Animal Friendly Church: https://www.aswa.org.uk/
In 2019 we were awarded our Animal Friendly Status from ASWA from patron and
our Diocesan Bishop- the Rt. Rev'd Stephen Cottrell.
And even though it was a first year, we were also awarded runner up in the National
Animal Friendly Church Awards!
Among other things, being an Animal Friendly Church means that we will be:
increasing our efforts to keep our Churchyard a Haven for wildlife;
that we will only use animal and environmentally friendly products;
and that any animal products we serve comes from high standards of welfare.
Key diary dates:
4th Sunday in June is our Pet Service.
This is where we share the service with our non-human animal friends and give thanks for their part in our lives.
Sunday nearest to the 4th October (the Feast of St. Francis, the patron Saint of animals) is Animal Welfare Sunday.
This is when we dedicate the whole service to giving thanks for creation and all creatures;
we confess the times that we have let God down in being good stewards; and we think and pray about how we can care better.
Our collection during these services goes towards
Sociable non-human animals are welcome to our services; water bowls and biscuits are always available.
Twice a year our collections go to a local animal charity.
EcoChurch: https://ecochurch.arocha.org.uk/
In 2020 we were also awarded Eco Church status, bronze award. And in 2021 we were delighted to be awarded silver.
Care for our creation is often a focus for our prayers and in our preaching. We regularly promote ideas and tips on our notice boards; in our notice sheets and in our parish magazine in order to help the congregation and our wider community to be more environmentally friendly. Where possible as a Church we avoid single use cups and crockery and we recycle everything we possibly can. The cleaning products that we use are animal and environmentally friendly.
We encourage wildlife in our Churchyard by keeping large wild areas; we have compost heaps; log piles; and bird boxes. We encourage others to connect with nature by hosting our children's groups outside when possible and by the installation of a labyrinth amidst the wildflowers. Our Churchyard is very well managed by a dedicated team who have recently focused on planting a large number of trees and hedges which are all properly maintained.
Below is our environmental policy:
Environmental Policy All Saints, Epping Upland
Aim
We at All Saints aim to take seriously the 5th Mark of Mission which calls on Christians to:
“strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and to sustain the life of the earth”.
Objective
As a church community, we will take environmental concerns into account in our mission, worship, prayer, study, education and other projects and programmes.
Actions
1. We will appoint a person as our Environmental Champion who will keep an eye on our progress and seek to bring relevant environmental issues and concerns forward to the PCC on a regular basis.
2. We will include our concern for sustainability in our worship and teaching.
3. We will undertake a yearly environmental audit of the Church and its grounds.
4. We will work with others in our local community to identify environmental issues which should be addressed in our area and help develop actions to tackle them.
5. We will seek ways to reduce material consumption and the impact of our activities on the environment by, wherever possible:
-avoiding purchasing products containing palm oil
-serving free range and, where possible, locally produced animal products
- using email rather than sending hard copies
- reusing/ repair items
- using environmentally and animal friendly cleaning materials
6. We will encourage individual members of our congregations to take actions in their personal lives to complement and supplement these actions of the church community.
7. We will contribute to the Team Environmental Working Group and participate in the Eco Church programme.
This policy and programme will be reviewed every three years in light of developments.
