St Peter and St Paul’s Church, Edenbridge, is celebrating achieving Gold Eco Church status.
The Eco Church scheme, organised by Christian environmental charity A Rocha UK, helps churches take practical steps to address their environmental impact across a range of areas, with Gold the highest level.
At a special service held at the end of the summer, Hilary Morgan, a Reader and member of the church’s Green Team, shared the news with the congregation saying:
“We did it! We all did it. You came along with us, and that is why we have been awarded this highest award for our sustainability efforts.”
As only the second church within the Diocese of Rochester to gain A Rocha UK’s Gold award, Bishop Jonathan Gibbs, the Bishop of Rochester, paid tribute to the team:
“This is truly a fantastic achievement, and I offer my sincere congratulations to all in the Green Team at Edenbridge, as well as the entire congregation, for all they have and all they are continuing to do, to live out their Christian duty to care for and steward God’s beautiful creation.”
He added:
“The climate crisis is real and present. We only need to think about the extreme weather conditions we are increasingly experiencing here in the UK as a sign of that.
"It’s why all the practical steps - big and small - that churches across the Diocese are taking to reduce their environmental impact are so important, and why achievements like those of Edenbridge serve as a huge inspiration to all of us to just keep going, as it really does make a difference.”
Thanks to their small but dedicated Green Team, the church at Edenbridge has been working hard since 2016 to improve its carbon footprint and to change people’s mindset on the environment and living sustainably.
Watch a short film about how Edenbridge has been working to become a Gold Eco Church.
Reflecting on the journey, Jacquie Hill, Churchwarden, and a key member of the church’s Green Team, says:
“The whole congregation has been so supportive of the steps we have been taking to play our part in taking care of God’s planet.
“Although it has been a long journey, we feel people really do now understand why we need to change and limit the damage to our beautiful blue planet.”
Despite the challenge of a 900-year-old-plus building, the church has taken several steps to improve its energy efficiency, as Hilary, explains:
“We decided to stop floodlighting the church every day; we have installed light sensors in those areas where people forget to turn off the lights; and we have replaced our lightbulbs with LED light bulbs.
"We have also inserted a hippo into our cistern in the toilets to reduce the amount of water used, and we compost our teabags and recycle as much waste as possible.”
They have also looked at the building itself, installing a secondary door on to the porch so less heat is lost.
Photo: Green Team members, Jacquie (left) and Hilary (right) with the Eco Church Gold Award.
Outside, a designated ‘Eco area’ in the Churchyard has been left to re-wild, becoming a haven for wildlife and plants.
Informing the congregation about the impact of such initiatives and communicating with them about environmental issues has also been vital, says Jacquie:
“We provide weekly Eco-tips to the congregation and regularly talk about environmental issues at our services.
“Indeed, care of creation is a key part of our worship throughout the year, whether that is with children, young people, or older people - Hilary has even written a section of the confirmation prep material to include the care of God’s earth.”
“Our next objective,” says Jacquie, “is to install solar panels on the roof. It is a big project, but we know that this is the right thing to do and will enable us to become more self-sufficient.”
Photo: A bug hotel in the wild garden area of the churchyard.
Linda and Gill who came from the A Rocha team to assess the efforts of the church say they were truly impressed with what the entire team has achieved, and are confident that St Peter and Paul’s eco journey won’t stop with the Gold award:
“Edenbridge is clearly a church that uses people’s skills, interest and talents to further the work of creation care.
"There is a strong global engagement in this church and a real concern for the impact of climate change, with a focus on hope and what can be achieved by human beings working together to change things.”
For Helena, a young member of the parish, the need for the church to act on climate change is clear:
“For future generations, if we don’t care now, we won’t have a world to live in. And if future generations ever find another world, they need to not mess it up like this one!”
So, for those churches who may be thinking about signing up to Eco Church, Jacquie and Hilary have this encouragement:
“We would certainly encourage every Church to start on this journey – small changes can make a bigger impact than people think towards a better and more sustainable Church environment!"
And for those already on the journey?
“Just keep going! We know it can be tough, but it really is worth it.”