On the Road Together – How to run a local Green Christian event

Would you like to encourage people in your area to understand and engage with their Christian calling to care for the Earth? Green Christian would love to work with your local community to deepen ecological discipleship, mobilise for change, and build common cause for creation.
We have already helped local people run successful OTR events in many places in the UK, and are keen to continue.
Why not let us help you organise a Green Christian On The Road Together event in your area? Contact Ruth on info@greenchristian.org.uk to find out more or get started.
NB the below describes an OTR Saturday event. You might also want to consider a Sunday event instead – there would be less time for the sessions, but the day would then also include the Sunday worship services, and therefore include your whole church. Do contact Ruth on info@greenchristian.org.uk to chat about which would work best for you.
Main Sessions
Green Christian would provide people to lead two main sessions.
- The Green Christian Way of Life – a calling for deeper engagement and shared encouragement.
- Joy in Enough – our campaign for a fair and sustainable economy.

Keynote Speaker
Either the local organisers can provide a keynote speaker, or Green Christian can find someone in your region.
Other Sessions
There is time and opportunity for local organisers to provide:
- Worship
- Other workshops such as Non-Violent Direct Action (NVDA) (contact christianclimateaction@gmail.com )
- Art
- A sketch (see below)
- Ask people to bring stories, poems, songs, natural materials
- Panel discussion/Q&A
- Plant a tree on church land or other available land nearby
- Other activities.
Sketch

GC can provide the script for a fun look at our modern economy with a dialogue between Pope Francis and Martin Luther. See WEBLINK for a performance of this playlet. You can offer participants the opportunity to prepare the playlet during the lunch break and start the afternoon with a performance.
Ending and follow-on
At the end we ask local organisers to ask the question “What Now?” and to suggest:
- form a local GC group
- join GC
- take part in JiE
- take a GC Eco Church Checkup leaflet to your own church
Planning and Publicity
Green Christian will provide someone to be in contact with the local planning group. We will:
- Find people to run the Way of Life and Joy in Enough sessions
- Suggest people for the keynote speaker (if required)
- Set up conference calls with Green Christian
- Make an eventbrite page for your event
- Provide a list of attendees for registration
- Send out publicity through our enews and amongst Green Christian members in the area
- Draft a poster for you to use, or modify and use
- Provide GC banner and resources
- Send out after-event email to thank attendees and encourage future engagement
You will be expected to (though if any of this is a problem, do let us know!):
- Set up a working group – try to make it ecumenical and involve representatives of wider church networks such as diocesan or district environment officers
- Find someone to welcome
- Find a keynote speaker
- Find a venue and date
- Give us details of how to get to the venue, transport links and parking
- Find someone to lead prayers/worship
- Set the programme (see below for sample)
- Choose worship
- Decide on other activities (NVDA, Art, Drama…)
- Provide logos of participating churches
- Publicise locally (this is important)
- People to set up venue, organise coffee and tables/washing up for lunch
- Laptop and projector
- Bring sticky address labels and felt pen to make name badges
- Collect walk-in names and email addresses according to GDPR regs (we will give you the form to do this)
- Decide on lunch – bring-and-share or local caterer
Finance
The event is free, but we ask people to make donations, which are encouraged to be gift-aided, as they arrive and leave. This usually pretty-much pays for the venue. Any shortfall or extra will be paid for/paid to Green Christian.
Sample Programme
10.30 Coffee
11.00 Welcome and prayer
11.10 Introductory talk
11.30 Way of Life
1.00 Lunch
2.00 Joy in Enough
3.30 Next steps in the locality
4.00 Closing worship
4.30 Depart
———–
One group decided to run a Green Christian On The Road Together event as a Sunday 8am-2pm event, with green talks in the two main services of the day, followed by at 11.30 to 2pm Talks and activities about Joy in Enough and a LOAF lunch There are pros and cons for this. How you organise an event is up to your local circumstances.
We are here to help!
We hope you will consider running a Green Christian On The Road event in your area! Do contact us if you want to chat it over with someone!
Next: How do you feel about Climate Change? – and How to make Prayer Flags
Previous: How to support the Faith Bridge
Comments on "On the Road Together – How to run a local Green Christian event"
Charles Croydon:
On 28.09.19 I attended the World Development Meeting of the Anglican Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich. In the last issue of the magazine was a suggestion for a local event to be held. I showed it to the local Anglican Diocesan Environment Office but she did not know the magazine so I gave her my copy. Please will you therefore send me a replacement copy. You may want to send her copies in the future. Her contact details are Revd Canon Sandie Barton Parish Priest of Barton Mills, Freckenham, West Row and Worlington 6 The Street Freckenham Suffolk IP28 8HZYou may also want to send a copy to the leader of the local Anglican Diocesan World Development Group whoes contact details areRichard Stainer High Hedges, Felsham Road, Bradfield St George, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP30 0ADMany ThanksCharles Croydon 42 Tuddenham Road Ipswich IP4 2SP
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