I reluctantly cycled to the gym before church this morning because I have an aversion to going into a windowless space for exercize on a glorious morning. The gymn was humid and I was glad to emerge into the light of day once again.
The gym does have air conditioning and it will likely be on soon, but the vast majority of older church sanctuaries in Canada do not. Some have added cooling to church halls and other spaces and worship moves to those areas through the Summer. The reality, though, is that the months of warm and hot weather have increased, even in the North formerly known as Frozen. We have flirted with 30C on a number of days, unheard of even 20 years ago.
Does this have an effect on people's willingness to attend a service because of the heat? Lots of aging churchgoers have respiratory issues and they may chose to stay home on those stifling, humid days. Lower attendance affects congregational giving even though many of us contribute through Pre-authorized Remittance now.
More and more we're hearing about the need for better legislation to protect workers who are required to labour in high temperature situations. There is also concern that those who are house-bound or in long-term care residences suffer when their living spaces aren't adequately cooled -- it can be a killer. Should athletes be required to practice and play in deadly heat. All this is a recognition that climate change has altered our environments in ways that are destructive.
I've never seen any denominational recognition of this reality or read any articles on the subject. I suspect that there will never be any governmental concern expressed about places of worship. We have all but disappeared from the public view. It is one more reminder that when we ignore our credal phrase "to live with respect in Creation" we do so at our peril.
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