Each week, Pilgrim Baptist Church in Detroit provides support to hundreds of community members. They distribute food through their partnership with Forgotten Harvest, offer hot breakfast sandwiches, supply warm coats, and ensure local elementary students have the uniforms they need for school. In all they do, Pilgrim is truly "shining the light" for their community.

"Shining the Light for 99 years" was the theme of Pilgrim Baptist Church's 99-year anniversary celebration in October 2024. Now the church can shine the lights brighter and more efficiently with upgrades made possible by our Sacred Spaces Clean Energy Grant program. Through the program the congregation has saved 58% on energy consumption and nearly $5,000 annually in energy costs.

Rev. Dr. Yvette Griffin is excited about the church's new LED lights and improved air ventilation system.

"Between the technology and the energy efficiency, we’re practically becoming a university for the community." - Pastor Bradley

Strengthening services through energy upgrades

Sacred Spaces provided $100,000 each to 11 congregations serving low-income communities to improve energy efficiency. On top of these funds, Detroit 2030 District and Toggled, a Michigan-based lighting supplier, donated LED lights and Wi-Fi enabled controls to Pilgrim Baptist, and from there the Sacred Spaces grant enabled the church to hire an electrician to do the installation. The church also installed a heat pump water heater. "It’s incredible," says Rev. Dr. Yvette Griffin. "Now instead of it taking hours to heat the baptismal pool it only takes 30 minutes." 

Given increasing code requirements by the City of Detroit for a fellowship hall of their size, the church installed a state-of-the-art Energy Recovery Ventilator, which increases the efficiency of HVAC systems while improving indoor air quality. The church elected to add to this a UV light which helps neutralize airborne viruses like COVID. Pastor Bradley, a member of the church, observed, "Between the technology and the energy efficiency, we’re practically becoming a university for the community." 

Rev. Griffin checking in attendees to Pilgrim's weekly food distribution.

Pastor Griffin explains that the Sacred Spaces grant allows the congregation to better serve the community by freeing up funds that can be redirected toward feeding those in need. In April 2025 alone the church served food to over 500 households and over 1000 individuals. Now, thanks to the energy efficiency upgrades, Pilgrim Baptist has been able to also focus on educating the community about sustainability. Pastor Griffin says that the savings and improvements not only support the church financially but also create opportunities to share valuable knowledge.

Cars were lined up for 4 blocks to pick up food from Pilgrim Baptist on this day in April 2025. 

Teaching the power of energy efficiency

Many congregation members were previously unaware of energy efficiency practices, despite the church’s long-standing sustainability efforts. It wasn’t until Sacred Spaces that the concepts truly resonated. During community informational sessions, the church highlighted the various benefits of the energy upgrades. "I want to teach community members about saving energy and how important efficiency is, in terms of health and cost," says Pastor Griffin. She hopes to draw a clear connection between saving on food and saving on energy—showing how both can lead to healthier lives and greater financial stability for individuals and families alike.