How to host a rubbish church event

Get started…

Firstly, think about how best to engage your church in taking part. Does your congregation have an eco group already organising programmes like this that you could partner with? If not, who is it best to go to? It could be the lead pastor or someone on the leadership team. Would you host a talk or event yourself, or would you get others to do it with you?

Choose an event

Then, think about what would be best: a sermon on a Sunday, a group event on an evening or a children’s activity – or you could do all three! We’ve got resources for all of these.

1. Church talk

We’ve written a church talk script that you can simply download, prepare and deliver as a Sunday morning sermon. There’s a 25-minute version and a 15-minute version, so you can choose the length that best suits your time slot. We’ve also created engaging PowerPoint slides to go with it.

The talk is based on a passage in Matthew 19 where Jesus speaks with the rich young man about his relationship with the things he owns. It challenges our personal discipleship and how we respond to global injustices, connecting this to our rubbish problem. 

At the end, your congregation can sign petition cards, pray together and find out about more ways they can take action.

Please get in touch with us on [email protected] at least two weeks before doing your talk, so we can support you and send some campaign cards to you.

2. Group resource

We’ve also developed a resource you can use in groups – big or small! It could be used with your church small group or Bible study, or you could run it with a sizeable number of people from your congregation. 

This is great for going deeper on consumerism and theology. The resource is designed to take your community on a journey, considering the issues and making a plan together for how you might respond.

There is a one-off event, or a series that runs over three sessions: you can pick the version that works best for your group. Download the one-off resource and accompanying slides, or the three-night session and slides. 

We believe amazing things happen when we share a meal around a table, as Jesus often did with his followers, so we encourage you to organise your event around having dinner together. Each version goes through the theology of consumerism and the impact of plastic pollution and considers practical steps for how churches can commit to living more simply. 

Again, let us know if you’re planning to run a group event by getting in touch on [email protected]

3. Children’s resources

You can also run an event in your children’s church or school! Children care about the world’s rubbish situation and want to do something about it, and this is a great way to get them involved in taking action.

Our children’s resource and slides are designed for children aged seven to 11. The resource includes a talk about waste and how Jesus taught us to love our neighbours. The talk leads into activities which include an opportunity for the children to influence the Government, make a rubbish heart and learn about twinning bins.

Keep in touch

Don’t forget to contact us to let us know you’re running an event. We’d love to support, encourage and pray for you as you get ready! Email us on [email protected]