 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 Institutional Profiles
St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church Since 1994, St. Mary’s has boasted one of the most active environmental ministries in New Jersey’s Catholic community. It recently joined GreenFaith’s Sustainable Sanctuaries Program. Father Ed Griswold, St. Mary’s ordained leader during much of the time that GreenFaith has worked with St. Mary’s, said, "As a parish pastor it has been most satisfying to see the effect that our involvement with GreenFaith has had on our community and our awareness of contemporary environmental concerns. As never before we are wrestling with the issues and ways in which we can implement new practices and programs that are both environmentally smart and doable." Here are some of the projects St. Mary’s has undertaken in recent years:
“The environment, for me, is the place where I live,
work, and connect with the Creator Spirit who dwells in the
depths of my being and in all that surrounds me,” said
Marie Savoie, one of the founders of the parish Environmental
Committee. “GreenFaith nourishes me with its message
of care for the Earth as a behavior central to all faith
communities.”
Reformed Church of Highland Park Thanks to the contagious enthusiasm of its co-pastors Seth and Stephanie Kaper-Dale, the Reformed Church in Highland Park (RCHP) has become a leader in its denomination in religious-environmentalism. Over a two-year period, RCHP has made tremendous progress integrating care for the earth into its congregational life. “God sent Jesus Christ, the very presence of God, to restore the covenant between God and ‘all things,’” said Pastor Seth in a sermon at the Dedication of the church’s solar array. “Jesus Christ came not just to save human souls, but rather to restore all things—flowers, and mountains and trees, and birds and bees and the whole creation that God breaths into existence and supports and upholds. It’s time for us to start thinking of covenantal community in much broader terms than we usually do. If we want to talk about God’s covenantal relationship, we’ve got to talk about all creation, all things.” Here are some of RCHP’s accomplishments in relation to the environment.
“The solar panels on our roof serve as a symbol to me of our church thinking about the breadth of God’s covenant of love,” says Pastor Seth. “I cannot think of a symbol with broader significance. Probably the most all encompassing threat to the earth that God made and sent Jesus Christ to reconcile to beauty and fullness is the emission of excessive amounts of carbon dioxide. We all know this creates global warming, and it’s a huge threat. “The first to see the effects are animal and plant species, whose existence depends on the earth’s natural climate control mechanisms. “Second to see the effects are the poor and the oppressed, living in vulnerable places, in vulnerable houses, with vulnerable food and water supplies. Eventually, we will all see the effects. “Harnessing
the sun for energy and power, in ways that are clean and
safe and renewable, is one of the things this church does
now, in response to God’s covenant
with the world. These solar panels are part of our response
to God’s love for all creation.”
Temple B’nai Abraham Temple B’nai Abraham (TBA) in Livingston has demonstrated a commitment to the environment as strong as any congregation in New Jersey.
Caldwell Dominican Sisters Caring for the earth is a central value of the charter of the Caldwell Dominican Sisters, a Catholic religious order for women whose Motherhouse is based in Caldwell, New Jersey. Genesis Farm, an earth literacy center in Blairstown, New Jersey, is the best-known initiative of the Caldwell Dominicans, thanks to the leadership of Caldwell Dominican Sister Miriam Therese McGillis. The Caldwell Dominicans have worked extensively with GreenFaith, particularly in the area of solar power. Through GreenFaith’s Lighting the Way program, Genesis Farm installed solar panels, followed soon after by the Sister’s Motherhouse at Caldwell College. The Caldwell College installation is one of the largest religious solar installations in the state of New Jersey. The Sisters celebrated the installation of their solar arrays with a magnificent Dedication Ceremony and luncheon. Learn more about the Dominican Sisters' experience with their solar installation, including Sister Honora's dedicatory sermon and an editorial prompted by this Celebration in the Caldwell Progress. “Lighting the Way has provided an exciting way for us to live more deeply our commitment to all life on our home planet,” said Sr. Peggy Ryan, OP, Communications’ Director for the Dominican Sisters of Caldwell, NJ. “It is our hope that this installation will encourage other congregations and religious institutions to follow our lead.” “Our 648 solar panel system is a practical sign of our faith commitment to live in harmony with all of creation,” said Sister Jeanne Goyette. “Every day we decrease the amount of fossil fuels burned to produce electricity and offset by approximately 200 pounds the amount of CO2 we release into the atmosphere. We’re grateful to GreenFaith for their initiative and support which encouraged us to begin and celebrate the completion of this project.” In addition
to their solar work, the Sisters host regular educational
programs that link faith with the environment, and are
also exploring opportunities for energy conservation with
GreenFaith.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
"We must protect the earth in the present to sustain life in the future," says the Reverend Bruce Davidson, Director of the Lutheran Office of Governmental Ministries in New Jersey. "The earth is a gift and we must respect and care for it.” The New Jersey Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (ECLA) has made exemplary efforts to integrate environmental stewardship into its work as a denominational judicatory. These efforts began in 2000 when, with help from GreenFaith, the Synod passed a resolution calling on its congregations and member agencies to reduce their energy use in order to fight climate change. That was just the beginning. With further GreenFaith support, the Synod then conducted an energy audit at its Hamilton Square headquarters, installing energy efficient lighting and an energy efficient furnace. And when GreenFaith launched its Lighting the Way campaign to place solar arrays on religious buildings, the first congregation to come on board was the Lutheran church in Mendham – Grace Church. Pastor Davidson then partnered with the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia to produce an educational video on this work. The Synod featured this video at its annual Synod Assembly in 2004, and 8 further Lutheran institutions “went solar,” with many others conducting energy audits. GreenFaith also produced a discussion guide on a Lutheran denominational statement on the environment which the Synod distributed to its 192 congregations. In the winter of 2005-6, in response to rising energy costs and the threat of global warming, the ELCA worked with GreenFaith to organize three energy conservation workshops at congregations around the state. In recognition of its extraordinary efforts, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities presented the Synod with a New Jersey Clean Energy Leader Award in 2005. Davidson also represents the Synod as chair
of GreenFaith’s
Advocacy Committee. The Committee has supported legislative
efforts to improve emissions standards for autos sold in
New Jersey, and to reduce diesel emissions in the state. St. Anthony’s Orthodox Church St. Anthony’s Orthodox Church has made a strong commitment to environmental stewardship through energy conservation and the use of renewable energy. Thanks to the leadership of its pastor, the Rev. Joseph Allen, St. Anthony’s has integrated care for the environment into is religious identity. Since 2004, St. Anthony’s has worked with GreenFaith to
In parish meetings, Pastor Joseph Allen described these efforts to parishioners as an expression of St. Anthony’s religious commitment to environmental stewardship. He has also spoken about St. Anthony’s environmental commitments at a regional meeting of Antiochian Orthodox clergy.
<< Back to GreenFaith Members in Action 
|
Individual Profiles:
|
