Beyond Ecochurch
Ecochurch is an initiative of A Rocha (https://ecochurch.arocha.org.uk/) and one which Wellspring
has embraced wholly. Over the past year both Trustees and congregation have been involved in formulating policy and plans and you may be aware that, in April 2020, we achieved the
SILVER award from A Rocha.
This current page outlines our plans for 'going further' - beyond Ecochurch. As a start, read our minister's short reflection on
the current eco-crisis, which he prepared for the Wirksworth united service in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity - January 2021.
UPDATE - June 2021
The excitement of gaining the Silver Ecochurch award last April heralded a new phase in the way we express our environmental concerns at Wellspring. We now look to the future to work out how we will live out our Ecochurch commitment shown so effectively over the last 18 months.
What is Wellspring doing now?
Some look around and call their surroundings ‘the environment’.
As people of faith we call it ‘creation’.
As a result of that faith-commitment to Creation we are :
1 co-ordinating continued development of our Ecochurch targets beyond Silver.
2 having a climate-focused worship time on February 28th (the link to the YouTube service is here).
3 celebrating the value of FairTrade systems by having a 'cook-in' event at the beginning of March 2021. See the results of that concerted effort in the dedicated page in the top menu.
4 participating in Christian Aid's 'Prayer-chain for climate issues' where we have committed as a church fellowship to pray for at least half an hour every week all the way to November.
5 signed up to be one of 30+ churches who are working on a project leading up to November’s major climate conference in Glasgow. A small group of Wellspring folk have already agreed to carry this forward. We are making links with the other churches in the town and with local environmental organisations; working together is the key to progress.
The project (Make COP26 Count) is being master-minded by USPG and Hope for the Future, a Christian organisation that (among other things) encourages and enables churches to engage with their local MP. After all, decisions that will be made about the future of the global climate in Glasgow will be made by politicians. We have therefore to relate to them and offer our support to help to ‘lead them to Glasgow with a commitment to make actions speak louder than words.
(We shall be doing other things in connection with this Make COP26 Count project as well, which will be noted here soon)
What can YOU do?
- Pray. Without the under-girding of prayer we can do 'no thing’ for God.
- Be available if your help is requested; it may simply be asking for advice as much as action.
- Take note of the catchy phrase “From church to home”. It means taking on board some of the actions that Wellspring as a gathered community of faith is doing and making some of them applicable to your own home. One doesn’t need to look far in the media and on TV to get the messages - and we’ve shared them before.....
- Accept that this mess we’re in is man-made, or at the least, human-influenced to a high degree.
- So let’s “talk about it!” We need to wake up our society...
WALKING THE WALK
Paul Heppleston is 'Walking to COP26, the Glasgow Conference' by adding up the walk-miles he does locally and on holiday. Currently his total of 300 miles has now about 50 left (10 June).
He hopes that you may feel you might contribute to his JustGiving page below in order to support the two organisations which have supported us so well in our eco-activity through this year.
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/paulwalkingtoglasgow