weapons, pornography and tobacco. In 2014 the ELCA Church Council approved a new screen for privately owned prisons. In addition to screened funds, Portico works with
expert partners to invest in community development, affordable housing, sustainable forestry, clean energy options, and women- and minority-owned businesses. “As one called to preach the gospel, including
justice, concern for the neighbor and caring for the common good, where my pension funds were invested was a faith issue and not simply a financial question,” said Luther Wayne Kendrick, a retired ELCA pastor in Comstock, Wis. “I gladly invested my funds in those
socially responsible options. I saw it as faithfulness and common sense. Te returns of these socially respon- sible funds were nearly identical to the unscreened funds in the plan [and sometimes higher], so there was no financial downside.” Te New Jersey Synod’s investment
‘I buy in bulk and send the
committee decided to adopt the ELCA’s social screens. “Our financial manag- ers investigate funds or companies that fit within these restrictions,” said Tom Kull, a former synod treasurer. Some managers have turned down the synod’s business, saying it would be too much work, he added. Care for the environment is oſten a strong motiva-
kids to school with reusable containers.’
tor for socially responsible consumption—though sometimes the convenience of prepackaged snacks like applesauce or yogurt in a plastic tube just makes life easier for parents. “Yes, socially responsible consumerism is relevant in
my life,” said Kathleen Bronstad, a member of Mes- siah Lutheran Church, Weatherford, Texas. She faces the tensions of other young parents when it comes to green living. “I buy in bulk and send the kids to school with reusable containers that I wash each night,” she said. “I’m not sure it’s actually worth it as the containers probably use more plastic than a bunch of baggies. “I think about this a lot. Am I really helping the envi-
ronment with my actions? We recycle everything we can in this household and we have a compost pile. I use a drip hose watering system.” Human rights issues and the “huge, negative impact
on the environment” were among the reasons Bronstad avoided buying products from China for a long time. McHan from Concordia echoes that concern: “With
Kathleen Bronstad, a member of Messiah Lutheran Church in Weather- ford, Texas, buys green products, recycles and composts with her kids.
my deep connection to Palestine, I try very hard to know what is coming from [Israeli] illegal settlements, and not to purchase products related to them.”
Congregational purchases too When First English Lutheran, Columbus, Ohio, replaced the church’s 50-year-old heating system, it went high-efficiency with help from an ELCA Mission Investment Fund grant. Te congregation’s Green Team, headed by Sara Ward, is committed to track- ing and reducing the church’s energy and gas usage and carbon footprint. “As people of
faith, we know we
Author bio: Hafften is a writer and editor in Weatherford, Texas, where she is a member of Messiah Lutheran Church.
May 2015 19
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