Lenten Care for the Environment
During Lent—a season shaped by fasting, reflection, and generosity—we renew our commitment to caring for the earth by reducing our paper use. For the next five Sundays, whenever a hymn appears in Common Praise, the bulletin will list only its title and number. This simple change allows us to reduce each bulletin from three sheets to two, potentially saving more than 1,250 sheets of paper between now and Palm Sunday.
In response to the thoughtful feedback we received when we introduced this practice during the Season of Creation, we will also re‑use some of the previous week’s bulletins by cutting them into strips to serve as bookmarks. These will be available as you arrive, helping you mark the hymn pages before the service begins. We kindly ask that you return the bookmarks to the greeters or place them in the recycling bin at the end of the service, helping us avoid creating extra work for our building staff.
Here is a reminder of other tips we shared during the Season of Creation:
- Do you need larger print? We have a number of copies of Common Praise that are words-only in large print. To make those easier to find, we’ve gathered them at the back, and we invite you to ask the greeters for one, returning it to them at the end of the service.
- Do you find the full hymnal too heavy to hold? The words-only, large print version will make that easier for you - please ask a greeter.
- Sometimes the hymnals are moved around, and there may be the odd seat without one. We know we have enough for everyone, so please look out for your neighbours by passing along extras to those without.
- Visitors may be confused between our hymnals (blue) and the Book of Alternative Services (green), which live beside them. Please offer guidance to those around you.
For those who like to reflect on the words of the hymns at home before or after the service, you may find the Hymnary.org site useful – words and music that aren’t under copyright are available here in a complete listing of Common Praise: