St Mark’s Oulton Broad officially celebrated it’s amazing Eco Church Gold Award by hosting a “Green Day” for the local community, inviting Bishop Graham to speak and to present their Gold Award plaque.
St Mark’s became the first church in the Diocese of Norwich to be awarded the Eco Church Gold Award by the Christian environmental charity A Rocha UK, late last year. Their award reflects their commitment to walk in step with nature and put creation care at the heart of what they do.
Bishop Graham presented “Green Team” leader, Harvey Bradley with the Gold award plaque and said how pleased he was to be able to celebrate the first of its kind in this Diocese. “As lead bishop on environment for the Church of England, I write to each Gold Awarded church, so it was a great joy to finally be able to do so in my own Diocese!”.
Bishop Graham congratulated the congregation at St Mark’s for embedding creation care both in the worshipping life of the church and into the surrounding community. “With plans for the future having vision and ambition, all firmly eco-orientated, please also be apostles for caring for God’s creation so that other church communities in the Diocese of Norwich might be encouraged, challenged, and walk this vital journey as well.”
Harvey Bradley, St Mark’s Green Team leader, emphasised the fact that this is not the completion of the Eco Church journey, but simply the next phase as they look to continue to develop their eco outreach ministry. “I think that actually if communities work together that is the answer to a lot of our eco problems. We’ve got some great people and organisations here in Lowestoft who are doing great things, so this award represents them too.”
The Revd Helen Jary, Team Rector of the Oulton Broad Team Ministry said, “This Eco Church journey continues to be a gift to enable the whole congregation to think more carefully about what we’re doing, and what we’re not doing, and what more we could do in order to be active in the fifth mark of mission to strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth.”
The Pakefield Pastures Alpacas, sheep, lambs and “small furries”in the vicarage garden proved a very popular draw for the families along with the hedgehogs from Hedgehog Haven. A number of local environmental and campaigning organisations such as the Lowestoft Repair Café, Re-Utilise and Use Your Voice had stands to inform and engage visitors. Local small businesses such as Rusty Bee Apiary, Uncle Sid’s Zero Waste and the Tasty Crumb Bakery also did good trade, alongside a Fairtrade stand and badge-making and other children’s activities.
Have you started your Eco Church journey yet? Register as an Eco Church or find out more at: https://ecochurch.arocha.org.uk/
Sign-up for our Eco Newsletter here
Join the conversation on our Facebook group here
Watch the message from Bishop Graham here
For any further help, contact barbara.bryant@dioceseofnorwich.org