Ever wondered where the Eco-Congregation Award plaques come from?

Our Eco-Congregation Award plaques are made by the Grassmarket Community Project in Edinburgh, from old church pews. You can read an interesting article about their work with unemployed people here: http://gh.cm/qIdIV3

GROW Greyfriars Recycling of Wood

Eco-Congregation Scotland is very happy to announce GROW - Greyfriars Recycling of Wood - as its new supplier for Eco-Congregation Award Plaques.

As part of the Greyfriars Church Community Centre, based in Edinburgh’s Grassmarket, GROW is an emerging social enterprise that seeks to create new employment opportunities for long term homeless with addiction and mental health problems. It brings together homeless service users and volunteers from the local community in common purpose: producing high quality saleable goods made from recycled wood, generally discarded church pews, that generate pride in production and profit from sales that is re-invested in the support and development of the trainees. The quality of goods produced demonstrates the ability of people who are generally devalued and the process of making things of beauty and value from what has been discarded as worthless is itself a message to the wider community. Recycling is just one way of ensuring that we make the most of what we have and do not over consume and use up or discard our valuable resources of both people and things. GROW is a small sign of an alternative imagination in which people and things that are deemed of little value can be transformed into things of beauty that bring satisfaction both to the people who own the products and those who have made them.

The first new award plaque was presented to South Leith Parish Church on Sunday, 21 February 2010 during their Sunday service.

Cadder Parish church receives an Eco-Congregation Award

The assessors particularly commended the congregation of Cadder Parish Church for the following:
 The Fairtrade shop and café – working for both the local and global communities

 The way in which Eco-Congregation has been effectively mainstreamed into the administrative structure of the church

 The comprehensive recycling programme with further emphasis on Reduce/Reuse/Repair

 The use of Study walks by the canal as a novel way of building understanding of the links between Christian faith and stewardship of the environment

 The church graveyard environmental improvements, which are an excellent example of working in partnership with local government and the local community

Great Work and Congratulations!!

Credits
The photograph of the stained glass window was taken by a member of Cadder Parish church. The history of the window is available on the website of the church.

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Abbotsford Parish Church received a second Eco-congregation Award

The assessors particularly commended the congregation of Abbotsford Parish Church for the following:
 The way in which messages about God’s creation and creation care are integrated into the worship and liturgy of the services. The wealth of eco-liturgy material, which is shared with others all over the world, is a great resource for eco-congregations everywhere.

 The church’s outward-orientated approach with many activities aimed at the local community or getting involved with other Christians to engage on the issue of the environment. For example, through hosting an eco-congregations event, organising local arts activities for children in a community day taking over 10 vacant shops in the nearby arcade, and participation in creating an environmental art installation at the Church of Scotland National Gathering.

 The highly creative and numerous art/worship installations that the minister and many of the congregation members have created to aid worship and as a reminder of God’s creation and our place in it.

 The links made with scientists in the life of the church by providing speakers for the Eco-Congregation workshop, events in schools, and using scientific experiments to illustrate points in the talks/sermons.

 The striking example of the whole church’s practical commitment in the project to light the church tower. In using the most energy efficient LED lights and ensuring that that they would only be lit from dusk until midnight, as well as taking steps to offset this additional electricity use from the congregation, great ingenuity and vision was shown.

 The considerable effort and dedication that green team have put into all the creation care work within their church, the local Eco-Congregation network and the national movement, which makes Abbottsford a beacon, not only in the local community, but also across Scotland.

Credits The picture of the feather is part of the Sanctuary Art display at Abbotsford Church.

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