Stories from our partner congregations
Resurrection Lutheran Church
Faith in Place helped Resurrection Lutheran Church become the first solar church in Chicago in November 2006. The panels were blessed by Bishop Paul Landahl during a festive worship service that month.
We’re excited that Resurrection Lutheran is the first church in Chicago to go solar--and we hope it will be the first of many. The systems make sense for congregations that host soup kitchens, homeless shelters, or after-school programs. They also make sense for homes and can provide heat by tying into existing forced air furnaces or radiant floors, state the project leaders.
Faith in Place helped the church secure a State of Illinois rebate and a grant from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation to pay for more than half of the $11,300 system.
“We expect to save 70 percent of our annual water-heating expense and to pay off our investment of $5,100 in four to six years,” said Rev. Brian Hiortdahl from Resurrection Lutheran. “More importantly, we will do our part to reduce global warming, conserve energy, and become better stewards of God’s creation.”
The church’s contractor, Solar Service, Inc., has installed thousands of systems in Illinois in the past thirty years.
“In Psalm 113, it says, ‘From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised,’” added Pastor Hiortdahl. “Having these panels on our roof will be a good reminder.”
