At St Chads we love Gods world and an important expression of our worship is our care for creation.  We are committed to making a difference as part of wider church mission to steward creation well.

We support the wider Church of England Environment Programme which sets out that responding to the climate crisis is an essential part of our responsibility to safeguard God's creation and achieve a just world.

Climate change hits hardest the poorest countries and poorest people of the world. Meantime, the widespread destruction of the natural world is a crisis for creation. 

We want to address this thoughtfully, prayerfully and practically as set out below.

What are we doing to make a difference?

- We are working towards our silver eco-church award.

- Supporting mission partners like Tear Fund who are working with those living in areas most impacted by climate change.

- Adapting our church and community buildings so they are more energy efficient and fuelled by renewables, aiming to become net zero in line with the church’s wider mission.  Find out more here.

- Increasing the amount we recycle and reuse, so we reduce the amount of waste that we send to landfill.

- Helping wildlife to thrive on our land and in the surrounding area - we have created wildflower meadow areas in our churchyard and want to do more.

- Our prayer, teaching and worship for all ages considers how we can actively care for God’s world. 

- Encouraging everyone to think about the small and big things they could do make a real difference for the planet. 

What can I do to make a difference?

- If you are wondering what you can do to help make a difference, here’s some ideas to get you started: 

- Plan ways reduce your carbon footprint.

- Think about whether there are things you can do at home to be more energy efficient eg switching the lights off, using LED bulbs, using a renewable energy supplier or installing an air source heat pump in place of gas boiler. 

- Think about ways to travel more sustainably like walking or cycling or travelling by bus, train or electric car. 

- Help create shelter or food for wildlife in your garden or by joining a local volunteer group.

- Look into charities who work to care for creation.

- Learn about ethical products and services like banking, using resources like Ethical Consumer magazine.

- Re-use, recycle or upcycle as much as possible. 

While we do not want to be preoccupied with money, there are real costs involved in supporting the ministry and outreach God has called us to. Jesus taught a great deal about money, and giving is part of following him. Alongside praying, serving, and loving others, giving is an important expression of our worship.

The Bible teaches that giving is a free and joyful response to God. It encourages faithful and sacrificial generosity, and many have experienced God’s provision as they have trusted him in this area. A helpful biblical guideline (not a rule) for regular giving is 10% of income, and some may choose to work towards this gradually. Another biblical principle is giving our firstfruits—setting aside the first portion of what we receive for God.

If you are not yet giving regularly, we would love to invite you to consider starting, and we are happy to help with the practicalities. If you are new to St Chad’s, we would love you to begin giving as part of belonging to this church family. If you already give, we invite you to prayerfully consider whether God is calling you to take a next step in this season.

Many people find that regular, consistent giving (for example through a monthly standing order) is a more peaceful way to give, and it also helps us plan confidently as a church.

We prayerfully review costs, explore other funding, and believe God is calling us to step out in faith together. We recognise that everyone’s circumstances are different, and we are grateful for every gift given.

Thank you for being part of this shared commitment to the life and mission of St Chad’s.

Our 9:15am service is a traditional service of Holy Communion with liturgy, hymns, prayer, and sermon. We also love to create space in this service to encounter the love and power of the Holy Spirit.

The focus of our 11am service is God’s Word and Worship.  Contemporary worship followed by a time of engaging with the Bible and then opportunities to respond and give space to encounter the Holy Spirit. 

Wednesday

Our Wednesday Communion service is a relaxed spoken Book of Common prayer service of Communion, with sermon, intercession and space to encounter God afresh.

Accessibility

Here at St Chads we want everyone to belong and join in, inlcuding those with additional needs.  The main church space is level access and you are able to come in a wheelchair. A hearing loop is also available for those that need it.

You will find a visual running order in the main foyer which includes details for the 11am service along with details on which teams are leading our kids & youth work that day.

Our Mini Church and Kids Church also use visual running orders and are multisensory in their approach.  We are also introducing the use of About Me forms which will let us know about how we might be able to create a more accessible environment for your child.  

If you would like to speak to someone about accessibility ahead of visiting St Chads, please get in touch via the Contact page here.