ECO Group

St. John’s Eco-Group

In our Mission Action Plan we recognise our obligations to the wider community by making connections between life and faith, especially on justice and environmental issues.

The Church has traditionally been good at being involved on issues of justice, but is nowhere near as good on environmental issues. We need to recognise that environmental malpractice and greed have an impact on our neighbours. In the parable the Good Samaritan gave practical help to the neighbour that he met. We need to recognise that our choices on environmental matters have an influence for good or ill on our neighbours now, and on members of future generations, who are still our neighbours although we have not met them. Environmental matters are thus questions of justice, and should form a mainstream part of our life as Christians.

St. John’s Eco-Group includes members of all ages, and its role is to encourage St. John’s congregation to see good environmental practice as part of their stewardship of God’s world, so that St. John’s can become an Eco-Congregation.

Eco-Congregation produce an environmental toolkit for churches in 12 modules, and the position St. John’s has reached is:

General

Worship

Good progress.

Theology

Good progress.

Children

In use and being introduced in Junior Church . Creation Garden .

Youth

Activities expected after Easter 2008.

Adult education

Environmental Lent course developed and used in 2000.

“Whose World” course used in 2008. “Challenging Issues” at evening service.

Environmental bookshelf.