Tag: churches

Counting on … day 71

27th May 2025

Local churches – particularly those where the congregation is predominantly local too – can be a force for good because it builds the strength of the local community and has a building that is available as a community centre. Tearfund identifies local churches as having ten key strengths that can enable them to tackle the risk of disaster.

  • respond immediately 
  • Provide compassion and care 
  • Have resources available locally
  • Influence and shale values
  • Act as community peace builders
  • Facilitate community action 
  • Raise awareness of risks and advocate for change
  • Communicate hope and promote healing
  • Pray to bring change
  • Raise issues and draw support from their denomination as a regional or national level (1)

However Tearfund also point out that some churches “may not see strengthening the resilience of communities as part of the church’s role.”

Churches need to consciously and proactively engage with the challenge of being a key part of community resilience.

Counting on day 1.053

22nd February 2023

The Independent reports ‘St Michael with St Mary parish church in Melbourne, Derbyshire, is a fine example of 12th-century Norman ecclesiastical architecture, but one part of the building is distinctly modern. The sunshine that illuminates the church’s stained-glass windows is also shrinking its carbon footprint thanks to a 42-panel, 10kw array of solar panels on the roof.’ 

One of the first churches to install solar panels was St James Piccadilly, whilst more recently St John’s Waterloo has installed panels that will produce 30 kilowatts per hour in bright sunshine and over the course of a year could generate 28,597 kWh. 

A different world is possible!

NB I have put together a series of 40 mini reflections on water (a rerun of a series from a couple of years ago). These can be found in the menu under Lent Reflections, or here https://greentau.org/2023/02/11/lent-reflections-water/