GOING GREEN IN NAMAQUALAND

FROM MAINTENANCE TO MISSION

 

As the parish family of St. Augustine’s – Okiep, we are very grateful for the wonderful, inspired and creative workshop done by the Team of the Green Anglicans office. As a parish we informally became reactive in our community and parish concerning conservation and protection of Mother Earth. This workshop was an eye opener and a  wake up call, but moved us into more creative and positive responses as a parish and Archdeaconry.

 

Shocking information on status quo of our earth was a wake up call to each and everyone and challenged us to become active participants in being more and more conscious of how we also contribute towards global warming and destruction of Earth. Hence our renewed commitments through capacitating ourselves with information and skills to make an impact and difference towards caring for what God created.

 

As a parish we committed ourselves through an 18 month plan of action consisting of special days, activities like cleaning the town, tree planting, special creative and innovation and participative services, food security projects and mobilizing our youth, and to advocate and lobby for sustainable green development especially since the Northern Cape has sun most of the year – to advocate for solar energy instead of fossil energy from Eskom.

 

We will not only use our pulpit to raise awareness and educate our people but will move beyond the walls of our church through outreach, mobilization and the usage of all platforms of media.

 

Thank you again to Revd Dr Rachel Mash for a  well planned and informative workshop by yourself and the team and for the transferring of the creative skills and methodologies we can use at leadership, liturgical, youth and Sunday school level.

 

God bless,

 

Revd Earl Richards

(with the Clergy, Leadership, Sunday School and Youth of Namaqualand North Archdeaconry)

 

and a message from the Sunday School teachers!

“Ons het weer eens tot die  besef gekom dat ‘n mens is nooit te oud om te leer nie. Dit was absoluut wonderlik om deel van die sessie  waar ons kon spring, dans en sing,  te kon wees. Ons as opvoeders is nie net opgelei hoe om ons lesse aan te pas nie, maar ons as volwassenes het ook tot die besef gekom dat ons moet Moeder Aarde oppas en waardeer. Ons sal nou twee keer dink voor ons weer Rommel strooi of verby ‘n verdwaalde papier of blikkie loop. Die lesse in die boek is baie opwindend en die kinders kan aktief deelneem aan die lesse. Ons het dit geniet om van die nuwe koortjies aan te leer selfs in ‘n derde taal!  Ons glo ons tot die kinders sal deurdring deur middel van die lesaanbiedings en dat hul tot die besef sal kom hoe belangrik dit is om die Aarde   op te pas, want alles behoort aan GOD.

Ns.  Sê asseblief vir Ryan die Renoster, ons het baie geleer en sal dit toepas.”