Resources available for United Methodist Churches in Vermont
Are you aware that The United Methodist Church amended and readopted a resolution at the 2000 General Conference that re-affirms the values of justice and sustainability in the context of energy consumption?
Resolution #6, The Energy Policy Statement, highlights the unique position in which humans are placed within God’s creation. While humans are just one among many of God’s creatures, we are also made in His image to protect the creation in which we live. The resolution compels congregants to avoid pitfalls of arrogance and irresponsibility in our use of resources and to be mindful in our energy use so as to promote justice and sustainability. It asserts the Church’s support of efforts to conserve energy, increase efficiency, and transition to renewable energy sources to combat global warming; moreover, it encourages all United Methodist churches to be models for energy conservation by purchasing energy efficient appliance, exploring alternative energy sources, and heating and lighting only rooms that are in use. The full text can be found at: http://www.umc.org/interior_print.asp?ptid=4&mid=958
Many United Methodist churches in Vermont are currently trying to fulfill this mission. Several interviewed by Middlebury College students in fall 2004 as part of a project with Vermont Interfaith Power and Light, provide some good suggestions for ways to do this.
The Champlain Island Parish in Grande Isle told of the importance The United Methodist Church’s stance on stewardship, making it part of their social principles, influences them; they place any literature from the national UMC sends them about creation care in the newsletter. They also have a special Harvest Sunday in the fall to celebrate the gifts that the environment has given them. There is also a significant educational unit on stewardship within children’s Sunday school.
The Essex United Methodist Church in Essex Junction places a strong emphasis on energy efficiency within their church building. They use reusable dishware instead of disposal items and use only compact fluorescent lighting. For heating, the church uses natural gas instead of oil. In acknowledgement of issues of equity, the church only serves fair trade coffee and sometimes fair trade chocolate. The church also noted that many of these environmentally-conscious measures were economically beneficial.
The
First United Methodist Church in Burlington expresses its ongoing consciousness
of creation by have an annual environmental stewardship awareness forum in
which environmental scholar Bill McKibben spoke last year. They represent
Methodist thought about stewardship in a local interfaith group that discusses
their concern for the environment from a faith perspective. The church is
planning to have an energy audit done so that they can then focus their resources
on certain energy efficiency measures.
See resources for other religious groups:
American
Baptist
Episcopal
Jewish
Roman Catholic
Society of Friends (Quakers)
United Methodist
Unitarian Universalist
Zen Buddhist
Questions or Comments? Contact us!
Interfaith Environmental
Awareness and Action in Vermont:
A
Service Learning Project with Vermont Interfaith Power & Light