Overview:

  • Lord of Lords Ministries in Detroit has installed solar panels, electric vehicle charging stations, air quality monitoring, and more, says Rev. Dr. Calvin Glass.
  • "We did not make these investments because they were fashionable. We made them because they helped us advocate for a healthier environment and better serve people."
  • Renewable energy solutions strengthen our communities, Glass says.


I have served the same Detroit community since 1990.

When I first arrived, this was a neighborhood filled with working families. Many earned their living through Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, and the businesses that supported them. Block clubs were active, recreation centers were busy, and churches brought neighbors together. There was a shared belief that if people worked hard and looked out for one another, the community would continue moving forward.

Over the years, that foundation began to shift.

Manufacturing jobs disappeared. Major businesses left. Supermarkets closed their doors. Families moved away in search of opportunity. As those supports disappeared, the church found itself responding to growing needs, from food insecurity to health care challenges and the daily struggles of families trying to stay afloat.

Through it all, the church stayed.

Today, I see another burden placing pressure on Detroit families: rising energy costs.

For many people, utility bills have become a source of stress and uncertainty. Seniors on fixed incomes are stretching every dollar, while working parents balance energy costs alongside rent, groceries, transportation, and medical expenses. Families are making difficult decisions about what can wait until next month.

These are not abstract policy debates. They are everyday realities. That is why I believe energy costs are more than a utility issue. It is a community issue. When families spend more of their income simply trying to keep the lights on, every other need becomes harder to meet. The effects ripple outward, impacting household stability, health, and economic opportunity.

As people of faith, we are called to pay attention when our neighbors are struggling. Scripture teaches that humanity was entrusted with stewardship over creation. We are called to care for ourselves, one another, care for our communities, and care for what we leave behind. We are our brother’s keeper.

In Detroit, that stewardship includes confronting realities that many families face every day. Communities already burdened by economic hardship often experience higher rates of asthma, respiratory illness, and other health challenges. We cannot separate the well-being of our neighbors from the environment in which they live, work, and raise their families.

Stewardship also requires action.

At our church, we decided that caring for our community meant finding practical ways to reduce costs, improve resilience, and prepare for the future. Over the years, we installed solar panels, battery backup systems, electric vehicle charging stations, energy-efficient upgrades, air quality monitoring equipment, and other improvements that help us use energy more wisely.

We did not make these investments because they were fashionable. We made them because they helped us advocate for a healthier environment and better serve people. These improvements have strengthened our ability to operate during outages, reduced waste, lowered our energy bills, and created opportunities to educate others about solutions that can benefit their own homes, businesses, and organizations.

Most importantly, they taught us that cleaner and more affordable energy solutions are not ideas for the future. They are already helping communities today and showing what renewal can look like in Detroit’s neighborhoods when people have access to the tools they need to rebuild and move forward. The question is whether more families and communities will have the opportunity to benefit from them as well.

That is why I am encouraged by efforts to expand access to practical energy solutions, whether through community solar, energy-efficiency improvements, or other approaches that help families lower costs. No single policy will solve every challenge facing Detroit, but we should be willing to explore every tool that helps people keep more money in their pockets while strengthening our communities.

This is not about politics. It is about fairness and community transformation. It is about trust. And it is about ensuring that energy decisions reflect the needs of the people who live with the consequences every day.

I believe in hope. But hope is not passive.

Hope requires action. It requires leaders who listen, communities that work together, and a shared commitment to building a future that is healthier, safer, and more affordable than the one we inherited.

Detroit has always been a city of resilience. Time and again, we have shown up for one another when it mattered most. As Hebrews 10:23-24 reminds us, “Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm … Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.”

The decisions we make about energy today will shape the lives of future generations. Let us make those decisions with wisdom, compassion, and a commitment to ensuring that every family has the opportunity not merely to get by, but to thrive.

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Rev. Dr. Calvin Glass is the senior pastor of Lord of Lords Ministries in Detroit. Lord of Lords became the first Black church in Detroit to go solar through Michigan Interfaith Power & Light's Positive Energy program in 2023, and has earned numerous recognitions for energy savings and leadership.