Stories

Ngā Kōrero

Contact us to add your story to the collaborative Eco Church NZ puna mātauranga / pool of knowledge.

Celebrating the Season of Creation

Season of Creation is celebrated annually all around the world, in different denominations, and many parishes in the Anglican Diocese of Wellington joined in this year. Read about the different ways Season of Creation was celebrated this year around the diocese, including an intergenerational pet celebration service, beach clean-up, eco-theology sermon series, and waste workshop.

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Simplify: Videos for the Journey

As part of the Simplify series at Massey Community Church, members in our Sustainability Group took turns to produce a video about an aspect of their own sustainability journey. There are videos on groceries, transport, clothes shopping, making things at home, being sustainable on a budget, and more.

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Launching Eco Church at St Michael’s Kelburn

St Michael’s Anglican Church in Kelburn joined the Eco Church whānau in Dec 2021. It was not till March 2022 that they officially launched Eco Church at one of their services. Read on to find out some highlights from their Eco Church launch service which included presentations from their local community conservation group, student advocacy action for free fares, an eco quiz and a low-waste morning tea!

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Pāuatahanui Parish: A legacy of restoration and hope

At Pauatahanui Anglican parish, one of our four core values is legacy. For many years prior to the launch of Eco Church, a group called God’s Earth Our Home operated within the parish, fostering a deep spiritual sense of ecological responsibility within parishioners and nurturing environmental action. This provided a natural launching pad for the parish to join the Eco Church movement at the start of 2021.

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Girls Zone's Got WOW!

Girls Zone’s Got WOW! Considering eco-awareness, a show presenting outfits made only from recycled and upcycled items was held at Karori Anglican Church. This was themed on the Creation Story in Genesis. Psalm 8 pulled together the foundation of the project along with the Genesis creation story to "teach" GZ what an amazing world we have been given and entrusted with.

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Practical eco-steps around the church

The Papanui Baptist Earth Care Group wants to give a shout out of appreciation to Carol Aitken, our church administrator for the proactive and intentional things she is already implementing in the practical life and running of our church facility, that are at the core of what we are about – better stewardship, less waste and the promotion of beauty, in respect of God’s amazing creation!

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Climate Emergency Workshop results

The Wellington Abrahamic Council held a Workshop on the Climate Emergency on 20 June 2021 at Te Herenga Waka / Victoria University of Wellington. The event was attended by 50+ people representing Jews, Christians, and Muslims. From the initial presentations by representatives of each of the three faiths it was clear that the teaching of our Abrahamic traditions about sustainability and the natural world provides a rationale and motivation to address this defining issue of our time as a priority.

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Calculating a church’s carbon emissions

St Michael’s Anglican Church in Kelburn recently had a first go at calculating their church’s carbon emissions. We corresponded with Caitlyn Lee, a parishioner at St Michael’s who worked on the carbon calculation for the church about the process.

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Pukekohe Anglican Church community vegetable gardens

St Andrew’s Community Food Gardens were established to promote sustainable organic gardening practices to produce edible produce for the community. In 2018, the late John Allen, a parishioner of St Andrew’s, was our Sustainability Fieldworker and he spearheaded the team that established the food gardens. View a photo tour around our community vegetable garden as it’s been developed over the years!

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Welcoming Shore Grace church to the Eco Church whānau

ARANZ trustee, Stephen Pattemore was invited to speak at Shore Grace church on Sunday 28 March 2021 to celebrate their joining the journey of becoming an Eco Church. On the Sunday we joined them, they were running one of their informal Café services entitled a ‘Neighbours Day Café’ – community plant swap.

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The community garden and Fruit & Vege Co-op at St Matthew’s in Titahi Bay

As you go past the unassuming church of St Matthew’s Anglican Church in Titahi Bay, you might notice the neat garden beds that line one side of the walkway to the church. Walking a bit further to the side of the hall, you will find some 20 feijoa trees. This is the Titahi Bay Community Garden @ St Matthew’s (TBCG@SM), a community garden run by the Titahi Bay community hosted at St Matthew’s grounds.

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