The Diocese of Free State celebrated their annual family weekend from the 26th to 28th of August 2016. With various environmental challenges facing province, including water shortages, the weekend was themed to raise awareness across the diocese about care for creation. As a most attended event in the diocese, the family weekend was a perfect space for the Bishop to share with his diocese about earth keeping.
The Green Environmental Weekend was organised by a diocesan task team, one of them being Thapelo Mabule, who saw the success of the event throughout the weekend, working tirelessly to achieve the goal of earth keeping.
And this is his reflection:
We were at the priory from Friday till Sunday with a passion and well organised environmental program for the weekend. We planted 153 trees around the farm commemorating the 153 years of the existence of our Diocese. Provincial Green Anglicans and its ambassadors in Diocese of Pretoria graced the event to motivate help and congratulate the diocese of Free State for making the environmental issues their issues as well. Among others we had a river clean up session as well as the heritage walk around the farm reflecting on our history
Saturday commenced with a clean-up in area and clearing of the river which homes Mantsopa well, finishing the day with a very big tree planting ceremony, where different parishes and guilds planted trees and vowed to look after them. The Sunday service took place outside, next to the well-known Mantsopa Cave, Bishop Steve Dintoe preached about our role in taking care of God’s earth, dismissed the congregation on top of the cave and closed the ceremony by planting and blessing a tree.
