Christians believe that God created all things. In the book of Genesis we read that God says to humankind “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” Genesis 1:28 (NRSV)
The stewardship and care of the natural world is an important part of the Church’s Mission.
In 1996 The Church of England adopted a statement of Five Marks of Mission created by the Anglican Consultative Council.
The mission of the Church is the mission of Christ
1. To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
2. To teach, baptise and nurture new believers
3. To respond to human need by loving service
4. To transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and pursue peace and
reconciliation
5. To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth
The 5th Mark of Mission is now widely regarded as important in underpinning the other four Marks of Mission.
Eco Church Silver Award
All Saints has achieved an Eco Church Silver Award. Eco Church is run by A Rocha UK https://ecochurch.arocha.org.uk/ 
Eco Church awards are at Bronze, Silver and Gold levels and express how we care for God’s world in our worship and teaching, how we look after our buildings and land, how we engage with our local community and global issues and how the personal lifestyles of our church family reflect our concerns for justice, peace and the integrity of creation. We are now working towards a Gold Award
We are a Fair Trade Church
All Saints has been awarded a Places of Worship Award by the Fair Trade Foundation
“Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world.” http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/What-is-Fairtrade
The following links provide more information on a whole range of issues such as Modern Slavery, plastic, and Climate Change
Modern Slavery
All Saints PCC has signed up to the Reigate Archdeaconry’s Social Action Focus pledges on Modern Slavery. You can view our Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement here
Anti-Slavery.org https://www.antislavery.org/ is an organisation which raises awareness of modern slavery and is actively working towards eliminating it.
The safe car wash app https://www.theclewerinitiative.org/safe-car-wash-app
“The Safe Car Wash app, which allows drivers to respond to a check list of key factors that may suggest modern slavery or labour exploitation in hand car washes, has been downloaded 8,225 times since its launch by the Church of England and the Catholic Church in England and Wales last year.” https://www.churchofengland.org/more/media-centre/more-900-reports-potential-modern-slavery-recorded-through-app
The problem of plastic
The BBC series Blue Planet 2 has been very influential in raising awareness of the problem of plastic. The Church of England has produced a flyer on Plastic-less living. https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2018-11/CCB_Plastic-less-living_2018.pdf
Reducing our carbon footprint
Shrinking the footprint is the Church of England’s National Environmental Campaign. https://www.churchofengland.org/environment
How big is your environmental footprint? The WWF has a Footprint Calculator which can be found here https://footprint.wwf.org.uk/#/
Pet Blessing Service
Each year during the season of Creationtide we have a special service to give thanks for our natural world and the non-human people we share our lives with and to ask God’s blessing upon them. The date of our next service for 2024 will appear on the Seasonal and Special Services page
..and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8 (NRSV)