A church going ‘green’

Synod responds to climate change

The Standing Committee of the Uniting Church's Synod of New South Wales and the ACT, meeting in November, made initial steps towards meeting emission reduction targets. READ ON

Project Green Church mini-documentary now available

A new 18-minute documentary on the Project Green Church story is now available. Project Green Church is the grass roots environmental project of Maroubra Junction Uniting Church.

The documentary is a fantastic resource for churches and other groups that want to take action on environmental issues, and are looking for some practical ideas on how to make a start.

The documentary covers Project Green Church’s activities in three main sections — buildings and property, possession and skill sharing, and mission and outreach. The documentary is ideal to show to your congregation, church council, or small group.

Visit http://www.mjuniting.org.au/greenchurch to view the documentary online, or contact projectgreenchurch@gmail.com (phone 02 9344 0055) to request a free DVD copy.

Grey water treatment system at Maroubra Junction

In 2007, Maroubra Junction Uniting Church received a Community Water Grant of $33,636 from the federal government. The money was used to install two top of the range grey water treatment systems for Corio House (the church’s student accommodation), and to promote the initiative and water conservation in general to the broader community. READ ON

Uniting Earthweb

Uniting Earthweb is a network of Uniting Church people within NSW and the ACT who work for a greater connection between ecology and Christian faith and practice, including through theological study, the arts, worship, and practical projects and campaigns. READ ON Contact Miriam Pepper on m_d_pepper@yahoo.com.au for more information about Uniting Earthweb or a copy of the latest email bulletin.

Church Resources Greening Communities program

Church Resources is a charitable trust that helps non-profit organisations with procurement. Its new program Greening Communities helps places of worship and other non-profit groups to procure environmental product solutions, involving water conservation and reuse, energy from renewable sources, and energy efficiency. Church Resources can help you to access these products in a cost and time effective manner. You can join the Eco Demand register for solar power (photovoltaic panels), solar hot water, water tanks, grey and black water recycling, energy efficient fittings (for example energy saving light bulbs), water efficient fittings, and GreenPower. For more information, click here.

Climate change: faith and action

A report by the Justice and International Mission Unit of the Synod of Victoria and Tasmania. This paper aims to assist Uniting Church members and the general community in understanding the causes and impacts of climate change and what action we can take to try to reduce the potentially harmful effects. READ ON

WA Uniting Church Centre goes green

The Western Australian Synod of the Uniting Church has moved a step closer to its aim of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, as it begins an energy audit of its administrative hub, the Uniting Church Centre. READ ON

Green church: sustaining creation

Resources from the WA Synod. READ ON

Greening the church email network

Are you interested in “greening” the church? Would you like to share ideas and experiences with like-minded people? Please contact Miriam Pepper by email on m_d_pepper@yahoo.com.au if you would like to join a new email network of Uniting Church people in New South Wales and the ACT who are interested in questions of faith, ecology, and action.

Climate project

Denistone East Uniting Church minister David Reichardt says his experience meeting former US Vice President Al Gore and being personally trained to communicate the complex issues around climate change has provided space to examine the relationship between being evangelical and how that relates to environmentalism. READ ON

Climate change report card online

In the lead-up to the federal election, the Climate Institute has released its final report card comparing the climate change policies of the major parties. READ ON Click here for a downloadable copy of the report card to take to the polling booth on Saturday.

Christian call to action on climate change

On Saturday November 2, Maroubra Junction Uniting Church presented a declaration on climate change to local MP Peter Garrett and local Mayor Bruce Notley-Smith. A copy was also sent to Malcolm Turnbull. “We feel it is a practical way to display to the politicians that as Christians we are called to be stewards of God’s good creation,” said congregation member Geoff Callaghan. READ ON

Faith leaders call for greenhouse pollution targets

Thirteen Australian faith leaders including have called for targets to reduce greenhouse pollution by between 60 and 90 per cent by 2050 and a clean energy target of 25 per cent by 2020. READ ON

Journeying in green discipleship

Project Green Church, Maroubra Junction Uniting Church’s grass roots sustainability project, has come along in leaps and bounds since it started 18 months ago. READ ON

Agriculture for the future: a spiritual perspective

The Rev. Dr Robyn McPhail, President of the International Rural Christian Association, and Karen Pearce f rom the CSIRO were keynote speakers at the Agriculture for the future, spirituality with the land one-day workshop held in Dubbo in September. READ ON to find out some of what they had to say.

Seven steps to sustainability

The religions of Australia have a shared sense of moral purpose on global warming. Follow these seven steps to help turn this shared purpose into action and start leading by example. READ ON

Project Green Church on the the ABC

Maroubra Junction Uniting Church is taking a lead with Project Green Church which aims to reduce the church's environmental impact. READ ON

Climate faith appointment

The Climate Institute has appointed a Faith Project Officer in recognition of the powerful role individuals and organisations of faith play in addressing climate change. READ ON

Campbelltown works on its footprint

In December 2006, the congregation at Campbelltown Uniting Church voted to make 2007 the “Year of Greening”. Campbelltown Uniting Church has five community service programs, including supported accommodation for adults with intellectual disabilities, a medium-long term residential accommodation service for young men aged 14 to 18, and a literacy centre to provide remediation for students with learning difficulties. READ ON

Eco-village for Sydney

Truly ecologically sustainable living is on its way to Sydney. Illabunda Village, set on a two hectare property in Winston Hills, is a new residential housing project which encourages social, environmental and economic sustainability. READ ON

How many light bulbs does it take to change a Christian?

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has endorsed a booklet encouraging Christians to play their part in helping to stop climate change. Aiming to counter the idea that stark warnings on the state of the environment seem too colossal for individuals to make any real difference, the book — called How many Lightbulbs Does it Take to Change a Christian? — argues that Christians not only can have an impact by adapting their lifestyle, but also have a moral duty to do so. READ ON

For the sake of the planet

The National Assembly has approved a proposal to go green. In November 2006 the Assembly Standing Committee adopted the statement, For the sake of the planet: A Uniting Church in Australia Statement on Climate Change. At its March meeting, the Assembly Standing Committee considered a report detailing how the Assembly could put the principles of that statement into effect in its own life. READ ON

Blaxland goes green

Located in the lower part of the heritage-listed Blue Mountains, Blaxland is surrounded by national parks. It is fitting then Blaxland Uniting Church is getting involved with Project Green Church. READ ON

Climate change appeal

Religious groups including the World Council of Churches and the US National Council of Churches have joined international companies and civic groups in backing a major statement on climate change. The statement, “The Path to Climate Sustainability”, by the Global Roundtable on Climate Change, a coalition of more than 150 groups, called for governments to set “scientifically informed targets” for reducing greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide emissions. It urged “a concerted effort to de-carbonise the global energy system”, including an increase in the of non-fossil fuel energy sources. It also recommended a market price to be placed on carbon emissions in order to award energy efficiency. See www.earthinstitute.columbia.edu/grocc/.

God from the Ground Up!

Sydney North Presbytery’s Earth Ministry is a response to the need felt by many Christians to recognise the riches of God's creation and to address from a Christian perspective the environmental problems of our society.

The Rev. David Reichardt of the Denistone East congregation says the Earth Ministry concept can and should lie at the heart of our life as a church.

“It’s missional. It’s ecumenical. It’s something the whole church needs to be involved in, and it’s something e can do together — proclaim God’s glory in nature and call all people to love and care for God’s creation.” READ ON EARTH MINISTRY

The New South Wales election: vital issues for the electorate

The NSW Ecumenical Council is raising concerns about three vital social issues — including environmental sustainability — in the lead up to the New South Wales election. READ ON

Groundbreaking framework to fight climate change

The World Council of Churches has endorsed a groundbreaking climate change statement, fruit of an unprecedented consensus among high-level representatives of the corporate world as well as civil, religious and educational institutions. READ ON

Greening Bega

When Bob Grasby and his wife read about green power in the newsletter that came with their electricity bill, they decided to switch to green power in their home. READ ON

Maroubra Junction gets solar hot water

Next time you’re flying over Maroubra and coming into land at Mascot, you may notice an extra glint of sunshine reflecting back up at you from the rooves of the student accommodation of Maroubra Junction Uniting Church. READ ON

Moderator exhorts congregations go to green

The Moderator of the Synod of New South Wales and the ACT of the Uniting Church, Mr Jim Mein, has written to all congregations in New South Wales and the ACT strongly encouraging them to switch to Green Power. READ ON In October, the 2006 meeting of the Synod asked all congregations, presbyteries and agencies to make one, simple and practical first step to help stop polluting the air and stop global warming: switch to Green Power. READ ON

Church's attack on greenhouse gas not just hot air

The Uniting Church is poised to become that nation's first to buy into a carbon credit scheme to compensate for the greenhouse emissions generated by its leaders' air travel. READ ON

Your World, O God, grows warmer – a hymn in response to global warming

The Rev. Peter Holden has written a hymn which can be used as a liturgical resource by congregations to respond to and reflect on the problem of global warming.

The hymn may be freely used in the context of worship provided that acknowledgement is made to the writer.

Click here to download a PDF of the hymn, and here to download a midi file of the tune (8KB).

For more information, contact Peter Holden on holdens@bigpond.net.au.

Green Power congregations

Synod has encouraged all its congregations, presbyteries and agencies to switch to government accredited "Green Power". Synod agreed that, as a church, it had a moral and theological imperative, as stewards of the earth, to be actively concerned with environmental issues. » READ ON

Switching to green power

Is your congregation ready to make the switch to green power? Click here to find out how.

God from the Ground Up!

How Earth Ministry and the Waterlines project is helping share the gospel for the whole earth. » READ ON

Book: Through Ecological Eyes

This volume has a wealth of sermon ideas to connect the images of creation mentioned in the Bible with local worship and action » READ REVIEW

Greening Maroubra

Maroubra Junction Uniting Church is undergoing a green transformation. "Project Green Church" — a multi-layered project to make the church more ecologically sustainable — has been endorsed by Member for Kingsford Smith and Shadow Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Heritage, Peter Garrett. » READ ON

What kind of environmental parents are we?

This is my brief: to spend a month living sustainably and to describe how I go. There are many, many guides and ten-step plans for household sustainably, and I take my cue from these. » READ ON

Movie: An Inconvenient Truth

“Green” and “activist” aren’t the first words usually associated with high-level American politicians. But when Al Gore lost the 2000 election, he shifted gears to see how one can make a difference to the world when you’re not President of the United Sates. » READ REVIEW

Share your story

Is your congregation taking some action to reduce its impact on the environment? We'd love to share your story with the rest of the church. Send some details of what you are doing to stephenw[at] nsw [dot] uca [dot] org [dot] au

Links

Uniting Church links:

Uniting Earthweb | UnitingCare InfoAction sheet on Living Sustainably | Earth Ministry | Waterlines project | Maroubra Junction's green church project

Australian links

Overseas links