Our church, First Congregational UCC in La Crosse, is at the base of Granddad’s Bluff, in the Driftless Region of Wisconsin. We believe the creation of God is sacred and beautiful. We work for a just world and understand that environmental justice intersects with racial justice. A carved stone in our sanctuary, reminds us that it is our calling to “let us not love in words or speech but in deeds and in the truth.”1 John 3:18. Not only should our actions reflect our values and beliefs; they should also be reflected in our site of worship.
We began our faith journey to be Earth stewards years ago. Based on a professional energy assessment in 2011, the Church installed LED lighting and significantly improved the Church’s heating system. These changes reduced our electricity bill by 3%. In 2020, in response to an urgent call from the UCC General Synod, our Church Council created a Creation Care Committee charged with working across all congregational ministries to envision how we as a church could be engaged in celebrating and caring for God’s creation.
In 2021, the carbon footprint calculation for our Church showed that natural gas and electricity are the two major sources of carbon emissions. We then enrolled in Xcel’s Renewable Connect program. The following year, the Congregation overwhelming voted to send a Resolution Urging Planning for and Implementing Electrification to the 34th General Synod.
Representatives of Creation Care, Finance, and Buildings and Grounds ministries formed an alternative energy task force to explore additional options for reducing our carbon footprint in 2023.
On June 22, 2025, we approved the addition of solar panels to our roof and a capital campaign to fund the project.
The following brochures give further details of our project and journey to reducing our church’s carbon footprint. These handouts were shared with our members to help them understand our solar project. See the brochures here.
A capital campaign, Powered by Grace, Fueled by the Sun, was scheduled for 2 months in the summer of 2025. It proved compelling. Lead gifts started the campaign solidly at $71,000. Member testimonials and across church collaboration strengthened the campaign.
Members were enthusiastic about building a future of hope and giving in honor or memory of loved ones. There were donations from nonmembers and even those who had originally not been in favor of the project. Within two months, we had secured enough in grants (Solar for Good at $16,000 and a $1000 Kairos Grant) and pledges to put us at our goal of $250,000.
Unfortunately, another professional check of the roof discovered that while the integrity of the roof was solid, the roof surface was in much worse condition than warranties would have anticipated.
Church Council and the Construction Management Team agreed that it would not be advisable to put solar panels on the roof until the roof could be replaced. On February 1, 2026, at our annual meeting, the congregation voted to proceed with roof replacement using reserved Church funds to assure the completion of the solar project in 2026.
Lydon Solar and Electric out of Sparta, came in with the winning proposal for installation of a 131 panel array that will produce 94,107 kWh of electricity annually. We made a downpayment with Lydon by the end of 2025 to secure our eligibility for the IRS Direct Pay program.
Despite numerous hurdles, our Congregation supported having a place of worship that reflects our creation care calling. We stand in awe and gratitude for the generosity of our church community and look forward to the installation of a solar array in 2026.