It's official! We are now an Eco Church Benefice. Overstone Church received its Bronze Award after our work morning on Thursday August 21st in the churchyard. We found plenty of signs of local wildlife as we did so... mole hills, rabbit holes, fox poo, elderberries for the garden birds, and so much more. God's acre - even when at its tidiest - is so full of life. Can you guess how much life? During the nature trail in Mears Ashby churchyard on Sunday afternoon, August 31st, we came across a colony of woodlice in our compost heap (they love a warm and humid home!), colonies of ants in our adopted graves, ladybirds on the headstones and a curious insect with long feelers and red legs (see below - it is a Red-Legged Shieldbug - you can find out more about them on the British Bugs website). We decided not to dig down to find the worms under our feet! If you include the lichen growing on our sedimentary headstones and stone walls, which are an amazing partnership between fungi, algae and cyano-bacteria - well - the number of living creatures in our churchyards is in the 100,000s or 1,000,000s. Do take a close look at the wildlife and living things in your churchyard when you are passing! All of these are in God's care and ours too.
If you would like to give thanks and pray for the wellbeing of God's creation, click HERE for our Week of Prayer Diary.
Do also come to one or more of our harvest services. Click HERE for details.
Like the shieldbug, enjoy being out in God's glorious creation as autumn begins.
God bless,
Revd Katrina