July 7, 2011
By Lynette Wilson

The City of New York July 7 chose the Church of St. Luke and St. Matthew in the Clinton Hill section of Brooklyn to launch Change by Us NYC, a new website aimed at connecting people and making the city a "greener, greater" place to live.

"St. Luke and St. Matthew is a remarkable example of what we are all about," said New York City Deputy Mayor for Operations Stephen Goldsmith during the event to launch the website, adding that the church's efforts to green the parish and improve the surrounding community "touch on all the important parts of a sustainable project."

Change by Us NYC was designed to enable New Yorkers to connect with city government and each other online, share their ideas and create project teams for improving the city, and identify government and private resources for projects. The site allows participants to start meet-up groups, raise funds, and work with community-based organizations and city agencies to develop projects that will have a lasting impact, according to a press release.

"This church community has been an integral part of the neighborhood for generations," said the Rev. Michael Sniffen, priest-in-charge, at the start of the event. "We have been established on this site since 1841. At that time, the building was surrounded by cornfields. The landscape has changed since then, but our commitment to empowering and inspiring people to good works in this neighborhood and this city remains the same.

"We seek to do everything in our power to connect the gifts and skills in our community with projects that improve the lives of our neighbors. We strive to use all the resources available to us – including our buildings and grounds – to make our community a more loving, peaceful, healthy, safe and just place to live," he added.

The church has partnered with the Pratt Center for Community Development through its Sustainable Houses of Worship program, which helps houses of worship be better stewards of their historic buildings and the earth. Members of St. Luke and St. Matthew's congregation and church staff have participated in training workshops to increase our knowledge of heating and energy efficiency, Sniffen said. One way the church plans to better connect with the surrounding community is by removing the wrought iron fence – which an artist who attends the church plans to turn into benches, said Heather McKinstry, a 21-year-old church member and volunteer who works on greening the church.

"Right now we are working to beautify what we have," she said.

In the short term, McKinstry said, the church is expanding its efforts to grow fresh vegetables for the parish and the community. Long-term projects include plans to install a rainwater catchment system and to replace the concrete sidewalks with a permeable surface.

"It's great to have the city here," she said. "Having city support opens a lot of doors for us."

Episcopal News Service
Lynette Wilson is an ENS reporter and editor.