Silver Double for Warrington Pastorate in Arocha Eco Church Scheme
Two churches in the Warrington Pastorate, Thomas Risley and St John's URC Warrington, have achieved a Silver Award in the Arocha Eco Church Scheme.
St John's URC Warrington won its Silver Eco Church Award in recognition of their efforts to care for God’s earth in Worship and Teaching Management of Buildings and Land Community and Global Engagement Lifestyle.
St John's URC Warrington award-winning Causeway Community Garden is open to all as an inclusive, welcoming space where church members, friends and the local and wider community come to care for the garden, as well as each other.
St John's URC Warrington’s Helen Harvey commented:
“We are over the moon to be awarded our Silver Eco Church Award. This is the culmination of much hard work over the last few years, following on from our bronze award in 2022. We delight in God's world and have a responsibility to steward this as best we can. Anyone is welcome to our services, weekly activities, or to join with our Causeway Community Garden activities in our grounds.
“If any other churches in the Synod need any help in working towards their eco bronze or silver award we will be happy to help with any knowledge we have gained through our process.”
Thomas Risley URC has long accepted and promoted The Responsibility Is Ours . The Award highlights this and how the church strives to be a beacon of God’s Kingdom through its all age activities in the community, including litter picks with local schools, celebrating Earth Day and the Great British Spring Clean.
Thomas Risley URC’s Malcolm Ross said:
“This award is encouraging, not just for our church, but something we can use to raise awareness with the groups that we engage with and work with in our community.
“We used recycled materials to build our bug hotel and we’re making planters with bee and butterfly friendly plants. We also have a bin for aluminium can recycling which goes to a local plant that provides funds for veterans. “
Pictured above: Children from Locking Stumps Primary School & Birchwood C of E Primary school, and the Thomas Risley Eco team litter picking behind Birchwood Railway Station along a local footpath.
Eco Church is A Rocha UK’s award scheme for churches in England and Wales who want to demonstrate that the gospel is good news for God’s earth. The Eco Synod Award is a development of Eco Church whereby a URC Synod can register its interest in and work towards an award. The two awards are designed to complement each other, encouraging both Synod-level and local church-level engagement with Eco Church. For more details visit: https://ecochurch.arocha.org.uk/