Bino Teboho Makhalanyane

As part of their service to the Lord the Diocesan Servers from Diocese ofJohannesburg met at St. James Anglican Church in Diepkloof Soweto for anenvironmental workshop.The day started off with Ms. Palesa Phayane ( Servers Environmental Affairs Coordinator) sharing the mission of having an environmentaldesk within the server’s guild. The dream is to not only grow trees or pray for theenvironment but to use this as on opportunity of restoring biodiversity while alsoputting up climate smart vegetable gardens at parishes. The produce could bedonate to local shelters, orphanage or used for parish soup kitchens. She also addedthat servers are known to be united, supportive and strong willed which is whystarting this initiative within the server’s guild gives a better chance of success. Theenvironmental initiative within the Diocesan servers guild has got both short term andlong term activities which have been outlined.Mr Bino Makhalanyane shared a presentation on the impacts and effects of climatechange under the theme of “The Earth is the Sanctuary of God”. He called onmembers of the servers’ guild , who are called to serve God within His Sanctuary tonot only limit themselves within church walls but to know and understand that thewhole earth is full of His Glory (Isaiah 6:3). Therefore we also have the responsibilityof taking care of our common home which is the earth .Attendees were then divided into six groups where each group had to design what apossible logo for the environmental desk within the diocesan Servers Guild wouldlook like.The day ended with a short wellness meditation.The motto for the Diocesan Servers Guild environmental initiative will be :PROTECT the environment so that we have a healthy place to live,PRESERVE so that future generations get to experience what we did,IMPROVE in order to enhance our lives and that of the other life forms around us Photo Credit : Ofentse Mogotsi

On Saturday 15 June 2024 over 80 young people from across the Diocese of Matlosane gathered together at the Diocesan Centre to celebrate nation youth day under the theme of Care for Creation . The day started of with an outside eucharist service lead by the Diocesan Bishop , where he encouraged the youth to new stop dream and chasing their dreams to become reality, but equally so they should learn to let go of things that keep hold one back from achieving the ultimate goal. He also encouraged the youth to take care of the environment by getting involved and embracing the Green Anglicans movement, as we only have one common home with all creation and need to therefore, they is a need to live in harmony with all creation. After the service the young people went into different groups for a bible study under the theme of :Generational Restoration , where they had to observe they’re surroundings and notice what has been broken, develop a plan and list action points. Part of the bible group discussions was for each group to look at how best young people can Recycle, Reuse and Reduce Plastic, Tins and Bottles. The day ended with the #Serethe challenges where the Bishop Diseko, Diocesan Servers Chaplain Revd Setlhafuno ,Diocesan Youth Coordinator Kgowe Moleme, Diocesan Green Anglicans Coordinator Ven. Peme and all young people took part as part of the provincial challenge .  Photo credit : Kgowe Moleme

Mothers Union in the Diocese of Lesotho had planned to commemorate World Environment Day on the 9th instead of 5th June 2024 as it fell within week day. Despite the freezing cold and snowy week, the St. Mary and John Parish in Maseru, had a session on the theme “Land, Restoration, Desertification and Drought Resilience” (translated in Sesotho), followed by comprehensive cleaning campaign of the church’s surroundings, de-weeding their existing flowering lawn and preparing soil for the additional new lawn. They appreciated the teamwork and unity brought by this day. They sung while working and shared their homemade meal afterwards. by: ‘Máseitshiro Khooe

  On the 05th June 2024 the Parish of St Peter’s Greenpoint hosted the Bishop and had the confirmation service that coincided with World Environment Day and as a symbol our of faith and commitment to caring for creation a small spekkebom plant was planted. #Careforcreation#EnvironmentalDay#CommunionForest#RadiatingChristslove#DioceseofKimbeley&Kururman by :Revd Tshenolo ,Ms.Kaone & Ms.Refilwe

Attending the FLEAT which took place at the Cape Town City Lodge  from the 21-24 May 2024  as a member of the Anglican Church was a transformative experience. The training brought together faith leaders from various denominations, united by a common purpose: to address environmental issues through the lens of faith and spirituality. One of the highlights was the rich exchange of ideas and perspectives. As Anglicans, we often emphasize stewardship of God’s creation, and it was inspiring to see this echoed in the teachings and practices of other faith traditions. We discussed how our faiths can dive environmental advocacy, focusing on the moral imperative to care for the earth and all its inhabitants. The workshops were particularly impactful. They provided practical tools and strategies for advocating for environmental policies within our communities and beyond. I left with a clearer understanding of how to effectively mobilize my congregation and engage with local and national leaders on environmental issues. Networking with fellow attendees was another significant aspect. Sharing experiences and challenges helped build a sense of solidarity and collective purpose. We developed a network of support that extends beyond the training, enabling ongoing collaboration and mutual encouragement in our advocacy efforts. The training also deepened my theological understanding of environmental stewardship. Through scripture study and theological reflection, we explored the biblical basis for environmental care, reinforcing that protecting the environment is not just a secular concern but a vital aspect of our faith practice. Overall, FLEAT was a profound experience that strengthened my commitment to environmental advocacy. It equipped me with the knowledge, skills, and spiritual grounding to lead my community in making a positive impact on the environment, aligned with our Anglican values. #SAFCEI Tshegofatso Lekgetho

NAIROBI SUMMER SCHOOL ON CLIMATE JUSTICE The Nairobi Summer School on Climate Justice Cohort III saw well over 200 young people from Africa and neighbouring continents come together for two full weeks of intensive learning and capacity building programmes which pushed us all our ultimate limit showing us that nothing is impossible when we work as a team. The Conference was organised by the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance ( PACJA) in partnership with Kenyatta University and was held at the University from the 3rd to 15th of July. This was the third cohort of young people to be trained.  Our major focus for the two weeks was around issues of Climate Justice at a global level and how Africa fits in as one of the most affected continents by Climate Change. Africa also  has a high number of young people who need to adapt to the current crisis, while always advocating for justice and growing our economies.  During the two weeks one was able to clearly understand the call for a JUST Transition at all levels of Climate Adaptation and Mitigation which ensures that we leave no one behind or pushed to a disadvantaged state. Through this programme I can safely say I understand better and have increased my level of understanding on our call for climate finance, how and we why we are demanding climate justice. I was also privileged to be invited to the Green Anglicans Movement of Kenya dinner by the Provincial Coordinator Revd Dennis where we shared our learnings and how best we could collaborate as ecumenical bodies across Africa to fight and advocate for Climate Justice in our lifetime. There was a strong Green Anglicans contingent at the Conference: Rev Dennis Nthenge, Mis Ester , (Kenya), Eric Bagenzi (Rwanda),  Helvi Shindume (Namibia), Gobeng Mamuru ( South Sudan) myself from South Africa and  two climate justice activists from Kenya ( Jesse David and Halisi Monray ) who both use art as an advocacy tool. The most important things that I learned during the two weeks were that we need to always seek to get involved at all levels of engagement as activities and not just keep to our small local comfortable zones we need to be in the political as they are policy makers we also need to align with business as economy plays a big role in our lives. Monitoring and evaluation is important in the climate justice these helps us plan well, implement, measure progress and take learnings so that we are able to do better next time, without it we are just but moving and cannot measure growth. Most importantly we need to keep ourselves informed of the current news within our space and always identify which area of Climate justice you want to focus on,  so that one is able to excel without burning out. I would like to give a special thanks and appreciation to CLIMATE YES Movement which made it possible with me to attend the event, the All Africa Conference of Churches,  Green Anglicans across Africa, and the organizers of the NSSJ PACJA. You have surely contributed to ensuring a better and bright future for Africa and I’m proud to be amongst the team of climate justice soldiers. #GreenAnglicans #ClimateYes #PACJA By : Bino Makhalanyane