Christian Concern for One World - What can my church do?

Saint Peter's Caversham aims to go carbon neutral!

Maranda — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 10:50:15 +0000

PRESS RELEASE 31st May 2007

A church in Reading is aiming to be carbon-neutral by 2015. It is one of the first churches in the south
of England to take this step.

The church committee of St. Peter’s Caversham Reading included the aim in a wide-ranging resolution
on using energy more efficiently and reducing the church’s carbon emissions. This followed a
comprehensive energy survey that the church commissioned earlier this year.

“The survey identified a number of ways in which the church can cut its carbon emissions. Some can
be done soon - installing low energy light bulbs, improved insulation, for example, while others are
more long term”, said a church lay minister John Madeley.

The survey showed that the church is well positioned to take advantage of solar and wind power, with,
like many Anglican churches, a large south-facing roof. A group has been set up to examine
these and other renewable energy options and report next year.

“It’s a bold aim but I think we can be a carbon-neutral church by 2015, powered by sources of
energy that do not cause global warming and damage. Climate change is not a distant threat, it’s affecting
the poorest people now”, said John Madeley.

The Church of England’s “Shrinking the Footprint” initiative speaks of tackling climate change in
“faith, practice, and mission”.

“This is clearly part of the mission of the church”, said John Madeley.

St Peter’s Caversham, Church Committee 29th May 2007

John Madeley proposed the following resolution:

This committee:

1. Records its thanks to Community Action for Energy (CAfE) for the Sustainable Energy Action (SEA)
Energy Efficiency and Renewables Study.

2. Welcomes the study as a basis for continuing to improve the energy efficiency of St Peter’s church
and for reducing our carbon footprint (carbon emissions) on God’s earth, in line with the Church of
England’s “Shrinking the Footprint” initiative, to enable us to tackle, in faith, practice, and mission,
the urgent issue of climate change, (see www.shrinkingthefootprint.cofe.anglican.org)

3. Resolves
a) With reference to report point 4.1.2, that draft stripping and curtains on all doors be reviewed
and renewed where necessary.
b) With reference to report point 4.1.3, that we check with the Diocesan Church House architect
on the minimum heat required to keep the structure of the church sound.
c) With reference to report point 4.2.1.1, that the candle bulbs used for the choir lamps and the
chandeliers are replaced with compact fluorescent versions, and with reference to report 4.2.1.2,
that the twenty spotlights are replaced with compact fluorescent alternatives, as and when
replacements are needed.
d) With reference to report point 6, that the wardens investigate switching to green tariff electricity.
e) That a cycle rack is installed by a church wall.

4. Notes that on renewable energy systems, (report point 5), the church is well positioned to take
advantage of wind power, that our south facing roof could be suitable for solar technologies and
that a PV system could be installed; but that as the economic return on existing solar technology
would be small, and as more efficient technologies are being developed, decides that no action is
taken this year but that a small group is set up to consider solar, wind and other renewable
sources to report back in a year’s time.

5. Aims at St Peter’s being a carbon-neutral church by 2015.

Latest News from Churches

Maranda — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 10:48:48 +0000

Do you have a story about what your church is doing? Send it in -- perhaps you can inspire others!

What Can My Church Do?

Maranda — Tue, 29 May 2007 10:11:27 +0000

Supporting the MDGs can be part of the Church's broader response to the challenges of global poverty. Here are some suggestions for how your church might get involved:

Pray. Bringing our concerns about global poverty before God is an essential part of our Christian response.
- Micah Challenge sends out a weekly prayer email, which offers a statistic related to the MDGs as a particular point for prayer and reflection. Why not use that as a part of your weekly prayers in church? Or, if you already use another agency's prayer diary, try to link the specific projects or people that you are asked to pray for to action on the MDGs.
- A special service can be a good way of really highlighting global poverty, our response to it generally, and the need to pray and campaign for implementation of the MDGs. Micah Challenge has special Sundays (the last was on 20 May) with liturgical materials prepared for them -- you can use these at other times, too! This October 17, too, there will be another chance to "stand up against poverty" -- could you perhaps schedule a service on that day (a Wednesday) or on the following Sunday? Or check out the "U2charist" and other suggestions in our "praying and preaching" website.

Study and Reflect together. There are many fine Lent courses, Bible studies and books that deal with the Christian response to global poverty, some of which include material about the Millennium Development Goals. Why not try one with your house group? Some suggestions include:
- Act Justly, from Christian Aid
- reflections from the worship material for Live Simply
- "What does the Bible say about poverty" from Methodist Relief and Development Fund
- the Micah Challenge reflections or the "Half-Time" reflections originally written to cover the seven weeks from Pentecost 2007 to 07/07/07.
- Edward Newell and Sabina Alkire's What Can One Person Do? (which focuses precisely on the Christian response to poverty through the MDGs)
- Graham Gordon's "What If You Got Involved? Taking a Stand against Social Injustice"
- Steve de Gruchy "Introducing the United Nations Millennium Declaration"

Campaign alongside other Christians worldwide by joining the Micah Challenge and supporting GCAP and the UN Millennium Campaign.
- To see how your church can join the Micah Challenge, go to Micah UK's "how to join" page.
- To see what the UK GCAP coalition is doing and to get involved, go to the page for "Your Voice Against Poverty"
- To see the latest news on the UN Millennium Campaign and 2007's "Stand Up and Speak Out!" go to the webpage for the Millennium Campaign.

Adopt a goal, and make research, prayer and action on it part of your church's mission.
- One city church went through the goals and felt particularly called to respond to #2 -- universal primary education. They decided to donate to a church agency that helps buy school uniforms and supplies for girls. It's a practical contribution to making the goals happen. The combination of prayer, research, advocacy and practical action is a powerful one!

Raise awareness in imaginative ways! Fran Chandler, the Anglican World Development Adviser for Kensington, has done prayer stations and flower festival displays on MDG-related themes. . . . a great way to reach people who might not otherwise become involved. The Diocese of Leicester is planning a special performance of the Poverty Requiem on 17 October. What could you do?

What Can My Church Do?

Maranda — Tue, 08 May 2007 13:44:04 +0000

Pray

Your church can pray for justice in trade as part of its prayers for justice throughout the world. Some suggestions for prayers can be found on our "praying and preaching on trade issues" page.

Study

Think about the theology of trade. You might want to take the Church of England report on trade justice, the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance papers on trade, or the trade section of Christian Aid's "Act Justly" resource as a starting point. Or go back a little and take a look at some Christian theologians: does what Thomas Aquinas says about just prices have any relevance for us today? Or read Wesley's sermon on the use of money, which contains much meat for discussion. Do you agree with it? Or not?

Find out more about the practice of trade today. It is probably good to focus on a particular area, as the issues at stake are so complex that finding out about "trade" is rather a tall order! You might want to look at the EPAs negotiations, for example, or to follow the trading patterns and difficulties of a particular country. Use the resources in our "resources" page to help you, or contact CCOW for more. And don't forget the expertise within your congregation! You may well have people who have considerable understanding -- either through their work or their life experience -- of trade issues related to development. You could perhaps ask some of these people whether they would be willing to share their thoughts and reflections.

Find out more about trade in a country where you have a church link

One very good way of immersing yourself in trade issues is to find out more about a country with which you have links. Seek out resources and news items that discuss the issues particular to that country (CCOW can help) and speak with the people in the link to find out more from them. You might even want to undertake some shared advocacy and/or prayer! The Diocese of Bath and Wells has done this very successfully with Christian partners in Zambia, and the Diocese of Oxford is looking at ways to link up with Kimberley and Kuruman.

Take a second look at your refreshments . . .

Trade issues are complex and not always easy to understand. Some churches find it helpful to begin from something more familiar, like the Fair Trade refreshments they serve. You might, for example, use Fairtrade coffee as the launching point to discuss some of the issues around trade in commodities. Or a packet of Fairtrade sugar could help you to look at some of the problems with protectionist set-ups like the EU sugar regime. And don't forget to add the milk! That's a call to look at both some of the issues surrounding the prices farmers in this country get for their goods, the concept of food miles, the power of multiple supermarkets and also at export subsidies, seeing whom they harm and asking whom they actually help. If you'd like help making these connections, get in touch with CCOW.

Take a campaign action

If you feel that this is the right thing to do, ask members of your church to take a campaign action. CAFOD, Tearfund and Traidcraft have some good ideas on their campaign pages.

What Can My Church Do?

Maranda — Mon, 07 May 2007 19:00:07 +0000

CCOW has published a resource entitled "To Restore Hope," which you can download at the bottom of this page. It offers the stories of local churches and Christians who have become involved with HIV/AIDS work. The stories are inspiring -- and you're invited to join in! Some more suggestions for action might include . . . .

Pray regularly for
- people living with HIV and AIDS and for those who care for and about them
- wisdom for government leaders to make policies that allow universal access to AIDS treatments
- an end to the stigma and exclusion that are so destructive
- children who have been orphaned through AIDS and are at risk
- success for programmes that are combatting mother-to-child transmission

Be creative in your prayers. Tearfund has suggestions for creative prayer (see our "Praying and Preaching" pages . . . or you could ask people to meditate on one of the posters from the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance (see our Resources page) . . .

Hold a special service for World AIDS Day. Use the resources available from our "Praying and Preaching" pages, or others. Perhaps you might want to focus on using resources that come from an area with which your church has a link. Perhaps you'd like an outside speaker. CCOW can help with both . . . .

Have an exhibition of materials from Christian AIDS campaigns around the world. CCOW has materials from Africa and Asia that you can borrow. They show what different churches are doing -- and help us to see how important it is that we join in.

The G8 promised that there would be universal access to AIDS treatment by 2010, but we're nowhere near there yet. Take actions as a church in the "Access Denied" campaign. Write to your MP, sign postcards, hand around a petition . . . join the voices who are calling world leaders to hold to their promises (See the Campaigns around HIV and AIDS page for details)

Support agencies in the work that they are doing to help those affected by HIV and AIDS and to prevent further infections. Ask the agencies you support what they are doing and how you can help out. If you'd like some suggestions on agencies you can support, contact CCOW.

Find out what your link church is doing to work on HIV and AIDS and see how you can support it. Contact CCOW for help with this.

What Can My Church Do?

Maranda — Sun, 06 May 2007 07:27:52 +0000

Raising Awareness

If your church is new to debt issues -- or if it participated in Jubilee 2000 but thinks that the issue is now resolved -- it might be good to raise awareness of what the ongoing issues are, perhaps through

including prayers about debt in theyour regular services or planning a full service around debt,
inviting a speaker to talk during and/or after a service,
using some Bible studies about debt in your home group,
displaying material about debt in the church, or
including a theological reflection or news about one of the latest campaigns in your service leaflet or church magazine

You can find the resources for all of these in our praying and preaching section or by contacting CCOW or JDC. The prayer page also has a link to Merryn Hellier's "Praying in Public Places," a prayer walk in which church groups visit local surgeries or hospitals, schools and other locations to reflect on and pray about the impacts of debt on people in developing countries. It's a powerful service -- and act of witness.

Jubilee Congregations

If your church is ready to make a commitment to ongoing prayer and action on debt, consider becoming a Jubilee Congregation. Jubilee Congregations agree to "affirm the aims of the Jubilee Debt Campaign in their work to free poor people and countries from the burden of unjust and unpayable debt, pray for justice for the world’s poorest communities, provide a contact person to facilitate education and action on debt, make an appropriate annual donation for the work of the Jubilee Debt Campaign, and take at least one action a year on debt as a congregation." In return, the Jubilee Debt Campaign undertakes to resource the church by sending an action pack and certificate, news updates four to six times a year, and information about worship materials on the JDC website. You can find out more and sign up at the JDC website page on Jubilee Congregations.

Focusing on the Impact of Debt on Partnership Links

Whatever you do, if your church has partnership links with an area that is affected by debt, it may be particularly effective to focus on what is happening in that area. For example:

the Wessex Synod of the United Reformed Church is linked with Zambia. Jubilee Zambia has plentiful material explaining what the impact of debt on Zambia has been, and further stories can be found through the Jubilee Congregations Handbook put together by Jubilee USA and the Anglican Diocese of Bath and Wells, which is also linked with Zambia.

CCOW also has a more recent piece about debt, the results of debt relief, and the continuing problems with trade that was written by Saul Banda from Jubilee Zambia; portions of this were excerpted in the church materials for Stand Up Against Poverty, and you can receive the full text from CCOW.
The Mothers' Union in the Diocese of Oxford is linked to several dioceses in Nigeria. There is a campaign, New Start Nigeria, that focuses on Nigeria's debt.

Contact CCOW if your church has a link with a particular area and you would like information about debt in that area.

What Can I / My Church Do

Maranda — Fri, 04 May 2007 08:01:45 +0000

God made the world in all its splendour, power and diversity out of love. The Earth and all its creatures and humankind are bound to each other in a web of interrelationship with God, who gave the responsibility to care for His created works to humans.

In our eagerness to "progress" and "develop" have we lost sight of the finite and delicate nature of the Earth and humanity's place in it? Do we recognise that we are but part of God's great plan. You can reduce your own carbon footprint by:

Switching to renewable energy
Eliminating waste
Rethinking your transport
Considering your Air travel requirements
Adapting your lifestyle (eg food choices, water usage ,and waste recycling)

Testing Your Footprint

The following websites offer information on your carbon footprint:

www.imeasure.org.uk is a tool designed by the Environmental Change Institute at Oxford University which enables you to monitor and learn about your domestic energy use and carbon emissions.

www.carboncalculator.org enables you to calculate the impact of your flight, and your car journeys by adding the carbon cost and the price if offsetting.

www.coinet.org.uk is the Climate Outreach and Information Network (COIN), based at Oxford University. In particular, COIN invites you to accept the carbon challenge to live within the personal limit of 2.5 tonnes of CO² at www.coinet.org.uk/projects/challenge/measure

Select the link labelled 'Church Action' to download information on lighting, heating and church transport as well as 'green' energy suppliers which you may use to help reduce your church's carbon footprint.

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Church Action.pdf	101.42 KB

What Can My Church Do?

Maranda — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 17:26:37 +0000

When a church supports Fair Trade, it makes a clear statement for justice.

The Fairtrade Foundation’s “Fairtrade Churches” programme offers an official way for churches to demonstrate their commitment to Fair Trade. More than 4,000 Fairtrade Churches have already been certified.

At present you can apply for a Fairtrade Church certificate if the appropriate Council or Church meeting has agreed that your church will:

i. use Fairtrade tea and coffee for all meetings for which you have responsibility.

ii. move forward on using other Fairtrade products (such as sugar, biscuits, fruit)

iii. promote Fairtrade during Fairtrade Fortnight – and through other activities whenever possible. (Fairtrade Fortnight is generally the first two full weeks in March.)

For further information from the Fairtrade Foundation, click here .
For frequently asked questions about the Fairtrade Church criteria, click here .

Many local denominational bodies have Fairtrade campaigns that your church can join.
To find out about . . .
the Anglican Diocese of Oxford's Fairtrade Diocese campaign, click here.
the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth's Fairtrade Diocese campaign, click here.
the United Reformed Church Wessex Synod's Fairtrade campaign, click here and then click on "Our Work" and "Church in Society"

Another way of supporting and promoting Fair Trade is through participation in "The Big Brew," a series of events held over the course of one week in Fairtrade Fortnight. "The Big Brew" is co-sponsored by Traidcraft and local agencies and denominations -- and provides a wonderful opportunity to raise awareness of Fair Trade in your church and community.

Holding a Big Brew event is easy. You choose the kind of event, any beneficiaries, the location and the time. The only criteria are that your event must:

be registered with Traidcraft
be called "The Big Brew" and take part during the designated period
involve serving Fairtrade beverages and
be publicised with official "Big Brew" materials

Beyond that, let your imagination go! Last year's Big Brew saw Fairtrade coffee after pram services (right) and "at home" events. The "trolley dollies" of one village church decked their new tea trolley with Big Brew posters and invited the whole village into post-service refreshments.

Click on the titles for coverage of the 2007 Big Brew in The Door and Christian Today .

Big Brew 2008 was a tremendous success with around 150 events: Congratulations to all who participated! Stay tuned for plans for Big Brew 2009 . . . . .

But these are only a few ways of supporting and promoting Fair Trade . . . and churches in our area are doing so much more. To find out what they are doing, click on any of the headings under "What Can My Church Do" in the left hand column.

Top photographs courtesy of the Fairtrade Foundation, www.fairtrade.org.uk