Climate , Eco Church , News

MK Eco Church Network – June 2026 Update

Dear MK Eco Church friends

I hope you’ve enjoyed participating in activities organised as part of the 2026 Great Big Green Week. It was wonderful seeing many of you at the event: ‘Celebrating 10 Years of Eco Church’ when we had the opportunity to listen to Andy Atkins, Chief Executive of A Rocha, talk about the past, present and future of Eco Church and A Rocha. Here’s a recording of the event on Cornerstone’s YouTube channel if you missed it or are interested to watch it again – click here

Thanks again to the 10 churches that prepared posters about their achievements with Eco Church over the last few years.

Here is the June Update which I hope you’ll find useful.

Best wishes

Stuart Kean
Convenor, MK Eco Church Network

email: mkecnetwork@ctmk.church

MK Eco Church Network – June 2026 Update

Events

  1. Milton Keynes Parks Trust – Community Volunteering
    1. Sunday 21 June 2026 11am Community Litter Pick at Peartree Bridge
    2. Wednesday 22 July 1pm, Ouse Valley Park, Summer Butterfly Stroll
    3. Saturday 25 July, 12 noon – 2pm, Campbell Park, Community Volunteering: Meadow Makers
    4. Monday 27 July, 11am, Community Litter Pick: Canal Broadwalk

For details: https://www.theparkstrust.com/events/?Event+Category=Volunteering

  1. Wednesday 1 July 6.00 – 8.00pm, a screening of the People’s Emergency Briefing organised by Transition Town Milton Keynes, held in Aiimi Offices at 100 Avebury Boulevard, Milton Keynes MK9 1FH. The screening will be followed by a facilitated open discussion to capture reactions and discuss what can be done locally.
  1. Climate Café: ‘Making a Difference – Finding a Safe and Sustainable Role’, Saturday 11 July, 2.00 – 4.30pm at The Guildhall, Church of Christ the Cornerstone, Milton Keynes MK9 2ES. Free entrance.
  1. Committed: Fresh hope for creation:  A Rocha is holding a webinar about its 5 areas of commitment: The webinar will be on Zoom on Thursday 16 July 2026, 4pm – 5pm. To register: Select tickets – Committed: Fresh hope for creation – Zoom
  1. Date for the Diary: 10 October, 10.00am – 12.30pm, MK Eco Church Network meeting at St Michael’s Church, Woburn Sands.
  1. Notice for churches in Oxford Diocese!!: Please complete their annual church Energy Footprint Tool entries before it closes on 30 June. This is important in order to remain eligible to apply for net zero carbon funding – find out more and watch a ‘how-to’ video – find out more and watch a ‘how-to’ video.

Advocacy Opportunity

  1. Nature and National security bill: Write to your MP about the Nature + National Security Bill. It is designed to address the growing threat that biodiversity loss poses to national security, alongside the urgent need to strengthen climate adaptation to better protect communities across the UK .
  2. Vote for wildlife species on banknotes before 3 July! We’re all invited to vote to guide the choice of which wildlife species appear on our banknotes. Which would you like to see?
  3. Take part in Plastic Free July and join millions of people reducing their plastic waste by choosing to refuse single-use plastics: https://www.plasticfreejuly.org/

Training opportunity

  1. Carbon Literacy for Congregations – This course is ideal for small groups in churches, or PCCs. It is designed to be run face-to-face Caroline Harman will run this course online so that people in churches can work through the material before running a course themselves. This course will run on five Tuesday evenings from September: 8, 15, 22, 29 September and 6 October all 6.30pm to 8.30pm.  Signing up for this course is via this Eventbrite link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/carbon-literacy-for-congregations-online-creation-time-2026-tickets-1991352776761

Resources

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  1. Bishop Mary has been recording a new Podcast series of conversations with environmental experts. Listen to Episode 1, Observing the Earth with Professor Chris Merchant, and hear about the vital role of scientific research in understanding climate change, and how faith can shape our response to environmental challenges. Listen out for the other five episodes weekly!
  1. CofE Net Zero Carbon Impact report 2025 – The national CofE Net Zero Carbon Programme released the 2025 Net Zero Carbon Impact Report. Read about the actions taken and progress made. 
  1. Church energy audits – The Oxford Diocese’s subsidised church Energy Audit programme is still open to those that wish to update an older audit, or to book one in for the first time. If you are not sure whether your church has had an audit, do get in touch.
  1. Date for your diary: Season of Creation 2026 theme announced – This year’s theme is ‘Living water’ taken from the Biblical text, Ezekiel 47:9, 12. You can read a theological explanation of the text, and watch a video from faith leaders around the world inviting us all to participate in Season of Creation (between 1st September and 4th October. The official Celebration Guide is available on the Season of Creation website. 
  1. A Way to Pray. A Rocha New Zealand has produced this prayer guide that can help you find ways to pray and connect with God inspired by He Māhuri Tōtara: https://resources.arocha.org/resource/a-way-to-pray/

Funding Opportunities

  1. Net Zero Carbon Funding for churches: Grants are currently available for energy efficiency measures, net zero carbon professional advice and preparation, and capital installation of low carbon schemes. All grants require completion of the Energy Footprint Tool which closes at the end of June for 2025. Find out more.
  2. Conservation report and groundwork grants: Church of England Conservation report and groundwork grants of up to £5,000 are available for specialist investigations related to the conservation of objects, funding such work as building performance surveys, environmental surveys, or reports by structural engineers.
  1. Give to Go Green: Give to Go Green is a match-funding project from the Church of England helping churches double locally raised donations for carbon-cutting projects. There are two introductory webinars offered: Thursday 2 July midday or Thursday 9 July 7pm.

Good News Story

  1. St Gabriel’s shines with recycled stained glass window: Blue, yellow, red and turquoise light flood St Gabriel’s Church in Huyton, Liverpool. The stunning stained-glass window that fills the space with colour is impossible to miss -but its beauty is only part of the story. It has become a powerful symbol of St Gabriel’s journey toward net zero carbon. The window itself is an act of sustainability. Originally created by renowned glass artist Carl Johannes Edwards for All Saints Church in Farnworth, Manchester, it was rescued when that church was closed and placed in the Stained-Glass Repository, which preserves and rehomes historic glass. In 2019, the window was installed at St Gabriel’s, a Silver Eco Church, who see the window as a visible expression of its environmental values. Read the full story.

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