the community garden begins

solar info evening = full house

On April 22, about 70 people - including 12 vendors of solar technology - attended the "solar information evening" planned by our congregation in partnership with Mennonite Central Committee's solar initiative. Richard says "It's hard to quantify concrete results, but I suspect attendees went away with a` better understanding of the technology, the economics and the reasons why the technology is of interest to organizations like MCC and people from within the Mennonite church. I suspect also that some people were convinced to install a system. It will be interesting to see what develops."

Interesting indeed!

Here's what our local paper had to say about the event before it happened: Learn how to sell power back to Hydro One: Mennonites host Earth Day seminar in Stouffville.

And here's an article from MCC's website, including information and quotes from the event itself: Loving our neighbours with the sun of God.

Community Garden

Another initiative that has been germinating (!!) in our community is the idea of a community garden. Some generous folks are making some land available, there has been an initial meeting (with good and enthusiastic attendance and participation), and a second meeting is planned for this coming Wednesday evening at 7:30 pm at the home of Richard and Carolyn.

From small seeds...

solar information evening, April 22

A couple of years ago one of our church members got up in the sharing time on a Sunday morning and said he was interested in investigating options regarding solar energy, and if anybody else was interested, to come and talk with him after the service. Well, there was quite a gathering within a few moments of the Benediction being spoken, and it was quickly decided to get together that evening for an exploratory discussion.

That evening, at another church family's home, a group of around 15 people gathered and talked and laughed and wondered together, a few people offered to do some further research, and our congregation's solar energy initiative was born. One of the ideas at that initial gathering was for us as a community to develop more experience and expertise in this area, thinking that this experience and expertise could become something that we could then offer to our broader community, in hopes of helping to make a positive impact on the environmental awareness and carbon footprint of our community (both our church community, and our town).

Well, a lot has happened, and it seems that vision is being fulfilled. One family has installed a solar installation on the roof of their house (see this post from April 2009 for more details). Other church families who operate a family business have installed a solar installation at their business, and have now become distributers/promoters for the use of this technology especially in farm applications. They held an information event with local farmers a few weeks ago, and interest is growing.

Now there is another information event planned for Thursday, April 22, at 6:30 pm, at the Parkview Auditorium in Stouffville. Come on out, and invite your friends and neighbours!

This event is happening in partnership with Mennonite Central Committee's solar initiative, as Darren Kropf, the MCCO Creation Care Coordinator, has been keeping in touch regarding what's been going on in Stouffville, and how it connects with what MCC Ontario is doing in other communities, and Darren and MCCO are helping to facilitate this event in Stouffville.

new initiatives

The fact that there have been no new posts on this blog since December by no means indicates a lack of activity and reflection in our community! It just means... well... that the blog hasn't been updated for a while.

This will be rectified momentarily, as there is a backlog of initiatives and activities to be posted here. Reflective pieces seem to be somewhat harder to come by. Hmmm...

In any case, stay tuned for a series of posts with updates and information on various things that are happening in and among our community. We offer this information in a spirit of wanting to share some of the things that the Spirit is doing among us... and in a spirit of invitation as well, wanting to share this information in a public forum so that if something here catches your eye and interest, please feel free to make contact and follow up and participate. There are exciting things afoot!

Saving the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference

The success of the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen is everyone's concern. Today the UN General Secretary warned that the talks were faltering, and he pleaded to the nations of the world to increase their pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It was also reported today that the Canadian federal government is pondering weaker --not stiffer-- emissions targets for the oil and gas sector. It is now very urgent that we let our government know what our hopes and concerns are.

This Fall the Adult Sunday School of Community Mennonite Church explored the biblical imperative of "Creation Care." We agreed that caring for the health of this sick and groaning planet is not optional for Christians, for our very hope is that God will set the creation free from its bondage to decay (Rom 8:21) and, in Christ, gather up all things in heaven and earth for the praise of his glory (Eph 1:10). And in this cosmic plan we were able to see that the Christian vocation to care for the less fortunate is deeply dependent on a healthy environment. In the context of these discussions we shared a number of inspiring experiments from the past year where we have tried to "walk the talk" of creation care.

Now we have another important opportunity to speak. As leaders gather in Copenhagen for the summit, the church dare not be silent in its prayers and advocacy:

• We should pray for the negotiators and leaders in Copenhagen, that they may have the wisdom to see and the courage to do what is right.
  
• We should write our Prime Minister immediatetly. You may wish to use a pre-written letter addressed to the Prime Minister contained in the link: http://www.climatechangetaskforce.org, or send your own email directly to the Prime Minister's Office (pm@pm.gc.ca).
• We should write our local Member of Parliament. The MPs are listening carefully to their constituency on this issue and they may have some influence in the decision our government takes this week. For those who live in the "Oakridges-Markham" riding (this includes Stouffville), our Member of Parliament is Paul Calandra. You can share your "comments or thoughts" on his webpage (http://www.paulcalandra.com/have-your-say.htm). I wrote Mr. Calandra last week and outlined my concerns and hopes. To his credit, he phoned me back within hours and even left his cell number on the answering machine. He clearly took notice; I encourage you to write him.
  

The good news of the Bible is that God's work of reconciliation in Christ includes reconciliation with all things on earth (Col 1:20). This week we have some important opportunities to witness to and participate in what God is doing.
Arnold Neufeldt-Fast

Give A Day To World AIDS

Today is World AIDS Day, and Jane Philpott from our congregation is the founder of the "Give a Day to World AIDS" movement, inspiring people to give a day's pay to help those affected by HIV/AIDS.

You can watch an inspirational message from Jane, read her blog post, listen to her interview this morning with Andy Barrie on CBC's "Metro Morning" radio program... (if you click here and wait a few seconds, you should hear the audio. The interview's running time is 6:27.)

You can also use this online calculator to calculate a day's pay and make a donation.

Jane concludes her blog post with these words that speak with particular resonance in this season of Advent...

We may be daunted by the magnitude of the task. But we have already come a long way. In the five years since the Give a Day movement started, the number of people in the world on antiretroviral treatment has increased by ten-fold! This has happened through extraordinary efforts of countless people around the world.

To reach a world without AIDS, we have to walk far. We share this path together.

Please engage in an act of solidarity today. Please give a day’s pay… because a day makes a world of difference.