Category Archives: News

Stirling Methodist Church has been awarded an Eco-Congregation Scotland Gold Award in recognition of its work and commitment to caring for creation. This is the first Gold Award to be awarded in Stirlingshire and the first to be awarded to a Methodist Church. It is the tenth Gold Award in Scotland.

The Award was made to the Church by Val Brown, an Eco-Congregation Scotland Trustee  at a special service on Sunday 4th February. Val said: “I am delighted to be able to present this Award which recognises the sustained efforts Stirling Methodists have made in the church, locally and in the wider world.”  

Mark Slaney, Chair of the Methodist Church in Scotland,   said: “You lead the way for Methodists in Scotland and set the standard. More importantly, this award marks your commitment and actions as a local church and place of worship in the face of climate crisis and in the faith of the God of all creation.”

Jon Cape, Green Team Leader at Stirling Methodists said: “The award reflects what  church members have achieved and also marks  a step on our continuing journey to help make a world safe for our children’s future.”

To achieve a Gold  award, congregations must show that they have developed a long-term commitment to promoting environmental issues as an integral part of their congregational life and have met detailed   criteria which include embedding green issues in  spiritual living, practical living and global living.

Stirling Methodist Church, has been especially recommended by the assessors for

• Its work to inform its  congregation and wider community about the global  ‘COP’ climate change conferences.
• The work to encourage, and ultimately achieve, agreement to divest from fossil fuels by the UK Methodist Church
• Setting up and having a leading role in the long-running Fair Trade Stirling
• Energy efficiency measures and use of renewable electricity.

The Award was made during the annual Plough Sunday service held by Stirling Methodist Church. The Church has re-established Plough Sunday which by tradition marks the start of the farming year. Bringing it up to date, the service included practical tips on how we can grow more of  our own food – which can cut ‘food miles’ to a few metres – and celebrated the Church’s Plant Power project encouraging us all to bring more plant-based meals into our weekly diet, so helping our own health and the health of our planet. 

This has been put together in a collaboration between Christian Aid, JPIT, Church Action on Poverty, the Trussell Trust and others.

Download all the resources.

In 2021 the Methodist Conference committed the Church to an ambitious goal – to reach net zero by 2030. That means that in every church, circuit and district we need to reduce the amount of carbon emissions we are creating by making more informed choices about our buildings, energy and travel. This is not just a practical exercise, however, and caring for God’s world is an inherently missional concern. Through these drivers within the Church ‘Action for Hope’ was created which aims to support and resource our journey towards net zero.

The world we live in is God’s creation. We are fortunate enough to be called to look after it, but the world is not for us to use and abuse as we please. By caring for creation we live out our love for God and can learn and grow as disciples through experiencing the wonders of the natural world which God created. Not only that, but this is a justice issue. Those who have done the least to cause climate change are the most affected, and they also often have the least ability to deal with the consequences. As Methodists we place a high importance on social justice, and this is one of the biggest challenges of our times.

This is a very complex issue and every individual and church engages with it in a different way. It is not about blaming ourselves or others, but looking for ways that we can improve and live better in sympathy with God’s creation.

Eco Congregation Scotland is a great place to start on the journey – you can find more information at Christian environmental charity addressing climate change and conservation. (ecocongregationscotland.org)

For information about ways we can make property more suited to net zero mission you can check out Net Zero Carbon (methodist.org.uk)

More information on what is happening throughout the Connexion can be found at Environment and Climate Change (methodist.org.uk)

The Co-ordinator of Action for Hope is Hamish Leese and, although he is part of the national Connexional Team, he lives and works in Falkirk. If you have questions about how your church or circuit can progress towards net zero he would be happy to hear from you – leeseh@methodistchurch.org.uk

Hosted by the Methodist Learning Network, this is an interactive book club for anyone interested in thinking about faith and mission.

Each session is a mixture of input and conversation as we explore the main theological themes in the book and begin to ask how this book might affect our own faith and Christian living.

Don’t worry if you do not feel confident talking about theology – all you need is an inquiring mind! If you need anymore details contact Simon Sutcliffe on sutcliffes@methodistchurch.org.uk

The next meeting takes place on Wednesday, 13 March 2024, online from 7 – 8.30pm.

In that session, we will explore “Revive Us Again: Rejuvenating a movement of transformation”, written by Leslie Newton, Chair of Yorkshire North and East District, who will be joining us for this session!.

Here is the blurb from Leslie’s book :

“Would you love to see spiritual and social transformation? Revive Us Again explores how the founder of the Methodist movement, John Wesley, achieved extraordinary impact across the United Kingdom and beyond. This is an invitation to be inspired by Wesley’s message and methods and see how, by reclaiming these treasures, Methodism and the wider church may once again transform society.

“A timely and timeless reminder that I hope is read widely throughout British Methodism, and beyond.”Revd Dr Martyn Atkins

“A hope-filled invitation to rediscover the richness and vibrancy of the early Methodist movement.”Deacon Eunice Attwood

“It’s impossible to resist the infectious enthusiasm for God and the Methodist movement in this engaging book.”
Rachel Lampard MBE”

You can purchase the book from here.

Free registration

Resources are available on the theme “Exodus! Justice for God’s people on the move”

Easter Offering resources are now available. This year’s theme is ‘Let Justice Roll’.

Why is homelessness an increasing issue for refugees?

When an individual is successful in their asylum application, and granted ‘leave to remain’ status, they are required to leave the accommodation provided to people seeking asylum. Standard procedure should be for people to receive a letter giving 28 days notice of eviction, but in reality, people can get as little as 7 days’ notice. In this period, people are expected to find new accommodation and move out.[1]

It is worth noting that even the 28 days’ notice, which is very little time anyway, is incompatible with the Universal Credit system, through which most people’s housing costs are met, as this has a wait time of at least 5 weeks before the first payment of a new claim. To add further complication, currently the notice of decision for the asylum claim is often not recognised as sufficient evidence to enable people to apply for housing and other support. In order to apply for rented housing from a private landlord, individuals usually need to be able to provide proof of 6 months employment. Asylum seekers are unable to do paid work. Yet to find employment, individuals need a permanent address. This presents an impossible ‘Catch-22’ situation, in already difficult and stressful circumstances, and is a prime cause of homelessness.

Read more on the Joint Public Issues Team site.

Creative for Climate Justice is an exciting new project which will see schools across Scotland creating artwork in response to climate justice, and those artworks will be brought together for an exhibition in the Scottish Parliament in September 2024.

In partnership with SCIAF and Oxfam, and supported by Stop Climate Chaos Scotland, we are aiming to bring the voices of young people to Scotland’s leaders and share their thoughts on the climate emergency.

You can find more information here Creative for Climate Justice Scotland Resources – Christian Aid 

Christian Aid has been awarded £250,000 for communities impacted by loss and damage in Dasenech, South Omo, in southern Ethiopia. 

Christian Aid has worked in Ethiopia, through local partners, for 30 years.  Recently this area of Ethiopia has been impacted by severe drought followed by flooding, in repeating cycles.  It’s meant homes, livelihoods and livestock have been destroyed.

The Scottish Government ‘loss and damage’ funding, announced during COP28 will be used in several ways including to carry out repairs to damaged infrastructure like boreholes, re-training and job creation projects, a veterinary programme to boost the health of livestock and much needed psychosocial support for communities feeling traumatised.

You can find out more:  Loss and Damage funding for South Omo, Ethiopia – Christian Aid 

A new Lent Course, produced by Christian Aid, Baptist Union, Methodist Church, United Reformed Church, Church Action on Poverty, The Trussell Trust, and others. Together it enables churches and individuals UK-wide to gain a deeper understanding of experiences of poverty, local and global. We’ll be sharing stories of faith and activism that challenge the status quo. And we’ll be offering inspiration for actions big and small that we can all take to tackle poverty together.

Each pack contains:

• Guidance for a short Bible study
• Access to audio recordings of conversations featuring anti-poverty practitioners and activists, many with lived experience of poverty in the UK and worldwide
• Questions and prompts for small group discussion
• Inspiring videos from churches taking practical action on poverty
• A guide to simple steps your church can take to advocate for change

You can also use each pack as a standalone session to explore the issues most relevant for you.

Download the resources.