This story is from yesterday's "News Observer":
Church turns its building green
Its upgrades, from parking to the pulpit, earn recognition
BY RAY MARTIN, Staff Writer
RALEIGH - The floors are covered with recycled carpet, the walls lined with recycled cabinets. And glass windows make up much of the east side of the building, providing abundant natural lighting.
Those are just a few of the upgrades that helped the Umstead Park United Church of Christ earn a gold LEED rating for its building, which it shares with an architecture firm. The certification has made the church near William B. Umstead State Park one of the greenest in Raleigh.
"We had a common goal of wanting to be green," Minister Doug Long said. "Hopefully this will become more common."
Among the amenities that helped the building achieve the gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standard are water-conserving toilets, sinks that automatically shut off, special parking spaces for hybrid cars, recycled countertops, indoor recycling bins for several materials and special lighting in the sanctuary.
Even the pulpit is green -- it's carved out of a tree that was uprooted during a hurricane.
The green initiatives began about two years ago, when the church and BBH Design, the architecture firm, purchased the building at 8208 Brownleigh Drive. The church paid $1.65million for its half of the renovations -- a cost that Long said will save money in the long run.
In the early planning stages, attaining a gold certification wasn't a concern for the church or the architecture firm.
"Our goal in the beginning was just to do the right thing and be environmentally sensitive," said Lee Buckner, an architect for BBH Design. "Once we saw that the things we were doing were LEED requirements anyway, we thought it would be a good way to be recognized and let people know what's important to us."
For members at the church, the green efforts are more than acts of volunteerism and water conservation. They have a strong theological basis.
"We think connecting the creation with the creator makes sense in the world," Long said. "Taking care of the Creation is a reflection of a relationship with the Creator."
7/17/09
7/16/09
tomato garden
THE ITALIAN TOMATO GARDEN
An Italian man lived alone in New Jersey. He wanted to plant his annual tomato garden, but it was very difficult work, as the ground was hard. His only son, Vincent, who used to help him, was in prison. The father wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament:
Dear Vincent:
I am feeling pretty sad, because it looks like I won‘t be able to plant my tomato garden this year. I’m just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. I know if you were here my troubles would be over. In know you would be happy to dig the plot for me, like in the old days.
Love, Papa
A few days later her received a letter from his son:
Dear Pop:
Don’t dig up the garden, that’s where the bodies are buried.
Love Vinnie
At 4 a.m. the next morning, FBI agents and police arrived and dug up the entire area without finding any bodies. They apologized to the old man and left. The next day the father received another letter from his son.
Dear Pop:
Go ahead and plant the tomatoes now. That’s the best I could do under the circumstances.
I love you, Vinnie
An Italian man lived alone in New Jersey. He wanted to plant his annual tomato garden, but it was very difficult work, as the ground was hard. His only son, Vincent, who used to help him, was in prison. The father wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament:
Dear Vincent:
I am feeling pretty sad, because it looks like I won‘t be able to plant my tomato garden this year. I’m just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. I know if you were here my troubles would be over. In know you would be happy to dig the plot for me, like in the old days.
Love, Papa
A few days later her received a letter from his son:
Dear Pop:
Don’t dig up the garden, that’s where the bodies are buried.
Love Vinnie
At 4 a.m. the next morning, FBI agents and police arrived and dug up the entire area without finding any bodies. They apologized to the old man and left. The next day the father received another letter from his son.
Dear Pop:
Go ahead and plant the tomatoes now. That’s the best I could do under the circumstances.
I love you, Vinnie
7/15/09
Betty Broadband
Leading off its "Bring Betty Broadband" campaign to promote equal high-speed-internet access for all, a diverse gathering of religious groups has launched So We Might See, a national interfaith coalition for media justice.
"So We Might See is an ecumenical, interfaith coalition that has come together to educate and advocate for media justice, both within our faith communities and beyond," says the Rev. J. Bennett Guess, executive director of the United Church of Christ's Office of Communication, Inc. "We will work across religious lines to address the social, structural and economic barriers that prevent equal access to the media and telecommunications."
Read more
"So We Might See is an ecumenical, interfaith coalition that has come together to educate and advocate for media justice, both within our faith communities and beyond," says the Rev. J. Bennett Guess, executive director of the United Church of Christ's Office of Communication, Inc. "We will work across religious lines to address the social, structural and economic barriers that prevent equal access to the media and telecommunications."
Read more
7/14/09
A Place that Offers Life - Alban Institute article worth reading!
A Place that Offers Life
by Daniel P. Smith , Mary K. Sellon
"Finances are tight, and our numbers are dwindling. The congregation is looking to me to turn things around. So is my denomination—that's exactly what I was told when I was appointed here. And, frankly, that's my expectation too. Isn't that my job?" says a pastor of a congregation that has been experiencing decline for many years, voicing the belief of many congregations, denominations, and pastors that when a congregation is declining, it is the pastor's job to fix it.
Here's the hard truth. If you're a layperson in a congregation that's experiencing decline, whether the congregation thrives is ultimately up to you and the other members. Your pastor can teach, guide, lead, support, inspire, even cajole. But in the end, congregational health is a function of how people in the congregation relate to one another, to God, and to their community. A congregation is a microcosm of the greater church, a local embodiment of the body of Christ. In John's Gospel, Jesus says, "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly" (John 10:10). We believe this is one of the primary messages that a healthy congregation embodies for its members and its surrounding community.
A congregation that is truly being church brings people into a loving, life-giving relationship with God and others that is transformational. This is the nature of the kin-dom of God, where covenant relationships model the best aspects of family. People find hope. They experience belonging; they extend and receive forgiveness. They discover a sense of purpose and direction. They learn to live with appreciation and joy no matter what the circumstances. Although a pastor can preach and teach this message, the message has power only to the extent that the people in the congregation live it and practice it with one another. Practicing loving, life-giving relationships transforms congregation members. Witnessing such benefits draws others who want something similar for themselves and their families.
Businesses are based on the premise of offering something of value—goods or services—to a customer in exchange for money. Successful businesses "give value for money." Gimmicks and fancy features may bring people through the door, but people won't buy unless they believe they'll receive something of worth. And they'll return and recommend the business to others only if they receive something of value. Congregations are not businesses, yet they can fall into a similar trap of thinking that it's the features and the gimmicks that people want. A congregation's greatest asset, the unique gift it offers, is the people who make up the congregation and the possibilities for transformation they embody.
Read the rest here
by Daniel P. Smith , Mary K. Sellon
"Finances are tight, and our numbers are dwindling. The congregation is looking to me to turn things around. So is my denomination—that's exactly what I was told when I was appointed here. And, frankly, that's my expectation too. Isn't that my job?" says a pastor of a congregation that has been experiencing decline for many years, voicing the belief of many congregations, denominations, and pastors that when a congregation is declining, it is the pastor's job to fix it.
Here's the hard truth. If you're a layperson in a congregation that's experiencing decline, whether the congregation thrives is ultimately up to you and the other members. Your pastor can teach, guide, lead, support, inspire, even cajole. But in the end, congregational health is a function of how people in the congregation relate to one another, to God, and to their community. A congregation is a microcosm of the greater church, a local embodiment of the body of Christ. In John's Gospel, Jesus says, "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly" (John 10:10). We believe this is one of the primary messages that a healthy congregation embodies for its members and its surrounding community.
A congregation that is truly being church brings people into a loving, life-giving relationship with God and others that is transformational. This is the nature of the kin-dom of God, where covenant relationships model the best aspects of family. People find hope. They experience belonging; they extend and receive forgiveness. They discover a sense of purpose and direction. They learn to live with appreciation and joy no matter what the circumstances. Although a pastor can preach and teach this message, the message has power only to the extent that the people in the congregation live it and practice it with one another. Practicing loving, life-giving relationships transforms congregation members. Witnessing such benefits draws others who want something similar for themselves and their families.
Businesses are based on the premise of offering something of value—goods or services—to a customer in exchange for money. Successful businesses "give value for money." Gimmicks and fancy features may bring people through the door, but people won't buy unless they believe they'll receive something of worth. And they'll return and recommend the business to others only if they receive something of value. Congregations are not businesses, yet they can fall into a similar trap of thinking that it's the features and the gimmicks that people want. A congregation's greatest asset, the unique gift it offers, is the people who make up the congregation and the possibilities for transformation they embody.
Read the rest here
7/13/09
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