SOLAR SPOTLIGHT: Christ United Methodist Ministry Center in San Diego

Solar is great for nonprofits because it’s about more than just lowering electric bills and carbon footprints. For a nonprofit, saving on electric bills means having more resources to support the organization’s mission. When a nonprofit has as broad an impact as CUMMC, those saved dollars go far.

The mission of Christ United Methodist Ministry Center is multifaceted: to provide a nurturing environment for worship, religious education, and fellowship for religious congregations and a base of operations for religious, charitable, and community 501(c)(3) organizations engaged in public benefit ministries, especially feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, befriending strangers, caring for the imprisoned, ministering to the sick, and quenching spiritual thirst.

If that sounds like a lot, it’s because it is. CUMMC feeds the hungry, serving as a food bank and providing families with groceries. The organization is currently providing offsite shelter for about 120 people, says CUMMC’s Pastor Owens, whom they house for up to 6 months. CUMMC currently serves people from 29 countries, he adds, and all continents except Australia. In addition to food, the unhoused are provided clothing, places to charge phones, and bathrooms. Fifteen AA groups meet at the ministry center, including a group for the blind.

Home to over a dozen unique denominations with hundreds of congregants, including 7th-Day Adventists, the Hispanic-Latino Ministry, and the SD Marshallese Church, CUMMC serves as an ecumenical incubator for new congregations and a home for established ethnically diverse churches. 

CUMMC was a 2016 recipient of Amnesty International’s Human Rights Defender Award and partners with organizations like Catholic Charities, International Rescue Mission, and the United Nations to fulfill its mission. 

It wasn’t hard for CUMMC to connect with CollectiveSun, given that our offices are in the ministry’s basement. In discussing the possibility of solar with our Chief Community Officer Lee Barken and VP of Sales Matt Brennan, Pastor Owens quickly recognized the value that solar would have for CUMMC.

Unlike many churches, which operate a couple days a week, CUMMC is a 7-day urban ministry. That means the lights and air conditioning run every day, all day, until around 10pm. And that means a large electric bill. Owens wanted to find ways to cut the ministry’s carbon footprint while also cutting costs. Solar provided an ideal solution.

The 33.1kW system, installed by Sattler Solar, is on the main ministry building. “I think we’ll see a significant difference in what we have to pay to SDG&E,” says Pastor Owens.

CUMMC’s solar system wasn’t a hard sell. Pastor Owens discussed the proposal with CUMMC’s board of directors, and they agreed that it was a good idea. What took longer was replacing the facility’s older roof and going through utility and city processes. CollectiveSun was helpful in securing financing for the project and managing the process.

“It took a while,” says Pastor Owens. “But now that it’s up, it will save us a lot of money. It will be there for a long time.”

Christ United Methodist Ministry Center’s impressive work is well known throughout the country. Often people find CUMMC through word of mouth, but they also have a website with information about their programs. To learn more and to contact CUMMC, visit https://www.cummc.org.

This loan was made possible by the generous participation of the BQuest Foundation. Click here for more information about the SunForAll program.