During this month, some will celebrate the longest day of the year. Many gather at Stonehenge to witness the sun rising. Though we may not actively celebrate the solstice, we appreciate just how many hours of daylight there are.

Society is held in the pattern of seasons that have given a rhythm to life for centuries. Many of us have moved away from being linked intrinsically to the countryside. However, events like this one, put us back in touch with our natural world in a way that appreciates the warmer weather and ripening fields.

Our Minster vision is to live LIFE in all its fullness and during this season we will be thinking about how we can invest in our Christian journey. Our faith should be one that effects our whole life, not just where we go on a Sunday. One of the areas we pay attention to, is our response to the natural world that God has created.

As churches we are encouraged to care for the environment, to become recyclers and reduce our carbon footprint. God has stewarded this amazing planet into our care and part of our Christian faith should reflect this gift to us. One of the five marks of mission is ‘To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth’. The Church of England has made a pledge for all churches to move towards being carbon neutral by 2030. This is one of the targets we are hoping to achieve, both through our buildings, and also by encouraging congregations to look at what we can do personally to care for our world.

There are many ways we can participate:

· Stop wasting food, by using our leftovers to make soups and stews, or freezing extra portions for another day, rather than throwing it away.

· Make use of the community fridge to use food that is near its sell by date and is still delicious.

· Composting: those peelings will turn into beautiful compost if we leave them long enough!

· Buy our utilities from renewable sources.

· Recycling and re-using

· Walking or cycling rather than driving when possible

So why not think about using 21st June to see how you can better steward this planet for generations to come and play your part in looking after the world that God has given us.

Rev Katie Cross