Haslemere Parish is proving that age is no barrier to protecting God’s creation and engaging the whole community in creation care.
When Verity Sutherland started in her role as Children’s and Families' Worker at Haslemere Parish in September 2021, she wanted to give the children opportunities to join in with what God was already doing in their local community.
Speaking to her young people about their passions, Verity tapped into their awareness of climate change but their sense of anxiety that it was outside of their control. This passion and a desire to fight for a cause, was the inspiration behind the young people’s engagement with their wider community.
When teaching, Verity frequently mentions God’s concern for the whole person – spiritual, physical, mental and social wellbeing, and how “nature is a great place to experience God.”
Creating a wild verge garden (which has been tended to and expanded on by the children over the years), was one of the initial activities in which she noticed the kids connecting with God through engaging with nature. She recalls how a child who noticed the first apple on a tree they had planted reacted by shouting “Hallelujah. Isn’t that wonderful” – his first reaction was to recognise God at work in the harvest the tree was producing. They have also started running ‘Muddy Church’ sessions.
The projects in the community that her groups are involved with are all about helping others and the environment. They include litter picks (on land and water), water testing, work in a community garden and local clubs, and in the churchyards. In their adopted road verge, they plant insect friendly wildflowers, apple trees and have built a dead hedge and created slate signs to educate passers-by. In the churchyard itself, they created another wildflower area complete with a bug hotel. Last year St Bartholomew’s Churchyard was awarded silver in the South & South-East in Bloom competition, and this year they were awarded gold. These efforts played a key role in such recognition.
All of this work has helped engage with people in the wider community, connecting them to the church and stimulating conversations about faith and prayer.
Verity and a group of young people from Haslemere Parish will be sharing their positive experiences at the upcoming Net Zero Carbon Conference which is being held at St John’s Stoke, Guildford on 17 January. The conference is an opportunity for clergy, eco leads, PCC members, churchwardens and anyone interested in creation care to come together to be inspired and equipped in their work to protect God’s planet.
Book you place at the Net Zero Carbon Conference on 17 January 2026