“Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good . . ..”

The sun is the most profound gift of God’s creation. Being the source of every form of life, it has infused energy into every dimension of it. Humankind has incrementally grown in knowledge and skill over eons to make use of that energy the sun produces, including electrifying this free energy.

In the summer of 2019, the members and friends of St. John United Church of Christ made a bold choice to “Go Solar”. We committed to putting our faith into action. A 65 kW solar energy system is now in full operation and producing energy year-round, with the capacity to produce 100% or more of our electricity. It reduces our electricity costs by about $10,000 per year and will lower the church’s carbon footprint by more than 1000 tons over twenty years.

St. John became the first 100% self-generated solar powered faith community in Illinois, and the first 100% renewable electric powered business in Freeport and Stephenson County. This fulfills one important dimension of our commitment to be a Creation Justice Church. We hope to be a model and source of encouragement for others to “Go Solar”.