Allen Temple BC, Green The Church, and Tesla Partner To Bring Sustainability Through Solar to Deep East Oakland

OAKLAND, Calif. - Jan. 13, 2023 - PRLog -- On December 21, 2022, the much-anticipated energy storage project, in partnership with Tesla, was completed at Allen Temple Baptist Church's Family Life Center, located at 8501 International Blvd., Oakland, CA, where Rev. Dr. Jacqueline A. Thompson serves as Senior Pastor. Rev. Dr. Ambrose Carroll, Sr., Founder/CEO of Green The Church, played a critical role in shepherding the partnership between Allen Temple and Tesla. The results positively impact long-term sustainability over the next ten or more years.

On Sunday, January 15, 2023, at 11:00 a.m., Allen Temple will celebrate the completion of this project with a Dedication Ceremony and Ribbon Cutting.

Allen Temple's Family Life Center, a landmark in Deep East Oakland, is a safe place and source of trusted holistic care for the community through its gymnasium, meeting spaces, and life-enriching programs based at the center.  Embracing the opportunity to be the first church in Northern California to work with Tesla on a sustainability project reflects the company's continuing effort to bring much-needed environmentally safe resources to underserved and overlooked communities.

Over 1650 in person-hours were required to complete this project. In addition, preparation, installation, and solar panels are valued at $720,000. As a result, Tesla's investment will yield more than $285,000 in electricity savings over ten years. These savings will enable Allen Temple to direct more of its resources to community support and outreach.

In times of power outages in the community, the Family Life Center will be able to operate continuously as a space for residents to receive services and support. This is just one of the many ways the community benefits from this sustainability project that Tesla has sponsored.

"Flatland communities in East Oakland and other areas of our city remain adversely impacted by environmental justice issues. At the heart of the issue is access. Equitable access to clean air, clean water, healthy food options, and clean energy. But there is a growing movement in California and nationwide to provide this access in overlooked and underserved communities. Dr. Ambrose Carroll and Green The Church have stood at the intersection of the Black Church and this movement creating critical connections that promote sustainability. Tesla's willingness to commit their time, talent, resources, and technology to projects in the community reflects the power and potential of business and faith-based partnerships. When equity and justice for all is the goal, we all win. I am thankful for the leadership and support of our Trustee Ministry in making this vision a reality. May this be the first of many." ~Rev. Dr. Jacqueline A. Thompson

"We are thankful to see our friends at Tesla involved in work that empowers the community. Through this partnership with Allen Temple, Tesla has shown its desire to ensure that in the Bay Area, when it comes to clean tech, they want all boats to rise as the clean energy sector thrives. This project brings Allen Temple one step closer to being a "Resilience Hub" for its community. When the neighborhood loses power due to fires, rain, storms, floods, or earthquakes, this faith community can be ready to provide food, shelter, and health aid, all of which are standards for resilience. Gentrification and marginalization have drastically affected Deep East Oakland for a long time. The black community owns many faith buildings, some of which are storefronts and others great Cathedrals, and all these buildings across the country need retrofitting. Many, like Allen Temple, can and will become Resilience Hubs!" ~ Rev. Dr. Ambrose Carroll

Tesla's mission is to accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy and has been able to make major strides towards vehicle electrification and the rise of solar energy use and storage.  However, there remains work to be done in the communities most impacted by pollutants; hence this energy storage  project at Allen Temple, the first church in Northern California Tesla has worked with, is just the beginning of the contribution to be made towards this effort. Tesla worked with Green The Church to find a location that not only served the community but one that is seen as a beacon of the community and that had a need and desire to be a leader in clean energy generation and storage.

About Allen Temple Baptist Church
Allen Temple Baptist Church was organized in 1919 in Oakland. For 103 years, Allen Temple has served as a bright beacon of faith, hope, and love beyond its four walls. Allen Temple is committed to sharing the love of God and the message of Good News worldwide. We welcome people of all ages and cultural backgrounds as we joyfully celebrate worship and fellowship and carry out ministries of evangelism, discipleship, education, community outreach, and global missions. Allen Temple's holistic, prophetic and social justice ministries address the needs of the whole person and the whole community. Dr. Jacqueline A. Thompson is Senior Pastor. Dr. J. Alfred Smith, Sr. is Pastor Emeritus.

About Green The Church
Green The Church (GTC), founded in 2010 by Rev. Dr. Ambrose Carroll, Sr., helps galvanize Black churches and their local communities and leaders to address issues specific to populations historically disengaged from conversations around pollution and health, climate change, and sustainability and energy efficiency. GTC works in collaboration with significant ecological, sustainability, food security, faith, and community-based non-profit organizations to create a cadre of Black churches engaging in the environmental justice, climate, and sustainability movement. We partner with over 1,000 pastors and congregations in numerous U.S. states and groups in the Bahamas, Ghana, Nigeria, and the UK.

About Tesla
Founded in 2003 with a vision to accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy, Tesla designs, manufactures and sells fully electric vehicles, electric charging stations, plus energy generation and storage systems. As of 2022 Q3, Tesla has sold more than 3,500,000 electric vehicles worldwide and has deployed over 14.4 gigawatt-hour (GWh) of energy storage and over four gigawatts (GW) of solar. All Tesla vehicles sold in North America are manufactured in the U.S.

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