News

The Mothers Union of the Diocese of Lesotho received a grant from the UNDP to run a project around plastic waste management The project involved three parts – cleaning the streets from plastic waste in clean up campaigns, making crafts from plastic waste, and sewing re-usable shopping bags to enable people to stop using plastic shopping bags. Jobs were created for Mothers Union Members as well as some youth  to do the clean ups and also in creating bags and other items. Apart from the creation of employment the project grew skills  that otherwise would have gone unnoticed. For instance; project management skills (MU executive) marketing skills, as well as quality sewing and knitting skills to mention but a few.. The project came to an end in December, but the spill over  included sewing of MU branded bags, so there is likelihood of local production, thus, it will be self-sustaining to some extent. Mrs. ‘Máseitshiro Khooe – Mothers’ Union Diocesan President

The Diocese of Swaziland has launched  a memorial orchard in memory of the late Bishop Ellinah Wamukoya. The late Bishop Ellinah Wamukoya was the Leader of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, Diocese of Swaziland. She was also serving as the Chairperson of the Anglican Communion Environmental Network. She demonstrated strong leadership skills and passion in aligning the Anglican Church to take care of the environment and advocating for climate justice. Her passion on environmental protection and climate justice has led into the Diocese of Swaziland being awarded by the Minister of Tourism and Environmental Affairs the, “Environmentally Active Faith Based Organization” in the Kingdom of Eswatini through the Temvelo Awards. She was awarded a Lambeth award by the Archbishop of Canterbury for   outstanding leadership in the area of sustainable development and Creation Care in the Diocese of Swaziland (Eswatini). On December 18th, 2021 the Diocese of Swaziland invited Faith leaders across the Christian Community to share about the leadership role played by Bishop Ellinah on environmental protection and climate justice. Eswatini Environment Authority was also invited to share on the state of the environment in Eswatini and also the Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Affairs Shared on Gender and Climate change. The purpose of the service was to encourage the Faith Leaders in attendance to take off from where she left and implement in their faith communities and the Kingdom of Eswatini at large. The Faith Leaders who attended both online and live at the Cathedral Church of All Saints in Mbabane made some declarations which will ensure that the Faith Community indeed take off from where Bishop Ellinah left off during her Ministry. The Green Anglicans in Swaziland and the Swaziland Council of Churches are working on drafting a proper document of the declarations. The Archbishop of Cape Town, The Most Rt Rev. Dr. T.C Makgoba was in attendance to the great service through online platforms. He  thanked the Southern Africa Faith Community Environmental Institute for sponsoring the Diocese of Swaziland on this event. He encouraged the faith community in Eswatini to partner with every possible stakeholder in driving the “Green Faith Eswatini” into an official Launch by relevant local Authorities He then officially Launched the Establishment of an Orchard in Mbabane, Mpolonjeni Anglican Church. The Orchard is currently being set up and was named by the ArchBishop as “Bishop Ellinah Wamukoya Memorial Orchard”. His Grace contributed money to buy seventy trees to be planted to celebrate Seventy Years –  Bishop Ellinah Would have turned in May 2021 if she did not answer her call to be with the Lord in January 2021. The Diocese of Swaziland welcomes more donations to buy more trees and celebrate the Life of Bishop Ellinah. You can email [email protected] if you want to make arrangements to donate trees. The Mpolonjeni Anglican Youth took it as their responsibility to ensure the Orchard is a success on their first Sunday of 2022 which was a Green Youth Day.

The Green Anglicans of Inhambane (Diocese of Lebombos, Mozambique) organised a post festive season clean up day after the holidays at Chambone Mission Beach.  This was with the support of the City of Maxixe They were joined by members of the Navy Rev Aurelio Uqueio WHAT WILL YOU DO IN 2022 TO TAKE CARE OF GOD’S CREATION? 1-Be a volunteer to take care of Nature. 2-Do more exercises and balance your vegetable eating. 3-Create a weekly prayer routine for Nature. 4-Connect with others. 5-Become the person God wants you to be.

Happy Christmas! We would like to share with you our news from 2021 and wish you the blessing of Christ Annual report :  https://www.greenanglicans.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Green-Anglicans-Annual-Report-2021.pdf A Christmas prayer by David Giuliano!   O Mystery as grand as the universe O Mighty Force of all creation, O Power beyond all our power, You have come to us as an infant. Vulnerable, fragile, beautiful. You have come to us in the midst of poverty, powerlessness and longing. Come again, O Promiser of Peace. Be born again in the camps. Be born again in stables and homes. Be born again in many cities and languages. Be born again among nations. Be born again in places of injustice. Be born again a promise of hope, a sign of love and joy to the world. Be born again in our hearts, that we too might be called Makers of peace and Children of God. Amen.   From the Green Anglicans Team Canon Rachel Mash, Bino Makhalanyane, JP Roberts   Image Erzulie Dantoor

BIG BEACH CLEAN UP DAY Members of the three Dioceses of Cape Town, False Bay and Saldanha Bay organized a Big Beach Clean up day on the 4th of December. The event took place at four beaches, Hout Bay, Milnerton, Muizenberg and Strandfontein. Kirsten Chelsea  from Holy Nativity Hazendal reflects on her day “Myself and about 30 other people attended a beach clean up at Hout Bay where we picked up trash from the beach. Before the clean up we shared fellowship, got to know one another and made it known that what were doing is not for ourselves but for the creatures that inhabit the oceans. We started with  a fun icebreaker led by JP Roberts  and then had praise and worship.  Rev Glynis and Rev Shaun led us in a beautiful liturgy reflecting on the ocean . In John 21: 1-14 we read of Jesus by the sea of Tiberias which was full of fish and they were able to eat and all make a living by fishing It was an experience that I will never forget as this was my first beach clean up . The people with whom I shared the day enjoyed it as much as I did. We felt so much joy in knowing that this small act would make a large impact on this place that God has created for us” The participants also took the opportunity to have a moment of protest against the seismic blasting that Shell is starting on the Wild Coast. They plan to blast every ten seconds, twenty four hours a day for 5 months. This will be very distressful for the marine life who depend on sound to guide their way. It may affect their mating patterns and some may become beached . it will also badly affect the fishing communities as stocks of fish will move away from the sound. Even if the seismic blasting does find oil or gas we stand firmly against it, it will destroy the livelihoods of people in the area who depend on fish and eco-tourism and it is the last pristine area of South Africa’s coastline. We are already suffering from climate change and stand against any new fossil fuel explorations in Africa As Anglicans we say  – OCEANS NOT OIL  #oceansnotoil

Just back from COP26, Erasto Richard is hitting the ground running! He reports from Uganda:  Together with my Colleague, Mr. Lule Tefeero the Youth Coordinator Namirembe Diocese and our Youth Council members. We met and started a movement that will advocate and sensitise Youth about Climate Justice and Climate action. We agreed to plant indigenous trees and the Bishop of Namirembe Diocese the Rt. Rev. Dr. Wilberforce Kityo Luwaliro gave us 13 acres of Land together the female clergy of Kampala Diocese one again promised to give us 10acres of land to plant trees. They invited Leah Namugerwa and she will be their climate advisor!