Resolves of the Executive Council

Resolved, That that Executive Council meeting at the Oakridge Conference Center in Chaska MN, approves the following United Thank Offering Domestic and Overseas Grants:

Diocese of Alabama $67,120.00

Camp McDowell Recycling Center

Camp McDowell

Nauvoo, Alabama

To build a self-contained recycling center on the campus of Camp McDowell, which is both an Episcopal camp and conference center. The recycling center will allow Camp McDowell to become “zero landfill” for all its trash and garbage. All trash will be sorted and baled with a baler that will be provided through the grant. The bales will be transported to a large recycling center where the camp will be paid for the material. The ultimate purpose of building the recycling center is to reduce the camp’s waste and carbon footprint. By limiting dumpster pickup and by selling material, the Camp McDowell recycling center will be self-supporting.

Diocese of California $56,000.00

Greening All Saints

All Saints Episcopal Church

San Leandro, California

To launch a comprehensive greening initiative for All Saints Episcopal Church. This includes the installation of solar panels, the replacement of old furnaces with energy-efficient ones, and the removal of asbestos. There will be an evaluation of the congregation’s paper use, recycling, and best practices promoted by Interfaith Power & Light and by Green For All as part of the “Green the Church” movement. The work will not only result in a greener facility for All Saints but also create a model and resource for others in our diocese and community.

Diocese of Central Gulf Coast $17,900.00

St. James’ Episcopal Church Youth Water Ministry

St. James’ Episcopal Church

Eufaula, Alabama

To provide an opportunity for underprivileged youth to gain a better understanding of, foster respect for, and care for the natural resources surrounding our community. One key ingredient is to provide access to the water resources by training youth in water safety and the use of kayaks. Another is to provide the youth an opportunity to learn firsthand about the local water ecosystems. Engaging the youth physically, mentally, and spiritually on Alabama’s waterways is a key step toward safeguarding the future of Alabama’s water resource education.

China Province of Guizhou $66,620.00

Sewage Ditch and Sewage Disposal Tank Construction Project in Sandu Shui Ethnic Autonomous County

China Christian Council

Sandu Shui Ethnic Autonomous County

Guizhou Province, China

To help a village construct a sewage ditch and install disposal tanks to properly handle the discharge and treatment of its domestic and production water. This will improve the local environment and make it sustainable for the local people.

Diocese of Colorado $64,000.00

With the Companion Diocese of Haiti

Creating Opportunities for Eco-Friendly and Healthy Livelihoods in Haiti

St. Paul’s School

Petit Trou de Nippes, Haiti

To reforest degraded land with high-nutrition native fruit and nut trees using environmentally sustainable methods; to strengthen family garden and small animal husbandry programs at St. Paul’s School; to train local producers in eco-friendly practices; to conscientiously integrate female students and teachers; and to empower girls with nutrition and agricultural skills.

Diocese of Costa Rica $64,348.94

Anglican Province of the Central American Region

Creative Expression of Gratitude – Clean Energy for Generations

San Jose, Costa Rica

To install and utilize 138 solar panels to produce clean energy and to reduce the carbon footprint of the diocesan offices and Hogar Escuela, the social program run by the Diocese of Costa Rica for children from low-income and broken homes.

Diocese of Delaware $44,526.00

With the Companion Diocese of the Dominican Republic

Jalonga Solar Power Project

District Municipality of Guayabo Dulce, Hato Mayor del Rey, Dominican Republic

To install a solar power system on The Episcopal Church property in Jalonga, which will also generate electricity for a water well. This system will provide consistent electricity for the church, the community center, and the bakery. It will bring relief to the children and families using the Early Learning Program at the church school, which is often without water due to frequent power outages. There are also plans to reestablish a functioning well and to install an appropriate water purification system.

Diocese of East Tennessee $22,775.00

Outdoor Education Center/Osprey Outdoor Center

Grace Point Camp and Retreat Center

Kingston, Tennessee

To remodel an old barn on the property of Grace Point Camp and Retreat Center into an outdoor education center. The facility will be a place for individuals to have hands-on experiences with goats, chickens, and honeybees and to learn about the immense amount of wildlife in the area, including ospreys, turkeys, deer, red fox, coyotes, and American bald eagles. This project will promote the integrity of creation by teaching how important all species are to the environment, as well as how essential it is to be good stewards of the many gifts God has given us.

Diocese of Georgia $35,580.00

Honey Creek Ecology Center

Honey Creek Retreat Center

Waverly, Georgia

To develop a 100-acre experimental ecological center at the diocesan retreat center, Honey Creek; to cultivate a connection to Creation and the retreat center’s biologically rich mix of wetland marsh and maritime forest ecosystems with tidal creek frontage; to improve an existing building for this purpose; to repair and fortify the dock; and to install a new garden with native food crops and pollinator attractors.

Diocese of Haiti $41,300.00

St. Barnabas Agricultural College

Terrier Rouge, Haiti

To restore dormant farmland surrounding the diocesan-owned St. Barnabas Agricultural College. A tractor and plow will be purchased. The food economy will be revitalized by making the land once again bear fruit and support the health and well-being of those who inhabit it. The tractor will be rented out to local farmers in the college’s outreach and teaching efforts.

Diocese of Indianapolis $39,162.00

St. Nicholas Natural Playground and Environmental Education Project

St. Nicholas Early Learning, Inc. at Trinity Outreach Center

Trinity Episcopal Church

Indianapolis, Indiana

To provide grading, landscaping, drainage, fencing, and playground equipment for infants and toddlers in an urban playground. The site, St. Nicholas, is a high-quality early learning center for families of mixed incomes. Low-income educational opportunities offered through the playground and its gardens will provide fresh produce and take-home kits to use with children.

Diocese of Iowa $33,400.00

With the Companion Diocese of Swaziland

Renewing the Life of The Earth

Parish of Usuthu Mission and 10 Other Parishes

Mbabane, Swaziland

To prevent further land degradation, to improve the balance of fauna and flora of the region, and to improve the sourcing of water are the main focal points of the grant. In this Southern African region, which is facing its worst drought in more than 50 years, survival depends on water harvesting and forest planting and management. The 10 parishes across the diocese will receive a rigorous training program, mentoring, and support to ensure that people have a solid understanding of the program. The ultimate spin-off of the project is to improve people’s lives through techniques that are environmentally sound and sustainable.

Diocese of Louisiana $24,300.00

Jericho Road Episcopal Housing Initiative – Healthy Living for Low-Income Families

Jericho Road Episcopal Housing Initiative

New Orleans, Louisiana

To encourage healthy eating through monthly cooking classes that stress the importance of growing local food and that combine classroom instruction, demonstrations, and hands-on cooking education. The Jericho Road Episcopal Housing Initiative targets the population of Central City, New Orleans. The area faces many health risks, including high rates of obesity, diabetes, and chronic health disease correlating with the inability to access fresh fruits and vegetables. The grant will go a long way toward understanding and changing the health risks.

Diocese of Makamba $34,588.61

Province of the Anglican Church of Burundi

Kitchens Gardens: Relief and Life Protection

Nyanza Lac Commune, Burundi

To transform the lives of orphaned students who are living locally with a host family so they may have a better chance at staying in school and contributing to the life of their communities. With the establishment of Kitchen Gardens, a wide variety of vegetables will be grown. This will allow the students the opportunity to grow vegetables to eat and then to sell the surplus in order to purchase school uniforms and supplies, as well as other foodstuffs that they cannot grow easily in the Kitchen Gardens. They also will be able to purchase personal hygiene products.

Diocese of Maryland $34,367.00

St. Luke’s Environmental Education Campus

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church

Annapolis, Maryland

To create an Environmental Education Campus by providing a shed, rain shelter/outlook with outdoor seating, and educational trails with signage on four acres of land, which includes three acres of tidal marsh. Teachers and students in city and county public and private schools will have access to these facilities, as well as to the Annapolis Maritime Museum.

Diocese of Massachusetts $33,240.87

With the Companion Anglican Diocese of Tanga, Province of Tanzania

Environmentally Sensitive Renovation at Hegongo Holy Cross Secondary School

Tanga, Tanzania

To update and improve the Hegongo Holy Cross High School girls’ bathroom facilities so that the accommodations will be safer, cleaner, and friendlier to the earth, and to expand the kitchen so that it will not only provide a facility for cooking but also produce cleaner air for the school and the area surrounding Holy Cross Pilgrim Center and the village of Magila. Gas-burning cookers and sinks will be installed in the kitchen, as well as plumbing with running water for washing the cookware and the dishes. New plumbing will be installed in the girls’ bathrooms for showers. A proper septic system for disposal of wastewater from the kitchen and bathrooms will be installed to prevent contamination of the surrounding land.

Diocese of Michigan $4,000.00

Community Garden Hoop House Project

St. John’s Episcopal Church

Royal Oak, Michigan

To install a solar-heated hoop house and water harvesting system on the grounds of St. John’s Episcopal Church, a diverse, multigenerational parish. Produce generated there will be used for the “Open Hands Food Pantry,” which serves 13,000 people annually. This ministry will quadruple fresh produce production; teach gardening, composting, and water harvesting; and supply easy recipes and demonstrations for using fresh produce.

Diocese of Missouri $3,112.00

Trinity Food Ministry Feeding Our Community

Trinity Episcopal Church St. Louis, Missouri

To expand the food ministry of the church by adding an afternoon meal to the Thursday food pantry session and to replace Styrofoam items with washable dishware. This past year, the food pantry provided food for 9,000 individuals. Many of the patrons are the working poor or homeless. The grant will enable the food ministry to purchase the dishware, the storage racks, tables, and other equipment needed for sustainability. By using reusable dishware and utensils, the food ministry is being a faithful steward of God’s creation.

Diocese of Navajoland $41,500.00

Protecting the Precious Sustainable Practices for Water and Harvest within the Navajo Nation

Good Shepherd Mission, Fort Defiance, Arizona

St. Christopher’s Episcopal Mission, Bluff, Utah

To create a sustainable farming program along with a pilot program. This provides a unique opportunity to support restoration of traditional Navajo foods, food knowledge, and self-sufficient food systems. This program will give the mission the opportunity to perfect and replicate the program in other communities across Navajoland, as well as to serve as the foundation for a broader program of environmental responsibility and healthy habits.

Diocese of New York $14,750.00

Food/Farm/Faith Initiative

Grace Episcopal Church

Millbrook, NY

To build a greenhouse to develop local, healthy, and sustainable food production and consumption practices as part of the mission of restoring right relationships. The church is in a small village in a rural area. The site for the greenhouse is within a hundred yards of both a high school and affordable senior housing. Through existing membership and ministries of Grace Church, owners, farmers, and farm workers, as well as restaurant and food production workers, are able to connect to one another.

Diocese of New York $49,000.00

With the Companion Diocese of Central Tanganyika, Province of Tanzania

Shamba Darasa (field classroom)

Msalato Theological College

Dodoma, Tanzania

To train laity, clergy, and seminary students in practices of sustainable agriculture, animal husbandry, and beekeeping on 500 acres of property owned by Msalato Theological College in Central Tanganyika. Participants in this program will be able to take what they learn to their communities to increase food security in the region. Funds will be used to create a classroom, dig a well, acquire solar panels to power the well, purchase plants, and provide a caretaker.

Diocese of North Dakota $50,000.00

Seven Generations Energy Renewing and Sustaining Project

Within the Four Native American Reservations on Seven Native Ministries and Congregations

Turtle Mountain Reservation, Fort Berthold Reservation, Standing Rock Reservation, Standing Rock Reservation, North Dakota

To increase the energy efficiency of seven congregations located in four Native American reservations, enabling them to utilize their properties more frequently. Currently, congregations are limited as to how often they can utilize their buildings due to the high cost of heating. The project begins with energy audits for each building and then involves making whatever improvements are determined to be necessary. Funds will be used to purchase new light fixtures, high-efficiency furnaces, and solar panels.

Diocese of Olympia $12,500.00

Growing Grace: Sustaining a Community through God’s Creation

St. James Center at St. James Parish

Kent, Washington

To create a community program directed toward at-risk families to teach gardening, composting, sustainable living skills, and healthy nutritional choices. The program includes planting a garden that will provide fresh produce for participants, with any extra sold at a farm stand that will help to sustain the project. Funding will be used for the construction of a garden and a farm stand, as well as composting equipment, a garden internship, and an outreach and arts educator.

Diocese of South Dakota $50,000.00

Holy Apostles Sudanese Congregation

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

To purchase a new high-efficiency furnace for a congregation of mostly Sudanese immigrants. The congregation of Holy Apostles is mostly Sudanese immigrants that came from refugee camps. They are in the process of becoming financially independent, and installing a new energy-efficient furnace will enable them to reduce their carbon footprint while saving money on their monthly utility bills. The grant money will also allow the purchase of a water heater and the removal of asbestos.

Diocese of Upper South Carolina $46,800.00

Gravatt Outdoor Learning Centers

Gravatt Camp and Conference Center

Aiken, South Carolina

To provide three outdoor learning centers at the Gravatt Camp and Conference Center to support environmental education. These centers include a covered tree house with a composting toilet and outdoor classroom; an outdoor farm classroom and storage shed; and a lakeside outdoor classroom with a labyrinth. Needed equipment to maintain the areas and trails will be funded.

Diocese of Utah $22,575.00

With the Companion Diocese of Navajoland

Bees Bring Hozho to Navajoland

Good Shepherd Mission, Fort Defiance, Arizona; St. Christopher’s Episcopal Mission, Bluff, Utah; and San Juan Mission, Farmington, New Mexico

To start a beekeeping program of 40 hives across the Navajoland Area, where almost half the bee colonies have collapsed due to pesticides, loss of wildflower habitat, disease, and climate change. The grant will provide the basic setup of hives, smokers, and beekeeping suits. The honey and honeycombs collected will be marketed and sold to provide funding for the continuation of the project.

Diocese of Vermont $19,600.00

Rock Point Land Use/Forestry Initiative

Burlington, Vermont

To provide two six-month temporary staff positions at a diocesan property of 130 acres to preserve and conserve the property. The property will be used as educational, recreational, and spiritual land. Buckthorn pullers will be purchased, as well as protective clothing for those clearing invasive plants from the property.

Diocese of Virginia $14,315.00

St. Philip’s Episcopal Church Community Garden and Interfaith Meditation/Prayer Area

St. Philip’s Episcopal Church

Richmond, Virginia

To level and convert the land of a donated residential home into a garden for food production and education, a safe outdoor play space for children, and a meditation and prayer area near the sixth-oldest historically African American congregation in The Episcopal Church.

Diocese of West Tennessee $8,500.00

Intern for Environmental Mission—Episcopal Service Corps

St. Columba Episcopal Conference and Retreat Center

Memphis, Tennessee

To launch a 140-acre nature exploration program at a day camp that will develop a curriculum in bird identification, wildlife and nature exploration, watershed health, and other nature-related topics. The program serves primarily physically challenged youth from the inner city.

Diocese of Western Kansas $25,000.00

The St. Francis Peace Garden Project

Saint Francis Community and Residential Services, Inc.

Salina, Kansas

To build a greenhouse and a botanical garden with supplies and benches in a residential center that serves children and youth who have been abused, neglected, or human trafficked. Horticulture therapy and lessons for children on growing food will be a means to improve physical and mental health.

Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM) $89,054.20

Episcopal Migration Ministries/United Thank Offering Challenge Grant

Office of the Presiding Bishop The Episcopal Church,New York, New York

Part one: New Resettlement Sites: to provide the start-up costs for salaries for two directors of new Refugee Resettlement sites in Charleston, WV and Asheville, NC. Office furnishings and computers will also be provided.
Part two: Refugee Mental Health: To provide salaries, furnishings, and a resource library for mental health services with a spiritual component for refugees at 15 of the current EMM Affiliate sites within the United States.

Presiding Bishop Grant $98,000.00

Dioceses of Rumonge, Matana, Gitega, and Muyinga

Province of Burundi

Land and Water Conservation to Sustain Food Security

To fight deforestation concerns and food insecurity throughout Burundi through education and the planting and cultivation of fruit trees in rural communities on lands owned and used by the province. A staff person will be funded to lead this program. A laptop and printer will be funded to track the progress of the program, and a vehicle will be purchased for use by the staff person to visit the sites and to transport fruit trees and seedlings.