One area of the eco-church survey where many of our churches can find challenges is in the “Lifestyle” section. A silver award-winning church south of Norwich has adopted an innovative approach to encouraging its members to address environmental issues in their lifestyle choices.
“All Saints Chedgrave has been on an eco journey for eight to 10 years.” explains the Reverend Alison Ball, assistant pastor of the Chet Valley Humane Society. “And last year, at the beginning of 2023, we decided to call on our congregations here to take an eco pledge. We were offered suggestions in all sorts of areas, such as things we might do in .
“Earlier this year, we encouraged people to review their pledges to see if they were successful, and, no, not to beat themselves up if they didn't achieve enough, but perhaps To try something new if we've been successful before. And part of the effort we've made is to remind ourselves that the environment really matters and to encourage others who visit our church. I created a banner to encourage them.”
Many families and individuals took this pledge in January 2023. “Then we took it to other Sunday congregations, and some of them brought it and joined us. We were already doing a lot of work, or at least what we could do. Some people felt that they were doing what they wanted to do. We also shared their ideas in the village magazine.” Alison says. “We plan to revisit it in 2025, but may add or remove some parts for updates.”
You can view and download a copy of the Ecochurch pledge
Further on the lifestyle aspect, Ecochurch team member John Salter says:janet and johnEco-pint-sized warriors. “These are little dolls that occasionally appear in one of our services. They may be small, but they have big hearts, and we hope their voices will inspire people to think about the environment again. ” John explained that he has a regular column in a weekly newsletter distributed to all seven churches in Chet Valley Benefice. This is a fun way to remind people of a serious issue.
Have you started your ecochurch journey yet? Register as an ecochurch or find out more at https://ecochurch.arocha.org.uk/.
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If you need further assistance, please contact barbara.bryant@dioceseofnorwich.org.
