Local Church Engagement Committee Grants $7,600

April 13, 2022
Submitted by Rev. Sharon McCormick, MSC Creation Justice Task Force
 
It was a time of celebration for the Local Church Engagement (LCE) subgroup of the Mountain Sky Creation Justice Task Force. Thirteen conference churches applied for funding from the Miles of Love offering received at the 2021 Annual Conference. Thirteen local churches were excited about decreasing their energy consumption and their carbon footprint! Thirteen churches were actually wanting to care for creation in more sustainable ways.

The challenge came when the team realized the total ask from the applying churches equaled $18,250 and the total amount available for distribution from the Miles-of -Love fundraiser plus funds taken from the Creation Justice budget equaled $7,600.
 
An established rating scale, with six criteria equaling a total of 65 points, formed the framework for the selection process. The LCE group spent hours digesting applications and assigning points.
 
Discernment led to a distribution system that made every church a winner, but no church received the full amount requested.  
 
We thank all church applicants and celebrate the progress being made in our conference to care for creation. Well done!!!!!

Congratulations to the 2022 Grant Recipients

 
Beulah UMC, CO LED lightbulbs
Christ Church UMC, Denver, CO pollinator garden project
Christ Church UMC, Salt Lake City, UT installation of EV charger in the parking lot
FUMC Missoula, MT solar panels
Grace UMC, Billings, MT installation of LED light fixtures and bulbs
Grand Valley UMC, Parachute, CO replacement of windows with double pane thermal windows
Manzanola UMC, CO exterior doors and windows
Smoky Hill UMC, Centennial, CO replacement of fluorescent lights with energy-efficient LED lights
St. Luke's UMC, Highlands Ranch, CO energy audit and implementation
St. Pauls UMC, Helena, MT energy audit and implementation
The Land, Aurora, CO installation of solar power
Wesley Foundation, Boulder, CO containers and plants for community container garden
Wesley House, Missoula, MT window replacement
 
 
Are you curious about how you can help empower your church to live out its faith given the Biblical mandate to care for and be good stewards of all that God has lovingly created? Please visit the MSC Local Church Engagement webpage for information on how you and your church can care for creation. Resources on this page include “How to Become a Creation Care Church” and “How to Start a Green Team at Your Church.”