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3. A
VISION FOR THE FUTURE
Bath
and Wells in 2015? An Ecodiocese
If the
environmental commitment is made and taken seriously, how might
the diocese look in a few years time? The ecodiocese is a
possibility…
The ecodiocese
is organic. No two churches are the same; no two congregations;
no two communities. But together they form a network, a kind of
community, a type of eco-system.
In many places
the church is seen as a catalyst for community projects. In
others the church is where those who are active in the community
go to gain energy, vision and hope for their work and their
life. In this period of significant change other models are
emerging.
Community life
is becoming increasingly localised. The ministers of the local
church are local people. They are supported by small groups of
lay members and clergy who work over a wider area and who in
turn are supported by the diocesan organisation.
Lives
Changing
Eco-congregation and other programmes have helped many local
churches explore how care for the life of the earth is a feature
of Christian living, and to work with their local communities in
bringing about changes in habit, outlook and lifestyle.
People are now
aware of the need to drastically reduce travel costs. Food miles
are cut down. People are looking for food that as far as
possible is locally grown with respect for the soil, animals,
plants and wildlife, and is fairly traded. Farmers' markets are
used. There are new and revitalised allotment schemes and
churches encourage these.
Churches
and Churchyards
Churchyards
are places for the living as well as the dead. Sections are now
kept for wildlife, with long grass, more trees and bird boxes.
Wild flowers are spared the strimmer and no longer called weeds,
and children as well as adults are involved in keeping track of
the birdlife spotted in the churchyard.
In some
parishes there are wildlife trails or wildlife pilgrimages, with
stops to both appreciate the setting and to pray or meditate.
Information on these is available in the church. Church
magazines and newsletters carry information about recycling
services, tips and new ideas, and are forums for debate. In many
churches there are recycling collection boxes for small items
like batteries, print cartridges, bottle tops. Some churchyards
include a site for small communal skips and compost bins.
Heating systems are being replaced with woodchip burners,
combined heat and power or electricity from renewable sources.
Cremation,
with its high fuel consumption and mercury pollution is now in
decline. Burials are becoming more common. Churches have
encouraged the development of green burial sites, with trees in
place of stone monuments and biodegradable coffins.
Church
buildings are also becoming significant sites for energy
generation. Their south- facing roofs are becoming increasingly
the site for photo-voltaic cells, and a few have wind turbines
in the churchyard. Like the church clock, the electric lighting,
and the carpet on the floor, these new developments are becoming
widely accepted, particularly as people realise the challenges
that society faces.
Worship
Churches and
schools have played a part in helping people realise what is
happening in the world. They have helped people see that such
approaches as recycling, re-using and repairing are not just the
virtues of eco-freaks or the elderly who can remember the
post-war years, but an essential way of living on a planet with
finite resources. In their worship and pastoral care churches
have helped people deal with the loss of their dreams, as they
have had to come to terms with the fact that a future of
increasing comfort and consumption is not a possibility.
In recalling
the past people of God journeying into their unknown future, and
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, churches have
helped many people discover a new hope. This is not born out of
technological optimism but from faith in God. Within their
communities many churches are seen as healthy living centres,
concerned with health in all its dimensions: of individuals,
communities, societies and the planet.
In the pattern
of worship in many churches Creation Sunday is now restored, and
the liturgies include an appreciation of creation in litanies,
intercessions and the Eucharist. The Ministry of the Word is
often a serious attempt, not only by preachers but by the whole
congregation, adults and children, to engage the scriptures with
the issues they know humanity now faces. Worship and study are
not simply a lifestyle choice for the religiously inclined, but
characteristics of communities which realise that the world is
in crisis.
Awareness
and Prayer
The
exploration of the various spiritual traditions within the
church is helping people discover the joy of simplicity. Through
contemplation they have an increasing awareness of the glory of
the world and of themselves as part of the whole web of
creation. From this comes a realisation of how having less can
mean enjoying more and how the basics of life, like food and
water, are precious gifts to be treated with respect, and their
provision celebrated.
Communities
Changing
People are
continually reducing their need to travel, and the impact of
what travelling they have to do. Like many others, local clergy
now travel more by cycle, sometimes using electric bikes.
Diocesan staff are using hybrid cars. Meetings are arranged with
a view to public transport being used, and websites or e-mails
publish the lists of those attending so that there can be the
sharing of cars. A result of this is that people have more
conversations in shared vehicles, and more time to reflect as
they use public transport. Life is becoming less frenetic. There
is time to look and appreciate the world, to address one's
fears, and to pray.
In villages,
as well as the towns, life is becoming more local. Through the
internet, e-mail, telephone and teleconferencing people keep in
touch with others across the diocese, and the world. Personal
interaction is more local. Churches are developing as centres
for the arts, concerts, plays and exhibitions. There is local
debate about local and international issues, sometimes conducted
with a sense of urgency. The old assumptions about social
stability and economic growth are now gone. Debate is about the
best way to live this time of change.
Diocesan
Action
The churches
play a key part in this. The Diocesan Environment Officer
contributes to the regional debates about energy generation,
local housing, transport provision, and land use; and works to
support local churches as they contribute to the local debates -
clarifying practical and theological issues, pointing towards
sources of information and opinion, and linking people who can
help each other.
The School of
Formation has for some years been helping people develop their
theological skills so that they can contribute with their
thinking informed by their faith, develop the skills of debate
and argument, and find the inner resources for public protest
and declaration.
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Laughter
and Liberation
There was
humour and for many a sense of liberation when church members
joined in the 'Refuse' campaign, unwrapping their supermarket
goods to leave the wrappings behind and carry their goods home
in reusable bags. Like the earlier fair trade and organic
produce campaigns this had a serious impact on the supermarkets.
People look back with amazement at how, only a decade ago, they
were creating so much waste, without a thought.
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Serious
Business
Discussions
and debates are often serious. The move away from consumption
has affected the national economy. Many businesses have adjusted
to this. Some new ones have flourished. But others are
struggling. Green taxes have brought in diminishing returns, and
there are heated discussions about healthcare, welfare and
education provision. The old economic arguments of two
generations ago are being revived, but people are also
developing new models.
As climate
change bites across the world big migrations are taking place in
Africa and South Asia. Rising sea levels are already affecting
the British economy. Politics is becoming extreme. People are
looking for scapegoats. There are those in Britain who want to
pull up the drawbridge. In this situation Christians are working
hard to argue that the millions who are on the move are our
neighbours, whom we must love as we love God.
Global View
Whilst the
trend is for people to live and act locally, the churches are
helping people maintain a global view. There is not only a flow
of information on what is happening in the world but connections
are being maintained and developed, like the diocese's link with
Zambia. Such links are enabling local churches here to support
local projects in other places which help people adjust to the
changes there; to learn from them more of the meaning of faith
and hope in the midst of struggle; and to prepare spiritually
for possible significant climate changes in this country. Key
words here are not only compassion and care, but also justice.
Church
Growth
In all this
the churches are growing, in faith and in numbers. Church
members are working alongside others in local projects across
the diocese, and a sense of community is growing around these
common tasks. Some people who have ignored the church for years
are delighted to discover that the church is concerned with
things that really matter to them. Now that it is under threat
people are becoming increasingly appreciative of the mysterious,
complex and beautiful life of the planet. And they are finding
in Christian faith an affirmation of its significance as God's
creation, and in the church's life a source of hope and vision
for the future.
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