Environment

“ Modern society will find no solution to the ecological problem unless it takes a serious look at its life-style. In many parts of the world society is given to instant gratification and consumerism while remaining indifferent to the damage which these cause… The seriousness of the ecological issue lays bare the depths of humanity’s moral crisis. If an appreciation of the value of the human person and of human life is lacking, we will also lose an interest in others and in the earth itself. Simplicity, moderation and discipline, as well as a spirit of sacrifice, must become part of everyday life, lest all suffer the negative consequences of the careless habits of a few… Today the dramatic threat of ecological breakdown is teaching us the extent to which greed and selfishness both – individual and collective – are contrary to the order of creation.”
        Pope John Paul II 1990 – Peace with God the Creator – Peace with All of Creation.

We see the beauty and pain of our fragile earth and recognise the interdependence of all creation. As co-creators of the earth, guardians of the planet, we commit ourselves to the task of preserving, healing and safeguarding the integrity of creation.

Responsive
to the anguish
of peoples and planet, and realising the interdependence between ourselves,
the earth and God,
we, stewards of
God’s creation,
allow the Spirit
to lead us to a
deeper appreciation
and respect for
the diversity
and the beauty
of our world
and the
balance of nature.
 

Accepting our God-given responsibility to care for the earth, we

• constantly thank God for the sacredness, wonders and beauty of creation.
• have a personal and corporate responsibility to be good stewards of God’s creation.
• commit ourselves as a congregation to using only the resources of the earth that are essential to our living with dignity and thus bear witness to the generosity of our provident God.
• commit ourselves to work for the well-being of peoples and planet by participating in the many initiatives available to us.
• join organisations that have as their focus the care of the earth and the support of all life.
• we encourage sustainable living programmes for energy, water, reforestation, transport, organic produce and waste disposal.
• educate ourselves, and others, to tread with gentle footsteps through all of creation.

We have knitted a river for WaterAid, joined with many other Religious Congregations to lobby Parliament on Climate Change and continue to pursue the ‘greening’ of our communities.

Great resources and information
can be obtained from
 www.operationnoah.org