Ascension, South Burlington, Vt.

Ebenezer, Willimantic, Conn.

Emanuel, West Warwick, R.I.

First, East Greenwich, R.I.

First, New Britain, Conn.

First, West Barnstable, Mass.

Grace, Stratford, Conn.

Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer, Foxborough, Mass.

St. Andrew, Charlestown, R.I.

Trinity, Worcester, Mass.

University, Cambridge, Mass.

Caring for creation is at the core of Ascension’s mission in South Burlington, Vt.

Caring for creation is an important part of the life of Ascension, South Burlington, Vt. In fact, it is at the center of the congregation’s mission statement:

We worship in word and sacrament,

care for God's creation,

serve people in need and respect differences.

Like other Lutheran congregations in New England, many members at Ascension find spiritual sustenance in the beauty of the New England landscape and are committed to caring for plants, animals, and the organisms that inhabit our soils, water and the very air we breathe.

The Care for Creation Committee linked up with other congregations tackling these same questions, joining the recently organized Vermont Interfaith Power & Light (IPL), which offers useful tools to congregations of all faiths in Vermont.

The new Care for Creation Committee immediately set to work to care for God’s creation by taking steps to:

· nurture understanding of the connections between our stewardship of God’s gifts of life, talent, and resources, and actions we take to protect the environment and to address the crisis of climate change.

· reduce environmental impacts of Church operations.

· encourage the congregation to look for ways to protect the environment in their everyday lives.

· help the congregation understand how the environmental challenges facing people in New England, the nation and the world relate to our broader mission to serve God by helping those least able to help themselves.

The Care for Creation Committee activities include:

· Taking low cost steps to replace inefficient lights and small appliances, applying advice from a free energy audit provided by Vermont Interfaith Power & Light; these steps have already saved Ascension more than a thousand dollars in electricity costs, and provided resources that will serve our ministry for years to come.

· Sponsoring “Low Carbon Diet” workshops for members of the congregation and the community to help them reduce their contribution to climate change.

· Encouraging members of the congregation to increase the use of efficient compact fluorescent light (“CFL”) bulbs by first giving each household a bulb to try, and then selling additional CFLs as a fund raiser to support committee efforts to increase the efficiency of energy use in our Ascension Church building.  

· Offering Care for Creation tips in the Ascension monthly newsletter to members of the congregation, tips that give members of the congregation a chance to share their care for creation ideas and accomplishments.

· Organizing a series of five forums for the congregation and Burlington area community that will explore the strengths and weaknesses within religious traditions for addressing the environmental challenges.

· Starting a program of directing food waste from church events to the community composting program.

· Encouraging the congregation to seek out locally grown, organic food from farmers in the region.

· Supporting the congregation’s educational programs by contributing to the Sunday school and summer Vacation Bible School programs.

· Supporting efforts to sell fair trade coffee to the congregation.

· Enrolling Ascension as a member congregation in Vermont Interfaith Power and Light, supporting that organization with volunteer time and resources in exchange for the support made possible by the collaboration of congregations of all faiths in the effort to care for creation.

Ascension, which has a strong tradition of tackling important problems, sees the Care for Creation initiative as a natural extension of our relationship to our community. “We hope our actions will help sustain the beautiful New England environment and continue to offer inspiration and sustenance to our congregation, so that we may give to others,” said parishioner Sam Swanson, president of Vermont IPL.

“Many church members have practiced good stewardship of the environment for a long time,” added Swanson, but recently, we have decided to harness the energy of many by identifying steps to make the church operations reflect our mutual respect and responsibility for the environment. The objective of our actions is to acknowledge the crisis of climate change and to embrace a series of actions that start modestly and grow in scope, all showing that we at Ascension ‘care for God’s creation’ as part of everyday life within in our church community. We think about the environmental consequences of all we do as we live our covenant with Christ Jesus.”

Ebenezer, Willimantic, Conn., conducts classes for 10 faith communities

Not only has Ebenezer, Willimantic, Conn., participated in an energy audit, it also conducted a series of classes on caring for creation for 10 faith communities during October and November 2007. Pr. Scott Bartlett organized the classes (15 hours of class time on five Wednesdays), using $3,000 in grants from NEGEF (New England Grassroots Environment Fund) and the Town of Mansfield (Conn.) Clean Energy Fund. The classes were conducted by Carol Wilson Educational Services as the STEM program (Savings through Energy Management) and IREJN (Inter-religious Ecojustice Network).

Emanuel, West Warwick, R.I., three years later

In 2005, concerned about fossil fuels, Emanuel, West Warwick, R.I., became the first church in Rhode Island (and possibly the first ELCA congregation in New England) to rely entirely on renewable energy sources – solar, wind, bio-mass and low-impact hydroelectric power. (See The Lutheran Link, September/October 2005, p. 3).

Three years later, Emanuel is still participating in Rhode Island’s People Power & Light renewable energy program. “The congregation still pays a premium surcharge for using renewable energy (2.4 cents per kWh),” said Todd Stange, vicar. “However, the congregation still feels it’s worth paying a little more in order to have a gentler impact on the environment.” In the coming months, Emanuel will be encouraging parishioners to sign up with People Power & Light to use 100 percent renewable electricity in their homes. For every new household that switches over to renewable energy, Rhode Island People Power & Light will make a donation to Emanuel.

“We continue to look for ways to reduce our carbon footprint and be better stewards of God’s creation,” added Stange. So far, the congregation has installed low-flow toilets (which use less water), replaced traditional light bulbs with fluorescent bulbs that use much less electricity and last much longer, and installed programmable thermostats to reduce the amount of oil we burn. Also, it continues to recycle paper, plastic, glass, tin and aluminum, even though recycling, just as using renewable electricity, costs Emanuel additional money. It has to pay a company to come and collect recyclables. ‘Again,” said Stange, “it’s worth it.”

Youth sell earth-friendly products at First, East Greenwich, R.I.

First, East Greenwich, RI, had a Time and Talent Auction/fundraiser on Reformation weekend 2007, where the youth sold "Green" buckets filled with non-toxic, organic cleaning supplies, which they made – floor cleaner, window cleaner, all-purpose cleaner, wood cleaner and air freshener, plus a goat milk soap – in a green bucket for $25. They practically sold out! They also shared the recipes for these cleaning solutions. We have great photos.

First, New Britain, Conn., lessens carbon footprints

Spring 2007

God and Greenways: Along the Farmington River Trail

In order to promote the use of greenways and to review the material in the film, An Inconvenient Truth, which had been shown after church one Sunday, First Lutheran Church of the Reformation, New Britain, Conn., held a post-service Sunday morning walk along a local greenway bordering the Farmington River was scheduled. Participants walked about a mile along the scenic river in the spring sunshine and enjoyed the exercise (on a handicapped-accessible trail). Walkers viewed, as well, evidence of green house gases at work, disease vectors with invasive insects, flood damage, storm surges and wind sheers. In between, scripture such as Psalm 147, Job 28 and Psalm 65 inspired participants with face-to-face recognition of the wonder of God’s creation.

Summer 2007 Community Garden

In the beginning, there were pumpkins. This space yielded about 40 pumpkins used at the church’s youth group Halloween party and also on the altar as Harvest decorations.

We noticed that the land was fertile. We had soil tested for contaminants, and the soil was pronounced clean, though perhaps high in calcium/magnesium, by the University of Connecticut and a separate lab. So we did away with the lawn and replaced it with a vegetable garden, first fertilizing the area over the winter with horse manure and then laying a drip sprinkling system along a grid. Late in the spring, a flyer was delivered to neighboring city homes and apartments, advertising available plots. Several residents took the church up on the offer. Memorial Day weekend was targeted for planting; residents arrived with their plants,and the church provided – with the help of funds from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans – vegetables to be planted by the youth group.

All by itself the soil produces grain (Mark 4). OK – not exactly. The plot was watered several times a week and often weeded. It produced a rich harvest of zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, beans, flowers and squash. The produce was used for both a city Thursday noon soup kitchen and our own congregation’s Wednesday community pasta suppers. Several weeks the abundance required more places to which to deliver all the fresh vegetables. Fruits of the plot were again placed on the altar at a harvest festival and thanks was given for God’s good earth and in celebration of the Creation given us by our Lord.

Fall 2007 Blessing of the Animals, Harvest Festival

Two regularly-scheduled fall services at First Lutheran Church of the Reformation, New Britain, Conn., which remind parishioners of the joy we behold in the creation are 1) Blessing of the Animals on the Oct. 4^th Saints’ Day of St. Francis of Assisi, renewer of the Church and 2) a harvest festival. By now, many churches have adopted the first service, either as a weekday service, often outdoors, or somehow incorporated into the Sunday worship closest to Oct. 4. However, a service celebrating the harvest, while once customary in Lutheran churches, has often gone uncelebrated in recent years. The ELW offers texts for both the occasion of a harvest service (p. 62), and the occasion of Stewardship of Creation. At FLCR the altar and narthex are piled at the end of September with the bounty of New England’s autumn vegetables and flowers, its apples and pears from local orchards, as well as cornstalks and bales of straw. Recently, vegetables from the church’s community garden have been added to the decorations. The beauty of the local harvest has caused congregants to request several Sundays of decoration, though one Sunday becomes a major celebration, with the appropriate texts, of the harvest.

Advent 2007: Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb Sale

First Lutheran Church of the Reformation celebrated the coming of the Light of the World during Advent 2007 with the sale of compact fluorescent light bulbs. Varieties of bulbs, including popular LED nitelites and 60- and 75-watt “curly bulbs” were procured from TechniArt, Inc. (through the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund) and sold under the slogan, “Got bulbs?” More than $300 worth of merchandise was purchased on two Sundays preceding Christmas. The bulbs were deemed to be good stocking-stuffers, as well as consciousness-raisers in the cause of energy efficiency and the reduction of carbon footprints.

Recycling

The November 2007 initiative of the City of New Britain, Conn., to implement a “clean cart” trash program was an incentive for the Mission and Service task force of First Lutheran Church of the Reformation, New Britain, to transform the church’s waste stream. A number of free glass, plastics and metals recycling bins provided by the city (large, bright yellow plastic tubs) were obtained and strategically located in kitchen areas and near offices. These were boldly labeled with what should be and should not be thrown in for recycling. The bins are placed curbside each Wednesday night for the weekly city trash collection. Cardboard which has been broken down is also collected weekly by the city.

Office paper presented another challenge, since this was not part of the city curbside recycling program. The group bought small blue trash containers for each office, and labeled them with a recycling sign. The custodian empties these separate containers of paper into a collection barrel. A volunteer collects the contents on a monthly basis and takes the papers for recycling to a bin behind City Hall designated for office paper recycling. It is hoped that soda cans, as well, will be able to be separated out into a storage container and a volunteer recycler can make money on them, which can then be put back into church programs.

First, West Barnstable, Mass., recycles for youth fund

First, West Barnstable, Mass., recycles all paper. Soda bottles and cans are collected from the members with proceeds given to a youth fund for Calumet scholarships. It also is diligent about light and heat use. “Although we do not have a ‘care for creation committee,’" reports Lynn Tozier, Associate in Ministry, “all committees help with these energy saving practices.”

Power company pays 45 percent of upgrade at Grace, Stratford, Conn.

Not only did Grace, Stratford, Conn., have an energy audit, but it worked with the company that provides its power – United Illuminating – to replace all fixtures with energy efficient bulbs. “(United Illuminating) paid 45 percent of the tab for that upgrade,” reports Pr. Joan D. Sorenson.

Redeemer, Foxborough, Mass., is energy efficient

Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer, Foxborough, Mass., performed an energy audit almost two years ago. “As our building is only six years old, it's about as energy efficient as it can be at this time,” reports Pr. Richard A. Schlak. The building has energy efficient doors, windows and lighting, and the entire building is on a heating/AC timer system.

‘Sustainability team’ is active at St. Andrew, Charlestown, R.I.

In addition to an energy audit, St. Andrew, Charlestown, R.I., has formed a "Sustainability Team," which is working on additional issues in the next couple of years, including educational initiatives. In January, the congregation attended a conference on "Greening Your Congregation," sponsored by Rhode Island Power and Light. In March, it built a raised organic garden bed that will be part of its preschool and summer camp curriculums. In May, it plans a series of adult education "Coffee and Conversation" sessions on sustainable household tips – earth friendly ways to change your cleaning and energy-use habits. This summer, the theme of its summer camp will be "Keep It Simple," and the camp will focus on such topics as green faith and earth care. “One of our partners is a scientist involved in global discussions about climate change, so we are blessed with someone who is very passionate about the issue and who is helping us to pay attention!” reports Pr. Lisa Stoen Hazelwood.

Trinity, Worcester, Mass., hosts ‘Stewardship of Creation Celebration’

Trinity, Worcester, Mass., which is in the process of arranging an environmental audit, has had an "Earthkeepers Committee" for two or three years now, reports Pr. Susan Nachtigal. On April 13, the Fourth Sunday of Easter, it held its second "Stewardship of Creation Celebration" (always near Earth Day). Last year, the congregation set up information / fact / resource booths related to the care of the environment; had the children study the creation story and make "care of creation displays”; handed out “good” light bulbs; and had hybrid cars on display in the parking lot and had their owners explain their positive experiences.

University, Cambridge, Mass., focuses stewardship campaign on reducing carbon footprint

In addition to recycling and avoiding Styrofoam cups, University, Cambridge, Mass., is caring for creation in several ways, reports Gail P. Bucher, service deacon.

Energy costs at UniLu are higher than for many other congregations because it hosts the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter during the winter (Nov. 15-April 15). However, when the shelter is not open, some of the appliances that are only used by the shelter are turned off to conserve energy. UniLu also is looking at replacing some of the older high energy use appliances. When it renovated the kitchen, it replaced the gas stove with a pilotless gas stove that has resulted in a measurable saving in energy use.

In September 2006, UniLu hosted a "Caring for Creation" Symposium in conjunction with the ELCA Alliance on Faith, Science and Technology, followed the next day by a morning forum to discuss issues brought up at the symposium. The focus of its stewardship campaign that year was to reduce the congregation’s carbon footprint and to become better stewards of its resources. Facts and figures regarding water and energy sources were displayed on a chart in the narthex and people were asked to check their resource use at home in tasks like showers, laundry, dishwashing, cooking, lighting and heating by selecting colored glass beads that represented the level of consumption and placing them in a large glass jar. There were lots of beads at the end of the campaign, but people were more aware of their actions regarding resource use. The pastors have been very supportive of protecting the environment, and UniLu occasionally uses the ELCA Earth Cycle liturgy to remind parishioners of their role in caring for the earth.

4/20/2008