Baptist News Global
Sections
  • News
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Curated
  • Storytelling
    • Faith & Justice >
      • Charleston: Metanoia with Bill Stanfield
      • Charlotte: QC Family Tree with Greg and Helms Jarrell
      • Little Rock: Judge Wendell Griffen
      • North Carolina: Conetoe
    • Welcoming the Stranger >
      • Lost Boys of Sudan: St. John’s Baptist Charlotte
      • Awakening to Immigrant Justice: Myers Park Baptist Church
      • Hospitality on the corner: Gaston Christian Center
    • Signature Ministries >
      • Jake Hall: Gospel Gothic, Music and Radio
    • Singing Our Faith >
      • Hymns for a Lifetime: Ken Wilson and Knollwood Baptist Church
      • Norfolk Street Choir
    • Resilient Rural America >
      • Alabama: Perry County
      • Texas: Hidalgo County
      • Arkansas Delta
      • Southeast Kentucky
  • More
    • Contact
    • About
    • Donate
    • Associated Baptist Press Foundation
    • Planned Giving
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Advertising
    • Ministry Jobs and More
    • Transitions
    • Subscribe
    • Submissions and Permissions
Donate Subscribe
Search Search this site
Paid Promoted Content

Every day is Earth Day for this CBF church

 |  April 22, 2019

Learn more at: Cooperative Baptist Fellowship

By Blake Tommey

Pastor Jorge Zayasbazan is a child of the 1970s, which means he remembers the first Earth Day. “My generation was raised to understand creation care, though we didn’t call it that in 1970,” he said. Indeed, the counterculture movement reached a fever pitch in 1969, and cries for peace and racial justice gave voice to an emerging consciousness about the environment and humanity’s role in protecting it.

On April 22 the following year, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks and auditoriums to call for a healthy, sustainable environment and force environmental protection onto the nation’s political agenda.

Nearly fifty years later, Earth Day is just another day for Zayasbazan and his congregation at Baptist Temple in San Antonio, Texas, which has committed to making the church’s operations sustainable for the environment 365 days a year, said Zayasbazan. Baptist Temple is a congregation deeply invested in the life of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship as a CBF Global Missions engagement partner as well as a host to CBF church starters.

Baptist Temple and Jorge Zayasbazan (center) recently received the Compassionate San Antonian Award from San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg for the innovative ways the congregation has used its inner-city campus to serve the spiritual and physical needs of the community. These services include a PK4-8th grade charter school, an infant-5 years early learning center, a thrift store and food pantry, a prison ministry, performing arts ministry, crafts classes, support groups, counseling and more. Photo courtesy of The City of San Antonio.

“Every day is Earth Day here; everything we do at Baptist Temple heightens our awareness of the environment and of one another,” he explained. “Sometimes the church has felt itself separate from things like this. You know, the church isn’t a business or corporation, and it hasn’t been mindful of its impact. So, our church is heightening its mindfulness.”

Eight years ago, Baptist Temple began where many congregations begin—with mounting garbage. Baptist Temple was throwing away mountains of cardboard every week, not to mention cans and plastics, so the church acquired its first recycling bin. Now, the bin is practically overflowing by Friday afternoon ahead of recycling collection on Tuesday.

Later in 2016, as Zayasbazan was researching sustainable practices for his own home, he encountered an organization that leases commercial rooftops to produce solar energy for CPS, a local energy company. Baptist Temple had just replaced its roof and was a prime candidate for partnership, Zayasbazan explained, so he brought the idea forward. The company would install and maintain the solar panels with no cost to the church. Moreover, the church would receive 3 cents per kilowatt hour back on its utility bill in exchange for hosting the panels. The church overwhelmingly approved the installation.

Baptist Temple’s savings now amount to $600 a month during the summer and $200 during the winter, a significant boon to the church’s budget, Zayasbazan said. More importantly, however, the church is helping move the needle towards renewable energy, which, he emphasized, is part of our God-given calling.

“We are stewards of everything that God gave us,” Zayasbazan said.

“In the book of Genesis, we find that the first job God gave humans was to tend the garden, to take care of creation. God created everything and said it was good, and our first job was to care for it. This is just what we do. Just like we wash our cars, clean our houses or take a shower, we keep our local environment clean and make sure everything keeps running well.”

In addition to recycling and renewable energy, Baptist Temple continues to hone other sustainable practices, Zayasbazan said, including sharing their 8,000-square-foot facility just off Interstate-10.

“Even if we were a large church—and we’re a church of 100—we just couldn’t use it all,” he added. “So, we try to use every bit of space, because you can’t turn off the air conditioning.” That’s why Baptist Temple shares their building with six other churches as well as a charter school and daycare center during the week, all of whom share lighting, air conditioning and recycling services. While Baptist Temple isn’t full 24/7, Zayasbazan said, it is full 7 days a week and at least 12 hours a day.

This summer, Baptist Temple will begin their next phase—a fundraising campaign to tear out the church’s high-maintenance landscaping and replace it with stone and succulents. Water conservation is a vital part of living in San Antonio, Zayasbazan explained, and a new, water-retaining landscape will drastically cut Baptist Temple’s footprint. Besides, he said, the smaller the church’s impact on the environment, the closer our country comes to reversing the destructive effects of climate change.

“I believe that we’re sending a message, a message that we care for our environment, that the church cares for our environment and that other churches and institutions can easily take these steps too,” he said. “Not to mention, we’re making a little money doing it. But ultimately, climate change poses tremendous consequences, both environmental and political, and we’re helping our community turn the corner on those. Environmental justice must become a byproduct of everything we do.”

The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is a Christian Network that helps people put their faith to practice through ministry eff­orts, global missions and a broad community of support. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission. Learn more at www.cbf.net.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)
  • Get BNG headlines in your inbox

  • Featured

    • Baptist Children’s Homes of North Carolina loses president and board chair in same week

      News

    • Remembering Pulse nighclub and the power of affirmation

      Opinion

    • Coalition urges White House not to overlook Black immigrants

      News

    • What I learned from Taylor Swift

      Opinion


    Curated

    • Survey: Drop in Eastern European antisemitism may be due to Zelenskyy effect

      Survey: Drop in Eastern European antisemitism may be due to Zelenskyy effect

    • Street scrolls: The beats, rhymes and spirituality of Latin hip-hop

      Street scrolls: The beats, rhymes and spirituality of Latin hip-hop

    • ‘Felt like a year’: Worshipper describes fear during gunman’s deadly attack on Pittsburgh synagogue

      ‘Felt like a year’: Worshipper describes fear during gunman’s deadly attack on Pittsburgh synagogue

    • Near the Western Wall, Jewish radicals shout at Christian Evangelicals to ‘go home’

      Near the Western Wall, Jewish radicals shout at Christian Evangelicals to ‘go home’

    Read Next:

    Southwestern trustees affirm their leadership and repudiate two trustees who raised alarms

    News

    More Articles

    • All
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Curated
    • What I learned from Taylor Swift

      OpinionBill Wilson

    • Remembering Pulse nighclub and the power of affirmation

      OpinionMaina Mwaura

    • A primer on why Southern Baptists are fighting over women in ministry once again

      AnalysisMark Wingfield

    • Baptist Children’s Homes of North Carolina loses president and board chair in same week

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Faith-based immigration advocates hopeful about new bill in Congress

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Coalition urges White House not to overlook Black immigrants

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Working and waiting with people and plants

      OpinionBob Newell

    • Gay Christian man says he was kicked off BWA commissions

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Let’s reclaim the real Baptist identity

      OpinionJustin L. Addington

    • Southwestern trustees affirm their leadership and repudiate two trustees who raised alarms

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • How to fix anemic U.S. rural health care? Learn from Africa and look to the churches, Birx says

      NewsElizabeth Souder

    • To the mother who complained about Amanda Gorman’s poem

      OpinionRobert P. Sellers

    • Medical professionals address myths and misconceptions about transgender kids

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Focus on the Family affiliate is the unifying force behind campaign to restrict transgender rights

      AnalysisSteve Rabey

    • Opal Lee may be the ‘Grandmother of Juneteenth,’ but she’s not done working for justice yet

      NewsMallory Challis

    • Rising from the ashes: God’s empowering message for displaced women

      OpinionRosaly Guzman

    • Ministry jobs and more

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • How the Progressive National Baptist Convention plans to put faith into action

      OpinionDarryl Gray

    • Believe me: The struggle of Black pain

      OpinionZachary Barber

    • They’ll know we are Christians by our what?

      OpinionBill Leonard, Senior Columnist

    • U.S. Department of Education issues guidance on religious expression in schools

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • How to celebrate Pentecost without balloons, plastic doves or salsa

      OpinionJack Levison

    • Ten Commandments bill dies in Texas Legislature

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • The generational pain and hope of the Southern Baptist witch trials

      OpinionWill Raybon

    • Leader of Assemblies of God student group at Baylor arrested on child sexual abuse charges

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Baptist Children’s Homes of North Carolina loses president and board chair in same week

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Faith-based immigration advocates hopeful about new bill in Congress

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Coalition urges White House not to overlook Black immigrants

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Gay Christian man says he was kicked off BWA commissions

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Southwestern trustees affirm their leadership and repudiate two trustees who raised alarms

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • How to fix anemic U.S. rural health care? Learn from Africa and look to the churches, Birx says

      NewsElizabeth Souder

    • Medical professionals address myths and misconceptions about transgender kids

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Opal Lee may be the ‘Grandmother of Juneteenth,’ but she’s not done working for justice yet

      NewsMallory Challis

    • Ministry jobs and more

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • U.S. Department of Education issues guidance on religious expression in schools

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Ten Commandments bill dies in Texas Legislature

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Leader of Assemblies of God student group at Baylor arrested on child sexual abuse charges

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • BJC and Interfaith Alliance applaud first-ever national strategy to counter antisemitism

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • New documentary series shows how churches that close can keep ministry open

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Southwestern Seminary trustees called to special meeting next Tuesday

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Transitions for the week of 5-26-23

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • 8-year-old’s death in CBP custody highlights Biden’s ‘system of death,’ immigration advocates say

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Evangelical worldview ministries seek to promote ‘proper’ thoughts, beliefs and actions

      NewsSteve Rabey

    • Here’s another angle to corporate DEI work: Increased support for ‘faith friendly’ workplaces

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Amid Sudan war and elsewhere, water scarcity threatens lives

      NewsAnthony Akaeze

    • Ministry jobs and more

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • Gap widens on American confidence in vaccines

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Seven graphs that show the state of American religious attendance today

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Tim Keller was a really nice guy, but that wasn’t enough for everyone

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • In Mozambique, informal economies are springing up around Pentecostal pilgrimages

      NewsDegracias Kalimo

    • What I learned from Taylor Swift

      OpinionBill Wilson

    • Remembering Pulse nighclub and the power of affirmation

      OpinionMaina Mwaura

    • Working and waiting with people and plants

      OpinionBob Newell

    • Let’s reclaim the real Baptist identity

      OpinionJustin L. Addington

    • To the mother who complained about Amanda Gorman’s poem

      OpinionRobert P. Sellers

    • Rising from the ashes: God’s empowering message for displaced women

      OpinionRosaly Guzman

    • How the Progressive National Baptist Convention plans to put faith into action

      OpinionDarryl Gray

    • Believe me: The struggle of Black pain

      OpinionZachary Barber

    • They’ll know we are Christians by our what?

      OpinionBill Leonard, Senior Columnist

    • How to celebrate Pentecost without balloons, plastic doves or salsa

      OpinionJack Levison

    • The generational pain and hope of the Southern Baptist witch trials

      OpinionWill Raybon

    • Why demographic shifts haven’t yet swamped the Republican Party

      OpinionRobert P. Jones

    • Tina Turner kept the divine flame burning

      OpinionJustin Cox

    • Remembering Bob Seymour: Being wise as serpents and harmless as doves

      OpinionCurtis Freeman

    • Here’s why Ron DeSantis has gone to war with Disney

      OpinionRodney Kennedy

    • Yes, Tim Scott is a Black man, but he’s still promoting Christian nationalism

      OpinionRick Pidcock

    • Why ‘affirming’ churches need to speak up

      OpinionSusan M. Shaw, Senior Columnist

    • Five things Southern Baptists should do now to address clergy sex abuse

      OpinionChrista Brown and David Clohessy

    • Why we must be cautious about understanding what’s going on at Southwestern Seminary

      OpinionMark Wingfield

    • On graduation and the priesthood of all believers

      OpinionVal Fisk

    • Here’s how to force SBC entities to be accountable to people in the pew about their finances

      OpinionMark Wingfield

    • These are some of the best pastors I know

      OpinionJustin Cox

    • Worshiping guns, weaponizing God    

      OpinionScott Spreier

    • Of two minds: Iain McGilchrist and the tyranny of left hemisphere religion

      OpinionAlan Bean

    • Faith freedom for all calls for justice and reconciliation

      OpinionSabrina Dent

    • Survey: Drop in Eastern European antisemitism may be due to Zelenskyy effect

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Street scrolls: The beats, rhymes and spirituality of Latin hip-hop

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • ‘Felt like a year’: Worshipper describes fear during gunman’s deadly attack on Pittsburgh synagogue

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Near the Western Wall, Jewish radicals shout at Christian Evangelicals to ‘go home’

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Playing a religious character without making faith the punchline

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Jewish settlers erect religious school in evacuated West Bank outpost after Israel repeals ban

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • How the practice of Nichiren Buddhism sustained Tina Turner for 50 years

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Connecticut lawmakers absolve accused colonial-era witches, apologize for “miscarriage of justice”

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • ‘Avatar’ Franchise Expands Ideas About Spirituality Beyond A Western, Christian Lens

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Catholic Church in California grapples with more than 3,000 lawsuits, alleging child sex abuse

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Canadian Christians Launch Collective for Climate Action

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • As ‘The Marvelous Mrs Maisel’ ends, will its Jewish legacy be more than a punchline?

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • US Slavic Churches Booming with Ukrainian War Refugees

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • What is ‘ethical AI’ and how can companies achieve it?

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Russia acknowledges Vatican peace initiative, says no steps yet for a mission to Moscow

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • What we need to understand is that fascism is intersectional and erotic — ’thy rod is thy gun,’ with a hip-thrust

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Our Beloved Ones Don’t Become Angels When They Die

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Turkey’s Christian Sites: Visiting The Seven Churches From The Book Of Revelation

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Firewalkers in Greece honor Saint Constantine in mystery-shrouded, centuries-old rituals

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • In fight against ‘tyranny,’ Michigan board declares itself ‘constitutional county’

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Montana acts to protect Native American priority in adopting Native children

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • A new documentary takes a deep dive into the ancient and modern practice of Sabbath

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Priest killed in Mexico; 9th slain in country in past 4 years

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Fewer Christians Know Families Who Foster or Adopt

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Wikipedia disciplines editors in Holocaust distortion dispute but sidesteps debate over Polish complicity

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    Conversations that Matter.

    © 2023 Baptist News Global. All rights reserved.

    Want to share a story? We hope you will! Read our republishing, terms of use and privacy policies here.

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • RSS