Earth Ministry Moment: Creation CARE follow-up

& BIG THANKS TO ALL WHO HELPED OUT LAST WEEK!!

I just wanted to follow up on the discussion about the coal trains with some links you might find useful for reducing our personal impact on climate change. 

             On average about a quarter to a third of our greenhouse gas emissions are related to energy and water used in our homes, and right now Seattle City Light is offering to pay for most of a residential home energy assessment ('energy audit') -- normally they run $400 but you can get one for only $95. They'll help you figure out the most effective way to save money and energy. You can learn more and sign up here:  www.seattle.gov/light/conserve/hea/

Once they find out what can be improved there are several different rebates you should be able to get, some of which you need to start by June 1st to qualify:  www.communitypowerworks.org/for-home/energy-incentives-home/ (and there are also financing options available, so you can pay back the investment with the money you're saving on your utility bill: 

http://www.communitypowerworks.org/for-home/financing-home/ )

There's even a detailed step-by-step guide if you want do try doing an energy audit yourself: www.seattle.gov/light/printdocs/DoItYourselfHome.pdf

I must say I have no direct personal experience with the program, but have heard good things about similar programs and I would love to hear from anyone who has done an energy audit with their house. 

A carbon footprint calculator can help you figure out what other actions you can take that will make the biggest impact. They are just estimates and most need to be taken with a grain of salt, but they are useful if you want to know what to focus your efforts on. The one on the EPA website is a good one for quick and easy calculations: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/ind-calculator.html  Or, if  you want to get much more detailed and accurate, try this one by the CoolClimate Network at UC Berkeley:

http://coolclimate.berkeley.edu/carboncalculator

I hope you find those useful. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions and I'll see what we can find out.  Thank you!   At MLLC, we connect to God & our community as we work for a healthy environment for all.   —Eli Patten, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it   for the Mission Committee

Welcome to the web site of Maple Leaf Lutheran Church! We are a Christian community located in the Meadowbrook neighborhood of North East Seattle. We are a group of caring people who come together in joy to worship Christ, serve others and love our community. We also have a lot of fun together and laugh a lot! (often at ourselves.) We would love for you to be a part of that! Come visit us some Sunday morning. Worship is at 10:30 am. Feel free to drop in.

Check out our website and then come and be a part of our grace-filled community. All are always welcome!

See below some photos from our amazing 2012 Christmas pageant: "The Secret of Snowflake County"

Since 2006 (only missing one year because of poor weather) we have participated in the Wedgwood Business District Trick or Treat event.  We park our cars in front of the Wedgwood Broiler, open our trunks and hand out candy to hundreds of kids.  We love it! Below are some photos of this years event: 

Thank you so much to our choir for the wonderful Korean music at our October 28 worship service. It was amazing to praise God with such a joyful noise not to mention the amazing costumes! We appreciate all the time and effort that when into preparing, practicing and executing such a marvelous service. Special thanks to Choir Director, Handel and accompanist, Yoon. Thank you for organizing the event, finding the costumes and extra musicians. It was a great way to celebrate Reformation Sunday. Thank you for your gift of music that you shared with us and offered to God.