A professional team installs solar panels at the church.Solar panels may not be the first thing that come to mind when most people read the Bible verse "Let there be light."
But one local church is using energy collected from 12 newly installed panels to power its mission.
The energy Chattanooga's Unitarian Universalist congregation collects from the panels will be sold back to the grid and the funds the church saves in energy costs will, in turn, go toward funding its ministries.
"The money that will come in to reduce operating expenses frees up some money for us to do more good works, whether that's caring for the poor or feeding the hungry," said Sandra Kurtz, chairwoman of the church's green sanctuary initiative. "It's a small step and we hope we can do more in the future."
In addition to the solar panels, the church has made other shifts toward sustainability like changing out light bulbs, making temperature adjustments to save energy and educating the community about reducing carbon footprints as individuals and a church, she said.
"It's really a vision of stewardship," said Kurtz. "We hope to model this opportunity for other religious facilities."