Bob Chapman, the Vestry Warden at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Detroit, was able to share with Michigan IPL how his congregation impacts their Detroit community for the better. As an Episcopal/Ecumenical/earth-based congregation, involvement with Sacred Spaces will help St. Peter's achieve their energy justice goals.

As an Episcopal/Ecumenical/earth-based congregation, solar panels are one part of the efforts to protect the environment at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Detroit.

On Sunday, Sept. 24, the power was switched on at the solar panel installation at Trinity African Methodist Episcopal (Trinity AME) Church in Lansing. The solar panel installation at a Black church is the first in mid-Michigan and only the second to occur in the state.

Henderson Bodiford (Trinity AME, Lansing), Rob Rafson (Chart House Energy), Jennifer Young (Michigan IPL) and David Arnosti (Capital Area Chapter of Michigan IPL) initiate the solar array at the commissioning service for Trinity AME's solar panels.

Rev. Soren Schmidt of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Chassell shares how his congregation is getting inspiration for earth stewardship, and how they ease their fingerprint on the environment. As one of the 11 participants in the Sacred Spaces program, this Michigan congregation is well on its way to achieving its efficiency goals.

Holy Trinity in Chassell, MI describes itself as " A church that actively shares a living, daring, confidence in God’s grace with our community and the world."

Rev. Millard Southern of Allen Chapel AME in Kalamazoo shares how his congregation has overcome challenges and is poised to take proactive steps towards environmental justice. We are thrilled to work with Allen Chapel AME and Rev. Southern as they participate in the Sacred Spaces program.

Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church is the oldest and first AME church in Kalamazoo, founded in 1855.

 The Rev. Dr. Yvette Griffin of Pilgrim Baptist Church in Detroit was recently able to share some of the great things happening at Pilgrim Baptist. Participation in the Sacred Spaces program has offered some new opportunities for this congregation!

 The Rev. Dr. Yvette Griffin of Pilgrim Baptist Church views air quality and environmental issues as critial factors for her Detroit community.

Detroit's  New Mount Hermon Missionary Baptist Church is a participant in the Sacred Spaces grant. We are glad to hear from Deacon Wilson Moore about the church, and its hopes for sustainable energy options.

New Mount Hermon Missionary Baptist Church: Aubrey Agee and Deacon Wilson Moore Jr.

Steve Wasko is the Program Director at St. Suzanne Our Lady Gate of Heaven in northwest Detroit's Cody Rouge neighborhood. He was recently able to share information on how St. Suzanne's serves its community, the parish focus on sustainability measures, and the benefit of funds received through the Sacred Spaces project.

The Blessing of the Rain Garden at St. Suzanne's is just one of the ways this Detroit parish shows focus on both environmental and spiritual practices

Detroit's busy Muslim Center is one of 11 congregations benefitting from participation in our Sacred Spaces project.

Here's what Executive Chairman Mark Crain had to say about the Muslim Center and its work, focus, and mission in Detroit.

The Muslim Center Mosque and Community Center is open nearly every day of the week serving the Detroit community.

First Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Ann Arbor members Ruth Mohr and Sandy Simon present a Climate Hero Award to Ed Lynn in December 2022. Read more stories of Climate Heroes here.

When Don Levitt learned that over 50% of people in Washtenaw County "rarely or never" talked about the climate crisis (see the Yale Climate Opinion maps), he realized that he could do something to change that. 

With funds from Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), Michigan IPL offered a $500 gift to 3 houses of worship participating in our Energy Stewardship Webinar series.

Portage United Church of Christ (UCC) put this gift to work by replacing older, fluorescent tube lighting with bright, highly efficient LEDs! 

The Rev. Dr. Mary Kay Schueneman enjoys her brightly lit office at Portage UCC.

“I am so happy to have these new, bright LED lights in my office!  The previous lights had a yellow overcast that really dimmed the room; these have lightened my workspace. I’m also thankful that our congregation can be a part of faith communities’ efforts to care for our planet home. This is a small step, but a faithful one, and we hope it will continue us on our way.” – Rev. Dr. Mary Kay Schueneman

Michigan IPL to bring $1.1 million in energy efficiency improvements to 11 low-income congregations!  

The Sacred Spaces initiative is made possible by funds from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) and World Renew. We are excited to be working with EcoWorks Detroit as our technical partner.  

Even as we've seen a growing number of Michigan congregations install solar and take meaningful steps to be better stewards of Earth by reducing their energy waste, it's clear that many more communities need dollars and support to make these improvements. 

Earlier this year, I was mistaken for someone famous. 

A restaurant worker approached me as I waited for lunch: “I just want you to know… I’m such a huge fan," she said, looking at my very intensely. "I love your work." 

For a split second there, I sure did think: “Whoa! Michigan IPL is so much higher profile than I realized! How amazing that our good work is being seen by the public and that faithful climate action is on their radar…” 

Look at our beautiful Board!