Silver Eco-Congregation Award presented to Moray church by Richard Lochhead MSP

Aileen Buchanan, Francis Mitchell (both members of the Duffus, Spynie & Hopeman Eco group), Richard Lochhead MSP, Rev Jenny Adams.

Duffus, Spynie & Hopeman Church welcomed Richard Lochhead MSP to present the congregation’s Eco-Congregation Silver Award on Sunday 6th May. The award recognises the congregation’s actions to care for creation in its spiritual life, practical work and global living. Duffus, Spynie & Hopeman were particularly commended for the range of people in its Eco group, the regular sharing of environmental issues in the quarterly church magazine, the ongoing work to reduce energy use, and its links with local schools, uniformed organisations, and other churches in Moray. The next stage for the congregation will be to work towards a Gold Award, which would see creation care embedded in every part of church life.

Mr Lochhead, Moray’s MSP and former Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, said, “It was an absolute pleasure to present Duffus, Spynie and Hopeman Church with their Silver Eco-Congregation Award. We all have a responsibility to do what we can to protect our environment and to care for our planet, and the church is working hard with other local organisations to take practical steps to do that. The church is showing real leadership and are a great example of how we can make small changes in our local communities to address global problems.”
Rev Jenny Adams, minister of Duffus, Spynie & Hopeman Church of Scotland, is delighted that this area of work is being recognised. “We believe we are part of God’s creation, and have a responsibility to care for it. We’re trying to take that seriously, in our local communities and across the world, in spiritual and practical ways. The award is a marker of an ongoing commitment and challenge.”

Eco-Congregation Scotland is a movement of Scottish church congregations, of all denominations and none, committed to addressing environmental issues through their life and mission. There is a network of registered Eco-Congregations across Moray, who meet a few times a year to learn together. The Award scheme is optional, but encourages congregations to keep making progress.