St. Andrews Presbyterian Church Receives GIPL Grant
St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, Tucker, has received another accolade for its on-going efforts to care for God’s creation.On April 21 Kate presented the church with an Energy Improvement Grant of $6,144.42 to install 52 T-5 fluorescent lights in the church’s education building. This follows grants in 2008 and 2010 to implement lighting upgrades and energy conservation measures.Kate also announced that St. Andrews Presbyterian has earned GIPL’s “Creation Wise” certification, recognizing the church’s efforts in five areas: energy conservation, sustainable gardening, water conversation, sustainable purchasing, and waste reduction. St. Andrews Presbyterian is just the fourth church in the state to receive this designation.St. Andrews' energy efficiency improvements include HVAC upgrades, lighting upgrades, use of LED exit signs throughout the building and motion detector sensors for lighting.A Care for Creation Committee, formed in 2006, has promoted conservation measures on the part of the church and its members. The Presbyterian Church USA in 2010 certified St. Andrews as the first Presbyterian “Earth Care Congregation” in Georgia. The church also supports several nonprofit organizations such as Rivers of the World, which encourages water conservation. St. Andrews members have implemented an extensive recycling program, and the church sponsored a GIPL Home Energy Audit Training class at Wednesday fellowship meetings in 2012.That same year GIPL presented its Trailblazer Award to St. Andrews to honor the church’s Race 4 Grace, a popular annual competition for runners, named a Green Event for encouraging on-line (paper-less) registration, having recycling and compost bins at the event, providing public transportation to the race, and hosting environmental education. The church even donated leftover food from the race to a local homeless shelter.
“This latest grant from GIPL helps us be good stewards of God’s creation,” explained Pastor Morgan Hay. “We’ve built a wonderful school at St. Andrews. Doing all we can to make the school environmentally progressive can help us show the children the importance of protecting what God has given us.”St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Tucker was one of nine faith communities that were awarded a total of $52,492 in Energy Improvement Matching Grants in November 2012. The next round of Matching Grants applications are due on November 15, 2013.Matching Grant applications are on our website. Up to $10,000 is available to congregations interested in implementing suggestions from their Power Wise Energy Audits to reduce energy consumption and costs.