Getting our power from the sun is one small way to love our neighbor

Pastor Paul Metzloff and the Reformation Lutheran Church in Reading, PA installed solar panels on the roof of the church in September 2023.

Pastor Metzloff shared about how they decided to invest in solar: “We had been thinking about this for a couple years, based on the idea that we feel as Lutheran Christians, that we are called on to love God and love our neighbor – and this is the loving our neighbor part. The migrant farm worker who is picking tomatoes in 120 degree weather or the Bangladeshi farmer who’s rice field is washing away, those are our neighbors who are suffering today because of the climate crisis. So this seemed like the very least we could do is try to start getting some of our power from sustainable means.”

While they were initially concerned about the cost of the installation, the church was able to get a two for one matching grant from the Berks County Community Fund, which when they raised $25,000 generated $50,000. The church is now “looking forward, under the Inflation Reduction Act, to getting some of that money back even, so it will be even less of a cost from the congregational perspective.”

Pastor Metzloff spoke to their experience with the system so far: “It has been very exciting. Since it has gone into operation, we have generated over 8 Mwh of electricity, even in the five months since it’s been in – which have not been the summer months. And displaced over 6 tons of carbon, generating somewhere around $1,500 worth of electricity and that’s terrific. We are excited about this as a congregation, and we hope that other congregations, individuals, nonprofit organizations, anybody, can look at us and say ‘hey, maybe we ought to look into that,’ because it’s really not all that bad.”

With the Inflation Reduction Act, places of worship and other nonprofits can now get 30% of the cost of a solar project and installation covered by direct pay tax credits from the federal government. With these new federal incentives, there’s never been a better time for houses of worship to get their power from above. So we’re excited for more houses of worship and nonprofits from across the county, the Commonwealth and the country to follow the lead of the Reformation Lutheran Church, go solar, and help build a clean energy future for all.