lent

Find out more about the Communion Forest

Year of the Tree 2023 / /

The Communion Forest – To plant is to hope; to restore is to heal; to protect is to love. The Communion Forest is an exciting new initiative of the Anglican Communion, which has the potential to become one of the most diverse and geographically widespread environmental projects in the world. The initiative comprises local activities of tree growing, forest protection, and ecosystem conservation and restoration undertaken by parishes, dioceses and provinces across the Anglican Communion. It was launched during the Lambeth Conference last August, as one of the legacies of the Conference and a shared expression of the Communion’s commitment to the Anglican Fifth Mark of Mission: Strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth. The Communion Forest is a practical, spiritual and symbolic response to the environmental crisis, and an act of Christian hope for the well-being of humanity and all God’s creation. The aim of the Communion Forest initiative is to significantly increase Anglican tree growing and ecosystem conservation and restoration around the world. The activities will be determined locally, so that they are geographically and environmentally appropriate. The vision is also for the initiative to be woven into the spiritual and liturgical life of churches, to deepen care for creation within the Church and its members. Please join our community by subscribing to our newsletter on communionforest.org and following us on our social media platforms. The website is also available in French, Spanish and Portuguese.

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Recycle!!

Year of the Tree 2023 / /

Let there be no waste John 6:12 Make sure your office/school/church etc has a recycling bin and that it is collected.How can you best do this? Speak to the people in charge Whether it is the priest/church wardens or the principal at school, get approval from the people in charge Do a waste audit Have a look at what is coming through and what you want to recycle – paper/plastic/tins ? You might want to start with one item and then grow it. Have a green team It might only be two people, but find some other people to work with you on this project. Otherwise you might lose heart. Develop a plan You will need well marked bins but also need to work out who will pick up the recycling. Will volunteers drop it off, will you get a company to pick it up , will there be cost implications? Are the staff in charge of cleaning on board? (otherwise the nicely separated waste will go into one bin at the end of the day as it is less work!) Tell people about your successes! Recycling doesnt generate much income, but if you do get some, then use it to buy something that you can celebrate with others (Eg Sunday school christmas party ) let people know how many bags (you can average guess the number of kg) keep them motivated!! Common Challenges: Recycling gets contaminated with food: you will need to constantly be reminding people not put items contaminated with food into the recycling. in the early stages it is worth hovering over the bins until they get the idea! Smell, attracts flies: again it is important that people rinse the items well, and make sure you have storage and adequate bags to keep it moving away from the office/meeting space

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Say no to Paper

Year of the Tree 2023 / /

Conduct paper-less meetings! Imagine how much paper is wasted at our work, church, Diocesan meetings. We can definately reduce significantly or aim to go completely paperless. Make sure meeting participants have electronic access to all the materials beforehand – encourage those using computers not to print out copies. If you must supply additional materials at the meeting, make copies “as needed” rather than in large batches at one time. Reduce unwanted mail to your office Contact mail senders to take your company’s name off their mailing lists, or mark “Refused, Return to Sender.” For country specific way to reduce unsolicited mail, type « unsolicited mail » into a Google search. If it is inappropriate to communicate a message by e mail, instead of making a copy for each person, route one copy around the office. Reuse envelopes by using a sticky label for the new address

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March 9 – Spring Cleaning your Cupboards

Leave a Comment / Fast for the Earth 2020 / /

John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.” ~ Luke 3:11 Spring cleaning is meant to declutter, organize, and sanitize your homes. Spring cleaning is always a great way to clear out all the cluster in your home and you can do it in an eco-friendly way and be green. So this lent take the initiative to clear out your closet and do it in a eco-friendly way. Most times people create a lot of waste when they spring clean. Here are ways which you can spring clean the green way: Reduce: The first step to fighting messes and keeping your home clean is getting rid of all that stuff you never use Go room-by-room, drawer-by-drawer, closet-by-closet and group the items that you haven’t used in a while. If you cannot remember that last time you used it, or you forgot that you had it, it is a good sign that it is time to let it go. Reuse: Once you have separated the items from your closet, avoid the “throw it away” mentality and think about how the item can get re-used. Donate: Once you have noted down what you can use, separate out items that someone else might need. There are probably plenty of items that you don’t need or want anymore, but someone else would appreciate. Garage sale: If you do not want to donate your clothes, you can host a garage sale in your community Photo by mentatdgt from Pexels

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March 8 – Paperless Sunday

Leave a Comment / Fast for the Earth 2020 / /

“ And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations”.  ~ Rev 22:2 Trees are mentioned in the Bible more than any living thing other than God and people. There’s a tree on the first page of Genesis, the first Psalm, the first page of the New Testament, and the last page of Revelation. Jesus said he is the true vine and that his Father is the dresser of the garden (John 15:1). The Bible refers to itself as a Tree of Life (Proverbs 3:18). We are told to be like trees planted by streams of water that yield their fruit in season (Psalm 1:3). Trees are the oldest living things on earth. There are trees alive today that were already ancient in the time of Christ. In fact, God gives trees a ring to mark every birthday! But what about Jesus? He grew up in a carpenter’s home. He talked about seeds of faith and said that the kingdom of heaven was like a tree. He called disciples from under trees, and sinners from their branches. His favorite place to pray was an olive grove. Trees give, and they keep giving. They give life and beauty. They give shade and rest. They clean the air. They hold back erosion. They offer shelter, food, and protection. So it is important that we plant trees. But it is also important that we save paper in order to show our care and appreciation of trees. Let us go paperless this Sunday! Send the pew leaflets out on social media or by email (you can maybe have a few copies for those who don’t use those media) Put songs and notices up on the screen If you usually use disposable cups for coffee, ask people to bring mugs to church and wash them up Make this Sunday Tree Appreciation Sunday and go paperless https://www.christianity.com/wiki/jesus-christ/what-is-the-significance-of-trees-in-the-bible-why-did-jesus-die-on-a-tree.html Photo by Alex Litvin on Unsplash

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