Due to generous early donations, we are well on our way to our fundraiser goal of $40,000 for our roof improvements and the solar project. Want to invest in renewable energy? Let’s get “MO Power”!

Mount Olivet Celebrates Earth Day on April 27
Come and show your love for our planet.

  • Pray for our Planet - Celebrate our 9 am and 10:45 Worship together.

  • MO Talk  – Learn how to lower your carbon footprint and get an update on the roof/solar project at 10 am in conference room.

  • Vegan/Vegetarian Lunch – Enjoy a delicious meal on April 27 at noon in the Fireside Room. Please register for planning purposes. Donations go to the roof/solar project.

  • EV Car Show –  Check out electric vehicles and chat with the owners from noon until 3 pm in the north parking lot. Find out more HERE.

  • Eco Fair  –  Participate in family-friendly activities and learn about recycling, composting, pollinator plants, solar energy and more from noon to 3 pm in the community room.

Volunteers are needed for the lunch and ECO Fair activities. Each volunteer will receive a “MO Power” Mount Olivet T-shirt.

Plant Sale

Mount Olivet Youth are again hosting our annual May Flower Sale Fundraiser. However, this year's sale is a little different. Traditionally, the profits from the sale have gone solely to support the Youth Summer Trip. This year, however, profits from the plant sale will support Mount Olivet's solar panel project and a matching grant will support the Summer Youth Trip. So your purchase of beautiful plants for your garden will support BOTH MO Youth and the Solar Panel Project. Mount Olivet Youth thank you in advance for your support of their trip as well as the important effort toward solar energy! Place a plant order HERE by April 27.

Find out more about MO SOLAR

Every year, the Mount Olivet building uses 200,000 Kilowatt – Hours (KWH) of electricity at a cost of $30,000. It’s been a dream of council for some time to lower our carbon footprint by generating our own electricity. In 2023, the council evaluated the potential for solar power with the help of Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light MNIPL www.mnipl.org, a nonprofit that helps congregations to go green. We learned that the solar providers were generally for-profit entities that provided churches with the opportunity to lower their carbon footprint but required significant investment from the church. Some provided the option of a 20-year loan where all of the tax credits and energy savings would go to the solar provider until the solar panels were paid off. The council elected to postpone the solar initiative for one year and re-visit the opportunity after rental income from a new Lower-Level tenant was in place.

In 2024, Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light introduced Mount Olivet to a new opportunity that did not exist previously. Lake Street Solar (LSS) is a dedicated solar provider with a mission to bring solar power to underserved communities, focusing on nonprofits and places of worship, without seeking profit. Established in 2021 after George Floyd, LSS aims to support the ecofriendly rebuilding of Lake Street businesses by providing affordable solar solutions and reconstructing places around Lake Street, which was LSS's initial focus. LSS seeks to lead the global shift to renewable energy by making solar power accessible, efficient, and key to a sustainable future. LSS is committed to constructing impactful solar projects throughout 2025. More information about who LSS is and the different projects they have completed can be found at www.lakestreetsolar.com  

LSS has developed a design for Mount Olivet to place 212 Solar panels on our roof (158 panels on the flat roof and 54 panels on the Fireside Room roof). The panels will generate enough power to supply two thirds of our electrical needs. LSS would fund the design, construction and operation, at a value of approximately $400,000. In return, Mount Olivet would purchase the electricity produced from the solar panels from LSS for 8 years at a rate slightly lower than the Xcel rate. Since the solar design is 64% of Mount Olivet’s electrical needs, Mount Olivet would supplement its electrical supply from Xcel.

LSS would receive the rebates, tax credits and tax benefits from depreciation. After 8 years, Mount Olivet would purchase the Solar System from LSS for $20,000 and would own all the electricity produced from solar for the remainder of the life of the panels (an additional 17 years).

This project requires the replacement of our flat roof which is scheduled for replacement in 2025 (the flat roof is 24 years old and at the end of its service life) which will cost approximately $120,000.

A diagram of the solar panels.

The project schedule is as follows:

  •   Feb 2025 Mount Olivet budget approval which includes roof replacement and solar.

  •   Spring 2025  Flat roof replacement with reflective white roof.

  •   Summer/Fall 2025 Solar panel installation.

  •   Fall 2025 Solar production begins.

  •   2025 to 2033 Mount Olivet purchases solar electricity at a discounted rate from LSS.

  •   2033 Mount Olivet would purchase the solar system from LSS and begins self-generating solar power and cut our electrical bill in half.  

Contact Ron Frehner for more information here