Photo: Emilie Bouvier
Members of the Minneapolis Area Synod gathered this past December near Lowry bridge in Minneapolis at the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization for an eco-friendly event titled “Gather at the River.”
Photo: Emilie Bouvier
Ann Svennungsen, bishop of the Minneapolis Area Synod (right), examines a map of the watershed area in Minneapolis to fi nd where her house and congregation are located. EcoFaith Network, an initiative of the synod, facilitates faithful stewardship of the earth.
Photo: William Vaughan
St. Peter Lutheran, Harwich, Mass., is known in the area as the “church with solar panels.” Tiff any Nicely Holleck, pastor, said, “We are stewards of [cre- ation], and we need to do what we can.
Backdrop: “Mississippi River Map: Minneapolis” by Susan Armington at the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization.
tradition. At a watershed district, the network hosted worship and a workshop on local water sources and how to better care for them. The experience helped congre-
gations break down a “global prob- lem into a manageable bite for peo- ple and created a way they can work together to really have impact,” said Bob Hulteen, the synod’s director of communications and stewardship.
Stewarding God’s creation St. Thomas Lutheran Church in Bloomington, Ind., has been thinking about sustainability since the 1980s when it stopped using plastic foam products and had members bring their own coffee mugs on Sundays. They’ve been using—and recycling—recycled paper for 25 years, and serving fair trade coffee and tea for 13 years. In six years, St. Thomas
said it reduced its electricity consumption by 46 percent and natural gas use by 15 percent. Lately they’ve taken bigger
steps to be environmentally friendly. They moved offices
scattered throughout their building into one location to save on utility costs. They installed an on-demand water heater, improved the building’s insulation, bought energy-efficient appliances and switched to LED lights in the sanctuary. The congregation also helped
form Hoosier Interfaith Power and Light, a cooperative effort to pro- mote renewable energy and energy efficiency. Using a state grant, a solar panel array was installed that pro- vides two-thirds of their electricity. “We’re called by Scripture and
our God to make careful use of God’s gifts,” said Lyle McKee, pastor
FOR WHERE LIFE TAKES YOU...
of St. Thomas since 2004. “We have to overcome the horrible history we have of abusing creation.” There are practical benefits too.
Saving $4,000 to $5,000 a year on energy helped St. Thomas pay two seminarian interns, eventually call- ing one to focus on youth ministry. “This,” McKee said, “was
absolutely the best missional investment available to us.”
Weinhold is a writer and editor living in South Bend, Ind., with his wife and son.
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