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The church is a historic building with antiquated electrical and heating systems. Under the leadership of Dr. Philip Meads, Jr., a fourth-generation parishioner, the church cut its energy use by up to 50% through lighting and heating retrofits. Rev. Dr. Dale Edmondson, the interim pastor of the church has a long tradition and commitment to stewardship of Creation. He previously was a pastor in Minnesota where he was active with an interfaith global warming campaign. Dr. Meads and Rev. Edmondsonís joint efforts have led the church to undertake an array of efforts to protect Creation through energy conservation.
Rev. Edmondson is guided by Psalm 24 which says the Earth is the Lordís and that “is an important aspect of stewardship; to be reminded that the Earth doesnít belong to us, but God. And our role is of being stewards of Creation.”
The church began its energy conservation efforts with an energy audit by PG & E. The audit revealed both areas of waste and opportunity. One task was to change their exit signs to compact fluorescent bulbs which last longer, are more energy efficient and helped to reduce the churchís utility bill. Dr. Meads later took what was initially perceived as a controversial step of replacing the gymís high-energy 1,000 watt lamps with 250 watt metal-halide lamps. The controversy ended when the churchís utility bill was quickly reduced by 36%!
First Baptist also undertook several simple measures that were cost effective and easy to implement. This included replacing incandescent 300 W bulbs with T-8 fluorescent fixtures using electronic ballasts and T-12 hallway fixtures with T-8 ones. Again, Dr. Meads was confronted by some disagreement from parishioners who were hesitant to change any lights. But, the move cut electricity bills even more, so the new lights stayed. Other simple changes included installing lighting sensors and low-flow toilets.
Many of the churchís members are elderly and have trouble at the church in the dimly lit Morgan sanctuary. So when the sanctuaryís incandescent lights were replaced, Dr. Meads chose infrared-halogen bulbs. These do not use as much energy as standard halogens which can be energy guzzlers and get dangerously hot, but still provide plenty of light during services.
Another target was the sanctuaryís heating system. The original coal-fired furnace was upgraded to gas many years ago. Still, it wasted a significant amount of gas, so Dr. Meads modified it to have seven day controls. He also eliminated the huge pilot light that was always on to an electric ignition one.
Future projects for the church include installation of the 22 LED exit signs that were purchased through the CIPL program and additional weather stripping, including the sanctuaryís stained-glass windows.
The culmination of all of these energy retrofits, according to Dr. Meads, “has reduced the total church expensive peak and partial peak electrical use by half and the off peak use by 10%, saving the church an enormous amount of money each year. ”
The energy upgrades are coupled with the pastorís theological commitment to environmental stewardship. Rev. Edmondson has tried to weave environmental issues into his sermons. He noted that this issue is “sometimes dealt with directly in sermons. But we are more effective in the long run if it is interwoven as part of the larger issue of Christian stewardship. ”
First Baptist Church is putting Rev. Edmondsonís teachings into action. They follow his belief that “understanding the Creation story is actually about caring and respect for the Earth, not exploiting it. ” Through their exemplary efforts under the direction of Dr. Philip Meads, the church is cutting its energy use, reducing global warming pollution and becoming a model of stewardship of Creation. Congratulations on being CIPL Honored Congregation of the Season!
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