Whitechurch receives Eco-Congregation Ireland award!

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Whitechurch Parish, Dublin, has become the first Church of Ireland parish in the Republic of Ireland to receive an Eco-Congregation Ireland (ECI) award.

IMG_8535Since its enrolment on the ECI programme in 2007, the parish has undertaken many eco-friendly initiatives, including erecting a bat box and a bird feeder, introducing recycling and compost bins and creating a contemplation corner in the graveyard.

The Sunday School children helped create a beautiful Lenten/Easter garden
by planting crocuses and daffodils in the shape of a cross. The church
grounds are also home to a unique bird-bath – an old disused font, which was
discovered in the shrubbery!

Whitechurch & Christ Church 011The parish also drew up an environmental policy, added Christian environmental books to its lending library and set up an Eco-Congregation noticeboard (made from recycled corks) to promote environmental awareness.

Much of the work has been carried out by parishioners Pamela Sheil and Reg
Richards. “We’ve really enjoyed working on environmental issues the past few years and it’s great to have had our work recognised with an
Eco-Congregation Ireland award,” said Pamela.

Whitechurch Rector, Canon Horace McKinley, includes environmental awareness in the ecumenical Emmaus course he has been running for several years and the parish has sponsored a number of projects in developing countries, including the installation of a water scheme in Rwanda. He commended the “vision and leadership” of Pamela and Reg. “The whole basis by which this award was achieved was very well planned and set up,” he said, “And there are already active forward plans to build upon and further enhance our parish’s eco-congregation strategy.

IMG_8530“I really would encourage every parish, whether rural or urban, to buy into
this stimulating programme. Once a parish adopts this programme, it will
quickly find this has a positive and beneficial knock-on effect. Here, for
example, Eco-congregation has become an automatic item on the agenda of
every Select Vestry meeting. This then creates a dynamic whereby the
Eco-congregation message then percolates down into other sectors in the
parish’s life.

“The Eco-congregation programme fully reflects our biblical inheritance and the consequent obligations and imperatives that this requires of today’s churches”.

On presenting the award, Catherine Brennan SSL, ECI chairperson, said that
ECI’s vision was “being worked out so beautifully” in the parish. “It’s
about right relationships – right relationship with oneself, others, God and
the whole community of Creation.”

Sr Catherine also commended the parish for its involvement with the Three Rock Churches’ Environment Group – an ecumenical group of six churches working together in South Dublin, which has held ecumenical prayer services, invited the local community to watch eco films, like An Inconvenient Truth and The Age of Stupid, and has organised several environment competitions in local schools.

Any parish that has been working consistently on environmental issues for
two years or more is encouraged to apply for an Eco-Congregation award by emailing [email protected]. Assessments are carried out by two independent assessors.

The only other Church of Ireland parish to have received an Eco-Congregation award is St Molua’s in Belfast.