i am excited to see this article (via: john @ methoblog) on a methodist church that is going green. green, as in being environment friendly. green technology generally has cost more on the front end of construction, but pays off in long run, not to mention the conscience of minimizing one's global impact. spiritually this could be considered a witness of sorts.
The $8 million Live Oak church will be Santa Cruz County's first to go “green,” including solar power panels disguised as roof tiles and skylights to let in the light. Construction could begin this summer with completion in a year.
“The building itself could be a witness to our values of sustainability and good resource management,” pastor Michael Love said, noting a self-sufficient church fits perfectly with the core values of the Methodist community.“It's our responsibility to be stewards and caretakers of natural resources,” he said.
The 17th Avenue church will be home for three congregations that merged in May 2003, including the flock from the landmark Grace United Methodist church that was gutted by fire in 2000.
The church parking lot will be paved with an asphalt concrete that absorbs water, draining it into the ground below. Some of the stained-glass windows from the old church will be reused, and the furnaces will be higher efficiency.
