Faith in action: St Stephen’s journey of caring for creation
At St Stephen’s Uniting Church, caring for creation is woven into worship and practical decisions that strengthen both environmental and financial sustainability
September 14, 2026
By Emily Murray, Environmental Sustainability Specialist, Queensland Synod
At St Stephen’s Uniting Church in Toowoomba, care for creation is not a standalone project but an expression of faith lived out in practical, communal ways.
Under the leadership of Minister Rev Dylan Miegel, St Stephen’s has implemented a range of sustainability initiatives that have reduced its environmental footprint while strengthening long-term financial resilience. Chief among them is the installation of solar panels on the church hall.
Since the system was installed, St Stephen’s has effectively eliminated its electricity bills, despite running large spaces, air conditioning and multiple office tenants throughout the week. Previously, power costs were around $1,000 a month. A battery system, already purchased and awaiting installation, will further support evening use, including the congregation’s Winter Shelter program for people experiencing homelessness.
The solar installation followed an intentional, collaborative process involving conversations at presbytery, church council discernment and congregational approval. When the proposal was presented, it received unanimous support.
“That happened because we brought people along,” Dylan says. “Some people are motivated by environmental concerns, some by finances – but when both are addressed together, people can feel confident about the decision. It’s good stewardship on both fronts.”
While the decision was locally owned, Dylan says broader Uniting Church commitments helped prompt the conversation. Reading the Queensland Synod’s A Flourishing Creation Action and Advocacy Plan and the Assembly’s emissions reduction commitments led him to consider what these might mean at congregational level.
“I saw those documents and thought, ‘We actually need to do something about this,’” he says.
“In earlier Christian eras, the relationship between humanity and nature was often seen as – us on one side, with the earth here to serve us. Today, we understand ourselves as an integral part of creation.”
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Alongside large-scale energy upgrades, St Stephen’s has tackled smaller everyday practices. The congregation has moved away from disposable plastic communion cups introduced during COVID, replacing them with a compostable alternative.
“I didn’t know compostable communion cups existed until I saw the Caring for Creation through Communion Guide,” Dylan says. “The fact these were already being used elsewhere made it easy to suggest trialling them.”
The sturdy, affordable cups have removed more than 1,300 plastic cups from landfill each year. After worship, Dylan collects them and composts them – sometimes with help from inquisitive chickens at his family home.
“These are small actions,” Dylan says, “but they help people realise that even the ordinary practices of worship have an impact on creation.”
For Dylan, these practical changes are grounded in an evolving theology that is deeply relational.
“In earlier Christian eras, the relationship between humanity and nature was often seen as – us on one side, with the earth here to serve us,” he says. “Today, we understand ourselves as an integral part of creation.”
This understanding shapes worship at St Stephen’s through prayer, preaching and participation in the Season of Creation during September. Environmental themes are not treated simply as political issues, but as expressions of discipleship.
“Caring for creation is part of the ongoing ministry of God’s re-creation,” Dylan says. “It’s just as important as caring for the poor or welcoming the vulnerable. It’s another way of living faithfully.”
Care for land and community also comes together in the church grounds. Adjacent to a youth justice facility serving primarily First Nations young people, St Stephen’s gardens have become a shared outdoor space. Young people have contributed artwork and helped with gardening, including planting native species to support local biodiversity.
At St Stephen’s, sustainability is not an add-on. It is a lived theology – expressed through solar panels on the roof, compost behind the scenes, gardens at the front gate, and a congregation learning to see itself as part of God’s beloved creation.
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