God’s Garden – Nature Trails

Since being awarded our Bronze Eco Church Award (which can be read about on our website under ‘Eco Church’ in the About Us section), we have been stepping up our efforts to consider how we can better care for God’s creation. For instance, we have been working with “the Recycled Candle Company” who collect and reuse our wax candles each month. We also ensured that as much of the remaining items from the Summer Fair were dropped off at local charity stores to be reused, with anything else being collected by Junk Monkey who sell, recycle, or dispose in an environmentally friendly manner.

However, one of the major things we did in the last month was the Nature Trial, organised by Anna and our Eco Advocates. This was a major success with the Sunday Schools, and with a tailor-made session for the Youth Group too!

The Nature trail consisted of a week of “Celebrating All Things Bright and Beautiful in God’s Garden”.

St Luke’s and Christ Church participated in “Love your Burial Ground/Churches Count on Nature” for the first time.

The allocated week coincided with the Queen’s 70th Jubilee Weekend so we aimed to find 70 varieties of God’s creations. Being an inner city church with relatively small gardens and only the remnants of our graveyard left, we had limited sources. Plus, beginners’ naivety and sometimes over enthusiasm hindered results. Birds and most insects fled from Sunday School children although bees on the lavender attracted tiny fingers. Gardeners mowed the grass two days before obliterating dandelions, daisies and buttercups. The Youth Group and guests at our Jubilee Tea, identified plants, did the Nature Count and followed Treasure Trails. Racing to finish caused difficulties finding clues on gravestones or spying the clusters tiny orange flowers on Honeycomb Buddleia covered with insects. Prizes were packets of wildflower seeds – some of which were scattered on the lawn. A good reason for No Mow May next year!

Our Nature Count results were more Ruby than Platinum. Creatures found included an inquisitive crow guarding the entry to the Office, a Limehawk Moth and a rat in the state of being recycled or up-cycled (Thank you to the Millie who removed it).

We now realise we have more to do to make our gardens eco-friendly, however we had lots of fun and are thankful to God for His wonderful gardens.

If you want to get involved in our eco projects or have any ideas for how we can better care for God’s creation as a church, then please do get in touch with Fr Samuel or our Eco Advocates!

More information on this nature trail can be found at: https://www.caringforgodsacre.org.uk/submission_county/london/

The Eco Team