Editor's note: The website solarunderthesun.org is now online.

by John Freeman, St. John's Presbyterian, Houston

This summer Presbyterians from two New Covenant Presbytery congregations installed the first solar-powered Living Waters for the World system for church and school in Haiti, officially launching “Solar Under the Sun,” the new mission program of the Synod of the Sun.

Clean water is one good example of how Solar Under the Sun can bring electricity to people who need it. The program will branch out to supply electricity for a variety of uses in addition to water treatment.

Synod Executive Judy Fletcher said the inaugural training program for Solar Under the Sun will take place in May.

“Ferncliff Camp and Conference Center (Arkansas Presbytery) is preparing to host the training,” Fletcher said, “and a team of writers is preparing the curriculum for the concurrent courses called Solar I and Solar II.”

The coursework will be conducted May 13 through the evening of May 15 at the center near Little Rock. Congregational teams are asked to make a significant commitment to lead a solar mission program.

Members of two Houston area congregations, Christchurch and St. John's, led the mission with representatives from Solar Under the Sun and Living Waters for the World to install the photovoltaic solar panels in July's Haitian heat.

It is the first solar-powered water treatment system in Haiti. Electric power is unreliable in Haiti and diesel generators are noisy, smelly, and expensive to operate. Solar power offers a clean and reliable alternative.

In addition to the installation of the clean water system, team members conducted multi-day training sessions for parents and children from the village on how to use the clean water, how to wash hands and basic sanitation. These sessions provided an excellent opportunity for members of the team to become acquainted with the local adults and children.

The technical members of the team worked closely with the local men who will maintain the system. It can provide 300 gallons of clean water daily and is operated by St. Thomas Parish, an Episcopal church and school in Arcahaie, Haiti.

The parish will sell the water priced according to the client’s ability to pay. In addition to the “water house,” the team installed four drinking faucets in the school playground. Prior to the new system, they were drinking from a contaminated well or paying for expensive bottled water.

This pilot project was made possible by cooperation between the Synod of Living Waters and the Synod of the Sun with financial support from the latter plus the two congregations represented and New Covenant Presbytery. Contact and further information will be available at solarunderthesun.org or by ordering brochures from the Synod of the Sun office at 1-866-381-7075.

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