Church taps into grant to install energy-efficient windows

When a window at Jubilee Mennonite Church in North Kildonan fell out of its rotting frame, the congregation realized it was time for some upgrades.

“The building is nearing 50 years old,” church treasurer Viola Labun said.

“We knew it was time to get those original windows replaced” when an inspection revealed other windows in need of replacement, she said.

The estimated cost to replace seven of the old windows was about $10,000 — a large amount for a small congregation of about 50 to 60 people.

The church was able to get help from a $3,000 grant from Mennonite Church Canada’s emissions reduction grant program.

“We are very thankful for the grant,” Labun said, adding they are also grateful to be able to make the building more energy efficient. “We want to use our building wisely with the environment in mind.”

The program, which started in 2023, launched its second year of operations with a cross-country Zoom event Wednesday.

Sandy Plett, climate action co-ordinator for Mennonite Church Canada, which is headquartered in Winnipeg, told the group gathered for the event that the program helped nine churches in the denomination last year, including four in Manitoba.

The funding was used for things such as replacing windows, improved insulation and energy-efficient lighting. A total of $23,000 was given out.

The grants help congregations that want to offer “a faithful response to the climate crisis” a way to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, Plett said.

“It’s a super-practical way to reduce emissions,” she said, adding it can help small congregations that don’t have a lot of resources.

Lowe Farm Bergthaler Mennonite Church used a grant of $3,000 toward the $4,000 cost of replacing high-energy lights in the sanctuary for low-consumption LED lighting.

In addition to saving money on electricity costs, the new lights show the congregation’s commitment to “doing the best we can to look after the earth,” Tony Dyck, chair of the church’s finance committee, said.

“God created the world, and we need to look after it,” he said, adding, “A building that isn’t energy efficient isn’t doing anyone any good. We want to do whatever we can to reduce our footprint.”

The new lights also make it easier for people in the small congregation of about 25 to 30 people read their hymn books on Sunday mornings.

“It’s like there’s new life in the church because the new lights are so much brighter,” Dyck said.

Other churches in the province getting grants were Home Street Mennonite Church, which is replacing smaller and older fans in the ceiling of the sanctuary with two large energy-efficient fans, and Fort Garry Mennonite Fellowship, which used its grant to help offset the cost of upgrading insulation in part of its roof.

The grant “eased the burden” on our congregation, Fort Garry member Ron Loeppky said, adding the church’s decision to make its building more energy efficient “is all part of our theology of responsible living, with climate change in mind.”

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