Eco-Congregation Scotland (Highlands area) is holding its 2014 Regional Gathering at Ness Bank Church, Inverness on Saturday 26th April.
Each year we seek to bring this event to a different area, outwith the Central Belt, from where people might find it difficult to travel to our Annual Gatherings. So far, we have been to Aberdeen and Dumfries and this year we are coming to Inverness. We realise it will still be a long way to travel for some but hope that it might be on a day when you can make use of the trip for other purposes, too.
We know many of you are already on an eco-congregation journey. Do you, for instance: sing hymns or songs that celebrate the wonder of creation; have low energy light bulbs fitted; promote fair trade? If the answer to any of these questions is “YES”, then you are on your way!
However, we are aware that registering as an eco-congregation may have been perceived as a burden – it’s not! There is no prescribed route to being an eco-congregation, every congregation is different. We do have resources (Ideas for Action) to help you but there is no set course to follow and complete.
Alistair McIntosh recently explained why he sees Eco-Congregation as so important and we couldn’t have put it better! “… it’s about forming green groups in your church, about having a check-up of the environmental issues in your church, getting the authority of your church decision-making body and then working towards a series of steps which, although practical on the outside, on the inside are about a deepening of the spiritual life, about inner transformation and the regeneration of what the church and community is.”
The Regional Gathering is very much about asking you what would help start or develop caring for creation activity in your congregation / parish. The Rev Trevor Jamison, our Environmental Chaplain, will be with us to lead worship and he will help make the link between our faith and environmental issues. There will then be a chance to look at the stumbling blocks and stepping stones to being an eco-congregation and to find out and be inspired by what is going on in other congregations / parishes locally, nationally and internationally.
You can see a programme here : Regional Gathering programme
This event is free and a booking form will follow shortly. We hope you will join us on 26th April!