenge: Take a quiet a moment to be still and calm, and thank God for the ways that nature enables us to thrive.
30 minute challenge: Step away from your inside activity. Take a gratitude walk in a local green space, or go and sit in your garden or a park. Try noticing five things you can see, four things you can hear, three things you can feel, two things you can smell, and possibly one thing you can taste.
Half a day challenge: Grab a friend and do a litter pick. If God has numbered the hairs on our head, surely we can take a bit of time to observe the beauty of his creation?
Find out more on our Eco Church in an Hour page →
News Hub
