March 16th, 2026Emissions Reduction Grant: Listowel Mennonite Church
Listowel Mennonite Church invests in affordable future
Listowel Mennonite Church has received its second Emissions Reduction Grant from Mennonite Church Canada, this time to help fund the installation of solar panels on the congregation’s building.
The congregation received $3,000 in 2023 to switch from incandescent lighting to more energy efficient LED lighting, and received another $3,000 in 2025 to continue the work of reducing its carbon footprint.
The solar panel project has been on Robert Sider’s mind for about 15 years. Sider is currently treasurer for the church. He said that previously, the congregation rejected a solar panel project, partly because the way Hydro One in Ontario credited earned energy to property owners was subsidized by taxpayers. At the time, Sider “… wasn’t in favour of [solar panels] either, because all the taxpayers were paying for [the subsidy]. Basically, you’re becoming a burden on some other person.” He said the church didn’t feel comfortable being subsidized in that way. Additionally, solar panels were considerably more expensive back then, he added.
But things have changed, said Sider. Hydro One no longer uses taxpayer money to subsidize solar energy generated by property owners, and solar panels have become more efficient, generating more power for the same area as older panels. Sider is familiar with solar generated power from using panels installed for his home almost three years ago. He said the systems do not require storage batteries; energy generated and consumed is metered and reconciled on each monthly bill. Additionally, technology allows for excess energy to be used by other power consumers in the neighbourhood, like the nearby public high school.
As for congregational support for the solar project, Sider said it’s hard to gage the collective will of group initiatives, but in the end congregants voted in favour of the $42,000 project.
In addition to saving money on energy, Sider said in a follow-up email that the decision was also influenced by the understanding that humanity is “… tasked with tending, protecting, and managing creation,” (Genesis 2:15). He added, “We feel that reducing our impact on climate change is doing a small part on taking care of creation as well as saving resources.” The church has previously installed water saving technology in its bathrooms, including a dishwasher that recovers heat from its operation. Future upgrades may involve replacing gas furnaces with heat pumps.
Although Sider is convinced all their energy saving measures are sound decisions, he wonders if the aging congregation will be able to afford more green energy upgrades. Some members wonder if their investments can be recovered by savings, but Sider counters that the investments made today will reduce emissions and save money as more members transition to fixed incomes.
Enabling an affordable future for the congregation’s community outreach is another reason to move to cleaner and cheaper resource consumption, said Sider. The congregation already rents its basement to a daycare on weekdays, and a free Thursday evening community supper originally intended to serve un-homed people instead began attracting resident seniors in the neighbourhood. Some attenders began asking how they could help offset costs for the meals, so a collection plate was quietly placed in a hidden corner so that no one would feel obligated to donate. Last year, those donations totaled about $2,500, which was given to local agencies that aid unhoused and vulnerable people.
For Robert Sider, money saved is money that can always be put to good use for the less fortunate.