Eco Congregations – South Kintyre Team Ministry

SOUTH KINTYRE TEAM MINISTRY ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY

We affirm these elements of our faith:

We affirm that the world and all that it contains was created by one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit and that we are but one part of this created order.

We affirm that, as individuals and communities, we have an important part to play in the care of the earth, of all human life and of God’s creatures.

Aim

As local churches in the Kintyre Team Ministry, we aim to take the practical steps necessary to realize the Fifth Mark of Mission, which is “to strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and to sustain the life of the earth”.

Objective

We will take environmental concerns into account in our worship and study, education and training pastoral and mission work, and in our administration.

Actions

As registered members of Eco-Congregation Scotland we will regularly consider how our spiritual, practical and global living honours our aims and objectives. In order to achieve this, we:

Have appointed two reps from each congregation to support the minister in leading our programme, bringing relevant environmental issues and concerns forward to the Kirk Session on a regular basis.
Include our concerns in our worship and teaching.
Support others in our local community when environmental issues are identified and highlight them to our congregations.
Keep electricity usage to a minimum by…

– using thermostats for temperature control

– fitting LED light bulbs

– turning off lights, appliances and computers when not in use

Reduce material consumption and the impact of our activities on the environment by…

– serving locally produced food where possible

– using email rather than sending hard copies

– using recycled paper

– using low environmental impact cleaning materials

Avoid using water unnecessarily, check for leakages, fit water minimising systems to taps and cisterns wherever practicable.
Assess our land and property for wildlife and manage them to conserve biodiversity.
Encourage individual members of our congregations to take actions in their personal lives to complement and supplement these actions of the church community.

USEFUL LINKS