Creation Care

Sheldon Road Church is committed to do all we can to care for God’s Creation in our worship, lifestyle and engagement with our community.
We include this commitment in our church vision: Caring for the whole of God’s creation so that it thrives now and into future generations.
We are part of A Rocha UK’s Eco Church programme, and we are currently working towards the Gold Award.

Focus For May 2024
Living Lightly 24:1 The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.

May Idea. Say no to the mow. Mowing your lawn less, and letting parts of it grow long, saves you time and helps give nature a home. If you want to make an even bigger impact for wildlife, don’t mow your lawn or a section of it all until August to help even more animals. You might be surprised by what germinates in your lawn by letting things grow. Clover seeds may already be present (they used to be in packets of lawn seed) and other seeds get blown in or dropped by birds. Over the month (or two if you #LetItBloomJune), plants that have been lying dormant have a chance to grow, bloom and make some pollinators happy! Visit Plantlife for more practical ways to enjoy, nurture and defend nature, and sign up to A Rocha UK’s Wild Christian email.

Christian Aid Week—12-18 May: 7 days, so many ways. With your help, Christian Aid can work towards a world where families can escape the trap of poverty and fulfil their ambitions. Seven days, so many ways to fund lasting change. Take a look at some ideas you could try. A bake sale, birthday presents donations, sponsored walk/garden weed/dinner party/hair cut…..

Coming soon—a Plant Sale with a Beacon Lunch! A date for your diaries—Saturday May 18th, from 10am, we’ll be selling plants outside church, and from 12 noon there will be a simple lunch available in order to raise funds for Creation Care work in the church courtyard, and for the church. Note: if you’re planting seeds yourself at home now, or taking cuttings, and you have spare plants by then, please consider bringing them to the Sale!

Food in season this month—The greatest joy of eating seasonally is the opportunity to reconnect with nature's cycles, the passing of time and the tremendously diverse and delicious foods that our seasonal climate provides. Food in season is cheaper because you are buying it when it is in abundance and it has not travelled a long way. Eating seasonally reduces the energy (and associated CO2 emissions) needed to grow and transport the food we eat. Eating seasonal foods supports the local economy: for example, it is a bit silly to buy apples from New Zealand at the height of the English apple harvest. Seasonal food is fresher and so tends to be tastier and more nutritious: fresh asparagus, for example, taste more special than asparagus flown in from South America. Eating British fruits and vegetables in season is good for you. Foods in season contain the nutrients, minerals and trace elements that our bodies need at particular times of the year. Whenever a particular ingredient goes out of season, another delicious food has come back into season to tempt us all. Eating seasonally is about pleasure, variety and discovery!