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Eco-Church

 
* * * JUNE 2024 * * * 
St Andrew’s gains award for Eco-Church work!

As many of you know, St Andrew’s has been working hard towards achieving Church of England status as a parish recognised for its eco-friendly mission and values. This is not optional – like all Church of England churches (and those of many other denominations) nationwide, we are obliged to ‘safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew life on Earth’ by meeting Eco-Church standards under a scheme monitored by a Church-linked charity called A-Rocha.

There are three levels of recognition under the A-Rocha scheme – bronze, silver and gold – and we have recently been presented with the first-level award: we have achieved the bronze standard, and a plaque of recognition is on its way! Achieving bronze has been due mainly (as examples) to:
  • Understanding more about how we use our energy resources;
  • Holding events such as coffee mornings that reflect our eco-church mission;
  • Articles in the parish magazine and website about our eco work;
  • Workshops about environmental schemes such as the one at Parish Awayday;
  • Better use of Fairtrade and local products;
  • Our effort to recycle and the use of rain butts.
 
So far so good, but there's more to do!
Our Bronze Award has been achieved through a collaborative effort within our congregation and is well deserved. But we can’t sit on our laurels or our recycling bins. There is a long way to go to meet the next level of award, and the one after that. The diocese is encouraging us to go for Gold.

With this in mind, the PCC held a special meeting on 18 May to discuss the next steps and I’m pleased to say that the ideas were plentiful. Watch out for an increase in environmentally-friendly measures appearing across a range of our work, including:
  • Rethinking our energy arrangements for the church, St Andrew’s Centre and other parish property;
  • Increasing our recycling capacity;
  • More publicity of what we are doing, including an eco-church information area in the church, with short, medium and long-term plans with a place for you to share your ideas;
  • Building environmental prayers and study into all worship.
The PCC recognised that these measures are not optional – they are obligatory under the guidelines of the Church of England and the Archbishop of Canterbury. Like Noah’s family, we all have to get on board with the eco movement and do what we can to protect the environment. I think you’ll agree, God’s world and life on this planet is worth saving!

Jenny Mutch, Chair of the PCC Eco- Church Group
 


Interested in getting involved?

If you would like to know more, please get in touch with Jenny (forbes.r.mutch@gmail.com)
 

Shopping without costing the Earth


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What is an Eco-Church?

Eco-Church is a scheme run by A Rocha UK equipping churches to care for God's creation through their worship, buildings, land, community engagement, and individual lifestyles.

By completing an online survey, churches can be considered for an Eco-Church Award at either Bronze, Silver, or Gold level. As of the end of 2022, there are 1155 Bronze, 401 Silver, and 23 Gold Church of England Eco-Churches, and our first two gold cathedrals; Salisbury and Chelmsford. The scheme is a fantastic resource for encouraging churches, cathedrals, and dioceses to embody the fifth mark of mission.

There are five areas that a church must demonstrate environmental engagement with to receive an award:
  1. Worship and teaching.
  2. Management of church buildings.
  3. Management of church land.
  4. Community and global engagement.
  5. Lifestyle.
Find out more from the Church of England here

Read about how St Andrew's began the journey towards becoming an Eco-Church
 

LOAF 
 

Bread is full of symbolic meaning for Christians. In the gospels, Jesus described Himself as “the bread of life”. When you next go food shopping, especially if you are buying for your Church, why not adopt some of Green Christian’s LOAF principles? LOAF stands for:
Locally produced
Organically grown
Animal friendly
Fairly traded
Find out more: https://greenchristian.org.uk/gc-campaigns/loaf-2/
 
Coffee Mornings at St Andrew's Church
First Saturdays, 10.30am-12.30pm

We encourage our bakers to follow the LOAF principles.

Details about sustainable food provision are available via the link provided on the Eco-Church Arocha website: Sustainable Food Provision in Church.



Daily Prayer for the Earth

Who, when & where
For a year from January 1st 2024, a group of Hertford residents will meet daily in Hertford's Salisbury Square at 12noon.

What?
We will read a prayer or a poem from a number of different parts of the world and spiritual traditions, followed by a short period of silent reflection.

Why?
"It is now impossible to deny the harm humankind has inflicted upon our Earth. Prayer inoculates us against the despair that leads to inaction, connects us back into the Earth's beauty, and gives us the courage to take small compassionate actions and to face whatever is coming." Satya Robyn, whose idea it was to say a Daily Prayer for the Earth

How can I get involved?
Join us as little or as often as you would like and let your friends know about Prayer for the Earth.

What else can I do?
Small actions add up. Join a local or national group working to protect our planet (see below). Above all:

  • Engage with politicians of all parties at all levels
  • Talk to people
  • Share your concerns and what you are doing about them
  • Join with others to make change happen
Friends of the Earth North Herts
peterfoord@gmail.com

Greenpeace Welwyn Garden City: Helen Beckett:
wgcplusgreenpeace@gmail.com

Extinction Rebellion East Herts
xr-eastherts@protonmail.com

Climate Cafe Hertford
kateyearle@ntlworld.com

Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust
www.hertswildlifetrust.org.uk

RSPB Southeast Hertfordshire
https://group.rspb.org.uk/southeasthertfordshire

Lovely Grub Community Garden
lovelygrub.hertford@gmail.com
 

www.52climateactions.com

You have the power to bring about positive change.
Every action makes a difference - try these powerful, realistic, up-beat and fun actions yourself!


Glenys
Hello and welcome to St Andrew's. If you are new, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Planning your Visit

Banner group 1140x320A Warm Hello 

No one belongs here more than you.

We look forward to meeting you! Here's some information so that if you're planning a visit you know beforehand what to expect on a Sunday morning.  We have other pages telling you more About Us, our approach to Faith and our Online services.

Where and When

We meet at the Church Building (details below) for our main Sunday Service starting at 10.30am. For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you find a parking space and can settle in before the service begins. When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team.

Plan your journey:
While, unfortunately, St Andrew's does not have its own carpark, there is a council-run pay and display carpark a short distance along St Andrew Street, to the east of the church; there is a £1.50 flat-rate charge for parking in this carpark on Sundays (though half an hour or less is free).

This is a useful East Herts Council website page for full details of parking in Hertford.

There are single yellow lines outside the church with parking restrictions, but some 30-minute parking bays are situated on the opposite side of the road for short stays (longer on Sundays).

Open Google Maps

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access, and a sound loop for anyone who needs it. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. There is a disabled toilet towards the back of the church, behind the kitchen.

Our Service

The service will usually begin promptly at 10.30am and will last between 60 and 75 minutes. We enjoy the presence of an excellent choir who help us sing hymns (modern and traditional) as well as provide anthems and special songs through the period of communion. We have a traditional organ but also benefit from music played on the piano and by our band (eg on the Second Sunday of each month when we have an All-Age Service in which our children and young people are fully involved).

Each 10.30am service includes a sermon, prayers and eucharist.

After the service, everyone is invited for coffee and conversation - some like to stay for a quick chat while others remain in the church for a longer time.

Communion

Children and Young People

Children are never too young to come to church. You and your children are very welcome at St Andrew’s. 

We really value worshipping God together as a family, so children stay with their parent or grown-up at the start of the service before being invited to leave for the young people's activities after the first hymn. Junior Church meets in the St Andrew's Centre (our adjoining hall), accessed through the church on Sunday mornings. You will need to go with your children to their groups and register them as part of our child safety policy.

The children and young people then return to the main service in time to join the eucharist and, if confirmed, take Holy Communion or, if not, receive a blessing. We offer a little box of raisins to children being blessed at the altar.

There is a Children's Corner in church where you can go at any time. You will find books, toys and drawing materials there.

Toilet and baby-change facilities are located at the back of church, behind the kitchen.

There's more information here: Children and Young People at St Andrew's

Junior Church celebration

Getting Connected


Home Groups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our small groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a variety of groups that meet throughout the week. Check out Home Groups on our website and see if there’s one that you could join. Alternatively, speak to a member of the Welcome Team who will give you the information that you need.

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us make Sundays run smoothly, you can sign up to serve on a team. Please contact Phil in the Church Office.

Get in touch with us
If you have any questions, please do get in touch. You'll find our contact details here.

We hope that you will feel at home at our church.

Group photo at the top of the page taken by Tim Pike