The Old & Abbey Church, Arbroath

We, in the Old and Abbey Church, have been conscious for some time of environmental issues and the consequences for our world if they are not addressed. Awareness without constructive action is a denial of our contribution to environmental destruction so the challenge is to face up to the issues and act. Global warming and Biodiversity are ours to deal with. We can not sit back and agree that there are problems but leave it to others to fix them. We have a Christian and a moral duty to act and must take a lead.

The effects of global warming are with us now. They are all too evident. We, in the Church of Scotland, have never had a better opportunity to talk openly about God’s creation and our responsibility to care for it or to unite with and work alongside other agencies and campaigners. What is important is the way in which we interact with others. We have an opportunity to be constructive and creative in what we do and how we do it. We need to promote change on a personal level but we also need to lobby local and national politicians, industry leaders etc. encouraging them to protect the needs of our global partners whose economy’s are less robust than ours.

Biodiversity must be part of our vocabulary as it shows our concern for all living things. In our efforts to make change happen we must have a balanced approach to maintain the fragile eco-structures that allow life, in all its forms, to survive and grow. We must also keep the dialogue positive and talk about change in a way that helps others believe that change is possible.

The Old & Abbey church has looked at the congregation, the wider community and the political arena and has in small ways tried to involve all three. We have held “Eco-Funky-Fun” days with the focus being on children and their families (games, treasure-hunts, story corners, African drumming workshops, art competitions etc.)


The congregation is encouraged to re-cycle and in conjuction with Angus Council we have a recycling centre. In addition, we have recently started a bottle-top recycling point in the church.


We also organise quarterly beach cleans, cycle to worship days and promote the use of environmentally-friendly products on church premises.
We have regular worship services, Sunday’s and mid-week, focussing on environmental themes. In 2008 we held a major three day event involving a high profile political forum chaired by Friends of the Earth, followed by a full day programme that included a wide range of advice and information displays (SCARF, Friends of the Earth, WWF, Angus Council, park rangers, organic food growing, composting and renewable energy, Christian Aid and Eco-congregation etc). The event was supported by an eco-village shopping experience, African music and a variety of Children’s activities. Food was organic where possible and cups and sandwich cartons were all biodegradable. On the spiritual side Sunday worship was led by the event organisers plus there was an opportunity to walk an Eco-labyrinth.

What the future hold is a mix of the above. However our main vision is to hold a major Eco-event that will be a truly community-focused event but an event that has at its heart the Christian message. What we do know is our commitment will not diminish. The situation is too urgent.


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