About Emmaus Campus

Emmaus Campus Ministry is a Christian ministry that has been serving the University of Montana campus since the 1950’s. Emmaus’ mission is, “We don’t have all the answers, but we love to ask the hard questions.  Emmaus is a ministry of ELCA Lutherans, in partnership with Episcopal Church USA, the United Church of Christ, and Methodist churches, welcoming of all perspectives. We are a Reconciling in Christ ministry, celebrating diversity in sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.” 

Emmaus Campus Ministry has two locations on the edge of the University of Montana that serve as a meeting place for students and also offers student housing. Emmaus offers gathering times on Sundays and throughout the week, along with quarterly outdoor recreation group trips and service-learning trips. Students also host a community garden, volunteer in the community, advocate at the capitol, and more.

Bringing Solar to Emmaus 

Emmaus Campus Ministry went solar with RE-volv in summer 2022. Emmaus went solar for two main reasons, the first being that, “it fits with our mission as an organization who seeks to model faith in a transformative way. As Lutheran Christians, we believe that taking care of the earth must be done as a way of living out our faith in Jesus,” says Emmaus Campus Ministry. The second reason they went solar is that their solar system serves as a way for students in the community to be a part of the change to a clean energy economy. Emmaus Campus Ministry says, “As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change states, we have eight years to fundamentally change our economy and way of life in order to stave off the massive effects of a warm earth. Putting on solar is a way for Emmaus to say to the student community at the University as well as the broader community: we are doing our part!” 

Students and the Lead Pastor at Emmaus Campus Ministry were involved in leading the charge of bringing solar to Emmaus. Students got involved by learning about solar leasing options and advocating the Board of Directors to move forward with going solar. The nonprofit went solar with RE-volv through a solar lease, which will save Emmaus 15% off the cost of their electricity bills from day one. As they make their solar lease payments to RE-volv, those payments will be put into the Solar Seed Fund, a first-of-its-kind, pay-it-forward model for solar used to bring solar to more nonprofits nationwide.

RE-volv’s First Nonprofit Solar Project in Montana 

Emmaus Campus Ministry is the first nonprofit in Montana that has gone solar with RE-volv! Emmaus’ Board Member, Reverend Eric S. Huseth, says, “We feel that RE-volv's model is another option for nonprofits in Montana to have access to solar energy that is desperately needed. We hope that Emmaus can serve as a pilot project and inspire other churches in our state to take advantage of solar leasing.”

By going solar, Emmaus Campus Ministry’s 12kW system will eliminate 289,000 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions from entering the atmosphere, while saving the nonprofit nearly $19,500 on their electricity bills over the life of the system. Reverend Eric S. Huseth says, “Solar will help us display the fact that we are engaged with caring for the earth, especially to students who walk by our property every day. It will help foster conversation within our own student community and will inspire future action to go even further in our quest to be fully carbon neutral.”