Our mission for the month of November A Rocha UK.  This is the first year that we have supported this charity, and perhaps it is one that you have not yet heard of?

A Rocha UK is a Christian charity working to protect and restore the natural world and committed to equipping Christians and churches in the UK to care for the environment.  So why has this particular charity been added to the list of charities that our Church currently supports on a regular basis? 

Well, it is because we believe that care for God’s most wonderful creation is a foundational biblical command and is central to Christian Mission.  We recognise that climate change threatens the delicate equilibrium of creation that sustains life and that biodiversity is collapsing throughout the globe and we have to do something about it.  As a church, we are therefore committed to taking our environmental impact and use of resources fully into account in all that we do, including our giving – hence the addition of A Rocha to our list of supported charities.

Hopefully you are already aware of Eco Church?  St Saviours has been a member of Eco church for 2 years now and it has been written about many times in this magazine.  Well, the Eco Church framework is run by A Rocha UK.  Eco Church helps churches of all denominations make the link between environmental issues and the Christian faith, and to respond with practical action in their local church, in the lives of individuals, and in the local and global community.  Here at St Saviours we already have our Silver Eco Church award and are busy working towards our gold.  Eco Church has been a great motivator for us, giving us a framework to work to and measurable green goals to achieve in all areas of our church life. 

But Eco Church is not all that A Rocha UK do, substantial though that is;  They also run the following programs:

• Their Wild Christian programme is aimed individuals and families who want to enjoy and learn about nature together, taking practical action at home and in their community. Why not sign up, and each month they’ll help you enjoy, nurture and defend nature.
• Their Partner in Action programme is taking action to improve biodiversity, address climate change and make a real difference to nature restoration in the UK. Through this programme, A Rocha is supporting and connecting a growing network of Christian land managers demonstrating active care for the natural world.  They are specifically working to help a wide range of 25 target places and species that are struggling with the effects of climate change, habitat loss and pollution.
• A Rocha UK manages its own large Nature Reserve sites, managed to expressly promote native wildlife and offering visitors a chance to not only enjoy these special spaces, but to learn about how land can be used to make space for nature.
• A Rocha offers free education resources, for primary and secondary school-aged children. These fun, interactive, stimulating outdoor sessions are linked to the national curriculum and use scientific enquiry to educate.
• They operate a team of volunteer naturalist advisors who would love to answer any of our nature related questions! Email naturalist@arocha.org

A Rocha UK is part of the international A Rocha family, a network of Christian organisations engaging communities in nature and conservation and present in more than 20 countries in six continents.