Eco Church

 

As Christians, we have a duty to look after our planet and care for our local environment. God tells us in Numbers 35:33 that “You shall not pollute the land in which you live… You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell.”

 

We have joined Eco Church, a scheme run by A Rocha UK. (Link here) which helps equip churches, such as Dorchester Baptist Church, to care for God’s creation through our worship, buildings, land, community engagement and individual lifestyles.

 

Low Carbon Dorset

We have a small group that has been working with Low Carbon Dorset to look at how we cut our greenhouse gas emissions and make our fantastic building more carbon friendly  A preliminary report has gone to James East and will be shared with elders about what we can do in both reducing our energy (gas and electricity bills) and making our building more environmentally friendly. See pictures below.

 

Low Carbon Dorset were really impressed with what we’re already doing in areas of trying to reduce single use plastics and recycling and thinking about possible energy efficiency and renewable measures.

 

We’re already taking practical action, providing a water butt to allow rainwater to be used to water our plants. We’re also planning bulb planting, moth trapping, a bat detector session and litter picking sessions – so watch this space for details.

 

We’ll be providing green tips on a regular basis and if you’d like to join our group do get in touch –   

 

For further information - Eco Church UK

 

 

Latest News

Posted 14th February 2023

Dorchester Baptist Church has been awarded a Silver award by Arocha.

 

We’re delighted to have successfully been awarded by Arocha the Eco Church Silver Award for our work across the church building, land, local and national community. It’s a fantastic step forward and is due to the work of so many people across the Church. A special shout out to DBC youth, Lou Ashley and the Eco Church group.

 

Posted 29th December 2022

 

We Have joined up with a charity, Ripple Effect, and twinned our Church garden with a Kenyan smallholding in rural Migori. Our Eco Church donation will allow training in sustainable vegetable growing for a family for three years.

 

 

 

 

Posted 16th November 2022

 

We welcomed Tearfund ambassador Claire Speake to talk about the charity’s work combatting climate change. Claire spoke movingly about how the charity is making a difference with partners in helping young women start rural business enterprises in Burkino Faso. Her talk coincides with their ongoing COP-27 taking place in Egypt. She is pictured left promoting next weekend’s Tearfund Big Quiz and the Christian Aid recipe book.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted 28th October 2022

 

 

 

Posted 13th June 2022.

DBC Eco group raised £100 for Tear Fund, donated at the wildlife-friendly open garden Eco Church event that took place in our garden on Saturday 11th June 2022. Although the group was small the donation to the Climate Change campaign was very generous as people also brought along quantities of delicious cakes which were then consumed and washed down with many cups of tea! We were also blessed with a lovely sunny afternoon!  Let us hope that even more gardens will now be even more wildlife-friendly and that the local area will “greened” for the benefit of God’s creation!  

 

 

 

 

Posted 7th June 2022

Platinum Jubilee Bike Ride

A group of 7 cyclists took to the roads over the Bank Holiday weekend. Organised by Catherine and Will Molland,  the group enjoyed a 10 mile ride around Dorchester, Kingston Maurward, Stinsford and Bockhampton, stopping off for some light refreshments. Hopefully, this will be the first of a number of rides in the weeks and months to come.

 

 

Posted 19th May 2022

 

The young people were treated to an Eco Pizza evening last night at their weekly Heat meeting. The wheat for the pizzas was grown locally and turned into flour at Sturminster Newton mill and then into dough at Godmanstone. The evening included sustainable food quizzes and games with Traidcraft prizes for the winners. The youngsters also saw some of the completed bird and bat boxes and swallow nests from the Make and Bake event earlier this spring.

 

 

 

 

 

Posted 20th April 2022

 

Focus on Eco Church at Great Field Poundbury Earth Day.
This Saturday our work is being highlighted by Dorchester Churches Together in the special Earth Day event at Poundbury on Saturday 23 April, which runs from 12noon to 4pm. The Christian Aid recipe book Cooking for Life will be available, costing £10, with all funds going to Christian Aid’s work in Ukraine.

 

New bike rack for DBC
We are very pleased to announce a new bike rack that has been built for the Church by Paul Ashley. The bike rack can be found close to the former front door of DBC and is available for use for all. A bike rack was one of the priorities highlighted in our recent Eco Church survey. Many thanks to Paul.

 

Churches Together Ecology Group/Eco Church Litter Pick
A group from across churches in Dorchester, including DBC, took part in a two hour community litter pick, collecting nearly 12kgs of rubbish from roads around Weymouth Avenue. With support and equipment from Dorchester Town Council, the event also coincided with Keep Britain Tidy’s Big Spring Clean. We also produced a report for the European Commission project looking at the amount of plastics entering tributaries that run into Poole Harbour.

 

Posted 25th March 2022

Spring has sprung in the DBC garden, a reward for the bulb planting undertaken last Autumn by the DBC Youth, Office staff and members.

 

 

Posted 13th March 2022

Eco Church Make and Cake
Bird boxes, bat boxes, swallow nests and seed planting proved popular activities for some of our youngsters at the weekend (12 March) thanks to generous hosts Chrissy and Jules Boardman. All the boxes and nests will find space at DBC and we plan to launch a largest sunflower competition in the next few weeks. Coffee, cake and croquet also proved popular throughout the morning.

 

 

Posted 28th February 2022

The below picture is of Tony McDougal at the Fairtrade stall at DBC on Sunday 27th February.

 

Fairtrade Fortnight

 

 

We sold nearly £50 of Fairtrade gifts and goodies at Sunday’s service and will be back next Sunday as part of celebrating Fair Trade Fortnight.

Many thanks

Tony

 

 

Posted 20th February 2022

DBC's Bronze Award 2022 Plaque

 

 

Posted 5th February 2022

 

Congratulations.

Your church Dorchester Baptist Church has achieved an Eco Church Bronze award.

Well done! A congratulations email with a website badge and a certificate for you to print out and display in your church will be emailed shortly.

Every blessing The Eco Church team

Lissy

Eco Church Team

A Rocha UK

80 Windmill Road

Brentford

TW8 0QH

 

Your award application was submitted on Tue Jan 18 2022 by Tony McDougal.

We’re delighted to have successfully been awarded by Arocha the Eco Church Bronze Award for our work across the church building, land, local and national community. It’s a fantastic step forward and is due to the work of so many people across the Church. A special shout out to DBC youth, Lou Ashley and the Eco Church group.

 

 

 

 

Posted 10 January 2022

From the DBC Day of Prayer 9th January 2022. A picture of the Eco Church praise, prayer points, and information, on display for church members to contemplate.

 

 

 

Posted 11th December 2021

 

Eco Church - Top Tip 
Did you know that Tesco’s in Dorchester will recycle plastic fruit, vegetable and crisp wrappers? Certainly, worth a visit over the Christmas break.

 

EcoChurch Survey results - 

The first question looked at how folk would like to see the Church do more to promote the environment and God’s creation. Of the options provided there was consistently high support for external speakers, followed by an annual Creation-tide or Climate Sunday service. Moderate support was then registered for the other options.

Action - We could ask Br Hugh from Hilfield Friary (they’ve received a gold award) to come and speak about their work and his role as a speaker for Arocha.
Action - We should ask James for an annual Climate Sunday service

The second question looked at what areas of the Church be taking as a priority from an energy efficiency perspective. Responses were again quite clear with an overwhelming plea for energy efficiency lighting across the Church Estate as the number one thing to do. In joint second was the idea of utilising solar/Pv on our roof and having more efficient radiators. At the bottom we’re getting rid of single us plastics and additional air source heating, which was seen by many as too expensive.

Action - to pass this information to Low Carbon Dorset and James East

The third question entered around promoting the natural environment on its land and the results were less clear cut for a number of the options. The most support, albeit by a very fine margin was for a bicycle storage area, which I think would also be of interest to wider estate users. This was closely followed by planting bulbs and shrubs - something that we’ve already started. Water butt was also highlighted in fourth place well ahead of the other two - little support for vegetable plot or electric charging point.

Action - potential discussions with Andrew on bike storage area

We then asked people to say what they’d like us to consider and there were a number of points that came out. In order of interest was,

* Church/Community clean up/litter pick
* Invite the local MP to speak/ greater contact with MP.
* Greater emphasis on car-sharing
* Promote more cycling to church
* Have greater contacts with international climate change organisations
* Cut down on food waste
* Think more seriously on food miles

We had one response saying we were doing enough and should concentrate on what we doing and not add to the mix.

Action - Engage with Dorchester Town Council re litter pick
Action - Invite MP Chris Loder to speak on his environment and welfare credentials
Action - Promote car-sharing and cycling

Finally, there was a question on lifestyle. Many people didn’t fill in all aspects of this as a number said they were already doing this but of the responses there was support for using more renewable energy, driving less, reduce, reuse and recycle.
Some very different results as you would expect around meat eating and doing more around biodiversity.

 

Eco Church Survey and Next Steps

Tony had sent round comments to the group about the results of the survey. Issues discussed and agreed were:

 

• To invite Br Hugh from Hilfield Friary to come and talk at DBC – this has been done; Br Hugh has agreed to speak with a fellow conservationist in the New Year.

• It was agreed that we should ask James for an annual Climate Sunday Service – Action: Tony

• It was agreed that Tony should talk to Andrew about a new bike storage area – Action: Tony

• There was agreement that a community litter pick would be a good thing to do: Action: Anthony and Tony to discuss at this week’s Churches Together Ecology Group

• There was also support for MP Chris Loder to come and speak – Anthony felt this also could be a joint Churches Together initiative, although Covid limitations would obviously need to be taken into account.

 

 

Posted 8th November 2021 

Climate Conversation

Eco Church and wider members of the DBC congregation joined more than 100 others to take part in the Climate Conversation event at the Town Pump in Dorchester. The event, which included speeches by town mayor Gareth Jones and Quaker Marigold Bentley and a cry from town crier Alistair Chisholm, marked the mid point of the COP26 negotiations in Glasgow.

 

 

Posted 11th October 2021

On Sunday 10th October 2021 members of the Eco Church group spent a good session in the morning with the Sunday School Summit group wildlife gardening, planting a range of spring bulbs that will be flowering from March/April next year.

Below are Caroline Dawson and Beryl Page hard at work planting bulbs in the church garden.

 

 

 

Posted 1st September 2021

DBC has installed its first rain water butt  so that Kathleen Shipley can water the church plants using rain water collected from the church roof drainage system.

 

In addition the gardening group consisting of Tony McDougal, Anthony & Beryl Page, together with Caroline Dawson from the church office, have identified areas in the church grounds which could be developed to encourage an increase in wildlife diversity. This could involve the planting of bee and butterfly friendly plants, planting spring flower bulbs. Here are photos of the areas we have in mind to enhance to attract wildlife.

 

Latest News

Posted 30th July 2021

On the 26th July 2021 Matthew Peuket from Low Carbon Dorset with help from Tony McDougal, Suzanna Bell and Anthony Page carried out a survey of the building and grounds at DBC. He has completed a report which will be forwarded to the leadership for consideration. The report covered areas such as plastic usage, gas electricity consumption, solar panels and lighting. Below are photos of the team with Matthew.