GrACE
How we care for the environment
GrACE stands for Greening Ascension’s Community and Environment.
We are a small group of church members who have set up a steering group as we feel strongly that God has called us all to be stewards of our planet.
Therefore, it is our responsibility as Christians to reduce the impact we have on our world.
Our aim
Our aim is to change the way we – as individuals and as a church – think and act to reduce our negative impact on the environment.
Eco Church questionnaire
We are using the Eco Church questionnaire to review where we currently stand, as well as how and where we can make changes.
Our plans
Our plans include:
- Minimising our carbon footprint
- Reducing waste
- Encouraging more recycling
- Improving our garden for wildlife
- Educating others
Litter pick
1st Sunday of the month, 10.00am to 10.40am.
- Meet at Ascension. Litter pickers, bin bags and hi-vis vests provided, please bring your own gloves if desired.
Garden working party
1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month, 9.30am – 12 noon
- Meet in Ascension car park. Come join us for as much or as little as you are able for a morning of pruning, weeding and clearing the church grounds. Please wear sensible shoes and weather appropriate clothes and bring your own tools, gloves, drinks and snacks.
Your opinion matters
Progress with GrACE
Towards the end of 2020, the PCC invited a steering group to form to consider how we as a Church can be more intentional about caring for God’s creation.
Genesis 1:31 states that after making the land and the sea, a world teeming with plants, creatures and humans, God “saw all that he had made, and [declared] it was very good”.
Sadly, one of the greatest injustices in our world is climate injustice, the way humans have exploited the environment and degraded creation for the benefit of few and detriment to many, both wildlife and humankind alike.
At Ascension we “expect to encounter Jesus as he is present with us and to be changed through this” which includes how we are transformed to respond to all forms of injustice; including climate injustice. The GrACE steering group is seeking to transform the way we – as individuals and as a church – think and act to better demonstrate Christ’s love for the world God created.
We resonate with the Church of England’s 5th mark of mission, “striving to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth.” We consider loving and caring for creation as an essential aspect of the Church’s mission to love and engage our community in our parish, Southampton and the world.
On 22 March 2021, the Winchester Diocesan Synod agreed to support the diocese’s plan to achieve Net Zero Carbon by 2030. Our group aims to support the church in achieving this target.