Church becomes first in Wales to achieve top eco award

‘Bishop’ comes from the Greek word for ‘overseer’. So a bishop is a senior Christian minister authorised to have oversight for God’s people. As well as duties given to deacons and priests, bishops confirm and ordain.

‘Diocese’ refers to the geographical territory in which a bishop exercises oversight. The Church in Wales is divided into six dioceses each with its own cathedral in which is housed the cathedra (the bishop’s ‘chair’ or ‘throne’).

A church in Denbighshire has become the first in Wales to receive a gold award for its commitment to the environment.

St Peter’s Church in Llanbedr, near Ruthin, in the Diocese of St Asaph, has achieved its Gold Eco-Church award, singling it out as a beacon of good environmental practice for churches addressing the climate crisis.

The award was given by the Christian conservation charity A Rocha UK, and reflects the church’s commitment to walk in step with nature and put creation care at the heart of what they do - in their worship and teaching, use of buildings and land, community and global engagement and by making lifestyle changes.

To achieve the Gold award, the congregation of St Peter’s developed its churchyard to transform it into a welcoming green space to support wildlife and biodiversity. They encourage native wildlife by providing bird boxes, a bug hotel, sowing wildflower seeds and have also created a labyrinth area with a seat and space for quiet contemplation. The church is a very popular spot for the start and end of walks in the area, and visitors can get a Fairtrade coffee inside. The ‘Capel Beuno’ area (pictured below) is popular among the youngsters of the church and wider community where they meet regularly around the fire pit and sit on seats recycled from wood pallets. Fallen trees have been crafted into two altar tables which are used for outside services. A labyrinth has also been created (pictured below).

Father Huw Bryant, one of the vicars at St Peter’s, said the church was delighted to have achieved the award. “We have been working for several years towards this award, not for its own sake, but to embed good care for creation and stewardship of our resources into all that we do as we aim to be carbon positive by 2030.

“Getting the Gold award has been a real journey that began with opening up our churchyard, getting the local community and school involved in planting bulbs and wildflowers and creating new spaces as a sanctuary for both wildlife and people. But it developed into so much more than that, from making sure our energy supplies are from renewable green sources to finding environmentally friendly cleaning supplies. We’ve not only measured our own carbon footprint but encourage our community to measure their own footprint and take steps in their own lives to live out their faith by reducing their own consumption and doing little things to benefit the environment from car-sharing to taking part in no-mow-May. With the online tool like ‘360 Carbon’ it couldn’t be easier for everyone to get involved.”

Delyth Higgins, Eco Church Officer for Wales, said, “Our huge congratulations to St Peter’s on their well-deserved Gold Eco Church award and for being the first Gold award in Wales. Everything about their approach sets them out as an exemplar of what it means to be a Gold awarded church. They are an important part of a close rural community in north-east Wales where what they do rubs off on others around them and there is great team-working evident here. It is encouraging to hear that they have been blessed with growing numbers and much of this is down to their practical activity outside - caring for creation and providing lovely spaces for people to meet and contemplate. There is still so much for us all to do, as they recognise, but, in the meantime, we hope they enjoy celebrating this award and seeing others inspired from all around Wales to join them in taking action to care for this amazing world.”

The Bishop of St Asaph, Gregory Cameron, also congratulated St Peter’s. He said, “The environmental crisis is one of the biggest challenges that humanity faces, and it is becoming increasingly urgent. It is so good to hear of a congregation and their clergy making a success of hard work to ensure that the care of the environment is a central part of their mission, and I congratulate all involved on this significant achievement.”

In October 2022, St Peter’s hosted the Diocese of St Asaph’s first Eco-Fest which encouraged people from churches across the diocese to find out how they could become an Eco-Church. Watch our film about the Eco-Fest.

A Rocha UK aims to equip churches and individuals to create a movement to help restore biodiversity at a local level in this critical decade for the climate. Now in its seventh year, the Eco Church award scheme brings together a national community of churches addressing the environmental crisis, using a common framework, an online toolkit, learning and speaking up together. There are now more than 6,300 Eco Churches in England and Wales - nearly 10% of churches - which are already part of the Eco Church community. A Rocha UK is aiming, by 2025, to engage at least 15% of churches in ongoing action to protect nature and address climate change through the free scheme. Find out more here

Are you starting your Eco Church journey?

A Rocha are leading the following webinars for the Church of England which you can sign up to:

Eco Church 1 - An Introduction to and Overview of Eco Church: Getting Started

Come along if you’ve heard of Eco Church but haven’t started yet, and want to know a little more before you take the plunge. The webinar will answer questions like: “What is Eco Church? Why take part? How does the award scheme work? What does it cost? Where should we start?” It will be filled with practical examples of churches around the country who have made changes, using Eco Church as a framework.

To register:

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_FNWmYf8KQkutHW4P8QTb0w#/registration

Eco Church 2 - Working Towards an Award and Maintaining Momentum

This webinar is aimed at people in churches who have registered for Eco Church and taken their first steps, but need a little help to get things going and work towards their Bronze or Silver award. The webinar will cover typical barriers, and give you tips on how to get around them and maintain your momentum. The webinar will contain practical examples of churches who have achieved an award and how they got there.

To register:

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_MVPF1iiVRx2xNSzzRdBCGg#/registration

Eco Church 3 - Working Towards Net Zero Carbon with Eco Church

This webinar looks at the links between Eco Church and Net Zero Carbon; how they are different and how they inter-connect. It will focus mainly on the ‘Buildings’ section of the Eco Church survey, since it is heating and lighting a church building which creates most of a church’s carbon footprint. The webinar will explain about free carbon foot-printing tools available to churches.

To register:

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_g7f5wscGRAehZDZT18ZmQA#/registration