Climate Sunday

Could your church host a Climate Sunday anytime between September 6 2020 and September 4 2021?

Green Communion 2020

Join with other churches to celebrate Creation Time and hold a Green Communion in September. Download your free resources here.

Eco Church has left the building!

A Rocha UK are encouraged to see that many Eco Churches have been as busy as bees during the lockdown period. One story in particular from Westfield and Cannington United Reformed Churches, two Silver awarded Eco Churches, had us buzzing with excitement…

Eco Church conference updates

Please save the date for Eco Church autumn conferences being held in St Albans on 10 October and Manchester on 21 November at North Trinity High School. Chelmsford on June 12 will now go ahead online. Booking details to follow.

First Eco Circuit Award Achieved

A Rocha UK are delighted to announce that the Winchester, Eastleigh & Romsey circuit has achieved a Bronze Award as an Eco Circuit. This is the first such award in the country and is the result of many working together to make this possible. Sue Keegan von Allmen, superintendent minister of the Winchester, Eastleigh and Romsey circuit writes, “I was delighted when members of Romsey Methodist Church proposed that we should become an Eco-Circuit. We agreed to do so in December 2018. Since then we’ve been developing policies and sharing the process with individual churches. The circuit staff and local preachers have had training sessions, the staff spent a quiet day reflecting on climate change, and the number of services in which eco-issues are explored has increased. In Winchester and Romsey there are regular ecumenical events. And one of our smaller churches is seeking to become an eco-church. One of the things we’ve changed, is that we’ve agreed to hold meetings in churches closest to the centre of the circuit, to reduce travelling and to share cars. Covid-19 is having an unexpected impact on that. We’re having meetings using video-conferencing, so it’s reducing our carbon-footprint, and I hope that might …

From Bronze to Gold in one year – St Helen’s, Isle of Wight receives Eco Church Gold!

A small village church in the rural parish of St Helens has become the first church on the Isle of Wight to receive their Eco Church Gold award and only the tenth church in the whole country – across all denominations – to have achieved this award, out of 2300 registered churches. Although a small rural parish with seemingly limited resources, the St Helens congregation has demonstrated passion and commitment in response to the climate emergency, under the leadership of Revd Ali Morley. A Rocha UK’s Speakers Coordinator, Simon Brown who visited and assessed St Helen’s efforts earlier this month wrote, “I found the church in an idyllic setting with an enthusiastic, friendly team only too happy to engage with the environmental issues of the day, and to come up with some innovative ways of addressing them within the life of the church. [St Helen’s is] a wonderful source of challenge and encouragement to others.‘  Some inspiring activities from the Gold awarded church include: Surveying the flora and fauna of the churchyard over the year led to plans for the construction of a pond, for tree planting (with help from a free pack from the Woodland Trust) and the protection …

First United Reformed Church to achieve Eco Gold Award

Congratulations to St John’s Marsh Green for achieving their Eco Gold Award. St John’s are the first URC church to gain this award and the ninth church to achieve Gold since our Eco Church scheme started back in January 2016. Rob Weston, Convener of the URC’s Environmental Task Group, Minister for Tavistock United Reformed Church and Interim Minister for Lavington United Reformed Church said:  “I’m delighted to see the first Gold Eco Church award within the United Reformed Church, it is quite clear that the whole church across the UK is waking up to the need for urgent action.  As Convener of the URC’s Environmental Task Group, I believe the Eco Church award scheme offers such a great range of resources and advice that every local URC should be signed up and involved in making a difference. The scheme is suitable for large and small churches, urban and rural, climate change is an issue for us all and every church can make a positive change.” Read about St John’s inspiring achievements including church nature reserve, rainwater tank and ethical banking here: http://www.marshgreenurc.co.uk/communityandworld/eco-introduction.html