Emmanuel Church Will Ask Parishioners to Join Energy Saving Challenge

God said "Let there be light," but turning off the lights and saving energy is the right thing to do.

That's why Rev. Dr. Anita Louise Schell is going to ask parishioners at Emmanuel Church in Newport to stand behind the Rhode Island Energy Challenge: Find Your Campaign — a joint effort between National Grid, Rhode Island Interfaith Power & Light and the City of Newport.

 “Recently Mayor Harry F. Winthrop wrote in a letter to the editor about the City of Newport joining the RI Energy Challenge: Find Your Four! saying, ‘'why should the energy we use in our homes matter to the City of Newport? Frankly, the amount of energy we each use isn’t as much of a concern as the amount of energy we waste,'" Schell said in a release. "I applaud the mayor’s explicit support of this challenge program. At Emmanuel Church, we have identified many areas for energy conservation in our church as well as in our family homes. Let’s join with Mayor Winthrop in not only finding our four and more, but also in decreasing our energy waste, all the while identifying new community partners who will journey with us in caring for all that we have been given.”

On Sunday, March 23, National Grid and the nonprofit SmartPower will be on hand during coffee hour to explain the program and enroll parishioners. They will ask congregants to sign up for the challenge, and help the church earn $500 from National Grid towards energy efficiency upgrades at Emmanuel Church. Those that sign up on site will also count towards the City Of Newport’s goal at reaching over 5% of households and the City winning $7500 towards efficiency measures from National Grid.

The Rhode Island Energy Challenge asks people to take four steps to save energy in their homes. For more information, click on www.FindYourFour.com and if you want to participate on behalf of the church, under affiliation, look for "Emmanuel Church."