By becoming a VAIPL partner congregation or community, you will be connected to a supportive, statewide network of Virginians of many backgrounds and faiths seeking to care for Creation. Your congregation/community will have access to the latest news, information, opportunities, and programs from VAIPL. Learn more about the program, and become a partner congregation or community today!

VAIPL Responsibilities – VAIPL agrees to support the partner congregation or community by:

1. Offering green leader trainings to help the liaison(s) start a green team (if they don’t have one already) and/or implement certain greening.
2. Connecting the liaison(s) to other green leaders across the state through a listserv, events, and conference calls.
3. Connecting the liaison person or group to organizations that are helpful resources for greening projects in their congregations or communities.
4. Helping to arrange events, such as a guest speaker on caring for Creation for a service and/or special event, or a film screening about caring for Creation, the environment, sustainability, or climate change.
5. Sharing your congregation or community’s stories, concerns, talents, events, and challenges that fall at the intersection of faith, religion, environment, and climate with others in the VAIPL and the broader community.
6. Providing spiritually/religiously-motivated resources around your faith tradition’s practices as they relate to Creation care, sustainability, and environmental impact.

Partner Responsibilities – As a partner congregation or community, you agree to:

1. Appoint one or more liaisons (such as a green team leader, Trustee, Deacon, committee member, or member of the property committee) who will receive communications and will be responsible for communicating VAIPL events, programs, and resources with your congregation or community.
2. Engage with VAIPL’s education and advocacy efforts annually, which may include energy efficiency workshops, film screenings, congregational/community greening campaigns or projects, and meetings with decision-makers on the moral call to care for Creation.
3. As possible, financially support VAIPL’s work to assist congregations and communities like yours. Some ideas include:
   1. Holding a special collection once a year during services (such as on Earth Day) and donate proceeds to VAIPL.
   2. Host a special event (e.g. workshop, house party, speaker series, film screening, green sermon/khutbah) and take up a collection for VAIPL.
   3. If your congregation or community has a mission budget, consider including VAIPL.

Three levels of partner engagement:

1. Water of Life: Participate in educational events and advocacy efforts as possible. A minor financial contribution is preferred, but not required.
2. Mighty Tree: Hold one or more educational events at your congregation or community per year, and make a financial contribution of up to $500.
3. Radiating Light: Hold three or more educational events at your congregation/community, participate in one or more advocacy efforts per year, and make a financial contribution of $500 or more.

When you become a VAIPL partner, your congregation or community will be listed and linked to on the VAIPL website, and you will receive a certificate from us.

If you would like to become a partner congregation or community, fill out this form.

Helpful Materials

• VAIPL Partnership Program Handout: An overview of the program that includes 5 Steps to Get Started
• Printable VAIPL Partnership Program Description
• Printable VAIPL Partnership Program Application (*We prefer that you apply through our online form.)

Our Partner Communities

Rockfish Presbyterian Church, Nellysford, Nelson County

Church of the Holy Family Catholic Church, Virginia Beach

St. George’s Episcopal Church, Fredericksburg

Westminster Presbyterian Church, Charlottesville

Please contact our Faith Outreach Manager, Ralph Hodge at rhodge@vaipl.org or call him at (804)-304-3409 for more information on the partnership program.