Caring for Creation
Why we should care for creation
The Bible teaches us that the earth is the Lord’s (Psalm 24 v 1), and that all things have been created through and for Jesus (Colossians 1 v 16). If we love the Lord our God, we should cherish and protect his creation.
Caring for creation is also a key part of loving our neighbour. When creation is damaged through climate breakdown or pollution, people suffer. And the poor, those whom the Bible tells us we should particularly care for, are the most affected. Failing to look after creation is failing to love our neighbour.
Creation care scheme
We want to see every member of St Paul‘s take action to care for God’s creation. We have developed the Creation Care award scheme to encourage households to make changes to care for God‘s earth. Wherever households are on their creation care journey, we want to provide ideas for their next steps, and recognise progress that‘s made.
At the moment the scheme is only open to members of St Paul’s Church Dorking, but we are hoping that other churches and organisations will adopt it as well.
The scheme covers seven areas of life:
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Worship and prayer
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Home
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Garden
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Travel
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Food
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Possessions
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Community and global engagement
There are three levels of awards: Gold, Silver and Bronze. Households that have completed the survey, and are working towards the bronze award level, but have not yet reached it, can receive a certificate for formally registering to be part of the scheme.
How does the scheme work?
The scheme is based around a survey that households complete, to see how they score in each of the seven areas. The survey is currently in an Excel file you can download
[Click here]. There are instructions on how to complete the survey in the ‘Introduction’ worksheet. Once you have completed the survey, send it (either the whole survey or just a screenshot of your overview tab) to
eco@stpaulsdorking.org.uk
If you can’t use the Excel file, we can send you a paper version to complete. Just email
eco@stpaulsdorking.org.uk or speak to Annabelle South to request a copy.
We'll give out certificates and awards at services regularly throughout the year, and will let you know when the next opportunity to receive your award is once we receive your survey.
What will you do with my survey data?
We will use your survey data to administer the awards. Once you have received your award, we will delete our copy of your completed spreadsheet, and retain only summary data for your total score in each area.
What St Paul’s is doing to care for creation
As a church, we try to demonstrate love for our neighbour and care for God’s creation through every aspect of our church life, including:
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worship, prayer and teaching about caring for creation
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making sure our church buildings do not damage the environment
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managing church land in a way that allows our wild neighbours to flourish
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engaging with our community and the world on issues such as climate breakdown, pollution & species loss
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encouraging our church family to live in a way that cares for God’s creation
We are delighted to have received a Silver Eco Church award in recognition of our work in this area, and are working hard to achieve a Gold award.
Resources
Local green initiatives
Food Float – locally produced food
Dorking Community Fridge – redistributing good surplus food for free
Dorking Repair Café – repairing textiles, electronics and bikes to reduce waste
Dorking Solar Group – supporting renewable energy
Dorking Community Orchard
Surrey Wildlife Trust
Transition Dorking
Brockham Oil Watch - a non-political group of local residents concerned about the threat of
unconventional hydrocarbon extraction in Brockham and beyond