A.4. MCC & the Environment

Why is the peace, relief and development organization of the Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches promoting solar energy?

In this age of environmental awareness, one might mistakenly think MCC has hopped on the “green bandwagon.”

While it is true that the realities of climate change and peak oil are shaping our organization in new ways, it is hardly fair to say MCC is just beginning to work on environmental issues.

From pioneering the blue box recycling program to the thrift store movement, Anabaptists in Ontario have understood the importance of stewarding resources.

Internationally, MCC’s work integrates environmental concern with community development in wonderfully holistic ways –

reforestation and educational projects in Haiti,
water and dam projects in Kenya,
agro-ecology programs in Guatemala,
irrigation projects in Bethlehem,
hydro power plants in Afghanistan —

the list goes on.

MCC supported partners are training rural Nicaraguans
to install solar panels in their communities as a way
 to improve their quality of life in a sustainable way.

At the heart of our work is relationships — with our neighbours, with God and with creation.

By deepening these relationships simultaneously, we can embody God’s kingdom in dynamic, prosperous communities.

A central way we relate to creation is through the energy sources we use to provide for our daily needs.

• How do you get your energy?
• How do you express gratitude for this important resource?
• How does your use of energy impact your global neighbours?

Through the Mennonite Initiative for Solar Energy, MCC is encouraging the church to explore these questions and to seek ways of powering our lives that work with creation, rather than against it.

Solar energy is an exciting opportunity to bring energy to the forefront of our minds, while embodying God’s call to care for creation in practical ways.