God's Green Fingers Environment E-news
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Happy Season of Creation!
It is wonderful to be celebrating another first for the Diocese of Leeds as the calling and commitment of our first Eco Mission Enablers was recognised as they were commissioned by the Rt Revd Anna Eltringham, Bishop of Ripon, at Ripon Cathedral last Sunday.
The commissioning service was the culmination of many years work developing and delivering the pioneering three tier Saving Creation courses – Bronze, Silver and Gold – which are now being used by the Church of England Environment Programme for other diocese. Special thanks go to Revd Dr Jan Goodiar, Revd Ruth Newton and Revd Helen Collings for there dedication in creating and tutoring on these courses. Following their training, our thirteen Eco Mission Enablers now take on a range of roles across the diocese. Read about their expertise here.
This Creationtide we welcome Engage Worship to Bradford next weekend to lead an exciting outdoor worship workshop, there is a new Silver Saving Creation course starting for everyone wanting to be better equipped for parish eco ministry and we welcome Fran Taylor our new Net Zero Carbon Fundraising Officer along with new funding opportunities.
God bless
Jemima Parker
Diocesan Environment Officer
jemima.parker@leeds.anglican.org
Note: Some of the articles below link to the Church Times. You can read up to four Church Times articles each month free of charge by registering on their website.
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In a national first, 13 people were commissioned as Eco Mission Enablers at Ripon Cathedral on Sunday 8th September by the Rt Revd Anna Eltringham, Bishop of Ripon. All of those commissioned had undertaken the year-long Gold Saving Creation course and have pledged to serve in a variety of environmental ministries or projects across the diocese.
Read more
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Creative Outdoor Worship focus of Forthcoming Workshop | |
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‘Whole Church and Outdoor Worship’, is being run by Engage Worship in partnership with our Children, Young People and Families Team at St Stephen’s West Bowling on Saturday, September 21st. It will help parishes interested in caring for God’s creation, in using church yard space for worship, or in gathering all generations together to worship God, to develop these things in their own specific places and contexts. Booking still open.
Read more
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Abbey MAT goes on a journey towards net zero | |
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Abbey Multi Academy Trust, which consists of eight schools, used the diocese’s Schools Saving Creation Toolkit to help create climate action plans for each school. They went on to secure £5 million investment from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Fund to enable new radiators and air source heat pumps to be installed in five schools and PV solar arrays on five buildings. A further £1 million has since been secured for further improvements, including more solar panels, PV batteries, LED lighting and other building upgrades.
Read more
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A shrimp and an 80-year-old tortoise were with devoted pet lovers who gathered for a rather rainy Animal Blessing service at Burnsall on Sunday. The service marked the church season of Creationtide and was called ‘All Creatures of our God and King’. Revd Matthew Wood, Rector of Linton, Burnsall and Rylstone: “What a wonderful way to give thanks for the incredible diversity of creation.
Read more
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Applications are now open for the Diocese’s Church Buildings Net Zero Carbon “Quick Wins” Fund. These small grants will be given to churches to support new energy, heating and lighting projects, including new insulation, solar panels, smart meters and more. Deadline for applications 31st October.
Read more
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42 churches across the diocese are going to be able to take more action to reduce their carbon footprints and invest in the future, thanks to a new Church of England programme. The 42 churches in our diocese are part of a wider plan to identify the 600 highest carbon emitting churches in the Church of England and offer them support in reducing their carbon emissions.
Read more
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The Saving Creation Silver course is being run again this autumn. Over 70 people across the diocese have already undertaken this certificated course to help them be better informed and upskilled in how to care for God’s creation in their parish. The eight-session course starts on Monday 16 September, online. It is not too late to register.
Read more
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Fran Taylor has recently been appointed as the first Net Zero Carbon Fundraising Officer for the diocese. Fran will be supporting parishes in getting funding for things like heating and lighting projects, including new insulation, solar panels, smart meters and more, as well as assisting colleagues in funding decarbonisation projects for church schools and clergy properties.
Read more
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The recent Wild Coverdale Flower Festival was well supported with well over 200 people attending the various events, which included sustainable flower demonstrations. Sustainable Church Flowers (SCF) is a movement within the Church of England looking to encourage flower decoration in churches and Churchyards that is sustainable, with an emphasis on no floral foam and local and seasonal flowers.
Read more
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The Give to Go Green Scheme, which was first piloted over six weeks in the dioceses of Leeds and Exeter this year, looks set to be rolled out nationally. The diocese has benefitted from being in both Round 1 and Round 2 of the pilot phase for this Church of England Net Zero Carbon Programme funding stream.
Read more
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A new scheme will deliver 28 “affordable and sustainable” homes in Leeds on a brownfield site previously owned by the diocese. The housebuilder, 54North Homes, said an emphasis on sustainability will see the homes being built with air source heat pumps to provide hot water and heating. The scheme will also accommodate existing mature trees, along with individual gardens and open landscaped areas.
Read more
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Entries shortlisted in three of the categories for these prestigious awards have been revealed. The wide range of candidates includes the refurbishment of Church House Westminster which despite its Grade II listed status got creative in the materials and design used and are already seeing the benefits in lower heating and lighting costs.
Read more
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“Jesus Died to Save the Planet” is the title of a recently published essay by Paul Kunert which reclaims the foundational truth that the gospel is good news for the whole of creation. Kunert argues that by focusing on human interests over all else God has made, we fail to recognise the full redemptive reach of Jesus’ sacrifice. We need to embrace the full, holistic scope of the gospel – living in line with the truth that Jesus is King of all things, and came to save all he has made.
Read more
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Environmental action groups, including Christian Climate Action (CCA), held peaceful protests at a number of National Trust properties recently, urging the organisation to stop banking with Barclays. They believe the Barclays Bank provided more than £17.5 billion finance to fossil fuel companies last year. A number of charities have stopped banking with Barclays including Christian Aid, Sheffield Cathedral, Greenbelt, and Oxfam.
Read more
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Events and Webinars - Local | |
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Ripon Cathedral is holding an exhibition, from 2nd to 29th September, to showcase how churches in the Diocese are working to care for our natural world by joining the Eco Church Award scheme. There are 86 churches and two cathedrals with Eco Church Awards in the Diocese of Leeds and this is a chance to see, and be inspired by, the work of some of them.
Details
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Starts Mondays 7-9pm online. 8 week course. For those wishing to upskill in their own eco journey or be better equipped to fulfil a Parish Environment Officer or similar role. Express your interest now.
Details
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10am-2pm. St Stephen's, West Bowling. A workshop led by Engage Worship to explore the power of outdoor and intergenerational worship for our churches.
More details and booking
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Thicket Priory, near York. A day of study, prayer and practise around the themes of spirituality, creation and reconnecting with nature. Focusing on living an 'earthed spirituality': moving into engaged action for our planet. Suggested donation of £10. To book, please email Steve Parkin at sparkin1955@gmail.com.
Flyer here
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8-9pm online. Diocese of Leeds. This session offers an opportunity to reflect and pray with the help of Scripture and other resources and to practice christian meditation. All welcome!
Details
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On 12th October, thousands of people from across the UK will be uniting to send a shared message to their politicians - that citizens all over the UK care about people, climate and nature, and are asking their MPs to prioritise action. Hope for the Future are providing a “Prepare to meet your MP” online workshop.
Details
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Events and Webinars - National | |
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6.30pm. Global Justice Now. In this free online workshop, democratic engagement experts from Hope for the Future will talk through the process of approaching and speaking to our elected representatives about the Fossil Fuel Treaty in ways that will promote positive action.
Details
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Join the Fossil Fuels Day of Action by organizing a concrete action with your community. Resources to help you available on the Season of Creation website.
Details
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This Faith for the Climate webinar is based on the report Climate Change, Conflict, and Freedom of Religion and Belief and will discuss how climate change is exacerbating conflicts around the world (and vice versa) and how interfaith action can address climate-related and religion-related conflicts simultaneously.
Details
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12pm. The A Rocha UK churches team will lead prayers, with the opportunity to meet in breakout groups to connect and pray with others in the Eco Church community – for the work of caring for creation in our churches and for each other.
Details
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CAFOD webinar 7pm. José will share her journey from a successful bridalwear designer to a pioneer in sustainable fashion. Hear José's reflections on the importance of creating fashion with a positive impact on society and the environment. Gain insights into her creative process and learn about her future plans in the world of sustainable design.
Details
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7pm online. Guy will speak about the pressures and rewards of commercial organic farming, and about how people can support these businesses. Over the last 37 years Guy has taken Riverford from one man and a wheelbarrow delivering homegrown organic veg to friends, to a national veg box scheme delivering to 70,000 customers a week.
Details
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A new video resource had been created by the Church of England Net Zero Programme team to help engage parishes and dioceses with the Church Commissioners £190m net zero investment programme. Hear how it is possible for every parish to start on this journey and why it is a critical part of our mission. Screen to your PCC or congregation.
View here
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Ecclesiastical, an insurance company used by many churches, have recently published guidance for PCC members “Climate change and your church”. The guidance covers managing the risk of some of the changes PCCs may be considering to meet their carbon net zero goals and how to minimise any risks that the changing climate might introduce for churches.
Read more
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Applications are now open for the Diocese’s Church Buildings Net Zero Carbon “Quick Wins” Fund. These small grants will be given to churches to support new energy, heating and lighting projects, including new insulation, solar panels, smart meters and more. Deadline for applications 31st October.
Read more
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A suite of resources is available on the diocese of Leeds website to help you plan and deliver your church creation care plans. Watch the webinar on Planning & Delivering Your Net Zero Carbon Fundraising Appeal, use the template Case for Support document to gather all your funding information in one place and review the lists of grant funders to see where you might be able to best find the funds you need.
Read more.
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A ready to print magazine article for your Parish Magazine! | |
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Happy New (Academic) Year
Sue Morgan reflects on the origin of Creationtide and how it provides an opportunity to make fresh resolutions. Sue writes regularly for Wakefield Cathedral’s Eco Comment.
Read the article here
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More magazine articles?
All our eco magazine articles are archived on the Diocese of Leeds Environment Magazine Magic webpage.
Click here
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Eco Top Tips
Find a weekly top tip here for your parish newsletter:
Year 1
Year 2
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If we don’t laugh we’ll cry: helping you through the grief of ecocide...
"This Earth Day we have decided to become more environmentally conscious.
So we are starting to recycle jokes."
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Please join our discussion group on Facebook by following the below link! | | | | |
