A new scheme has been launched to continue the ongoing commitment of the Methodist Church to reducing its impact on God’s creation. Eco Circuit and Eco District awards have been developed to support the growing interest in Eco Church. The new awards have been developed by the Methodist Church and A Rocha UK, the organisation behind Eco Church, and are similar to the Church of England Eco Diocese award. They provide recognition of the concerns of circuits and districts in their care of creation and will encourage further local church engagement with Eco Church.
To become an Eco Circuit/Eco District, the circuit or district needs to:
- Have agreed environmental policy
- Be recording and celebrating individual environmental initiatives
- Have achieved the Eco Church Bronze level or above in the Buildings category for its district/circuit offices (where appropriate) and land (where appropriate)
- Have gained a number of Eco Church awards across the circuit or district
The full list of criteria is available on the A Rocha UK website.
The Rev Michaela Youngson, President of the Conference of the Methodist Church, said: "The urgency of the climate crisis is increasingly clear. As a nation we have begun to reduce carbon emissions but not nearly fast enough. I call on our government to put in place policies that will reduce our national carbon emissions to net zero as soon as possible.
"In the midst of this crisis I have come across many members in our churches who are responding in different ways. Some are taking action within their churches while others are working alongside others in the community. The Eco Church programme is a great way for us recognise these efforts. It is a simple and straightforward programme and I encourage every Methodist Church to consider becoming an Eco Church. Today the Methodist Church, with the support of A Rocha UK, is launching Eco Circuit and Eco District, enabling the Methodist Church to respond at every level."
Bala Gnanapragasam, Vice-President of the Conference of the Methodist Church said: "This year is the tenth anniversary of the publication of the report Hope in God’s Future at the Methodist Conference. Our hope is in a faithful God who delights in creation. This hope blossoms when we are turning words into action. The current Living Lent campaign gives us an opportunity to pray and reflect on changes that we can make in our lifestyles.
"Both Living Lent and Eco Church are opportunities for us to join with ecumenical partners. Now Methodist Circuits and Districts are able to join Eco Church alongside Church of England Dioceses and United Reformed Church Synods. Together, we can take action to protect God’s creation for future generations."
* Read the 2009 report Hope in God’s Future here
* Methodist Church https://www.methodist.org.uk/
* A Rocha UK eco church https://ecochurch.arocha.org.uk/
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