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September, 2006 The Louisiana Interchurch Conference is most grateful for the award of a $12,500. grant from the Gulf Coast Ecological Health and Community Renewal Fund at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors toward our Sustainable Church Building Educational Program.

 

This grant comes during a window of opportunity.  We hope to turn the tragedy of the devastations caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita into an avenue of providing buildings that will benefit current and future generations while maintaining environmental friendliness.  This grant will assist us in providing for an Assistant Coordinators Salary, office expenses, and printed materials for distribution. 

Our many thanks to Carrollton United Methodist Church (New Orleans) as well. As they have generously offered to provide office space, web & phone access, and additional supplies towards this cause.  The Rev. Dr. Cory Sparks and Carrollton UMC have long been standing in the gap on environmental issues.

  

We are excited about this program and are hoping for much success!

Literature is in the process of preparation/distribution.  We will keep you updated!

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For further information on the plans for this grant, see below:

Original Grant Proposal - June 12, 2006

 

 The Louisiana Interchurch Conference (LIC) is pleased to submit this letter of inquiry on behalf of our Sustainable Churches for South Louisiana project. By helping communities rebuild their churches using green building practices, this initiative will help reinvigorate neighborhoods that were devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The project will also provide models for rebuilding south Louisiana in ways that support the long-term health of the larger ecosystem.

Project Partners and Scope

 

The LIC is an ecumenical organization representing a wide range of denominations in Louisiana. Environmental education and advocacy are priorities for the LIC, and the head of its Commission on Stewardship of the Environment, Reverend Cory Sparks, will be spearheading the Sustainable Churches project. Our partner in this effort is the National Council of Churches (NCC), which has begun its own “Greening the Church Initiative” for Gulf Coast areas affected by the hurricanes. This initiative also seeks to rebuild storm damaged churches using environmentally responsible practices. Reverend Sparks is the NCC’s Green Building coordinator for Louisiana. As part of its initiative, the NCC is developing an outreach toolkit as well as national volunteer and funding contacts. However, the NCC is focusing mainly on the New Orleans area, when the actual area of need stretches the entire length of south Louisiana, from Mississippi to the Texas coast. In addition, NCC’s project does not include Roman Catholic congregations, which comprise a large segment of the faith communities in south Louisiana.

 

The LIC thus requests funds to pay for an assistant coordinator of the Sustainable Churches project for one year (August 2006—August 2007). The assistant will help Reverend Sparks leverage the NCC’s tools and networks to increase both the geographic and denominational coverage of the green rebuilding effort in south Louisiana.

 

Need Statement

 

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita ravaged not just New Orleans but the entire lower third of Louisiana. In addition to the human fatalities and the loss of homes and businesses, over 1,000 urban and rural churches were damaged or destroyed in south Louisiana. These facilities represent historic community centers, particularly for African-American neighborhoods. The churches were reliable sources of food, tutoring ministries, and information about health and job options. Such neighborhood-based services are particularly important now, as the storm ravaged communities struggle to recover.

Plans are being made to rebuild many of the damaged churches. If we can help congregations use green building techniques as they move to restore their faith communities, we can create a generation of churches that model energy efficient, sustainable practices. It is also our hope that after being introduced to these ideas at church, community residents will opt to use sustainable practices to rebuild their own homes. Not only will this project support the recovery of formerly vibrant neighborhoods, it will help citizens of the region learn how their actions affect the larger environment. This lesson is particularly important in Louisiana, a place where wetland ecosystems provide jobs, food, and critical flood protection.

Goal and Objectives

Help the faith community in south Louisiana embrace the economic, health, and environmental benefits of rebuilding their communities using sustainable methods.

 

•Create and distribute materials that introduce congregants to green building practices. These materials will inform congregations about how environmentally responsible actions will support their own health as well as the health of their local environments.

 

•The assistant coordinator will arrange presentations, events, and speakers to encourage congregants to use sustainable options as they rebuild their churches.

 

•Coordinate the rebuilding of 100 churches in south Louisiana to the highest practicable health-based environmental standards by August 2007.

 

Measure of Success

 The most direct measure of success will be the number of faith communities who commit to rebuilding their churches according to green building principles by August 2007.

 

Budget

 Grant amount will be used to cover:

                 

Carrollton United Methodist Church will provide an office, phone, web access, and additional supplies as in-kind contributions.

 

The storms of 2005 have given us an unprecedented window of opportunity to help south Louisianians rebuild their lives in ways that support healthy communities and a healthy environment. We sincerely appreciate your consideration as we begin this important work.