Tuesday, August 22 at 7pm in the Parlor
The Hamline Church Council has been authorized to hold a Charge Conference on Tuesday, August 22nd at 7pm for the purpose of approving Sharon Fields as a candidate for ordained ministry. All members are welcome to attend. The regular August council meeting will follow.
Supporting Parents and Caregivers Around the Realities of Gun Violence in Schools
Thoughts and Prayers
Tuesday, May 9 from 6-7:30pm
At Hamline Church 1514 Englewood Ave St Paul
Join us as we hear from Dr. Jillian Peterson, psychologist and professor of criminology and criminal justice at Hamline University, about her work around gun violence and how to support ourselves and our children.
Childcare and dinner available, RSVP here. Contact Katie Morris (kmorris@hamlinechurch.org) or HU intern Livy Clemens (oclemens01@hamline.edu) with questions.
Rally Sunday 2022!
September 18 at 10am!
Join us to celebrate the coming of fall and a new, fun year of spirit, service, and sanctuary. Local family friendly band, The Roe Family Singers, will soothe our souls and get us tapping our feet with contemporary takes on traditional, old-time, and gospel music in worship. And, we’ll welcome back Pastor Mariah! After worship, join us for more live music from the Roe Family Singers, fresh pizza from the community bread oven, and refreshments on the lawn. We’ll have a bounce house for the kids! Families may register for youth & children’s programs, and everyone can find out how to get connected here at Hamline Church. Questions? Contact Heather (hgrantham@hamlinechurch.org) or David (dkozisek@hamlinechurch.org)
Hamline Church Decreased Electricity Use and Increased Solar Generation 2018-2020
by Miriam Friesen
Is anyone else as curious as I am about what kind of impact those solar panels on the roof are having, how Hamline Church’s energy use has changed over time, and what our “new normal” is for how much of Hamline Church’s electricity comes from the sun vs. the grid? Or is it just me and my nerdy fascination with charts? Well, even if you’re not as into charts as I am, I hope you’ll accompany me on this glimpse into electricity and energy use at Hamline Church.
First, thanks are due to Diane Krueger who has faithfully entered Xcel energy bills in an online system over the past four years. The data below are from both the online energy tracking system and the solar dashboard that we have access to through our solar installer. We keep the Xcel data as part of our commitment to St. Paul’s “Race to Reduce” program and as a Climate Justice Congregation through MNIPL. Our Climate Justice Congregation action plan for this year includes carrying out an updated energy audit for the church and this historical data will help us better understand our energy use in the time since our previous energy audit.
Here it is folks: electricity at Hamline Church, 2016-2020. In the blue, we have the amount of electricity that we use. In the orange, starting in August 2018, we have electricity that the church’s panels generate from the sun.
Here’s a summary of that same data, year by year in 2017-2020:
After you’ve had a moment to peruse the charts, here are a few of my own (very amateur) observations about the data:
Solar Generation Offset about 1/3 to 1/2 of Electricity Use 2019-2020
The second chart makes it really clear that solar generation offset a very significant portion of our church’s electricity use in 2019 and 2020, the first two full years we had solar, which is exciting news. If you look closely at the first chart, in some summer months the church’s solar actually generated more electricity than we used. That means that almost all of our AC use in 2019-2020 was offset by solar! While we don’t get “paid back” by Xcel when the church’s solar panels generate more electricity than we use in a month, the church is enrolled in a program to receive incentive payments for solar generation — a future blog post will describe that program and the benefits the church has received under it so far.
Why Does Solar Generation Vary So Much?
Year to year, solar generation varies based on weather trends. Based on solar data from around the Twin Cities, 2020 was a better than average year for generating solar power.
Definitely our best months are the summer months, and it’s easy to understand why: Winter months can be hard for solar when there’s snow cover on the panels for days or weeks at a time. The sun can melt snow off of panels fairly quickly, but if we have a stretch of cloudy days along with snow cover, the panels just can’t generate much during that time.
We also had an issue a couple of times in the past year where the solar panel system actually was turned off unexpectedly! And it was unfortunately a while before someone realized it needed to be turned back on. One of those times was October 12 – November 4, 2019, and another shorter period occurred in late 2020. Hard to get use out of our solar panels when they’re not even on! How could this happen? Well, the on-off switch to the solar system is a temptingly big and red handle in the alley on the south side of the church. Anyone could have turned it to the off position when wandering through the alleyway. The church office has now placed a padlock on that handle, which we believe will prevent it from going into the Down/Off position, and Earthkeepers are checking periodically to verify that it’s in the Up/On position. If you see it in the Down/Off position – please report to the church office ASAP!
Significant Decrease of Electricity Use in 2019-20 vs. 2016-18
This chart shows a pretty decent drop-off of overall electricity use in the last two years compared to the previous two years. Hooray!! In the time covered by this chart, the church has carried out a number of building improvements that should have impacted energy use, both during and before the Capital Campaign. We hope that our energy audit later this year may give us more info about how building improvements may have impacted electricity use, and what additional improvements we can make to help reduce energy use overall.
At any rate, its great news that not only did the church begin offsetting a significant portion of its electricity use in late 2018, the church also has significantly reduced its overall electricity usage!
What happened in April 2019?
Who knows, perfectly mild weather, but no sunshine? Just kidding, we think we might have a typo in the data entry for electricity use in April 2019. The bill for that month is temporarily unavailable so we unfortunately haven’t been able to doublecheck that number.
Spike of Electricity Use in Late 2019
Despite an overall decrease in electricity use in 2019, we do see those numbers go back up on the October – December bills, which corresponds to the big push for construction wrap-up in September – November of that year. Those capital campaign construction projects involved a lot of electricity-drawing equipment.
2020 Electricity Use Still High
…But – you may also be wondering why the electricity use remained just as high (actually, even a little higher) in 2020; after all, the construction wrapped up at the end of 2019 and the church was not really using the building after March 2020, right?
One reason for steady electricity use through 2020 is that the Learning Garden preschool in the basement continues to operate daily on weekdays throughout the year, and did continue to operate throughout 2020 despite the pandemic (much to the delight of our family – my son attends there daily!). That consistent week-long electricity use eclipses any savings we would have had from not using the sanctuary on Sundays.
Another activity that impacted electricity use was the window replacement project in the education wing. This involved a month and a half in fall 2020 when, at any given time, one classroom’s windows were entirely removed. Not only did this involve construction equipment with high electricity draw, but it also would have meant that the building wasn’t retaining temperature as it normally would. You can see a corresponding electricity spike in late 2020.
Finally, we all know that COVID-19 wreaked havoc on normal habits and priorities, which was also true for the church building use. I’ll protect my source here, but I heard it’s possible that the church office AC ran more in 2020 than usual, as office staff came and went at different hours than normal and maybe had more urgent things on their mind than non-pandemic routines like shutting off the AC at the end of the day. As much as I had hoped to see reduced electricity use when the church was using the building less during COVID-19, it makes sense in retrospect that it was not an ideal year for saving electricity.
My takeaway from this is that the way to get efficiency out of our building’s typical level of electricity use is to get as much actual use out of the building as possible. Another reason to look forward to the end of the pandemic and the return to in-person church activities!
Day of Prayer and Fasting
As a church, we are setting aside Wednesday, March 3rd, 2021 to intentionally pray and spend time in communion with God. In addition to this time of prayer, we are also fasting. Prayer accompanied with intentional abstinence of something we regularly partake in has a unique ability to align our hearts with God.
From 6am-6pm Associate Minister Heather Grantham will send prayers for strength and wisdom every 3 hours (6am, 9am, 12pm, 3pm, and 6pm) via text message and posting in the Hamline Church Facebook group. Sign up by emailing Heather your cell phone number (hgrantham@hamlinechurch.org) or sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0c4aa4ac2aa7f58-dayofprayer
What is a Day of Prayer and Fasting?
Prayer is simply spending time focusing on God, in community or in solitude. Fasting is when someone or a group of people (in unity) voluntarily abstain from an object or behavior they usually partake in for a spiritual purpose during a specific time. Some of us may choose to fast from food, tv, sweets, social media, news, doomscrolling, feelings of guilt, etc…
We invite you to use the time you would normally engage in this activity/behavior/object/habit to spend with God in prayer.
What does The United Methodist Church say about fasting?
There is a strong biblical base for fasting. Fasting has been a part of Methodism from its early beginnings. John Wesley considered fasting an important part of a Christian’s life and he fasted weekly. Wesley believed fasting allowed more time for prayer and was more meaningful if combined with giving to the poor. Wesley did advise caution against extreme fasting and against fasting for those in fragile health.
In The General Rules of the Methodist Church, we are asked to Do No Harm, Do Good, and Stay in Love with God. Certain ways we can stay in love with God, as Bishop Reuben Job states in his book “Three Simple Rules”) are:
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- The public worship of God.
- The ministry of the Word, either read or expounded.
- The Supper of the Lord.
- Family and private prayer.
- Searching the Scriptures.
- Fasting or abstinence.
Prayer and Fasting Helpful Suggestions
- What kind of fast will be most meaningful for you? Is it from a pattern of thought or from a food/drink or from social media? Write it down and share with our group.
- Plan your prayer time – when will you focus your attention on God? Heather will send texts and post in the Facebook group during the day on 6am, 9am, 12pm, 3pm, and 6pm. If you are fasting from technology, feel free to use your own prayers or use the ones on the back.
- Plan to abstain from your object/activity/behavior/habit from sunrise to sunset.
Suggested Prayers
My Heart Open Wide (prayer to say during fast)
I enter this sanctuary of fasting. I rest in the knowledge that I am your Beloved. I burrow in deep to your love. I wait in the stillness for vision. I feel the love of your heartbeat. I rest here and lay out my life to you the Holy One. I give you this moment to speak. I listen intently to sounds all around me. I breathe and give thanks for my life. I hear in the distance the sounds of the birds. I choose to let their song seep deep down inside. I see the great beauty of sunlight. I watch as it dances and fades. I trust in the light that you bring to my soul. I bask in your goodness, I soak in your ways. I remember the journey we’ve travelled. I feel you close at my side. I hold out my hand and invite you to lead. I’m waiting, I’m hoping, I’m watching. I’m listening, for your gentle hand on my life. I’m here with my heart open wide.
Amen
Julian of Norwich’s Body Prayer – “Oneing with God”
Body Prayer is comprised of four poses: Await, Allow, Accept, and Attend.
- The first pose, Await, is a posture of receiving, held with cupped hands extended at the waist to receive the presence of God.
- The second pose, Allow, is a posture of opening, reaching up with the hands open to the coming of God’s presence.
- The third pose, Accept, takes in whatever comes, standing with hands cupped at the heart.
- The final posture, Attend, is assumed with hands extended and palms open in willingness to act on what has been given.
While yoga evolved in India in the fifth and sixth centuries BCE, the movements of Julian of Norwich’s body prayer have much about them of the yoga sequence familiar to practicing yoga. The pose Await is reminiscent of the solid grounding found in mountain pose. Her second pose, Allow, recalls a sun salutation, which is initiated by raising the hands to meet above the head. The pose Accept suggests anjali mudra, the hands cupped at heart level pose of yoga prayer. The final pose Attend is reminiscent of extending the open hands to simply receive energy.
Simple Prayer to Break a Fast
Thank you for pouring new refreshment, peace and passion into my heart as I have fasted. Please help me to keep hold of this new treasure in my heart, as I return to my normal patterns of behaviors and habits. Please remind me each day to take real breaks from the normality of life, so that I might feast on your love and truth again. Thank you for your abundance and grace in my life. This day I celebrate your eternal goodness.
-Amen.
Feeding our Hungry Neighbors
March is Minnesota Food Share Month. Hamline Church participates in this drive every year and this year the need is particularly great. As a result, we will be offering several opportunities to participate in the Food Share drive.
Drive-by Collection: On Friday, March 12 from Noon – 4pm, we will have a focused collection effort in the church parking lot. You can simply drive through the lot and we will have volunteers available to collect donated items from your car. Keystone Community Services, our local food shelf provider, will provide a truck to pick up the collected food items at the end of the day. COVID safety protocols will be observed to keep us all healthy.
Pick-up Option: If you can’t make it to the church on the 12th, but have items to donate, we will have some volunteer drivers available to pick up items from your home between 10am – Noon on March 12. Watch for more details on this option in the weekly emails. Contact Diane Krueger (dkkrueger@comcast.net) with questions.
Wednesday Drop offs: If you are not able to participate in the March 12 collection, you can also bring your offerings to church any Wednesday in March between 10am – 2pm.
Financial Donations: You can also donate on-line at hamlinechurch.org/give and select the fund “Minnesota Food Share.” If you wish to give cash, your check should be made out to Hamline Church, with MN Food Share or Keystone Services in the memo line.
All donated items should be shelf stable, nutrient dense, and low sodium and easy open if possible. Suggestions include: applesauce, canned beans and other vegetables, canned meat (chicken, fish, ham, Spam), canned or dried fruit, crackers, peanut butter, instant mashed potatoes, rice, pasta, meals in a box, cooking oil, basic herbs and spices, whole grain cereal, and shelf stable liquid or powdered milk. Small can openers are also useful. A final note, boxes and paper sacks are always needed at the food shelf. If you can deliver your items in a box or a paper sack that would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance for your generosity!
Greater Than Worship Series
The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. -Aristotle
One aspect of growing as a disciple of Christ means that we are committed to responding to God’s wonderful generosity. Being generous is about aligning our priorities with God’s priorities, aligning our hearts with God’s heart. We grow in that generosity as part of our individual spirituality, we also grow in generosity within our faith community as the body of Christ.
The disciples in the book of Acts understood the power of community and growing together in discipleship.
Together is greater than alone.
Generosity is greater than storing up.
And thriving is greater than survival.
Join us for this series as we consider all that God has shared with us and what it means to live a life that is Greater Than.
All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved. Act 2:44-47
November 8 Week 1: We > Me
If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.
Acts 2:14-18
But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say.Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
‘In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.
Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
and they shall prophesy.
November 15 Week 2: Investment > Quick Fix
When we build a solid foundation, instead of going for the quick fix, we can withstand the trials that will come our way.
Matthew 7:24-27
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. 25 The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!”
November 22 Week 3: Abundance > Comfort | Possibility > Status Quo
When we recognize all we have as a gift from God, we can give out of our abundance, rather than trying to keep ourselves comfortable. Whether or not we like the way things are, we tend to default to the status quo. Leaning on Christ, we have the power to discover endless possibilities.
Malachi 3:10
Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts; see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing.
John 14:11-14 (CEB)
Trust me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or at least believe on account of the works themselves. I assure you that whoever believes in me will do the works that I do. They will do even greater works than these because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask for in my name, so that the Father can be glorified in the Son. When you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it.
Light into the Darkness | All Saints Day of Remembrance & Musical Tribute
Light into the Darkness
All Saints Day of Remembrance & Musical Tribute
Honoring our Saints and all those who have lost their lives to COVID 19
Join us Sunday November 1
10am | Online worship: hamlinechurch.org/live-stream
3:30pm – 5:00pm | Worship Unbundled – Hamline Church lawn
Join us to commemorate All Saints Sunday at our outdoor walk through event from 3:30-5:00pm including an All Saints candlelight altar, a special outdoor musical performance (4:00pm), warm treats from the bread oven, kids activities & more. Covid precautions will be taken, masks required.