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Eco Church Click here to see upcoming Eco Church events at St John's History of Eco Church at St John's Methodist Church Some of us had been talking about Eco Church for a quite while. It is a scheme organised by the charity A Rocha which gives awards. We finally held a meeting to plan for Eco Church in July 2019. We looked at the online form and filled it in. By the end of 2019 we had achieved our bronze award. In March 2022 we gained the silver award. Since then we have been working for the gold level. Two people came from A Rocha to see the church and meet the Eco-Team on 14th December 2023 and shortly after we were delighted to hear we had carried out, or were doing enough things to gain gold level. We will have an event in the new year to mark this. To gain an award a church has to show they have carried out activities in five areas:
You can see our application form that we sent in for Gold here. It tells you what we have been doing in detail. Now that we have gained gold we will still keep on working to be greener, and take more Care of God's World. I will make a diary of what we do from 1 Jan 2024 It might have been good if we had kept a diary from the start. (I have put pictures about bigger events on this website as a matter of general news). However in the New Year I will also try and put up a few pictures just some of the things we did to gain Gold. - We can't put them all - it is very detailed, and you can see the details in the application here. Major events include our "Let's Talk Local Day" in 2023 and our Let's Talk Rubbish Day" in 2022; The setting up of the Jubilee Garden/Eco-Garden at the back of the church. You might be thinking of getting your church to enter for Eco Church. Here is what some of our team said after the evaluation. Bruce: I feel that working towards the Eco Church award has raised awareness of caring about nature in our locality and how important it is to be good stewards of all the resources we have been blessed with. I found it very interesting that Tim talked about a more relaxed approach to speaking to folk about conservation and environmental issues. We can be encouragers and examples in caring about our surroundings.
It has been very encouraging for us to find so many people interested in taking different kinds of action to reduce our carbon footprint. I would like to think we could continue to grow these interests and I think doing some kind of diary of our activities would be great.
Jill: Involving the church members in the iniatative was important. People often think what difference they can make as a collective we can do so much more. Through conversation and visual displays everyone had the opportunity to watch how Eco initiatives matter and how they can make an ecological enhancement to our church and associated land. The iniative demonstrated everyone has a part to play in both contributions and improving awareness .
From a community perspective
As they say... Every little helps
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Diary: January: 1. January: Angela to monitor birds in church garden. (Then once each month) - maybe for RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2024 26-28 Jan 2. 4 Jan: Celebratory meal; Christine showed us the embroidery panel she has made which will go to the Methodist Tapestries Exhibition at the Weardale Museum High House, Ireshopeburn, DL13 1HD For St John's Methodist Church. We are now eligible to include a gold oak leaf at the centre for Eco Church. 3. Sun 7 Jan - Philip showed some of us his ideas on developing in the future the Jubilee/Eco Garden and having four points/corners of interest - highlighting earth, water, wind and fire. 4. Thur 11 Jan: Eco Group Planning Meeting 5. Fri 21 Jan - Building Eco Surveyor to survey our church buildings and give recommendations about how we can become more carbon neutral. 6. Mon 29 Jan: This month the Carbon Footprint / Lifestyle questionnaires hould have been distributed this month at church. BG and PT to complete the Carbon360 calculation. 7. Mon 29 Jan: Philip to arrange a date in March for the trip to Allerton Wast Centre (By 5 Feb:- Date now planned: 26 March) 8. Mon 29 Jan: Angela to update Lent Carbon Fast table ready to be given out before Lent (By 5 Feb:-Bruce and Angela have made a carbonfast table) 9. Mon 29 Jan: Sandy Tod to make powerpoint about church efforts to become arbon neutral and about eco church activities. Sandy will create a PowerPoint which shows how a church can embark on the journey. (By Tue 31: Sandy showed the presentation at Embsay) 10. Mon 29 Jan: Judith to produce draft "Booklet as is / spreadsheet of Local Products" See Local Products Blog (By 5 Feb: still in progress) 11, Mon 29 Jan: Jill to arrange a meeting on a Friday for BG, JA and AB in the Eco-group to go to the primary school most likely on a Friday afternoon? Mon 29 Jan: Hall users meeting in the evening.(At this Ann metndionst the Eco Group and recylcing facilities in the church) Tues 31 Jan: Meeting of St John's Eco Group with the Eco Church group at Embsay Church
----------------------------------------- February: Thur 1 Feb: 1st Day of Month Climate Walk. (Then once each month)
Foss Gill. Once we got back onto dry land and a seat we spent ten minutes reading sections from the Resource sheet (just put online that morning) by Pray and Fast for the Climate 1 Feb. Then I remembered how at Embsay the previous day how the Embsay group had told us how successful it was when they had the primary school chidren doin surveying for "Churchyard counts". They had asked the chidren to sit quietly for five minutes and then report back what they could hear and see. So we seaparated ourselves by 10 m or so and stayed in out own quite space for 5 minutes. -------------------------------------------- After this we walked to Airton and called in at the Quaker Meeting house. I have never been in here before - it was lovely - both the old meeting house, and the "Camping barn/dormitory and living room and kitchen which I think can hold about 12 people"
Then we went to Airton Farm Shop. where we had a very late lunch and bought some local products. Here some Brie cheese - made in Calton just half a mile a way that we had visited.
Sun 4 Feb: 11.50pm-12.10pm: Short talk by Judith Allinson at St John's Church on "The Big One" - The Climate and Nature Emergency Demonstrations co-ordinated by Extinction Rebellion and attended by over 60,000 people in April 2023 in London. There will be time after the main service 10.30-11.30 to grab a cup of coffee before returning to the church to watch the presentation. Judith will also mention a few significant religious pilgrimages about the environment she has attended in the past. Susan Wilson, the visiting minister's theme had been "prayer and pilgrimage" - and that just fitted in great as she gave me 2 min at the end of the service to explain what my presentation would be about.. essentially a pilgrimage to the Demonstartion at London organised by Extinction Rebellioin So everyone heard that bit. Then about 13 people stayed I will make a recording of the powerpoint and link to it here shortly.
Tue 6 Feb: Judith will attend the Justice Peace Planning meeting organised by Churches Together in Settle (The Next planning meeting is Tue 5 March 4pm)
Sat 10 Feb. Someone is coming from the Methodist Church to interview us. She is Anais Pedron and she works for the national Methodist Church in the Media Office and works for the Net Zero Project. I showed her the latest edition of the Magazine Green Christian. At the meeting Philip pointed to
Sat 10 Feb. Some of us will attend the ACE (Action for Climate emrgency meeting at Settle), held at St John's Methodist Church Sun 11 Feb: Hand out the Carbon Fast 2024 Lent Calendars at service Tue 13 Feb 10am: Eco Team Planning meeting. Thursday 15 Feb: Judith is organising the Craven Conservation Group Meeting with a talk on Limestone Pavement - given by Prof Carly Stephens of Lancaster University. This meeting is held in our church. (But is a secular non church meeting). Carly is also an expert on the effect of reactive nitrogen (Nitrogen oxides) on Grassland species. You can measure your nitrogen footprint here. FAQ on Nitrogen footprint
It followed on from their "Warm Space" session that day. Hellifield Church applied for their Bronze Eco Church Award shortly arter this and were awarded it. Well done!! FR 1 Mar - Angela checks Recycling jewelery box and other boxes monthly ----------------------------------------------------------- Fri 1 Mar -Early morning walk as 1st of the month walk not held. (Judith is going away later that day to attend a Green Christian Meeting in Sheffield that weekend)
Wed 6 March - we are pleased to see out Eco Garden Feature in a Fund raising appeal of Eco Church by A Rocha. Tue 12 March : Online Discussion organised by A Rocha with other chuches that have gained Eco Church godl. they are going to put a recoding online. Sandy, Phillop and Judith attended.
Thur 14 March 7pm - discussion about the day to be held in September on Farming
Sun 31 March: Outdoor service at 7.30am with Churches Together outside the Friends Meeting House. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mon 1 April - Easter Monday - 1st of month walk. Repeat of walk up Pen y Ghent. Pen y Ghent? Meet at 9.30am near the former Horton Primary School. Please contact Judith to book. - Bad weather forecast so cancelled.
Sat 20 April: Ground Nest Fest (all week till 21 April, mostly at the Folly) is using St John's Church Hall for many Activities on the Saturday. We have been invited to hold a stall/ run an activity. Volunteers from our church will sell teas. Sun 28 April: Sunday next to Earthday: Earthday Service Visiting Preacher Lesley Higson form Embsay with Eastby Church.:
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Wed 1 May: Climate Walk to Lord's Wood.
24 April: Eco Explorers restarts. future dates (mostly walks) : 8 May: Watery Lane 22 May: Malham Tarn 5 June 19 June 3 July 17 July Eco Explorers Day Camp: Lower Winskill Farm 28-29 August
Sun 1 Sept - Creationtide Service Sun 8 Sept - Creationtide Service Sun 15 Sept - Creationtide Service Sun 22 Sept - Creationtide Service
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Wed 6 March - St John's Coffee Morning for Rainforest Fund raised £200: £132 from the coffee, £68 from Sale of cards. £100 to be given to World Land Trust, £100 to A Rocha Ghana. Jill baked cakes, chris baked scones,. Philip and Chris ran the kitchen, Judith sold cards and welcomed people.