Monday, August 5, 2024
Susan Nalewajk
Building Hope: A ‘have to,’ or a ‘get to?’
Building Hope: A Vision for Sustainability, Accessibility, and Inclusion for the Future
You may recall Rob saying that attendance at church is a “get to” not a “have to” opportunity. As Christians, we are told to care for our environment, as well as each other. These are both “have to” responsibilities for Christians. We were told early on in the first book of the Bible, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” Genesis 2:15. Then Jesus said, “Love each other as I have loved you” John 15:12.
As Christians, we have choices in how to build hope and implement the Christian responsibilities of loving others and caring for our environment. Here is an example of how the volunteers at Common Table (CT) have been building hope in our community.
Let’s start with the “have to” stuff at CT. We “have to” use gloves to avoid contaminating any ready-to-eat food. We must cook food to certain temperatures to make it safe to eat, keeping hot foods hot and cold foods cold. Over the last few years, CT has installed a dish sanitizing unit to clean the dishes, a hand washing station for volunteers, and began using a sanitizing rinse in the 3-compartment sink. These and others are the rules that we “have to” do to comply with local codes to safely prepare the lunch we serve at CT.
Now, we also have lots of “get to” things at CT. These are the opportunities that make CT what it is today. Each week the CT cook-du-jour “gets to” choose a nutritious menu for our guests. We “get to” have to service options - inside guests can eat sitting down in Thaxter Hall and others may choose to take their lunch in a bag to go. Several years ago, Nathan connected CT with Mr. Fox’s compost service. We “get to” have all our food waste and compostable paperware composted instead of sent to the local landfill. We also have instituted recycling for our paper/plastic/metal wastes and we “get to” recycle plastic film for Gather to build park benches, also reducing our reliance on the local landfill. Most importantly, we “get to” have fellowship with our guests and each other as we prepare, serve and clean-up for this “get to” gathering.
CT has demonstrated many ways they “get to” accomplish the Christian responsibilities of caring for our environment and each other. As Christians, we “get to” choose how to accomplish these “have to” responsibilities. CT has been serving lunch at St. John’s Church (SJC) for over 20 years. In caring for those with mobility issues, SJC recently installed an elevator and handicap accessible doors. SJC now has an upcoming “get to” opportunity to care for our environment by donating to the installation of solar panels on the roof of Thaxter Hall. These panels will provide for more than three-quarters of SJC’s electrical needs, trim our utility costs and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. Installation of these panels will be a visible sign of SJC’s commitment to build hope and care for our environment in our own community. Excess funds will be used for additional sustainability and access projects.
The cost of the panels will come from three sources – a Federal tax credit, a grant from the NH Diocese and donations from the parishioners of SJC and others. I hope that you agree that this “get to” opportunity to Build Hope is worth your consideration and participation.
Click here to learn more about The Building Hope Project, and make your donation today!