Richmond
Congregational Church
Richmond , Vermont
"We
will provide community and mutual support through Christian fellowship
and be instruments of peace and justice by reaching out to those in need
and by being good stewards of the world through action and example."
Richmond
Congregational Church Mission Statement
Date
of interview: November 21, 2004
Pastor Barbara Purinton
Size of Congregation: 45
Denomination: United Church of Christ
Interview
with: Betsy Wackernagel, Peter Swain, JoEllen Swaine, Ingrid Cichoski, Kathy
Court, Bob Court, and Ann Gnagey.
Activities: The Richmond Congregational Church switched from styrofoam cups to paper cups during their coffee hour, and many of the congregants with whom we spoke during our in-depth interview expressed a desire to begin using re-usable mugs.
In order to minimize their energy consumption, the Richmond Congregational Church had an energy audit performed on their building by Green Mountain Power. In addition, they utilize compact fluorescent lightbulbs and energystar appliances. When they renovated the basement of the church building, which is used for social events and by the daycare program, they took energy efficiency and conservation into account.
The congregation has also sponsored a Voluntary Simplicity Class, which is coordinated by the Vermont Earth Institute. Twelve congregants and Pastor Purinton are currently taking part in this course, and they are hoping to offer another course by the Vermont Earth Institute in the future.
Motivations: Some of the congregants that we spoke to during our in-depth interview explained that they felt inspired to live in an environmentally conscious manner more on the individual level, than within their religious congregation. A few of them are even employed in sectors that would be considered 'environmental' (one works for 7th Generation, and another for the EPA). However, there was also the desire to care for the earth as God's creation.
Challenges: Pastor Purinton expressed that the greatest challenge was educating people about the importance of making environmentally conscious choices in our daily lives. In our in-depth interview, another challenge that was discussed was in motivating congregants to take the time out of their busy lives to plan and implement intitiatives for the congregation.
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