Dear friends,

The holiday season is upon us serving as a great reminder of how we can truly show our love for our families and friends as we adhere to our principles to be faithful stewards of Creation and to care for God’s earth that nurtures all of us.

We will start with a special prayer and then dive into all our news from South Carolina Interfaith Power and Light (SCIPL).

Prayer for Our Community:

O Great Love, thank you for living and loving in us and through us. May all that we do flow from our deep connection with you and all beings. Help us become a community that vulnerably shares each other’s burdens and the weight of glory. Listen to our hearts’ longings for the healing of our world. [Please add your own intentions.] . . . Knowing you are hearing us better than we are speaking, we offer these prayers in all the holy names of God, amen.

~ Fr. Richard Rohr

Oración por nuestra comunidad:

Oh Gran Amor, gracias por vivir y amar en nosotros y por nosotros. Que todo lo que hacemos fluya de nuestra profunda conexión contigo y con todos los seres. Ayúdanos a convertirnos en una comunidad que comparta de manera vulnerable las cargas de los demás y el peso de la gloria. Escuche los anhelos de nuestro corazón por la curación de nuestro mundo. [Por favor, agregue sus propias intenciones.]. . . Sabiendo que nos está escuchando mejor que nosotros, ofrecemos estas oraciones en todos los santos nombres de Dios. Amén.

~ P. Richard Rohr

Join SCIPL and Atlantic Institute as we prepare to celebrate Interfaith Harmony Month sponsored by Interfaith Partners of South Carolina.

During the month of January 2021, people of faith throughout the state will unite in prayer, and multiple enlightening experiences to learn about the diversity of faiths in our state. 

The month-long event of cultural learning and understanding will open with an Interfaith Partners of South Carolina press conference and State House proclamation reading on the steps of the statehouse on Tuesday, December 29th at 11:00 am. SCIPL is planning several events for the month including a day of Prayer for Peace and Harmony on December 31st and a Martin Luther King Day Interfaith Dialogue on the King holiday, January, 18th, 2021. For more information about Interfaith Harmony Month events visit https://interfaithpartnersofsc.org/events/jan-2020-is-sc-interfaith-harmony-month/. 

Virtual Martin Luther King Day Interfaith Dialogue
Monday, January 18th, 2021

Becoming A Messenger of Peace: The Life & Legacy of MLK 

This 90-minute event will be filled with interfaith discussion on how to bridge divides and cultivate peace. This engaging event will be inclusive of people across the state, of different faiths, ages, and backgrounds. The event will kick off with a moderated conversation with Civil Rights Activist Rev. John Reynolds followed by moderated small group discussions.  

Register in advance for this meeting: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwvd-6opzwiE9MAotpp-FY1ctmcqPZLiL1V 

Congregational Energy Efficiency Challenge (CEEC) Highlight

This month we would like to highlight Mount Zion African Methodist Episcopal (AME) and the social and environmental justice leadership of Rev. Kylon Middleton. Mt. Zion AME, located in downtown Charleston between an Episcopal church and buildings owned by the College of Charleston, is undergoing a $2 million renovation that will modernize its aging structure and accommodate the church’s growing and diverse congregation. Mount Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church was built in 1847-48 as the Glebe Street Presbyterian Church and it was purchased by a group from Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1882. The Emmanuel AME group organized a new congregation, which named their church the Mount Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church. Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church building became the first brick church building in Charleston that African Americans owned. 

Rev. Middleton and the congregation are eager to complete the church renovation as the church will serve as a hub for spiritual and social activities. The renovation project includes energy and water efficiency upgrades and it will help Mt. Zion AME obtain an Earthcraft green building certification. Although renovations will not be complete until 2023, parishioners expect to be back inside the sanctuary toward the end of 2021. Mt. Zion’s expanded capacity is especially critical as the area faces pressure from decades of gentrification and climate-related challenges that have pushed out many other African American congregations and families out of downtown Charleston.  

For more information about Mt. Zion AME and Rev. Middleton see https://www.postandcourier.com/features/communitys-church-amid-gentrifying-charleston-peninsula-historic-mt-zion-ame-thrives/article_609b484e-c15b-11ea-8616-47f7e60461b0.html.  For more information about the Earthcraft Green building certification or about the Congregational Energy Efficiency Challenge program contact us at scipl@sustainingway.com

Grants & Free Resources

National Fund for Sacred Places
Do you worship in a historic building? The National Fund for Sacred Places is a grant for renovations that congregations with historic buildings can apply for. The grant targets underserved communities and those with special cultural and community significance.

https://fundforsacredplaces.org/

GreenFaith Circles
GreenFaith is holding a training series in January for people who are interested in beginning GreenFaith circles in their communities.  This training would also work for people who have GreenTeams or other creation care groups who are looking for more skills, ideas, connection, and engagement.  A circle could be in your faith community, neighborhood, workplace or town.

The focus of this training will be teaching people organizing skills, and helping people connect with others across our global GreenFaith network who are also in the process of starting GreenFaith circles, or who already have some experience. 

This will be a 3 part training. Participants commit to all 3 sessions. 

• Wednesday, January 13th, 1-2:30pm US Eastern Time/9pm East African Time
• Wednesday, January 20th, 1-2:30pm US Eastern Time/9pm East African Time
• Wednesday, January 27th, 1-2:30pm US Eastern Time/9pm East African Time

This will be the first time GreenFaith offers this training, so they will likely ask you to give feedback after each session. 

Please sign up for the training here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdqjj8wEChsejPythcnC3AJzUwyKtZNTgUlc2OjNYKATBjsSg/viewform

Confirmation and zoom links will go out the first week of January 2021. Please mark your calendars for the dates set.