Wider Horizons

“God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

The Wider Horizons group on the Kirk Session exists to promote awareness of and raise funds for important issues and causes, and to highlight specific campaigns and issues of justice throughout the world.

Past campaigns

Carbon Conversations

This course looks at five areas relevant to climate change and what we can all do about it:

1 Low-carbon futures - exploring possibilities

2 Home energy - how to reduce energy consumption

3 Travel & transport - how can we travel and minimise carbon emissions

4 Food & water how to make our diets healthy, enjoyable and low-carbon

5 Consumption & waste - can we live contentedly with less?

The final session is a reunion in which we meet again to celebrate, reflect on learning, share progress, make plans and organise ongoing support.

Facilitators Jean Carletta & Arthur Chapman.

This is part of our commitment to eco-congregation.

http://carbonconversations.org/

Nuclear weapons – Trident:

The Church of Scotland has for many years been opposed to Trident and its planned replacement. The former Moderator of the Church of Scotland, Very Rev Bill Hewitt said at Easter 2010: "On this weekend, when we traditionally talk about peace, we are saying to government there is an economic argument against Trident: let¹s spend this money to feed the poor in the world. And there is the moral argument which says we shouldn¹t be building nuclear weapons at all. We believe in life, not death."

At this time of cuts in government expenditure and before the autumn defence review we feel that it is appropriate once again to raise our concerns about the UK's commitment to the Trident nuclear weapon system.

For further information and action visit:

Church and Society Council webpage

:
Join the Rethink Trident campaign

Christian Aid at St Andrew's and St George's: Review

Between June and November 2009 the Wider Horizons group undertook a review of the sale on behalf of the Kirk Session as part of the Interim Ministry process and as a prelude to the forthcoming union with St George's West. The Review Group would like to thank everyone who took the time and trouble to complete the questionnaire which was sent out and are very grateful for their responses. Please be assured that as well as being crucial to this Review they will remain a very useful resource for some time to come.

The completed 19 page report, with only minor amendments, was approved by the Kirk Session at its meeting on 2nd November.  A separate summary of agreed recommendations is also available.

(Both files are in PDF format and require Adobe Reader).

The Countdown to Copenhagen is over but it continues to campaign for a fair, ambitious and legally binding deal for the worlds poorest. It is time for climate justice and world leaders must act now. Thanks to everyone who took the Countdown to Copenhagen pledge. Desmond Tutu presented over half a million signatures to the UN in Copenhagen.

The Wave in Glasgow on 5 December called for climate justice ahead of the UN's Copenhagen summit snd 8,000 people took to the streets of Glasgow on Saturday 5th December to demand urgent action on climate change.

The Wave was organised by Stop Climate Chaos Scotland and its camaign seeks to ensure that the UK government and other developed nations commit to at least the same ambition as Scotland, whose world-leading Climate Change Act set an interm target of 42% reductions in greenhouse gas emmissions by 2020.

Scottish Churches House

Scottish Churches House, the Ecumenical Conference Centre in Dunblane has published its programme for 2009.

Click here for a list of their upcoming events.

Further details are available here or you can download the most recent copy of their magazine Inscape, which has news and details of SCH. (Requires Adobe Reader).

Christian Aid

Christian Aid is an agency of the churches in UK and Ireland, which works throughout the world and with local partner organisations. It provides development support and disaster aid wherever the need is greatest, irrespective of religion.

The Book Sale

Wider Horizons helps organise St Andrew's and St George's annual Book Sale, the largest single fundraising event for Christian Aid in the UK. You can read more about our work with the sale here...

Trade Justice                                                           

Through Christian Aid we are committed to the campaign for Trade Justice. Fairly-traded products from Traidcraft are on sale in the church, and FairTrade and organic products are served in the Café in the Undercroft.

Eco-Congregation                                                              

We recognise the importance of using the world’s resources wisely, and in December 2008 were successful in our campaign to become an Eco-congregation. This involves a commitment to minimising waste, recycling wherever possible and conserving energy and we strive to live up to our status and take steps in our church and individual lives to do something about climate change and sustainable living.

Our 2007 service ‘Days of Creation, Days of Destruction’ offered a powerful reflection on our stewardship of the earth and we hope that the combination of our fundraising work and our location give us an opportunity to become a powerful and prophetic voice about the excesses of consumerism which is one of the forces creating environmental and human damage.

Our charity initiatives such as the Christian Aid book sale and the ‘Charity Chic’ fashion shows, are not only a practical contribution to recycling, but we hope also act as a symbolic act of leadership. Given the location of our church in the commercial centre of Edinburgh and the current financial crisis, we believe that our commitment to an alternative method of trading shows both spiritual leadership and is quietly subversive of the consumerist ethic and show that there is an alternative.

For more details see the Eco-Congregation website.

Members of the Scottish Parliament are considering a bill to reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050 and need public support to ensure that this bill goes through. You can find out about this bill at the Scottish Parliament website.

The Environment Agency recently asked a panel of experts 'What are the top 50 things that will save the planet?' At number 2: ‘It is time the world’s faith groups reminded us that we have a duty to restore and maintain the ecological balance of the planet’

Click here to download the booklet.

ARK Campaign and Operation Noah             
 
Noah is a universal and iconic figure and t a time when the earth was threatened by a destructive flood, he was chosen by God because he was an “upright man”. He was brave and took action when others were sceptical. Above all he was concerned to protect all of creation – not just homo sapiens. His story is a positive one – the appearance of the rainbow and the dove signifying hope after the flood. The work of Operation Noah is informed by two imperatives:

1) Encouraging urgent action to reduce emissions
We in Britain should de-carbonise our economy by 2030. 2050 would simply be too late

2) Transforming our lifestyles
Promoting radical change to transform our lifestyles into simpler, enriching and more sustainable ways of ‘living the future’

Operation Noah also features a regular blog from Revd Dr Michael Northcott, Professor of Ethics at the University of Edinburgh.

To read his posting click here: http://www.operationnoah.org/node/234

For more details go to: http://www.operationnoah.org