United Methodist Church of Kent enjoyed a special day June 14.
The 600-member church, whose Kent roots are more than 200 years old, celebrated going solar after having 281 solar panels installed on its flat roofs. Together, they will provide more than 100% of the church’s current energy needs.
Coincidentally, the church was recognized as “Green” by the Ohio Episcopal Area, the first United Methodist Church in the East Ohio Conference to receive the designation.
In a brief ceremony with members of the church’s Green Team, the Rev. Nathan Howe commemorated the achievement by reading from Psalm 24, which begins, “The earth is the Lords.”
He also read from the “Social Principles” of The United Methodist Church, which refer to the duty of Christians to respect the earth and strive toward policies that aim at environmental sustainability, stating in part, “We affirm that all creation belongs to God and is a manifestation of God’s goodness and providential care. … Rather than treating creation as if it were placed here solely for humanity’s use and consumption, we are called to practice responsible stewardship and to live in right relation with the Creator and the whole of God’s creation.”
Since Howe’s appointment as senior pastor three years ago, the United Methodist Church of Kent has adopted a more energetic environmentally friendly posture.
Claire Bank, an architect who graduated from Kent State University’s College of Architecture and Environmental Design, chairs the church’s Green Team. In addition to backing the congregation’s support for the conversion to solar power, the team is identifying native Ohio plants and adopting them to its campus and offering opportunities to compost food scraps in newly constructed bins.
The Green Team also has worked with environmentally friendly initiatives beyond its campus, partnering with other churches in the East Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church and with secular initiatives beyond the church.
Bank, in displaying the certificates that recognize the “Green” designation, lightheartedly noted that not only is the Kent church the first, “it is so far the only church in the East Ohio Conference to be Green certified.” Her team reviews environmental progress with monthly update meetings.
Howe also inspires appreciation of the outdoors by leading monthly hikes in the Portage Park District and on trails in parks beyond Portage County. He considers showing respect for nature as akin to a Christian’s reverence for creation and announces the hikes are open to anyone who wants to enjoy the out of doors.
David E. Dix is a former publisher of The Record-Courier.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Kent church celebrates its move to green energy
Reporting by David E. Dix, Special to The Record-Courier / Record-Courier
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By David E. Dix, Special to The Record-Courier | USA TODAY Network
