In September 2019 Cockpen and Carrington and Lasswade and Rosewell Churches became registered members of Eco-congregation Scotland and both congregations are working together through a small working group to address environmental issues within our congregations.
The following explains a bit more about the vision and values of Eco-congregation Scotland:
Eco-Congregation Scotland is a movement of Scottish church congregations, of all denominations and none, committed to addressing environmental issues through their life and mission. We were founded in 2001 and became a registered charity in 2010. We are a membership organisation, with member congregations voting at our AGM and electing the trustees.
Our Vision - a Scotland that cares for God’s creation, now and forever.
Our Values:
- We care passionately for God’s creation
- We are a faith based movement
- We are rooted in local groups of Christians
- We work co-operatively with each other and with others who care about the environment
- We encourage transformational change at individual, community and national levels
Our Mission
- In prayer, worship and conversation we discover what it means to care for God’s creation
- We put that care into action individually, locally, nationally and globally, desiring to live justly in a transformed world
- We commit ourselves to campaigning on urgent threats to the web of life in our vulnerable world
Eco-Congregation Scotland primarily works through its registered congregations. There are now over 450 congregations committed to take action through our programme from Shetland to Dumfries and Galloway. Around 12% of all Scottish churches are now taking part. We also operate over twenty local networks, run by volunteers, who encourage and help each other to do more to help the environment locally and globally. We have a small staff based in Edinburgh who support these volunteers.
At Cockpen and Carrington and Lasswade and Rosewell, an environmental check-up has been carried out, an action plan produced and an Eco-award self-assessment checklist has been completed towards gaining an initial Bronze Award.
Some of the criteria which we have looked at and considered are:
- Raising church family awareness for environmental issues in our magazine and on our church websites;