Like many churches across Canada, regular attendance is not what it used to be. In rural communities especially, an aging population and a global pandemic have also kept people away. Old Barns United in Lower Truro, Nova Scotia is no exception, averaging about thirty people every Sunday, according to Bob Francis, a member of the Board of Stewards and Trustees.

With a belief that God calls us to make a positive difference in the lives of others and in the world, Westworth United Church strives to be “the hands and feet of Christ within Westworth and beyond”. Living with respect for Creation, Westworth United took on two energy retrofit projects to green their sacred space.

The Sandy-Saulteaux Spiritual Centre is an accredited theological college located one mile east of Beausejour, Manitoba that offers cross-cultural learning and Indigenous ministry training, as well as a peaceful place on the land for retreats, meetings and gatherings. Its vision is to create a place where First Nations, Métis, Inuit, and Christian spiritual beliefs are respected, shared, and understood.

Following through with large-scale building renovations requires commitment and persistence, as there are many obstacles that are likely to arise. Financial barriers, resource shortages, and global issues can cause delays and even full on restructuring of project plans.

Without the right tools, resources and team in place, renovating and updating a faith community building can seem difficult and overwhelming. In the case of Topsail United Church in Conception Bay South, Newfoundland, a supportive church community was key to the success of the church’s first efforts at greening its building and reducing their energy footprint. 

Camp Scugog is one of the oldest camps in Canada. Its buildings were not designed for all weather use. Camp staff knew that in order to maximize the use of the property, and expand capacity for winter operations, a building retrofit that involved installing a heating and cooling system to their property’s main facility was not only critical but necessary.

Nestled in a beautiful village at the feet of the Canadian Rockies, Ralph Connor Memorial United Church (RCMUC) in Canmore, Alberta has a 130 year old sanctuary and a 40 year old hall.

RCMUC’s Faithful Footprints story is one of how congregants’ connections and working together as a team led to incredible energy savings and conservation within their church building.

Stephen Collette, Faithful Footprints program's Building Grant Manager, and Building Expert, delivered a compelling presentation titled 'Faithful Footprints – A National Decarbonizing Strategy for the United Church of Canada.' as part of the The National Trust Conference 2023: Transforming Heritage. Stephen offers a thoughtful retrospective of his conference experience, detailing the reactions and responses elicited during the event.

Now more than ever, collective effort is urgently needed to build on strong foundations which are rooted in creation care across our ministries. United Churches are setting an example of the importance of earth stewardship by putting their own homes in order.

In admiring the stunning Gothic cathedrals that overlook our downtown centres, we can all agree that places of worship hold our collective cultural heritage. But what about our smaller faith community buildings?

Our buildings, our spaces matter. There are, of course, the practicalities of making drafty rooms comfortable and bringing energy and climate costs down. But more than these issues, our spaces house and embody our values. They hold our gatherings, celebrations, prayers and sacred ceremonies and should reflect who we are and what matters to us.

When we think about the year 2050 and our climate goals of being carbon neutral in all of our activities, including operating our buildings, we often have this utopian vision of space age buildings. That vision is not what 2050 will look like; not even close.

As Canadians, when it comes to actions we can take to protect the climate, we automatically think about energy conservation. We head over to the local hardware store for some caulking, insulation, a new Energy Star window etc., to fix up our buildings that will in turn, help lower maintenance costs, save energy, and save the planet.

The more you learn about your building, the more you can save energy, minimize maintenance costs, and maximize the usage of your amazing faith community building.

The Alberta government has released the Energy Savings for Businesses (ESB), a new energy savings grant program that includes nonprofits and cooperatives. The great news is that faith communities qualify for this funding opportunity.

Partnering with Purpose Construction, as a support Hub in the Prairie region, Faithful Footprints is going beyond carbon reductions and working towards climate justice.

Many faith communities have buildings with exterior structures that are made out of wooden framing– hence low thermal mass. Without insulation between the walls, such buildings typically experience thermal heat loss. Find out what thermal mass and thermal insulation impact your faith building. 

Wondering what energy efficiency has to do with emergency preparedness? Not knowing what our energy needs are makes it more challenging to manage or provide services. Depending on the service you would like to provide at times of extreme weather crisis, there are different building and energy systems to consider.

Hot and humid air is miserable for human comfort–deadly, even. That’s why, with summer upon us, Canadians are all looking at ways to beat the heat and stay cool within our buildings. Before chasing the newest technology (provided you can even afford it) it is worth considering the unique ways that some buildings can cool naturally, as well as quick and easy ways to keep the heat out.

We have been trained to think about energy efficiency best practices for buildings in terms of improving insulation. It’s an easy enough concept to understand because we can experience heat loss personally. However, we often overlook other influences that affect energy efficiency, such as air leakage. Learn more you can control air leakage in your faith building.

Why should faith community buildings switch to LED lights? Well, what really drives the goal of using LEDs is energy and cost savings. Changing your faith-building lights to LEDs will pay for themselves easily and quickly. Get to know some tips on getting started.

We all love to gather after worship and share food and drink together. It’s at these times that we grow as a community. For this reason alone, a major hub of activity in faith communities (post COVID) is the kitchen. So it is worth taking the time to look at the major energy consumers within this space in order to save some energy and money.

For faith communities, replacing a heating system is one of the single largest capital cost expenses (the other one is replacing the roof). Most congregational spaces have either boilers with radiators, or furnaces with ductwork that consume oil, gas or propane. While the typical lifespan may be 25 years for these appliances, I have seen many span decades of service.

One of the most beautiful experiences in religious services is the sound of a pipe organ filling a church, whether in a small wood framed, rural church, or a full size Casavant in a large Gothic, stone church. The sounds fill the building as well as one’s soul with joy.