|  Saturday
12 April 2003 was a date to be remembered by members of
St. Luke's who received an
Eco-congregation
Award, sponsored by EnCams
and Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, from
Rt. Rev. James Jones, Lord Bishop of Liverpool.
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| "Your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven"
The more I have tried to
relate the Gospel to my work in urban regeneration, the
more convinced I am that the environment is central to the
mission of God. To lay waste to the creation through reckless
exploitation and irresponsible pollution is not just a crime
against humanity but a blasphemy because "all things
are created by and for" Christ (Colossians 1:16).
The
Rt Rev Dr James Jones. |
St. Luke's is in a very privileged
environment, surrounded by trees and with pinewoods and sand dunes
separating us from the beach. For the past 20 years at least we
have worked to care for the property on which the church is built,
and more recently we have formed a "Green Team" to lead
this work.
|  The
pictures show some members of our team receiving the award
from Bishop James Jones.
For
more information about our eco-work click
here |
|  The
receipt of this award is a great encouragement to all our
members. It is particularly pleasing because we believe
that we are the first church in the North of England to
get the award, but that also gives us more responsibility
to care for our environment.
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The Eco-Congregation Award is for churches
who have demonstrated that they have:
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Undertaken an environmental check-up.
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Integrated
creation care into their worship and spiritual life.
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Carried out some practical environmental initiatives.
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Worked with or impacted on their local community.
We
were commended for:
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The
outstanding woodland project in our Churchyard, which is a
major ecological initiative developed from the commitment
of the church and by working with and through the Sefton Coastal
Woodland Initiative of Sefton Council.
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The
enthusiasm and commitment of the Woodland Team.
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The
communication of the churches environmental ministry through
the Church Magazine, display material which is available to
other churches and the press.
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Church life which is in keeping with the woodland
setting, for example the holding of occasional outdoor services.
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The senses that the ministry of the church is influencing
member’s personal lifestyle.
-
The wider work in the parish exemplified by the church-led
clean-up of a local-litter strewn grot-spot.
Our
challenge is now to strengthen a much broader perspective of environmental
care with our congregation.
Related
websites:
Eco-congregation:
www.encams.org/ecocongregation
ENCAMS:
www.encams.org |
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