MONTCLAIR PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH DEDICATES NEW SOLAR PANELS
After two years of research and planning, the Montclair Presbyterian Church is pleased to announce the installation of 66 new solar panels on the roof of its facilities. The panels were dedicated during the Sunday worship service on November 2nd. They are expected to supply 95% of the electricity needed on the church campus. For this 250-member church, the cost of the panels represents a considerable financial commitment. The $75,000 project was made possible by initial gifts totaling over $50,000 from members of the congregation. The balance will be funded by individuals sponsoring full or partial panels ranging from $100 to $1,000, as well as from member loans.
In its social justice work, the church identified the use of nonrenewable energy sources as a major factor contributing to the problem of climate change. Art Paull, co-chair of the SPLASH Team, the church committee that spearheaded the project, put it this way: “Climate change has the potential to disrupt all life on our planet, dramatically reducing food production, threatening water availability, and causing a significant rise in sea level. These impacts would especially harm people in the developing world. We can already see this occurring throughout the planet.”
The congregation recognized the need for individuals and institutions to move to renewable forms of energy as quickly as possible. The solar panels represent Montclair Presbyterian’s commitment to help reduce its
carbon footprint. The church hopes its example will inspire members of the community to undertake similar energy projects.
Montclair Presbyterian Church is a multi-generational, progressive, and welcoming congregation. It is located at 5701 Thornhill Drive in Oakland’s Montclair neighborhood.
SPLASH Team members and others who helped make the solar panel project possible gathered after the dedication:
1st row: Jean Gregory (left), Barbara Peters, Roberta Davis, Sari Kulberg
2nd row: Al Peters (left), Hal Davis, Pastor Ben Daniel, Don Alter
(Not present: Art Paull, Susan ten Bosch Paull & Earl Hamlin) (Photo by Tom Debley)