There was a positive buzz in St Ninian’s Church on Saturday 31st January, when a new creation-centred initiative was launched by Bishop Tricia for the Diocese of Sodor and Man. Manx Target 25 is a creation focused project and is the initiative of Louise Whitelegg – the Diocesan officer for advising on environment and our church properties.
The morning started with breakfast baps and coffee, served by Kay from St Ninian’s church, and Hannah Phillips and Chloe Hurst of Manx Wildlife Trust, before business commenced with a welcome from Bishop Tricia when she shared thoughts (summarised here) about her own experience of nature being devasted, her hope for ways forward, and her belief that Manx Target 25 can help us align with the work of God already underway in Jesus, empowered by the Spirit who breathed over the creation at the beginning and today. The Bishop invites us all to hold together theology and practice, prayer and action, hope and responsibility.
Louise has developed the project in conjunction with various Manx wildlife and environment organisations, creating ways for all churches to engage with our environment and provide places of peace, healing and awakening. Illuminating presentations were given by Graham Makepeace-Warne, CEO of Manx Wildlife Trust, Anna Graham from Manx Birdlife and Liz Charter from Isle of Man Fungus Group.
Anna Graham teased the gathering with a captioned photograph “Who nests here?” and no-one managed to give the answer “Common Gull” – which is classified as a threatened species.
Liz Charter intrigued everyone with information about Waxcap fungi, found in gently maintained grassland such as churchyards, and vitally important to the flourishing of nature.
Representatives from other Manx environmental organisations were: Kevin Wells of Manx Bat Group, and Laura McCoy, Natural History Curator with Manx National Heritage who focused on stoats.
All the organisations demonstrated their willingness to be involved with church communities, to advise and to participate in environment activities and projects.
Louise Whitelegg’s vision for MT25
To begin with, Louise expressed the hope that the project gives us a new set of glasses to gain a different focus. It presents fresh opportunity for all of us to grow our mission service together, focusing on environmental enhancement and actively engaging with our communities. She proposes that effective adoption of a target is about being known, about identifying your Church with a particular element of Manx wildlife, and about cascading effort. Working on the project with the island organisations, Louise has assembled accessible information on a range of 25 topics relating to habitats, wildlife groups, and wildlife species (all accessible in the online library here).
As she explained the motivation and background to the initiative, Louise drew attention to the current shifts in global cultures, moving from rigid secular perspectives to a growing appetite for a grounded Christian perspective. Current evidence shows that, in a world parched of spiritual foundations the pendulum is shifting, with documented decline in social media usage, rising Bible sales, increased church attendance and a record number of adult and adolescent baptisms.
People are emerging from the spiritual desert, with an appetite for something different, with a sense of curiosity and seeking a community. “In their awakening is a desire to be still, a desire to be real. They carry an urgency to connect with something tangible, natural, to explore the unknown, seeking to be grounded, to be present, to find peace and purpose.”
This is where Louise observes that our Churches are perfectly situated to be the nut in the wheel of a spiritual awakening, to meet people wherever they are on their personal journey, to be known as a hospitable community space, and to provide a place of peace, healing and awakening.
Pointing out that our churches have unique buildings, contexts, history, congregations, patrons and opportunities – churches that are focused on high energy contemporary worship, churches focused on community activity, quiet reflective churches, family focused churches, and everything between – Louise said that in MT25 there is a missional opportunity for every expression of church
The quiet reflective church:
You could be the hidden fun-guy –
Fungi are the unsung heroes of nature and utterly fascinating when you discover them.
They are all the colours of the rainbow, and the Islands churches are home to some of the world’s rarest species.
When you discover the wood wide web – that is the underground network of communication and nutrition, this can inspire a fresh new look at the intercity of God’s creation.
A traditional Church
May be drawn to the majestic oak – a tree that is long lived, harbours the largest population of insects. Grow seeds by giving each child Christened an oak sapling to mark the occasion
A family focused church:
Maybe the chaotic energy of Frogs! jumping 7 times their body length or getting messy with pond dipping.
Louise closed her presentation with the words of Henry Ford:
“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”
Target 25 is about being known,
about identifying your Church with a particular
element of Manx wildlife and about cascading effort.
Louise invites each church group to explore the 25 options,
all detailed in the MT25 Library, and to choose two that fit with your context.
