It crossed my mind recently that a large number of people from Glengormley Methodist are taking trips to far off lands. We had Martin and Albert heading to Toga Togo; Johnny and Cheryl are off to Aussie; Curly is going to India; and over 60 of the youth choir are heading to America in the summer. Not to mention all the holidays the members of GMC will take over the next year. That’s a lot of flights and a lot of carbon!

Personally I intend to avoid any green controversy by only having one holiday this year. As a good Methodist I'll head to Castlewellan holiday week in August. I'll make my way there by bicycle, sleep in a tent and only eat the finest locally produced food – this isn’t just food, this is M&S food a trip, this is an organic, carbon neutral, fair trade, local trip. (Think I covered all the buzz words). If only everyone followed my example...

Joking aside, perhaps it's time for the church to consider a bit of carbon offsetting? Perhaps plant a tree or two? Put solar panels on the roof of the church? Invest in a carbon offsetting scheme? Try to promote car sharing or encourage people to walk to church? (It would take me a long time to walk from Ballyclare though).

Am I doing my bit? Do I even care or think it’s an issue? I'm not sure how much my lifestyle has changed. I’m not sure how much Glengormley Methodist has changed. Perhaps I still think it's not an issue worth considering. Time will tell...