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Church land - 'a model for environmental change'


On Saturday, 18 September, the Christian environmental and nature conservation charity, A Rocha UK, will hold a conference on the importance of church land management, as part of its Eco-Congregation England & Wales green-church award scheme. It will give practical examples of projects and open up opportunities to see what conservation potential church land may hold. Professor Sir Ghillean Prance, Scientific Director of the Eden Project and former Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, will speak about the importance of church lands to the UK's wildlife. He is currently Chair of A Rocha's International Trustees.

The organiser say: "church land can be a significant sanctuary for wildlife and biodiversity, if managed in an environmentally sound manner. By involving the local community in conservation orientated projects, we can spread hope whilst at the same time retaining deep reverence for the upkeep of sacred places."

Andy Lester, Conservation Director of A Rocha UK, said: "We are thrilled to be holding the conference on Growing Organically. Change starts at home and for many churchgoers that doesn't just mean where they live, but also where they worship. Looking after the land that God has entrusted to us is a huge responsibility and caring for the land around our churches can be as much an act of worship as singing & praying inside the buildings!"

The workshops at the conference will cover: Environmental Management Plans; How to attract wildlife; Alternative uses of church land; How to use church land to engage with the wider community; Theology of creation care; Practical case studies.

The conference is in partnership with Caring for God's Acre and Shrinking the Footprint and will be held in the Carr's Lane Church Centre near Birmingham New Street Station from 10am to 4pm.

"We have a responsibility to take better care of our environment; not just as citizens, but also as Christians" explainsed Derek Burnside of Belmont Chapel, a recent winner of the Eco-Congregation Award. "The Bible teaches us that God has given us stewardship of his creation, and that he expects us to treat it as a blessing and not a commodity to be used up."

For more information about the conference see: www.arocha.org/gb-en/7689-DSY.html?branch=1&language=2



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