Programmes
Preaching, Talks, and Workshops
Bring us down to share about creation care with your church/organisation.
Topics covered include:
- the biblical basis for creation care
- the imperative of caring for creation in today’s world
- how we can live it out as Christians
We can also facilitate a time of reflection, brainstorming, discussion and prayer for your creation care journey moving forward.
We have also worked with Christian schools and organisations to provide training or guidance on creation care initiatives.
A Walk in God's Garden
Our guided reflective walks are an avenue for believers to slow down and appreciate how God’s character is seen in His creation.
Our volunteers will bring you on a curated trail, where you will be inspired to recognise the beauty of God’s creation and reflect on your relationships with the natural world. We have two ongoing walks at Dairy Farm Nature Park and Fort Canning.
Free Audio Guides and Maps!
Want to go on a self-guided walk? Click the icons below to access our audio-guide of Dairy Farm Nature Park and Botanic Gardens on Spotify or Soundcloud, as well as view our map guides.
Contemplative Cleanups
Our contemplative cleanups are a tangible and public opportunity for Christians to serve their community.
These are not your regular cleanups – we pair the cleanups with a time of guided reflection to prepare ourselves for the cleaning up, and praying to God for the restoration of the oceans.
We also provide Cleanup Toolkit rental services at a subsidised rate for Christian groups. Churches or Christian groups looking to host a cleanup are also welcome to contact us for guidance or facilitation.
OFW Net Zero Church
The OFW Net Zero Church Programme helps churches take concrete steps to measure their carbon footprint and minimise it in line with global standards.
In Singapore, buildings and transport account for a significant portion of our nation’s carbon footprint. Singapore’s net-zero goal by 2050 presents an opportunity for churches to rethink our operations and practices. Through these efforts, our churches will not only be better witnesses of God’s mandate to care for creation, but lead in ensuring a liveable future for generations to come.
More about the programme
There are three stages to the programme, and churches have the liberty to set their own targets in accordance with their ambition and ability. OFW will guide churches through a six step process towards minimising their carbon emissions: Measure → Plan → Reduce → Offset → Tell → Review.
See milestones and indicators
Milestone
Indicator
Church Committed to Fight Climate Change
Enrollment into the Net Zero Church Programme
Completion of baseline GHG emissions inventory*
Carbon Neutral Church
Setting of short- (4 year cycle) and long-term targets (90% reduction) for Scope 1-2
Complete offset of annual emissions (Scope 1-3 measured) using carbon credits or RECs for 2 years consecutively prior
Completion of second annual GHG emissions inventory
Operational Net Zero Church
Achievement of long-term target for Scope 1-2 for 2 years consecutively prior**
Complete offset of residual annual emissions (Scope 3 measured) using carbon credits or RECs for 5 years consecutively prior
Commitment to reduce Scope 3 emissions
* Churches are not required to engage OFW to complete their inventories. However, we recommend using our low-cost service tailored for churches.
** If a church is not able to install solar panels, the church is allowed to use RECs to fulfil its Scope 2 decarbonisation target given Singapore’s unique context.
Conducting an Emissions Inventory for Your Church
OFW can help you to:
- Conduct a baseline GHG emissions inventory for your church and guide you on how to collect the data required;
- Compare your church’s emissions to OFW’s database of churches; and
- Propose next steps for your church to reduce its GHG emissions; and
- Conduct annual GHG emissions inventories to track your progress towards Net Zero.
What Our Inventory Covers
The scope of our inventory is designed to be as comprehensive as possible while minimising the burden of data collection on you. Most information can be easily obtained by office staff, with the exception of one 3-minute survey to be conducted in your service.
- Scope 1 emissions generated from vehicles owned the church
- Scope 1 emissions generated from refrigerants (optional)
- Scope 2 emissions generated from the purchase of electricity
- Scope 3 emissions generated from the purchase of water, flights for business/missions, and from staff and congregants’ commutes
We will also provide a report of the results, presented in a 1.5-hour workshop open for church leaders, the board, and/or the congregation.
- Emissions intensity analysis, on a per area and per member basis
- Comparative analysis against our database of church emissions inventories, when available
- Recommendations for next steps to decarbonise and offset emissions
A quick introduction to the three scopes of GHG emissions
Scope 1
Direct greenhouse gas emissions from sources that are owned or controlled by an organisation, such as petrol and diesel vehicles.
Scope 2
Indirect emissions associated with the purchase of electricity.
Scope 3
The result of activities from assets not owned or controlled by the reporting organization, but that the organization indirectly affects in its value chain.
Get started.
Timeline
The entire process from an onboarding session with relevant stakeholders to the presentation of results should take no longer than 5 months for each inventory. This proposal covers two inventories.
Data Privacy
All data collected for the inventory will be kept confidential and stored in OFW’s database, except in cases of legal obligation. Results of the inventory may be shared with the public, but will be fully anonymised unless your church chooses to publicly disclose them.
Performing an assessment of our greenhouse gas emissions is an important first step in understanding our impact on creation.
This inventory is a powerful opportunity for us to achieve and model our commitment to care for creation. With Singapore having committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, this act is also a means for us to seek the welfare of our nation.
With this awareness, we can then make changes to our practices in an informed manner to live out our mandate as God’s stewards of creation.
Church Garden Network
The OFW Church Garden Network gathers gardening communities in churches to share knowledge and resources, growing together as disciples caring for creation.
More than beautiful spaces, thriving church gardens point to a future where all creation is renewed, and the gardeners within live out our Edenic vocation to tend and keep the earth. They are also reminders that we should nurture rather than exploit, cultivate rather than consume.
