Dronfield Baptist

'Spiritual':

  • Undertaken the Eco Congregation Audit
  • Preaching series on 'Jesus and the Earth'
  • A Rocha meetings
  • Discussions at Leaders meetings and Church Members meetings
  • Occasional services developing environmental themes
  • Regular tips and articles in Church Magazine and notice sheet
  • Holiday club for children with an environmental theme (Waste Watchers)
  • Promoted Hope for Planet Earth tour and a good number of Church members attended the event when it visited Dronfield.
  • Our uniformed organisations have organised environmentally themed parade services.

Practical:

  • Organised recycling within the Church building/Church groups in a more structured way.
  • Water savers in every toilet
  • Bird boxes in the Church garden
  • Children in youth organisations encouraged to grow flowers and vegetables in Church garden.
  • 6 Church members attended Baptist Union Conference - May 2008 which had an environmental focus

Reaching out:

  • Environmental Day with speaker Dave Bookless of A Rocha, involving many local environmental groups not normally associated with the Church.
  • Formation of an A Rocha group organising events and walks
  • Lea Brook Valley Project - restoration and improvement of the Lea Brook Valley running through the centre of Dronfield. 
  • Links with local environmental groups. 
  • Improved relationships with the local Town Council and an opportunity to share our faith with local residents.
  • Environmental Officer for Churches together in Dronfield and District
  • Encourage and Promote Fair Trade - writing letters to local supermarkets to stock Fair Trade products, selling Fairly Traded goods at special events, a group working with the Town Council to have Dronfield made a 'Fair Trade Town'.
  • Links with Aquaid Lifeline in Malawi, several Church members (many of them young people) have visited the project to work for a number of weeks.
  • School work
  • Participated in Dronfield Open Arts Weekend (Spring Bank Holiday weekend 2008)where the theme was 'Creation Cares' .  This involved a number of Church members who exhibited art and photographic work, craft work, and floral displays.  The Brownies created a display depicting the creation story and the guides produced banners.  There was also a display of dance during the weekend.  The Sunday morning service was held around the displays and focussed on the theme of Creation Cares with special hymns, meditation and prayers, a word search, quizzes and a relevant message.