Stories from our partner congregations
Changing the light bulbs to CFL's in the Greater St. Paul AME sanctuary
Greater St. Paul AME Church
Greater St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal - Chicago, IL
Greater St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church on the West side is helping us to develop programming for smaller congregations and congregations whose members are older.
Much of our programming assumes the presence of families, of fairly good mobility, and of general knowledge about environmental issues. With Greater St. Paul we are developing programs for congregations where the conversation about environmental issues is just beginning to happen.
Anna Davis, our terrific '07-'08 Lutheran Volunteer Corps volunteer, created a congregational event with Greater St. Paul’s pastor, Rev. Cynthia Johnson. It involved a lunch for their interested members, a conversation about conserving energy and taking care of the Earth, and a trip to a City of Chicago weatherization clinic for everyone to pick up weatherization kits.
The congregation also weatherized their building and changed the light bulbs in their sanctuary from incandescent bulbs to compact florescent light bulbs, commonly known as CFL’s. Pastor Rev. Cynthia Johnson remarked, “Thanks to the support we have received from Faith in Place we now have energy efficient bulbs lighting up the house of God here at Greater St. Paul AME.” Greater St. Paul is spreading the message of energy efficiency beyond their church doors by passing out weatherization kits to shut-ins and seniors in their congregation.
This act of service helps keep seniors cozy in the cold months of winter, saves them money on their electric and heating bills, and reduces the carbon footprint of each residence.
The next summer, our friendship with Greater St. Paul deepened when youth director Katy Regalado worked with St. Paul's youth to plant a church garden. Our Faith in Place video (check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mla5cC9bjJI) has some great footage of the kids working in the garden with Pastor Cynthia. Now, the congregation's awareness of environmental issues spans across both the seasons and the generations, and we've made some great friends to boot.