St Luke's Church Kew
Where all God’s children are welcome
Caring for God's Creation
The 5th Anglican Mark of Mission is: ‘To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth’.
God has given us this wonderful world but we, as humans, are not taking enough care of it. It is our Christian duty to look after God's creation in the same way that we care for one another.
We the leaders, PCC and congregation of St Luke's publicly declare that in the current climate and environment emergency we will commit to speaking up and playing our part in protecting and restoring God’s creation as part of our Christian discipleship
We commit to:
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Take steps as a church and as individuals to care for the world by making good choices and to keep our carbon footprint as light as possible. This may be seen in all areas of our lives from how we travel, to what we buy, what we eat, where we spend our time and money.
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Respect, protect and celebrate all of creation, near and far. Our love of God’s creation will be expressed in our prayers, worship, teaching and music as well as our daily lives.
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As a congregation we want to keep learning about what is happening in our world and to our neighbours. We pledge to keep our ears and hearts open, share what we learn and pray for those already struggling with the impact of climate change. We will also pray for those who are in power to make the rights decisions, commit and act to build resilience and reverse the damage which has already been done.
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Enable the young people of our community to have a voice for change and make a difference in environmental action.
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Work towards achieving the Bronze Eco Church award in 2022.
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Collaborate with local churches, schools and organisations to share our commitment.
We Make This Declaration because:
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We are stewards of God’s creation.
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As Christians, we believe that God calls us to care for creation, to help those in need, and to seek justice and peace; so we need to advocate for change, both locally and globally.
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The deepening global crisis will fundamentally affect the lives of all of us – it is already having a devastating effect on those in developing countries – and its effects will be unimaginably worse for future generations.
“In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of every human being.”
Job 12:10
The Church of England has committed the Church to attain net carbon zero in our activities by 2030.
Southwark Diocese has committed to achieving Bronze Eco-Diocese status by 2025.
We are working towards a bronze Eco Church award. This is scheme lead by A Rocha for churches throughout the UK who want to demonstrate that the gospel is good news for God’s earth.
Our Worship and Teaching
We are committed to
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Celebrating God’s creation in our hymns and songs.
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Raising awareness of environmental issues in our prayers and teaching.
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Holding special climate justice Sundays during the year to focus on our commitment to caring for the world.
In Our Lives
We are committed to
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Walk or cycle when possible as opposed to using transport.
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Recycle and reuse.
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Reduce our household waste.
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Pray for climate justice.
Our Building
We are committed to
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Measuring and setting targets to reduce the carbon footprint of our church premises.
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Installing renewable sources of energy where possible and using environmentally friendly products.
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Reducing waste, recycling, reusing where possible.
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Encouraging our congregation and the community using St Luke’s to get on board with us in this mission.
In Our Community
We are committed to
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Organise events with environmentalists to learn more about climate issues.
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Link up with environmental networks to promote learning and stay connected.
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Work with other churches in Richmond to share our Eco vision and mission.
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Support and participate in local conservation work.
Our Church Garden
We are committed to
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Encouraging native wildlife to live in our garden.
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Arranging events to allow people to learn about the importance of biodiversity and to spend time in nature.
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Take steps to protect native wildlife from harm.
“God gave us eyes to see them,
and lips that we might tell
how great is God Almighty,
who has made all things well.”
(From the hymn "All things bright and beautiful")