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Seascale Methodist Church - Eco-congregation award

Presentation

Frank, Lord Judd was the guest speaker at a special service on May 18 to recognise the achievement of Seascale Methodist Church in qualifying for a national Eco-Congregation Award. Churches are given the award on the basis of their commitment to environmental care through worship, stewardship of church grounds and buildings and through work in the local and global community.

The service was conducted by Rev Philip Peacock. It included a moving performance of 'On The Eighth Day' written by John Bell of The Iona Community, in which God is represented as looking at everything He had made, and behold, things were definitely not as good as he had left them after the first Seven Days of Creation.

Also part of the service was a Christian Aid video which showed the devastating effect of climate change and environmental degradation on the world's poorest people.

The picture, taken after the Presentation Service, shows Lord Judd, Rev Philip Peacock and the Seascale Eco-Congregation Organiser Keith Bradshaw.

Background

Three years after registering as an Eco-Congregation, Seascale Methodist Church has gained the Eco-Congregation Award. Eco-Congregation developed from a partnership between the Government funded environmental charity ENCAMS (which runs the Keep Britain Tidy Campaign and the Going for Green brand) and the Environmental Issues Network of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland. It aims to encourage churches to consider environmental issues within a Christian context and enable local churches to make positive contributions in their life and mission.
 
Churches are assessed on the basis of prominence being given to the environment, in the following aspects of their life, and relating them to the Christian faith:
Finance, Buildings, Gardens, Youth and Children's Work, Worship and Preaching, Fellowship/Study Groups.
 
Not all churches are expected to cover every aspect. Location, resources and size of church and congregation are all taken into account when the assessment is carried out.
 
The Seascale work was assessed by Dr John Biggs (a past President of The Baptist Union) of Grasmere and Mrs Pam Martin of Kendal. Their visit was arranged to coincide with an Eco-Coffee Morning held at the Church on December 7. There was an exhibition of the work done by the Church, stalls manned by Copeland Borough Council Recycling Department, The Cumbria Energy Efficiency Advice Centre and The Cumbria Wildlife Trust (West Coast Support Group). The event was very well attended and many people took the opportunity to find out information from the stall holders on energy saving in the home and recycling policy, and to learn about the work of The Wildlife Trust.
 
To see a summary of the work done by the Church up to December 2007, please click here.

To see a picture of the wooden award plaque, which will be displayed prominently in the Church, please click here.