Creation Care
‘The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it’ – Psalm 24:1
We are in an ecological and climate emergency.
St John’s Church has joined with those Churches, Dioceses and other organisations who have officially declared that we are living in a Climate Emergency. The list of those taking this step is growing and includes The Dioceses of Oxford, Bristol, Norwich and Sheffield as well as hundreds of District, County, Unitary and Metropolitan Councils, including our own Hart District Council.
Tearfund, one of the primary Christian organisations working to alleviate poverty in the developing world have also declared. Our links with our Mission partners in Myanmar and Bolivia reinforce our understanding of the effect that adverse climate is having on vulnerable communities.
Our climate is breaking down. Rising seas and extreme weather events are putting tens of millions of people around the world at direct risk. And younger generations are being robbed of their future on a healthy, liveable planet.
By declaring an ecological and climate emergency, we add our voice to those asking the governments of the world to take urgent action on climate change and all of God’s creation for the sake of all the inhabitants of the earth.
Many Christian charities have got together and organised a Lent Vigil for Climate Justice starting with an Ash Wednesday service at 12 noon on 14 February at St John’s Waterloo. This will launch a ten day 24/7 vigil and St John’s Hartley Wintney has booked a slot on the rota to pray on the pavement outside Parliament from 1-2pm on Friday 23 February. Please join us there or use that hour to pray with us from home. See Tearfund’s website for more information and prayer resources.
Email: creationcare@stjohnshw.org.uk for more information.
At St John’s we don’t want to be part of this waste of God’s world and are trialling recycled toilet paper so we can reach our Gold Eco Church Award.
The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it. – Psalm 24:1
Did you know one million trees are cut down each day
just to provide the world with loo roll?
Let us know what you think by filling in our Survey.
Grace-full – The Earth, along with the whole of creation, is an unmerited gift from our God of Grace.
Thank-full – To be thankful for Creation we must continue to do what we can to take care of it.
Faith-full – ‘Faith without deeds is dead.’ James 2:26. Part of our faithfulness to God means living lightly on His creation.
Joy-full – We find great joy in working in partnership with God to sustain and nurture Creation.
Hope-full – ‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.’ (Romans 15:13)
Hope in God motivates us to take action that can lead to transformation, for by God’s power at work within us, God is able to accomplish more than we can ask or imagine. As Christians we can live in hope, despite the dangers that threaten us.
Our Response
Here at St John’s we believe that as part of our care for God’s world we should act in a way that demonstrates good Biblical stewardship in all areas of our corporate life. We are a Carbon Neutral organisation and therefore the decisions we make as a Church and the products we buy reflect this. We have policies for ethical buying and also building management.
Where possible we follow the LOAF principles when procuring food – Local, Organic, Animal-Friendly and Fairtrade. We also aim to offer vegetarian and vegan options at our church events. We also try to reduce the amount of plastic we use being mindful of the damage to the environment and other creatures caused especially by single use plastic. The paper products we use are made from recycled post-consumer waste and we use Eco-Friendly cleaning products.
We only use 100% renewable electricity and 100% green or offset gas. We encourage our church family to walk or cycle whenever possible and to be aware of the damage to our world caused by petrol and diesel engines and aviation fuel.
We are working toward our Gold Eco Church award and continue to meet with our MP, Ranil Jayawardena, asking him to demand ambitious leadership from our Government.
For more information about Creation Care at St John’s please email creationcare@stjohnshw.org.uk
The Big Picture… how we serve creation as a church
We hold an Eco Sunday once a year, to celebrate and pray for God’s creation. We hold creation before God in praise and prayer. We want our words and lives to witness to our love for God and His love for His world and creatures.
Carbon Footprint
St John’s has been carbon neutral since 2019. In 2021, we calculated our nett carbon emissions throughout the church and centre, and as a result we offset a total of 25.2 tonnes of carbon.
We encourage our congregation to walk, cycle or car-share to church whenever they can.
Our energy contracts are with companies that use and support renewable energy. Our Church Centre has an A-rated energy performance certificate and solar panels.
Happy Pigs and Free Range Eggs
The bacon served in our Coffee Shop is outdoor bred and antibiotic-free. We purchase free range eggs and meat for church functions.
The vast majority of hot drinks at St. John’s are drunk from china mugs. For the remainder, we look to see what options there are to purchase more environmentally-friendly throw-away cups.
When a straw is requesdted in a drink, the Coffee Shop uses non-plastic versions.
The Coffee Shop is always happy to fill up your water bottles at the tap.
We recycle as much of our waste as possible, using a number of different recycler points.
We try to use china and washable cutlery for our church functions as much as we can. We always use washable plates and cutlery for community lunches and similar events.
We encourage all Church Centre users to recycle as much waste as possible through the collection services offered by Hart District Council. We also host an additional recycling bin for Village Magpies, a local additional item recycling group.
These are some ways we try to walk gently on God’s earth in our own lives
How are we doing?…We measure our personal impact on God’s world – use the Personal Carbon Calculator or Climate Stewards
Travel… We try to walk, cycle, car-share and use buses and trains. We try to limit flights and offset with Climate Stewards. Suggested links… Seat 61 | Climate Stewards
Money… We consider ethical issues when investing our money. Suggested links… Your Faith Your Finance
Shopping… We recycle, buy recycled and support charity shops. We look for the most efficient appliances. When buying wooden articles we try to buy Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC). Suggested links… Energy Saving Trust
Food… We try to avoid waste. When we buy food we try to follow the LOAF principles (Local, Organic, Animal-Friendly, Fair-trade) Suggested links… Green Christian | ASWA | Vegan Society
Energy… We try to turn lights off and not leave things on standby. Where possible we dry clothes naturally. We reduce the thermostat setting by 1 or 2 degrees and wear vests and jumpers in winter. We consider installing renewable energy and buying green energy. Suggested links … Installing Renewables. Switch to Green Energy.
Get in touch with us for more information or to get involved in serving creation with us
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