Eco church logo and graphic
The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
Genesis 2:15 NIV

Eco Church is an award scheme for churches in England and Wales who want to demonstrate that the gospel is good news for God’s earth. It is run by A Rocha UK, a Christian charity working for the protection and restoration of the natural world, both as a response to the biblical mandate to care for the earth, and as a demonstration of the Christian hope for God’s world.

The scheme assesses how we are caring for God’s earth in different areas of church life:

  • Worship and teaching
  • Management of church buildings
  • Management of church land
  • Community and global engagement
  • Lifestyle

In February 2022, Stocksfield Baptist Church was awarded the Eco Church Bronze Award.

Photo of wild flowers

Climate Emergency Recognition

In June 2021 our church recognised the climate emergency to communicate our commitment to pursuing justice and loving our global neighbours who are already facing the worst of the climate emergency.

The intention is that this will re-energise our actions which have stalled due to the pandemic, and commits us to set SMART targets with timescales. There is broad agreement that the next 10 years offer an unrepeatable window of opportunity for action. By speaking up prophetically together we increase understanding of how urgent this is, inspiring more people to play their part, and encouraging national leaders to act with the necessary ambition.

Resources

Eco Church Home page
Eco Church Lifestyle Resources page
Try ‘Lifestyle Audit’ for more suggestions, including links to various websites.
WWF Footprint Calculator
A 5-minute calculator, not much detail but a useful start to see if you are doing better or worse than the average GB citizen, and suggestions for what else you might consider.
BBC Climate Change Food Calculator
A useful comparison tool for different foods.
Climate Stewards Carbon Footprint Calculator
This requires much detail, but it’s easy to put in just one item to determine its carbon equivalent.

Next steps

Get involved! Suggestions for practical action are displayed on the board in the Angus room.

For more information please contact Kathy Clegg