Formerly the Green Action Group, this page describes some of our awareness of being part of something bigger than ourselves. You can read about our latest activity and plans for the future.
Eco-Congregation
Following a period of assessment, Eco-Congregation Scotland awarded its Bronze Award to Holy Trinity in February 2024. The official plaque was presented during our Sung Eucharist in May.
Contents
Vision
A Church where faith, community and environment are at the heart of its decision-making and provide a beacon to support a just transition to net zero.
Mission
To develop plans and strategies that ensure the environment is embedded in our faith, decision making and activity by:
- promoting opportunities to reduce resource consumption and dependency on carbon;
- enhancing opportunities for carbon capture and biodiversity;
- providing an exemplar of best practice for the Church and the wider community.
Strategy (summary)
Our strategy also speaks to Holy Trinity’s core principles of being open, inclusive, inspiring, friendly and deep to support its flourishing future. The following summarises our aims for each aspect of the life of the Church.
1. Worship and Liturgy
The aim is to embed the care for God’s creation into the life of the Church through preaching, liturgy, worship, and prayer.
2. Theology and All-Age Education
The aim is to reduce our carbon footprint whilst simultaneously increasing our spiritual footprint.
3. Children’s Programme
The aim is to work with and inspire our children in faith and climate-related activities to the benefit of all.
4. Youth work
The aim is to include HT young people in Church activities and decisions that deliver demonstrable benefits to the life of HT and its environment.
5. Church Property
The aim is to work closely with the Fabric Committee to support the efficient running of the church whilst reducing its carbon footprint and wider impact on the environment.
6. Church Management
The aim is to bring sustainable practice and thinking to the heart of decision-making at HT.
7. Church Land
The aim is to grow HT’s visibility within the community and promote opportunities for biodiversity and carbon capture within its land.
8. Personal Lifestyle
The aim is to educate and encourage behaviours that support a sustainable, flourishing church and community.
9. Community Outreach
The aim is to improve HT’s place within the community.
10. Overseas concerns
The aim is to promote activities that are local to promote global priorities.
Our guiding principles in decision-making
In embedding the environment within our faith and decision-making, we should also take account of how we support a just and fair transition to net zero and therefore should also include the benefits to the local community.
Further reading
Meanwhile, you can read about the Group’s work on pages 14-15 of the September 2022 magazine.
Updates
January 2024
We start 2024 with a number of initiatives that support the future plans for the church, including the building, heating and the church grounds.
Joan Lyon provides an update from the HT Gardening Group below and we would draw your attention to the support required to drive these activities forward. Joan also provides some initial feedback on the consultation exercise we undertook following the ACM.
The HT Flourishing Future team meet with Eco-Congregation Scotland in January to discuss our application for the Bronze Award. The outcome of this should be known shortly.
Regifting Stall
Christmas is a time for giving and often we end up with gifts that are either duplicates or possibly ‘appreciated’ more by others. If you have any such presents that you would like to ‘regift’, we plan to run a Regifting Stall on Sunday the 3rd March.
A Santa Box/Sack will appear at the back of the Church towards the end of January and remain there for the duration of February. Please place any items that you would like to regift into this box. These items will be available in the Regifting Stall.
Donations by cash or credit card will be gratefully received. All proceeds will support the work of the Gardening Group.