Province I combines resources for energy, environmental ministry
Episcopal News Service. February 17, 2011 [021711-02]
Lynette Wilson
Bishops of the seven dioceses in Province Irecently created an "energy stewardship minister" position aimed at coordinating congregations' efforts at carbon footprint reduction through decreased energy usage, according to a Feb. 16 press release.
"Global warming and rising concentrations of greenhouse gases are the greatest threats to the sustainability of our planet," said Connecticut Suffragan Bishop James Curry, Province I president, in an e-mail. "In 2003 the bishops of Province I issued a pastor letter on the environment which positively affected ministry in all of our dioceses.
"We have continued to act together on the stewardship of the environment. We have identified decreasing the carbon footprint of our buildings and programs as an initiative that could make a big impact in local settings and as a witness to all of New England."
The Rev. Stephanie Johnson, who is working on a master's degree in sacred theology with an emphasis on environmental ministry at Berkeley Divinity School at Yale, which is providing her with a workspace, began work in the new, part-time position on Feb. 1.
"My passion is for protecting the environment; I do it as an offering of gratitude for God," said Johnson in a telephone interview. "I want to help others realize that protecting the earth is part of who we are as Christians."
(Johnson also is the director of youth ministry at St. Ann's Episcopal Church in Old Lyme, Connecticut.)
The Province I Bishops Committee on the Environment, which is leading this initiative, is particularly interested in helping congregations meet the Genesis Covenant goal of 50 percent energy reduction for all church facilities, according to the release. The Episcopal Church's General Convention memorialized the Genesis Covenant in 2009.
In addition to Curry, the committee includes Maine Bishop Stephen Lane, Vermont Bishop Thomas Clark Ely and Massachusetts Bishop Suffragan Bud Cederholm.
Cederholm was one of the first responders from the diocese to travel to the Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. It was then, he said during a Feb. 16 telephone interview, that he began to comprehend the seriousness of global warming and its threat to coastal communities. Later, he began to research the science backing rising temperatures and sea level, and realized something needed to be done as many more, often densely populated coastal communities worldwide will become threatened.
As opposed to "writing another pastoral letter" to emphasize the imperative to act as environmental stewards, the bishops decided to pitch in and fund the energy stewardship minister position, he said.
Eighty percent of the position's funding will come from the diocesan budgets and personal accounts, the other 20 percent will come from the province's synod. This is the first time a program person has been hired to work directly with bishops and dioceses across the province, Curry said.
Religious communities step up
During his annual trip to Washington, D.C., with Bishops Working for a Just World, Curry met Feb. 16 with U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman and his staff. They made it clear that "there is really no possibility for climate change legislation on the federal level for the foreseeable future," Curry said.
"That makes it even more important to raise awareness of the issue of climate change through the direct action of the churches. This project is a grassroots, regional initiative that can become both an opportunity for action and education and a witness for a more concerted effort in the future," he added.
There are 675 congregations throughout Province I, and many like Grace Church in Medford, Massachusetts, have committed to reducing their carbon footprint, saving energy and money, and educating church members and the community about energy conservation and environmental stewardship.
In August, the church, along with volunteers from the community and students from Tufts University, took part in a "weatherization 'barn raising,'" investing $500 in supplies for weather stripping windows and doors, reducing water usage in taps and toilets and installing programmable thermostats, said Jonathan McIndoe Hunt, who serves on the Greening Grace Committee.
Grace, he said, is developing an environmental education series for Lent, including topics such as climate justice and climate change in the developing world. At the diocesan level, Cederholm is urging members of the Diocese of Massachusetts to take part in an ecumenical "carbon fast" for Lent.
These are the types of things Johnson said she will work to identify and share so that other churches in the province will not need to start from scratch.
Johnson's work will include, identifying resources for congregations to evaluate their energy use and reduce their energy output; helping congregations to network and share their challenges and successes; supporting collaborative efforts across the province for training and education; and identifying grants and rebates. She also will work closely with diocesan environment committees, state affiliates of Interfaith Power and Light and other organizations.
Resources and networking opportunities will take place primarily on the Province I website.