Speaking Truth, Inspiring Hope

From the Hoosier Interfaith Power and Light newsletter (December 2011):

How much we hope has a direct relation to how long it will take to see change…Hope is believing in spite of the evidence and then watching the evidence change.
–Rev. Jim Wallis, civil rights veteran, May 2011 address to leaders of 38 Interfaith Power and Light affiliates

An Indiana congregation that has been using Hoosier IPL’s tools received first prize in a national competition for its work “inspiring congregants to lower their energy use at home”. Numerous leaders of the congregation reduced their energy use by 40% and more while over a third of its members reduced by at least a seventh – as in, “On the seventh day God rested.” Though we launched just 9 months ago, several other Task of the Month congregations are already on a similar path.

Hoosier IPL’s vision is to work in strategic and practical ways to help shift how people of faith  use energy. That our Task of the Month and Seventh Day Initiative have already set a high bar nationally is a wonderful and urgently-needed accomplishment. Especially in these days of dark climate news and inaction on the policy front, it is crucially important that we shine a light on how we can effectively and significantly reduce our reliance on fossil fuels when we embrace hope, set our aims high and work together. Please join us and support us in this sacred endeavor to care for God’s wondrous creation and the least among us. As people of faith who care deeply for God’s wondrous Creation, the least among us, and future generations, we are particularly challenged by the recent climate news. If we want to catalyze significant action, we must talk about what’s happening – which can be quite discouraging. At the same time, as people of faith, we must couple these messages with messages of hope.

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