Date of interview: November 4, 2004
Pastor David Wood
Size of Congregation: 45
Denomination: American Baptist

Activities: Pastor Wood frequently mentions issues of earth stewardship during his sermons and the church has specific worship services devoted to environmental issues each spring. In addition, the Church has sponsored multiple Green-Up cleanups, pulling of the invasive Bamboo or “knot weed” which is threatening native species along the river, recycling, the use of Seventh Generation products, and various outdoor “connection to the land” activities (e.g. Congregants’ hikes, cross-country skiing, and camping).

One significant event that this church helped to establish was an interfaith forum that began in the wake of September 11th and the need to increase tolerance across faiths. Through this forum, it was recognized that a common thread among all of the represented faiths of Tibetan Buddhism, Wicca, Native American faiths, Islam, and many branches of Christianity was an obligation to sustain the environment. Out of this, Pastor Wood described, was an interfaith and intergenerational tree planting which presented the variety of faith’s beliefs and sense of obligation to the Earth; while he jovially conceded a slight hesitancy or tension from most participants, generated from bother aspects of the ceremony and the presence of other faiths (some of his congregants felt that actions such as dancing around the tree verged very closely to Earth-worshiping), Pastor Wood felt that the action reaffirmed each faith’s connection to the Earth and ultimately brought the community closer by finding common ground within the faiths.

Motivations: The American Baptist Church adopted the Resolution on Environmental Concerns in 1970, which called on individual congregations to "Take individual corrective measures to eliminate and reduce pollution in the environment in our homes, streets, parks and public places....Support strong legislation and administrative action, both state and federal, to clean up pollution of air, land and water; to establish strict controls to prevent pollution; and insist that adequate funding be provided and that action take place now."

Pastor Wood also cited some personal motivations, in addition to faith-based ones, for his strong environmental beliefs. He described his emotional response to the oil embargo and energy shortages of the 1970s and how this experience triggered his desires to minimize his impact on the earth and his energy consumption.

Challenges: One primary obstacle that Pastor Wood faces lies in inspring his congregants to make a commitment to their beliefs in protecting the earth by changing their daily actions. Although his emphasis on environmental issues in sermons and worship services is generally accepted by the congregants, it is hard to motivate them to take the next step within their own lives.

In addition to motivating congregants, Pastor Wood also mentioned the economic obstacles that the church faces when dealing especially with structural changes, which can often be quite expensive. In order to overcome this particular challenge, he is exploring more cost-effective energy efficiency and conservation technologies that they can utilize in the church building itself.

Interfaith Environmental Awareness and Action in Vermont:
A Service Learning Project with Vermont Interfaith Power & Light