Eco Church and Circuit

NEW Spring 2026: Forest Church
Welcome to the New Adventure…and temporary take over of the Eco Church Webpage of this website!

It’s a Church, but not like you know it. It doesn’t have walls for starters, or the need to sit still, (unless you want to). It’s about having the space to simply ‘be’ and to connect with nature, God, or something bigger than yourself, however you like to think about that. We welcome everyone, no matter your age, abilities or your background. No expectations to believe or behave in a certain way. We don’t come with answers to life, the universe and everything, only some good questions which we figure out together, as a community.

Before we started worshiping in buildings, people always worshipped outside; so it’s something new, yet old as the hills. There has been growing interest in having a spiritual connection that is more nature-connected. Forest Church has roots in Celtic Spirituality, though draws inspiration from all wisdom traditions. It also draws inspiration from Forest Schools, which is about letting nature be the teacher.

In this, our first foray into the wild, we will have our Forest Church in 3 sites, which happen to be community gardens. They are places you can gently wander or take part in simple activities, as well as sit on the various benches to rest. Afterwards we will gather at the local Methodist Church Hall for a simple meal and spend a further hour or so chatting around a subject, doing some simple activities or listening to a talk. You can come along to all of that, or just part of it – your call.

We don’t want there to be any barrier to coming along. It’s free, though donations are always welcome to cover the cost of the food or activity. But don’t let that stop you – come anyway.

Check out our commonly asked questions below for more information. If you have any questions, though, contact Lorraine Jones, the Forest Church Co-Ordinator. If you want to be kept up to date with events, Lorraine can also add you to the newsletter.

Looking forward to seeing you at our next meet up. And watch this space for the new website.

Lorraine

Lorraine.jones@methodistyouth.org.uk

Eco Church and Circuit

Eco Task Force
As the Climate Emergency is becoming more and more urgent the Circuit is seeking for churches to come together to think more about how we can protect the environment and future generations from disaster.

An 'Eco Task Force' has now been made official by the Circuit Council to lead on this.

Role of Eco Task Force
Our role is to advise, encourage, equip, inform and co-ordinate all the great work that is being done around our Circuit as we work towards Eco Circuit status. We have a growing group of people coming together with a 'hive mind' of great ideas and insights; if there is anything you want advice on, someone in the group will know!

We will keep you informed and share our top tips, we would also love to hear from you to find out what you are doing in your area. Perhaps you have something you would like the group to think about or explore? Or have some success stories in your own community to share? Have you made something beautiful out of something old? Let us know!

Moving towards a sustainable future is not about being perfect, it's about taking steps in the right direction! Will you take those steps with us?

How do I get involved?
If you'd like to know more or get involved please email Lorraine on lorraine.jones@yorkmethodistyouth.org.uk or call her on 07850 631168.