Good Shepherd members,

Thanks to those who have attended/watched our presentations and read our FAQ emails. We continue to take and answer questions about the project through our website and by responding to emails. 

Mission Green (Jim and Liz Fritz) is sending final emails with FAQs (frequently asked questions) this week leading up to the Congregational Vote on June 5th. 

We hope these emails will help answer questions and inform your decision. This proposal is a significant undertaking with lots of interconnected parts.

Here’s FAQ #9: Final FAQ and Thank You

"Final FAQ"

First, we want to Thank You for the amazing support we have received from the Good Shepherd family. We have witnessed this support across all age groups and demographics. We are grateful for your trust in our efforts!

The next BIG task is having a quorum for this vote. This is a time-sensitive initiative that cannot be delayed. It will require 82 voting members present either live or on Zoom in order for any official action to occur. We sincerely hope you will take the effort to join, no matter your vote. All information to connect via Zoom has already been sent from the church to members.

Congregation President Cynthia Ernst will preside over the meeting.  There will be opportunities for questions and comments prior to the voting.

This Carbon Neutral Initiative has been a process that Mission Green has been working on for over a year. Key points to remember:

• We will have to invest in our infrastructure sooner or later as the furnaces are old, need repair, and won’t last much longer. Proactive is always better than reactive.
• Good Shepherd can become carbon neutral with a future that includes no energy costs, thus allowing those dollars to go towards other church missions.
• The payment schedule to Mission Green is as aggressive as possible to ensure that the costs are managed by current members and not burden the younger congregants.
• Mission Green feels the urgency of the moral imperative to mitigate climate change. This proposal allows us to think globally but act locally. We hope the congregation will join us to be leaders in this effort of Caring for Creation.

Correction: There was an error in our FAQ #8 about costs to the congregation. So far, Mission Green has secured $105,000 (not $130,000) in outside money via donations, forgivable loans, and grants. We are still working on other grants to lower the costs.

Again, we (Jim and Liz) thank you for your support in this Initiative. We look forward to seeing you Sunday!!!

Jim and Liz

Mission Green, LLC

Mission Green, LLC is offering a business proposal to eliminate Good Shepherd’s use of natural gas. It is a time-sensitive proposal. 

The congregation’s responsibility will be to either accept the proposal or reject it in its entirety. The Congregational vote will be on June 5th, immediately after worship.

Information about the Carbon Neutral Initiative for Good Shepherd can be found here:

• New Mission Green videos that include the information presented at the Adult Forums and statements by local experts: www.youtube.com/channel/UCwOiVwCWNjHJLy-pcn1IZD
• Good Shepherd’s website: www.goodshepherddecorah.org/missiongreen/
• Jim and Liz’s website: www.missiongreen.llc

Zoom Meeting Information - from Good Shepherd

There is a brief meeting and vote THIS Sunday, June 5th after worship in the Sanctuary. We want to make sure that a quorum of 30% of the membership is present to vote: 82 people. Follow the instructions below (and posted on the website HERE) to join via Zoom. 

Click here to join: Congregational Meeting and click to Launch Meeting if prompted.

Meeting ID: 841 3467 1603

Passcode: 546768

To join by phone, call: 312 626 6799 and entering the meeting ID and passcode. 

• You may be prompted to enter the Meeting ID 841 3467 1603 followed by #
• You may be prompted to enter a unique participant ID. This does not apply to our meeting. Press # to skip.
• You may be prompted to enter the Meeting passcode 546768 followed by #.

If neither of those options work, you can go to zoom.us and click on the option to join a meeting. Then type in the meeting ID and passcode:

Meeting ID: 841 3467 1603

Passcode: 546768

Please email office@goodshepherddecorah.org with any questions or concerns prior to Sunday.