Eco Church
With two churchyards to look after we have been aware of the impact nature has on our lives for many years and recognise that God created the heaven and the earth with humanity to be stewards of it, in all its beauty and diversity. Being out in the environment enjoying nature is something we can all appreciate and many people feel close to God in the countryside. Anne Frank wrote in her diary: ‘The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God.”
In 1984 The Church of England started to put together a statement of its purpose, resulting in ‘5 Marks of Mission’, adopted in 1996. The 5th Mark of Mission is: ‘To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth’. In February 2020, General Synod, the governing body of the C of E, passed a motion committing all parts of the Church of England to work to become carbon ‘net zero’ by 2030.
In Snodland some church members have for some years already been working towards making the church more environmentally and ecologically friendly, sharing and promoting practical ways of doing this with colleagues in Maidstone Archdeaconry and now in the Rochester Diocese also.
Two ‘Eco Champions’ (Jenny Glanfield and Sue Brooks) were appointed in 2020 and are supported by the Green Team to look at how best to implement the targets as well as raising awareness in the church and wider community through events such as inviting ‘Zero Waste on Wheels’ to come to Christ Church once a month, a bat talk and walk, Messy and Muddy Church activities, taking part in the annual Churches Count on Nature. Alongside holding an Autumn event which has so far included an Eco-Fair event – ‘Think Green, Go Greener’, an Apple Day Celebration and our most recent ‘Inspired by Nature’ Art Exhibition.
For nearly 5 years we had ‘Zero Waste on Wheels’ visit monthly, selling a wide range of refillable items, plant based and environmentally friendly options at affordable prices. These visits have now stopped as Zero Waste on Wheels now has a permanent refill station in Collards Veg on Holborough Road, Snodland, which is great news and means more people in the local community can buy eco-friendly regularly.
You can view the range on their website or Facebook page and arrange a doorstep visit too. They also visit a number of local markets too.
https://www.zerowasteonwheels.com/ https://www.facebook.com/ZeroWasteonWheels
We encourage our church members and the local community to help reduce their carbon footprint and shop with the environment in mind. Several times a year we hold church services which link to the environment, these have included during Creationtide, Harvest, seeing the world through God’s eyes linked to creation and every two years we a special service linked to ‘The Big Plastic Count’.
Eco-Church/Environment is now a standing item on the PCC agenda, and both All Saints and Christ Church are registered as ‘Eco Churches’ with A Rocha and have achieved the Bronze Award for both churches. We are now working towards Silver.
If you are passionate about our environment and interested in joining us, please contact Jenny or Sue initially via snodlandchurch@gmail.com
Our Eco-Newsletter – New Leaf
We produce a newsletter twice a year with updates on wat we have been doing, eco-church themed information and articles, tips for making simple changes to make our lives greener, a wildlife focus and more. You can find our recent editions below: