The AME 6th Episcopal District recently hosted a community energy demonstration and strategy session. The event celebrated the culmination of two and a half years of work to bring the clean energy microgrid project to life and shared lessons learned so other congregations could see the potential in renewable energy.
SEAP Economic Recovery Corps Fellow Fenika Miller once described this work as “a radical reimagining of what communities of faith can do with their resources.” Thanks to Fenika’s efforts to share information about federal incentives to adopt renewable energy sources and their own commitment to service, church leadership saw how installing a solar array and EV charging stations could help them better serve others during times of crisis.
The Sixth District microgrid project highlights the community’s resilience in more ways than one. The Trump administration’s energy policy changes placed Direct Pay, the program designed to ease the cost burdens of clean energy installation, in legal limbo. But Fenika and AME church leaders were undeterred, and committed to finding alternate means of financing this vital community project.
The event also included a learning session, including sharing an interactive power hubs map built by SEAP that illustrates Georgia’s charging locations. By including EV chargers in their project, AME leadership was working to fill gaps in existing infrastructure while also creating an opportunity to invite the community in.
They hosted other leaders to talk strategy because as everyone in the fight for Southern progress knows, sharing our wins and best practices is how progress multiplies. The Georgia Sixth District AME Church has given us all an incredible opportunity to learn from their leadership and commitment so other Southern changemakers can have radical reimaginings of their own.
