First Lutheran Church raises $138,000 for sustainable solar initiative

BEMIDJI — People driving down Bemidji Avenue this week may have noticed a crew installing solar panels on the roof of Bemidji’s iconic First Lutheran Church.

The significant solar energy initiative is a direct reflection of the congregation’s growing commitment to environmental stewardship.

Senior Pastor Corey Fuhrman credits the project’s creation to Rollie Morud, a board member who shared his personal experiences with solar energy with the church.

“I have to say Rollie Morud, who joined the council about a year and a half ago, has a solar system on his property and kind of brought it up as an idea,” Fuhrman said.

Associate Pastor Kayla Billings discussed Morud’s role in bringing this idea to the group.

“He had installed solar power on his property and had the opportunity to experience the benefits, and he thought it would be a good idea to share it with the church and for the church to consider it,” she added.

Morud, a former superintendent of Bemidji Area Schools, played a key role in promoting the project.

“I would say this is not something new in the church. We are called to care for the gift of the earth that God has given us,” Fuhrman said.

The solar panels are expected to offset about 20% of the church’s energy use. Currently, the installation is almost completed.

“They are currently installing the last five or six panels,” Billings said Thursday afternoon. “Two of the three sections are done and the last section is being completed as we speak.”

Fuhrman said the entire $138,000 project is being funded entirely by church members. Planning began about a year and a half ago, with more concrete discussions starting around May 2023. He added that the project has encountered minimal obstacles since its inception.

“It went pretty smoothly,” Fuhrman noted. “There was no resistance to the idea.”

Billings confirmed how quickly the project is progressing, with most of the installation taking just a few days.

The installation is performed by TruNorth Solar of Arden Hills, Minnesota. After a short week of work, solar technicians completed the installation on Friday morning, June 28. The panels are expected to be ready for operation within the next week or two.

According to Fuhrman, the church’s current future plans are to install and run solar panels and see what incentives it can get from the state to recoup costs and save on electricity.

“That’s the end goal right now,” Fuhrman explained. “The state of Minnesota is encouraging projects of 40 kilowatts or less, so we’re right up there. That’s a 40-kilowatt project.”

This project not only represents strategic alignment with Minnesota incentives, but also highlights the growing trend toward smaller-scale renewable energy initiatives. Such projects are crucial in the context of net metering, where individuals and companies with rooftop solar systems, classified as distributed energy sources, play a key role.

Net metering allows these systems to not only meet their own electricity needs but also feed excess energy back into the grid, earning credits or payments from utilities. This symbiotic relationship between renewable energy producers and utilities underscores the evolving landscape of sustainable energy solutions.

The charge for this additional electricity is usually based on the average retail electricity rate set by your energy service provider and may change annually.

Utilities use special meters to track both the electricity used by the building and the electricity sent back. This ensures that solar users are fairly compensated or included in their electricity bills for the energy that is generated. Net billing helps offset electricity costs and encourages the adoption of renewable energy sources such as solar energy.

First Lutheran Church hopes the solar project will become an important example of community environmental stewardship, reflecting a proactive stance toward sustainable development and land stewardship.

“The vision of our church is to be a beacon church, a church that leads the way,” Billings said, emphasizing the church’s broader vision. “To be a church that can say yes, we care enough about our Earth and God’s creation to take this step and help make a difference not only for today’s people but for generations to come.”

Ashley McKenzie is a news reporter for the Bemidji Pioneer, specializing in local government, crime and courts. She is a native of southern North Carolina and a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina.