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Going Green in the Western Cape The Environmental Coordinators of the western Cape Dioceses – Capetown, Saldanha Bay and False bay, together with key youth leaders met together to plan how to mobilise their churches around environmental issues. False Bay decided that they would try to identify all the clergy who have studied the environment so that they can be invited to preach around the Diocese. They would like to form partnerships with local environmental agencies. They will identify those who are already moving and work towards them implementing the five steps (greening their land, reducing water and energy use, having environmental services and doing an outreach project). Saldanha Bay: They would like to identify big days throughout the year. They will try to twin churches so that they can work more efficiently. They will have some Green Sundays – identify key environmental dates. They are keen to reduce paper use both at parish and Diocesan events. They want to educate clergy and lay leaders to become more aware. They will be implementing Sunday School teacher training (using Ryan the Rhino manual) Capetown:  The Athlone group are keen to form a cluster. We need to have broader representivity at our Diocesan environmental group so we need to find an MU rep and a youth rep to join us . we need to roll our Ryan the Rhino further.  We would like to assist with greening Diocesan events such as the soccer tournament or Anglicans ablaze, assist with packaging and alternative foods. A joint event will be the upcoming “Earth Festival” which will showcase talent with a talent competition. there will be stalls, music and lots of wonderful entertainment! This will take place on 4th June at All Saints Belhar

  St Cyprians Anglican School in Capetown had water as their theme for Lent this year. Lent started off with an Ash Wednesday service led by Rev Rachel Mash. She reminded us of the scarcity of water and how sacred it is in the bible. We watched a video clip which showed how badly we pollute water when we litter . Small pieces of plastic get carried thousands of kilometres out to sea and mother albatrosses and other birds feed them to their babies, which then die of starvation. On 12th Feb the school had a Civvies day in celebration of Valentines day and the money collected was given to Gift of the Givers for the relief work with the drought Several of the girls and staff also took on the carbon fast for Lent, and both the tuckshop and Boarding house are now celebrating Meat Free Mondays Later in the month we had a special visitor , Dr Anthony Keen, who enjoyed an academic professional career with medical microbes for 35 years at UCT Medical School. In retirement he has pursued to greater depths his interest in sustain able energy and water matters. He has converted his household into an energy-efficient one, generating all his own electricity, with a surplus to feed back into the national grid. He was awarded two Eskom eta Awards in energy savings in households category – one in 2008 and the other in 2011.

Bishop Ellinah  on Climate Change Climate change and the church Care of creation and justice should be at the centre of work for the Church on climate change.  The Bible teaches the wholeness of creation and calls human beings to take care of the Garden of Eden (Gen. 2:15).  The God of the Bible is a God of Justice who protects, loves and cares for the most vulnerable among his creatures. The climatic developments taking place in the world are threatening the lives and livelihood of many, especially amongst the world’s poorest people, and destroying biodiversity.  Let us as the church, particularly in Swaziland at this time work towards overcoming this model on among other things over-consumption and greed.  When creation is threatened we as churches and Christians are called to speak out and act as an expression of our commitment to life, justice and love. The fifth mark of mission for the Anglican Communion which we are part of is “To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth.” The earth is a gift to us from God out of love for us (Gen. 1:26, 2:15) and we therefore have the responsibility for the well-being of creation in all its variety.  Noting that the lives of future generations will depend on our action now, it is time we use our power wisely so that future generations can flourish and the diversity of life on earth is protected.  Many are looking to the church for a moral lead in terms of increasingly going green which also in the long run also makes economic sense.  Running most of our buildings on solar energy will be in the long run cheaper and save on fossil fuel and the ozone layer. Anglican Bishops from all six continents meeting in Cape Town in February 2015 declared: “The World is our Host:  A Call to urgent Action for Climate Justice.”   This statement sets a new agenda on climate change for the 85 million strong Anglican Communion, Swaziland being a part of that communion.  Before all other actions the Bishops called for an urgent prayer on the unprecedented climate crisis.  The Archbishop of Cape Town and Primate of Southern Africa, the Most Revd. Dr. Thabo Makgoba who brought the group together said; “We accept the evidence of science; Human activity, especially in fossil- fuel based economies, is the main cause of climate crisis.  We heard of extreme wealth and changes to seasons; rising sea levels, acidification of sea water; depleted fishing grounds, and displaced people who are climate refugees. The problem is spiritual as well as economic, scientific and political.  We have been complicit in a theology of domination.  While God committed the care of creation to us, we have been care-less – but not hopeless. “In the words of St. Theresa of Avila, we are God’s hands and feet on earth, now is the time for us, rooted in prayer, to step up and take action on climate crisis.”  So we as the Anglican Church in Swaziland in agreement with the Bishops and in view of the prevailing climatic conditions must commit to: Energy conservation measures and endeavor to start using renewable energy Nurture biodiversity on church land Support sustainability in water Fast for the climate change initiative where we join many others in fasting and praying for the climate on the first of every month. Our fast will continue as long as we prayerfully discern that we stand in need of repentance as a church and nation Commit to use liturgical material on care for creation for use in parishes and other places of worship. Women are more dependent on natural resources for their livelihoods, so the contribution of women is essential in decisions around climate change. Our communities must be equal as in the Eucharist. Let us commit to work with the government in all her strategies to mitigate and eradicate the effect of climate change. Let’s take measures to, recycle and collect water around church building and properties Let’s support sustainable land use initiatives, including a halt to the clearing of native forests. Do not buy firewood along the roads. We all can do something to mitigate the effects of climate change if anything PRAY.   Stay Blessed, Bishop Ellinah.  

Bishop Geoff Davies, our Green Bishop, and Kate Davies led a service in the Kalk Bay Mountains in Cape Town on the Saturday of the Earth Keeper Day weekend. Kate Davies reflects on the experience: How can we reclaim the inherent mystery that belongs to all of creation, while living in a throw away culture that has covered this wonder with waste? How can we return to a magical world, one that we have made toxic with our greed and desires, with our addiction to consumerism? Could it begin with something as simple as recognizing that we are not separate from the Earth, but, breathing its air, sustained by its food, nourished by its beauty, we are part of this miracle?   Wisdom words from Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee’s ‘Shifting the climate debate onto sacred ground’, framed the thinking behind a meditative Earth Keeper Day celebration on a rocky outcrop overlooking False Bay on the Kalk Bay mountain.  Using a mandala and the universal symbolism of the life-giving elements of earth, water, fire, wind and space, a shared thanksgiving service for the gifts of smell, taste, sight, touch and hearing linked a diverse group of Christians, seeking sanctuary. As silent participants, we gazed out over the bay, looking down on the Saturday morning busy-ness in the human settlements below. Meditations by ‘geologian’, Fr Thomas Berry, drew us back to the centre and guided silent reflections on our inter-dependence and connectedness with the world around  us. The universe is a communion and a community. We ourselves are that communion become conscious of itself. There is no such thing as “human community” without the earth and the soil and the air and the water and all living forms. Humans are woven into this larger community. The large community is the sacred community. Words from Lewellen-Jones reminded us of the significance of Pope Francis’ encyclical in which he“reconnects the well-being of the Earth to the well-being of our soul, care for the Earth to care for the soul.” Pope Francis suggests that “while technology is often presented as the only solution, it proves incapable of seeing the mysterious network of relations between things and so sometimes solves one problem only to create others.” The Pope’s words came alive to this small band of pilgrims present on the mountain that morning.   “Rather than a problem to be solved, the world is a joyful mystery to be contemplated with gladness and praise.”  

The 2nd of March 2016 was a historic day in Manzini Parish, Mathanda when members of the church decided to have a short service under the marula tree which is one of the trees that have a cultural significance in the Swazi Culture. We gathered to share a bit about the effects of climate change before starting with tree planting around the church. Season of Creation 2 was used to get prayers and readings where Rev. W. Dlamini lead us into a brief Bible study and I made a brief Scientific aspect of how Climate Change is connected to deforestation and Green House gas Emissions and how tree planting benefits the eco-system balance. Readings for the discussion were: Isaiah 24:1-6 Psalms 98:1-9 Matthew 8:23-27 After the discussions, we focused on the gospel of Mathew where we see Jesus calming the storm and that shows that Jesus is above every nature thus we need to go back to Christ if we are to fight and win climate change as he is the solution and can teach us how to be stewards of the earth. After the short service we moved forward into put faith into action, we planted 31 trees which will serve as wind breakers for the church along its fence and right around. Each person had their own tree to plant and was a wonderful experience, we also planted five indigenous plant species that are now at risk of extinction due to deforestation, and we have saved for future generation.  We spared one fruit tree for Good Friday service which will be planted that day. The main purpose of the day was to plant trees, however the service would not be complete if we left litter laying around the church compounds, and it was due for us to have a mini clean up exercise to leave the church clean and green. Did you know cutting down on meat can save the environment? It is not easy for most of us but cutting down on beef can go a long way in saving our deteriorating environment. We shared very nice chicken stew and some green vegetable, it was a wonderful fellowship. We are so grateful to the government of Swaziland for providing us with these trees from the Environmental Desk, we committed ourselves in taking care of them when we made our last prayer blessing the work of our hands, so help us Lord. Mncedisi Masuku, Diocese of Swaziland