St Anne in Ings (Diocese of Carlisle) provides an example of a rural church finding a way to make itself sustainable, in all senses.
The use of an air-source heat pump, linked up to underfloor heating, has proven to be a low-maintenance, efficient way of heating the building, at a low electricity cost.
Alongside the heating system, secondary glazing on the windows and additional roof insulation has made the church warmer and more welcoming. It is now used more frequently, opening itself up to more sources of income. Both environmentally and financially, St Anne's has set itself up to continue running long into the future.
This page contains a short format video, a written case study, two longer videos and a section with faith-based discussion questions.
Read the Case Study below.
What was done?
Why we acted
Discussion Questions for "Why we acted"
Luke 10: 27 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, Love your neighbour as yourself.
In this video, people are sharing the motivation which led them to get involved with this environmental project. They share lots of ideas, prayers and hopes which you might like to discuss. Here are a few questions to help you think, but you might like to start your discussions by talking about the parts of the video that stood out most to you. This video is part of a set of videos, and there are some common themes across them all, particularly around ‘stewardship’ and caring for creation, and around justice for people in poor countries or for future generations. So other videos might include some interesting questions which relate to this video too. Feel free to explore them all!
- How do you love God and love your neighbour in relation to the decisions you make about your church building? James talks about making sure we share the resources which we have. He is referring to making the church a welcoming place to share with his community. But what the implications of this idea when considering the resources which are used by the church – the building and the people?
- John refers to James Lovelock’s ideas about the earth, and the need for balance. A passage like Romans 8:18-25 talks about creation groaning as in the pains of childbirth. What role do people have in restoring that balance? Do we have a role in the liberation of creation?