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Anglican Youth Of Mzimvubu address climate change at BGFS conference_ The Diocese of Mzimvubu held their annual Bafana and Girls friendly Society Conference at St Goerges Parish-Mt Frere Archdeaconry. Members of BGFS and other youth guilds gathererd together for fellowship and prayer. A tree was planted in dedication of Fifth mark mission by the Vicar General + Dr Rt Rev S.T. Mzamane. Later during the conference a presentation about climate change was done,this was also a way to educate young people about climate change and how it affects the church and the community we live in. The presentation also highlighted few activities that can be done in Parishes to make sure that they take part and join the movement, and be Green Anglicans. Yolanda Makaula Photo cred. Revd. S Majozini

CLIMATE CHANGE IS  A HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUE The Students of ASF (Anglican Students Federation) gathered for their Annual Provincial Conference at the Paramount Conference Centre near Rustenberg. Students from five countries attended. One of the days was dedicated to the Fifth Mark of Mission.  Amnesty International showed how it is important to frame Climate Change as a human rights issue, not only an environmental issue. Environmental degradation affects our constitutional rights to health, clean water, shelter and many other issues. We also had a speaker on the issue of waste, looking at how it is also impacting on people’s health and quality of life. We heard of the impacts of Climate Change on our Province as we watched the video of the Archbishop’s visit to Beira, devastated by flooding. Fr Ngube shared the devastating situation in Namibia where the drought is forcing people  to dig very deep for water, and shared how he lost his brother who had been digging down seven meters when the whole collapsed onto him. A lunchtime service was held at the lake, led by Rev Rachel Mash where we really worshipped with all of Creation – as sheep walked past , ducks were swimming on the lake and birds were flying above our heads. The afternoon outreach visited several centres such as orphanages, and old people’s homes. One group went to St Andrew Thlabane were a team from Namibia, Mozambique and South Africa were taught “Farming God’s way” using no tillage and very little compost. The importance of mulching – using God’s blanket” was stressed and this method is very climate resilient, requiring little watering. Photos : Taaso, Amnesty International , David Junior

DIOCESE OF MPUMALANGA TACKLES AIR POLLUTION The Anglican Youth of Mpumalanga Diocese celebrated national youth month by hosting a Diocesan youth conference at Holy Cross Kwanyamazani. The weekend saw over 150 young people from across the diocese coming together to share time in fellowship and prayer. One of the significate moments was planting of a litchi tree by the Diocesan Bishop, Bishop Kgomosotho, during this moment the Bishop shared three key points with the youth; It is from the roots where the tree gains it’s strength and power, and so should we as young people be rooted in Christ as He is the source of live.  In planting a fruit tree we are expecting that one day we shall enjoy it’s nice litchi fruit, so should we be like the tree and be productive in producing the fruits of life which people can come to for spiritual thirst. Lastly let us be like the words from psalm 1:3 “He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” The youth later during the day the conference went on a debate using the new Care for Creation Youth manual, the house was divided into four groups under the topic “opening a new coal mine”.  (Parents, Coal unions, Environmentalists and unemployed people)  This showed that young people are aware of how bad the situation around air pollution is in their area and are really seeking ways in which they can compact these without having the risk of no jobs in their local communities. The young people were trained to use the manual back in their churches  The weekend closed off with the  Gala dinner under the theme of gold and black. Bino Makalanyane Photo credit – Basetsana.

A TOXIC TOUR! GREEN ANGLICANS JOIN OTHER FAITH LEADERS AT ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCACY WORKSHOP Representatives from Four Dioceses (St Mark the Evangelist, Free State, and Kimberley and Kuruman) Mrs Ruth Pule, Rev Thomas Mhunriro, Rev Modise Peme and Makwetsa Ramusi  attended the Faith Leaders Environmental Advocay training (FLEAT) run by Southern African Faith Communities Institute (SAFCEI), in Durban, South Africa. There were faith leaders from different faith groups and denominations. First were introductions  where each person indicated the environmental challenges in their communities. Then an exercise  on “carbon-footprint” was done it was an eye opener of the amount of damage we are contributing towards the damage of the environment. There was presentation by the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) which made us aware how the industrial sector causes harm to the residents whom are living next to these areas. Also there was a documentary by Oceans Not Oil which educated us  on the emergence of faith based movements to assist towards the protection of the marine animals. A “toxic tour” to the industrial Durban was led by Dr Desmond D’Sa, the 2014 Goldman Environmental Prize winner and was an eye-opener. It is because there are many industrial sites which are built and are currently operating within residential areas. Some of these factories have caused harm towards the children and adults living in those areas, as they were affected by Tuberculosis and Cancer. Lastly, each region which faith leaders were allocated to (Cape Town, Joburg and Limpopo, Free State and Northern Cape and Durban), were able to formulate an 8 months’ implementation plan. In this plan, each leader will have to launch an initiative which involves the church and the communities about environmental issues within their communities. The training will have a report-back session sometime next year. Would like to thank SAFCEI and Green Anglicans for this wonderful project of becoming environmental faith leaders of our churches and communities. Makwetsa J Ramusi Diocese of St. Mark the Evangelist

SAY NO! TO TRASH ON THE GROUND The two archdeaconries of Inhambane and Maciene had a wonderful Exchange meeting with the goal of planning their activities.  As part of the exchange programme, we did  a day of cleaning in the city of Maxixe and Grossista Market.  In total 158 young people from the two archdeaconries  of Maxixe and Inhambane took part. It was wonderful to be able to say “ Say  no! to  trash on the ground” Foi realizada o Intercâmbio da Juventude ( Distritos Eclesiásticos de Inhambane e Maciene) com objetivo único troca de experiências na planificação e execução das suas actividades. No âmbito do Intercâmbio realizamos Jornada de Limpeza dentro da cidade da Maxixe e no mercado Grossista. No Intercâmbio fizeram se presente 158 jovens dos dois Distritos Eclesiásticos. Foi muito maravilhoso dizer estas palavras: “NÃO LIXO NO CHÃO”…

The Diocese of False Bay held its annual Confirmation Camp. One of the activities to encourage young people to care for creation was to get them to think about Reduce reuse recycle in a creative way. They had a recycle fashion show.