SALEM – As the last few people took their chairs in the basement of Saint Mark Lutheran Church in mid-October, associate pastor Shelley Willem set the scene for why a movie about global warming was being shown at this church in downtown Salem.

On this Sunday night, about 50 people had gathered, young and old, to watch Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” which had been made available for church congregations across the country.

She explained the movie would help communicate the problems of climate change, but also present ways that people could help fight the consequences.

Willem’s involvement in Salem was part of an ongoing, larger and more ambitious plan by religious groups nationally that had deep roots in the West.

Willem handed out packets of information put together by Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon as part of the larger Interfaith Power and Light project that focused on global warming.

Started in CaliforniaThe Interfaith Power and Light is a program of The Regeneration Project that was founded in California.

Its founder, the Rev. Sally Bingham, said her project grew as a response to the energy crisis in California in 2000. Churches in California began to work together to help cut their energy use and cut down carbon dioxide. By 2001, 135 congregations in California had joined the program, she said.

Interfaith Power and Light has grown now to more than 20 state affiliates, including California and Oregon, with some interest being shown in Washington and Idaho. The goal of Interfaith Power and Light is to be a nondenominational, nonpartisan ministry that helps congregations of all faiths to reduce global warming emissions.

Bingham inspired other church leaders with her passion on climate change, but also solid, simple advice on what people could do in their churches and communities.

Bingham said she has been preaching and teaching about climate change since 1997.

When Bingham began speaking on the subject a dozen or fewer people would show up.

But her colleagues at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, where she’s an Episcopal priest, encouraged her to make a video to help get her powerful message out.

By 2004, she made a documentary based on her sermons and speeches about how climate change affected the world and recommended what people could do about it. “It was meant to be an inspiration,” she said.

The religious contextThe challenge was to talk about climate change in a religious context, yet not be too heavy into a certain religious faith, she said. “It’s pretty generic,” although it does talk about if people love God and their neighbors, they need to morally help deal with climate change.

Now, depending on where she speaks, the audience is closer to 100 or more. Better however, she helped plant the seed for churches to show her video and the better-known Al Gore movie, and audiences have now grown in places to several hundred at a time to see these videos or to discuss climate change.

Bingham’s video and Gore’s documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth,” became two of three DVDs given to churches such as in Salem to help educate people on climate changes in the world.

Her project, working with interfaith groups in other states, has also developed packets for individuals to explain what role churches could do even at the local level.

The information stresses why religious values come into play and need a religious response: “This response is motivated by love for our neighbors and the call to be responsible stewards of God’s creation,” explained one of the documents.

The package works well with Gore’s message. In the movie, Gore said this is not a political issue but a moral issue. “If we allow it to happen, it is deeply unethical,” he said.

Gore acknowledges doing something isn’t easy. “Ultimately, the question comes down to this: Are we, as Americans, capable of doing great things, even though they might be difficult?

“Are we capable of transcending our own limitations and rising to take responsibility for charting our own destiny?” Gore asked. It is time to take this moral issue and make it people’s own, he concluded.

Gore’s message about fighting climate change being a moral issue is nothing new, but if definitely found a welcome audience.

More than 4,000 churches of different faiths across the nation showed the film to their members this fall, often with discussions later.

Jenny Holmes, coordinator of Oregon Interfaith Power and Light – a project of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon – said more than 175 congregations in Oregon saw the film in more than 35 cities and towns, including Pendleton, Medford, Grants Pass, and Portland where she is. Follow-up meetings and workshops are taking place this winter.

In an interview, Holmes said the reason the event was so popular was that in many parts of Oregon this was the first time they really heard about climate change and its consequences.

Holmes said that there are still a number of skeptics, but attitudes have changed even in the last year as more evidence has appeared to prove global warming is real.

While places of worship explain they have a higher calling from God to be involved and protect the planet, there has been another calling for churches to be involved.

It comes from scientists, as well as from environmental groups, who have asked the faith communities to step up to the plate.

“None of us can deny the reality of climate change,” said Sister Patricia Nagle, a member of Sister Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary – a religious community of women – in Portland but also is co-chair of the Oregon Interfaith Power and Light Advisory Group.

“I think the call from the broader community including the scientific community is calling for the voice of the faith communities. They are calling for us to be engaged in the issue.”

Sister Nagle said the faith groups offer the wisdom and moral framework to deal with climate change, as well as the grassroots support, while the scientific community provides the “impeccable scientific information and studies that indicate this is indeed happening.”

‘A first step’In Salem, the audience who stayed after Gore’s film at Saint Mark’s Church said why they were interested in dealing with climate change, how they saw climate change affecting this region as well as other parts of the world, what they thought of the film and questioned what they could do next.

Bill Sandhu shared how when he had recently traveled back to India, where he experienced the harsh, unusual warmer temperatures that country faced and watched people suffer. “I could hardly breathe,” he said. “I could not survive in that.”

Bill’s wife, Joanne, said Gore’s movie was needed. “It helps people to be aware of the first step,” she said. “We can’t sit around and do nothing.” She added that often “until something really happens to push you forward, it’s easy to do nothing.”

Another Salem couple said one of the problems for families is they lose sight of climate change issues when they are dealing with everyday life, such as “getting kids up, getting them breakfast.”

However, the father added that showing the movie at the church helped provide evidence of all that is happening with climate change: “Half way through the movie, I was convinced.”

But he added, as did others, that what they were looking for from the film and felt they didn’t get enough: they wanted to learn more of what they could do as individuals.

Another member of Saint Mark’s said people want to also know what they can do together. “This congregation has the people, I think, that have the ability to do a lot of advocacy if they’re given direction to do it and it’s a priority here.”

Not enough chairsThe same questions were being asked in southeast Portland around the same time this fall when 250 people gathered at St. Philip Neri Catholic Church to watch the film where Sister Nagle works.

The church had expected 100 people and ran out of chairs, explained Sister Nagle. She said showing Gore’s documentary in the churches was a good idea. “I think it was a very solid educational opportunity. The information was clear, the presentation was clear, engaging, so it kept people with you.” She added that it ended with practical solutions that people can do.

Having the churches involved in dealing with climate change has been a unique situation, but makes sense, say some of those most closely involved.

The churches have been involved in the issue long before Gore’s film was shown in their communities.

“There’s a long tradition in Catholic social justice teaching about care for creation,” said Sister Nagle. “I think there’s always been this call to be stewards of God’s creation.” She said that in churches they were invited to respect the whole of life and devote energy to ensuring it continues for the next generation. “So it follows very naturally that we should be involved in the climate change issue,” she said.

Sister Nagle said that the environment needs to flourish and when a part of that is diminished, such as from climate change, “We have a responsibility to look at our lives and assess whether or not we’re playing a role in that diminishment.” She added that there is clear evidence that human actions have contributed to the acceleration of global warming, and that people have a responsibility to look at the problems but also make adjustments in life to deal with them.

“Communities of faith are really a very logical place to start because they are first of all, communities. They are where people congregate, gather together, whether it’s a religious-based tradition or spiritual tradition. And there you have a ready made group.”

The groups grew beyond one church, religion or location.

Various religious leaders have in the last few years issued documents about climate change.

Making a commitmentIn 2000, Oregon Religious Leaders issued a statement as part of the Oregon Interfaith Global Warming Campaign. One of the goals in the statement was that the group would “Share our faith perspective on global climate change with key people in Oregon – leaders in labor, business, government, agriculture, education, and the environment – seeking ways to coordinate our efforts for the common good.” More than 70 religious leaders, including rabbis, pastors, priests, bishops and conference ministers, signed the statement.

The Bishops of the Pacific Northwest and Canada released a document in 2001 on caring for the Columbia River Watershed for the common good and to guide the Catholic response to environmental issues.

Faith coalition groups in the West, as well as nationally, have made other statements and commitments.

Sister Nagle said the churches help to provide education and tools to begin to address energy conservation, for example, so they can change their lifestyles.

Energy conservation has been a main message from the churches, starting with their own buildings. Many are committing to sign a covenant to reduce their energy consumption by 25 percent by 2015.

Where do the churches go from here? Holmes said there will be further steps nationally teaching people the specific things they can do, from changing light bulbs to influencing how they to vote in elections.

She said the key roles are to present model actions that everybody can take but also create a sense of hope as people are called to be faithful and do something about climate change.

Holmes and religious leaders are also encouraging congregations to do energy audits, make plans and actions of energy use, and involve youth groups. They should also take their messages to their homes, schools and businesses.

“I’m very encouraged by the increase and interest by people in all walks of life,” Holmes said said, adding that they are not all environmental activists, but people who love the land, have concern about poverty and justice, and have ethical values they wish to follow. They also sometimes look for the economic opportunities that might come from saving money as energy is conserved.

It is estimated that if those 300,000 places of worship across the nation met their goal of reducing energy use by 25 percent, they would save $500 million each year on their power bills.

How powerful are churches when they work together?

All the church leaders stressed it makes a big difference. “I think it’s absolutely critical, and essential, and helps a lot,” Sister Nagle said, adding that the interfaith group has already met one with legislators, and plans to do another meeting this winter.

“I think it’s absolutely critical for us to address this together. Each one of us brings the wisdom of our faith tradition and spiritual tradition.”

Elaine Shein is executive editor of the Capital Press