tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655741273922274852024-03-13T10:05:51.882-04:00Trinity Episcopal Church - Rutland, VTThe mission of Trinity's Communication Ministry is to spread the good news of God and Trinity Church to one another and in the community abroad. As news of our organization, ministries and other initiatives are well communicated through other means, it is the goal of this blog to share God's word through reflection of upcoming liturgical readings, special days on the Church calendar and other examples of our worship together.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger207125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365574127392227485.post-67602508991519017762013-12-18T13:36:00.000-05:002013-12-18T13:36:47.716-05:00The Small and the Mighty<div class="MsoNormal">
On opposite sides of the state, and then tucked right in the
middle between them are three tiny congregations. The outlook and mission of these small
congregations are similarly situated, two being on opposite ends of a sliding
scale and the third somewhere in between.
Looking at various aspects of parochial concern (mission, fellowship,
and facility), the three slide along the scale, in and out of each other,
weaving an intricately colorful aspect of our greater diocesan tapestry. While
one congregation loves their building tenderly as if it were another member of
their family, another feels a sense of liberty in not being bound by bricks and
mortar, so to speak. And the third lies somewhere between, finding solace and
contentment in whatever shelter they find. Where one congregation finds
spiritual fulfillment in being intimately involved within their community, another
finds spiritual fulfillment in their immediate communion. And the third seeks a
balance between both ends. Yet, like all
of the churches and congregations that make up our varied and diverse diocese,
each has a specific calling and the Spirit stirs. None of these three
congregations have more than ten members or so, and that stirring will
necessarily manifest itself in a much simpler manner.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Vermonters have the reputation of sheer stubborn
tenacity. When they want something—and
get it—they tend to hold onto it with all their might and cunning. Never has
that precept been more evident than in the case of St. Paul, Windsor. The
congregation of St. Paul, Windsor has been in a search process for a new priest
for about two years now. They’ve done
their discernment, posted their parish profile and continue to pray. And in the meantime, priestless, they carry
on. They try to find a priest to supply
for the great feasts, sometimes successfully and other times not. Yet, they carry on. They may not celebrate
Holy Eucharist with any regularity, but they still meet every Sunday morning
for Morning Prayer. The five or six, seven or eight members that attend worship
each Sunday are thankful for what they have—a congregation that cares for one
another and the will to persevere. They
also have their church building which to them is as vital to them as another
living entity. It is the silent,
embracing member of the congregation.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qIjcjct2LJ0/UrHh8uD3y0I/AAAAAAAAFco/wZYcq6dVqWM/s1600/2013-11-05+16.43.44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qIjcjct2LJ0/UrHh8uD3y0I/AAAAAAAAFco/wZYcq6dVqWM/s400/2013-11-05+16.43.44.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>St. Paul's, Windsor</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The church was built nearly 200 years ago and consecrated in
1820. It stands on a hill overlooking the small downtown of Windsor, inviting
with its elegant, yet warm federal style architecture. Its interior mimics the
symmetrical exterior. The semicircular sanctuary softens the otherwise angular
lines. The plasterwork is original if
repaired and replaced in spots. In the style of the era the church was built,
the original box pews have been well-maintained and retain their doors.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-keEkGIk99X8/UrHk69BkGvI/AAAAAAAAFdY/cbWk8zhroQE/s1600/St14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-keEkGIk99X8/UrHk69BkGvI/AAAAAAAAFdY/cbWk8zhroQE/s320/St14.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>St. Paul's organ</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The
organ was built by one of St. Paul’s founding fathers, Lemuel Hedge. Lemuel
Hedge invented a particular folding rule and had several other machine patents
in his day. He was a blacksmith by trade,
and forged the pipes for the organ in his family’s smithy. All of the organ’s
cabinetry is original, as are the hand carved keys. You can clearly see the individuality of each
key as well as the wear of many, many fingers on some of the keys’ surfaces.
The church once housed a surfeit of spiritual artwork donated by wealthy
parishioners over the years. But almost
all of it is gone now, sadly without record as record-keeping was never a forte
at St. Paul’s. <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pmGi8vihlSM/UrHmrZCSJOI/AAAAAAAAFeA/kxTBKawHWGo/s1600/St15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pmGi8vihlSM/UrHmrZCSJOI/AAAAAAAAFeA/kxTBKawHWGo/s400/St15.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>St. Paul's remaining artwork</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There are two very special
pieces left adorning the rear wall of the nave.
One is a mold for a St. Gaudens bas relief of the Madonna and
child. The other is an anonymous oil-on-wood
painting from the Bellini school of art in Renaissance Venice. Giovanni Bellini specialized in artwork to
adorn the churches of St. John and St. Paul, so it seems fitting to find this
St. Paul Church similarly bedecked.<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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The preservation of St. Paul’s and its heritage is of
mission-level importance to this congregation.
Few as they are, they have undertaken the call to stewardship of their
church with a fervor that could only be inspired by the Holy Spirit. They have made massive repairs in recent
years, including repairing plasterwork over the organ in the gallery, building
a retaining stone wall to prevent erosion, re-gilding the bell tower dome with
gold leaf. They’ve made modern
improvements over the years (like digging out a basement by hand so that they
might have a fellowship/parish hall and installing an elevator for handicap
access) that remain true to the original architectural style of the building. Most of the recent restoration projects have
been funded by grants from organizations such as the Vermont Division for
Historic Preservation (St. Paul’s is listed on the national register of
historical places). It may be said that it’s not the building that makes a
congregation. But in some cases, the
building and its history are formative in lifelong memories. In some cases, God’s Spirit calls to the
mission of preservation. It is right to
answer that call as the good folks in Windsor have done.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k_XTPk8P1k0/UrHguCvP0sI/AAAAAAAAFKc/Ex-fnf0o6J0/s1600/2013-10-23+14.47.38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k_XTPk8P1k0/UrHguCvP0sI/AAAAAAAAFKc/Ex-fnf0o6J0/s320/2013-10-23+14.47.38.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>the schoolhouse on Jerusalem Road</i></td></tr>
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Straight across the state, near the town of Bristol, meets
“an ecclesiastical peculiarity.” Jerusalem Gathering—its musical name is a
quirky as its existence, but is so called not for that quirkiness, but in all
its mundaneness: the gathering meets on Jerusalem Road in Starksboro. It was described to me as “an ecclesiastical
peculiarity” because its very existence is, well peculiar. It is not a parish. It is not a mission. It is not some radical breakaway
faction. It is simply a gathering of
Episcopalians who worship together and partake of Holy Communion. They have no mission; they have no purposeful
ministries other than to worship Christ.
Whatever offering collection they take entirely supports the needs of
the local community. Their priest is a
volunteer and unpaid. Jerusalem Gathering meets twice a month on the first and
third Sundays at the schoolhouse on Jerusalem Road. It is very simple and has change little in
the twenty years of its existence in this diocese. The congregation is made up of an assortment
of college professors, a young family, and some retired folks. The service is as familiar as any
Episcopalian worship, but the sermon is more of a conversational style—a sort
of Bible Study discussion based on the day’s lectionary. They rarely have a coffee hour afterwards,
but once a year on the first Sunday of December for Jerusalem Gathering’s
birthday, they celebrate with a little coffee hour birthday party. As I wended
my way toward their schoolhouse meeting place, I rather felt like I was on the
road to Emmaus; any second I would meet the stranger who is Jesus! (Instead of
the carpenter, though, I met a chainsaw artist who was carving an eagle.) I thought about the name of the township and
wondered if the “stark” in Starksboro presaged the congregation. Yet after
speaking with three different members of the small community, I decided,
“Nah!...Too much warmth to be stark.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ldDM8MMF-v0/UrHppEEPXfI/AAAAAAAAFeU/KHnCHiDQRqQ/s1600/St16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ldDM8MMF-v0/UrHppEEPXfI/AAAAAAAAFeU/KHnCHiDQRqQ/s400/St16.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>St. Dunstan's, Waitsfield</i></td></tr>
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Similarly, there is a gregarious warmth in the small parish
of St. Dunstan’s in Waitsfield. Like exuberant, outgoing gypsies, the
congregation makes their church home where they are welcome. Once in a round barn, once in a resort hotel
conference room, once in a Catholic church.
Now it seems they have a more stable place with a sense of permanence in
Founders’ Hall of Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Church. They have a wall upon which they can hang
their reredos, which in turn signifies that you have entered an Episcopal
church. <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_AoFq3l9Zxs/UrHhLxbBZ3I/AAAAAAAAFRc/N4JIWhKUJPs/s1600/2013-11-03+11.47.09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_AoFq3l9Zxs/UrHhLxbBZ3I/AAAAAAAAFRc/N4JIWhKUJPs/s320/2013-11-03+11.47.09.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>reredos at St. Dunstan's</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The reredos is a beautiful
appliqued kite-shaped wall hanging whose image is taken from a picture of a
stained glass window. In the cupboard
that serves as the sacristy, one can find the photo from which the image was
taken. They are quite contented with
their current location and have developed a comfortable relationship with the
Catholic congregation who welcomes this small Episcopal church in their
space. But at the same time, if they are
once again asked to find a new location, they are perfectly ready to do so.<o:p></o:p></div>
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St. Dunstan’s was founded in the late ‘60s-early ‘70s and
was named for the Saint regarded for making church bells. Curiously, no one in the current congregation
seems to know why this patron Saint was chosen as their namesake. To be sure, St. Dunstan is uncommon enough
not to be duplicated in the diocese (not wanting to be amongst the
proliferation of St. Paul, St. Luke, and St. James or even Trinity, the rarity
of St. Dunstan held its appeal to the church founders). St. Dunstan was
Archbishop of Canterbury in the latter part of the 10<sup>th</sup> century. He
was a blacksmith and silversmith as a tradesman monk and is thus the patron
saint of bell makers, jewelers and other smithy crafters. There is a story of
St. Dunstan shoeing the Devil’s hoof and only removing the painful horseshoe
when the Devil promised never to enter a building with a horseshoe over the
door. Perhaps it was for this determined
“Damn the Devil” attitude that the founders took Dunstan’s name.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The community from which members of St. Dunstan’s hail is
largely comprised of artists and crafters.
Waitsfield is also a ski resort town and the visitors tend to absorb the
artsy atmosphere. Some of the congregation themselves are artists and
organizers of arts programs in the area. And their creativity knows no bounds! The coffee hour I was invited to, for
instance, was no mere beverage and chitchat.
It was a feast of delicate salad and a delectable quiche of homegrown
vegetables—a gustatorial work of art! And conversation entailed storytelling
and an enrichment of tales of wonder and enlightenment. It is indeed evident
that congregations reflect their communities and God works within those local
parameters. This was never more apparent than at St. Dunstan’s.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Even with situations being equal, at least as far as
congregation size is concerned, the concerns and calling of every congregation
is unique. Looking at just a few of our
diocese’s smallest congregations makes this very apparent. St. Paul’s, Windsor; Jerusalem Gathering, Bristol;
and St. Dunstan’s, Waitsfield are all comparable in size, but the way the
Spirit stirs each congregation couldn’t be more unique! As I visit more and more churches in our
diocese, I am touched by each particular expression of God’s Holly Spirit at
work. It makes each church, each parish,
each gathering very special and a gift to the rest of us. We are truly blessed in the Episcopal Diocese
of Vermont!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365574127392227485.post-9357169976153854262013-11-13T15:36:00.000-05:002013-11-13T15:36:25.207-05:00A Tale of Two City Churches<div style="text-align: left;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YfczLmbUQSU/UoPhSoo9DPI/AAAAAAAAFJw/3XXc9rpBW2M/s1600/St12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YfczLmbUQSU/UoPhSoo9DPI/AAAAAAAAFJw/3XXc9rpBW2M/s640/St12.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>St. Paul's, Vergennes St. Stephen's, Middlebury</i></td></tr>
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Vermont’s is a peculiar diocese because of the juxtaposition
of rural and urban settings for its churches.
It is not unusual to find an Episcopal church tucked away in the hills,
miles from the nearest settlement. Yet,
not too many miles further will be a handsome and elegant church gracing the
center of town in one of Vermont’s small cities. Two such downtown churches include St. Paul’s
Church in Vergennes and St. Stephen’s Church in Middlebury. There is a fascination to be found in
observing the characters of different churches in different cities. The buildings themselves reflect the people
who love them, yet it is the dynamic of how those people interact with the rest
of the community that develops the character and dynamic of the church. A church community will necessarily be a
microcosm of the greater community in which is resides.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KQVS2ywVkn0/UoPfxDo5FfI/AAAAAAAAFI8/MsUcumFx6Q0/s1600/St.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KQVS2ywVkn0/UoPfxDo5FfI/AAAAAAAAFI8/MsUcumFx6Q0/s400/St.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>St. Paul's Church in Vergennes, VT</i></td></tr>
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St. Paul’s Episcopal Church stands in stately elegance on
Main Street in Vergennes, presiding over the activities of the small city with an
air of accepted presence. The brick and clapboard building stands next to the village
green and overlooks travelers on Main Street. Yet for all of its potentially
imposing edifice, it is not a presumptuous building. It stands ready to welcome visitors and
beloved members alike. It stands a
visible reminder that this church is an integral part of the community and
alternately, that the community is an integral part of the church. The city and the church are somewhat unusual
because they draw a demographic from a large area including both nearby rural
homes and the distant adjacent cities. Yet
because of this very fact, that many members travel large distances to come to
church, attending worship is the extent of their involvement in parish
activities. Many of the people who make
their homes in Vergennes are professionals who work in the universities and
technology industries of Burlington and Middlebury. So the congregation at St. Paul’s is
reflective of that. These young
professionals bring their families to church, so St. Paul’s is blessed with
quite a number of small children under the age of twelve. One can imagine the joy on Sundays at this
church! <o:p></o:p></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qrZeZs013hM/UoPfzNu2SUI/AAAAAAAAFJE/ahfdaaivzOA/s1600/St1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qrZeZs013hM/UoPfzNu2SUI/AAAAAAAAFJE/ahfdaaivzOA/s400/St1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>images from St. Paul's, Vergennes</i></td></tr>
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The Episcopal community in Vergennes was founded in 1811 and
the church was built from a Bishop Hopkins architectural plan in 1835. The building is of a brick body with a
whitewashed clapboard steeple. Work was
done to add a handicap access, but it is not ideal and will need further
rebuilding. The interior of the church
is furnished with spare Shaker-like pews and delicately carved rood arch and
communion rail. The pulpit also is of delicate filigree metalwork. These and the starkness of the white walls
might imply an air of coldness to the interior.
Except that is not at all the case.
Instead, the rich color of the carpeting and pew cushions adds color and
warmth to the space. The rich brown of
the wood and the golden cast of the lighting all serve to give the space a
serene and reverent quality. There is a
sweet parish house attached to the church that has a warm, inviting New England
charm to its appearance. The parish
house has a large, open interior and is home for the Sunday School as well as
any parish events. Very recently, the
hall received a new coat of paint and some general “sprucing up” to give the
interior as warm and welcoming an atmosphere as the exterior suggests. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oVHoROIPQKE/UoPf0s3SxHI/AAAAAAAAFJM/q4ttE5ml_4E/s1600/St2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oVHoROIPQKE/UoPf0s3SxHI/AAAAAAAAFJM/q4ttE5ml_4E/s400/St2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>St. Paul's parish house in Vergennes</i></td></tr>
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Altogether, St. Paul’s evokes recollections of early
Victorian New England by its appearance.
But its congregation is assuredly of this age. Their concerns are for the community’s
here-and-now needs. St. Paul’s has a
community garden that helps support the area food shelf with fresh, local
produce during the fruitful months. During the fallow months of winter, the
hungry are not forgotten as the parish also shares in producing an ecumenical
community meal as well as continuing year-round to support the food shelf. In these modern ages, communications is a
major concern of society. To serve in
that end, St. Paul’s has agreed to rent tower space to VTel for a wi-fi
tower. This is a beneficial agreement
for everyone! The community receives
better communications opportunities, VTel provides better choices for its
customers, and St. Paul’s gets a reliable space tenant. The parish is also vitally aware of emerging
church issues and the changing face of Christian religious practices. Their Tuesday adult Christian education
sessions periodically examine the changing face of Christianity and what it
means to the people of St. Paul’s and the Diocese of Vermont. So, even though the congregation is scattered
throughout a large area, and even though changes in our modern world bring with
it challenges for church life, the congregation of St. Paul’s has vitality and
a deeply spiritual connection with the Holy Spirit. It is not panicked or
frantic with worry for the future and how they will survive the imminent
changes. Rather, the people have a
serene approach with curiosity and maybe even a touch of anticipation for
things to come. They are preparing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8jUJJNVcEHU/UoPf2utBaFI/AAAAAAAAFJU/wSgUvT4HA68/s1600/St3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8jUJJNVcEHU/UoPf2utBaFI/AAAAAAAAFJU/wSgUvT4HA68/s400/St3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>St. Stephen's Church in Middlebury, VT</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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St. Stephen’s Church in Middlebury is also preparing. They are preparing for major physical changes
that will heavily impact their immediate future. And they are preparing for long-term ministry
that will even further solidify the church’s standing in the community. They are preparing ways to celebrate and
benefit from the disruptions and disturbances that are bound to come over the
next few years! For majors changes will
be happening in Middlebury and at St. Stephen’s! Like St. Paul’s, Vergennes, St. Stephen's is
located smack in the middle of downtown, right on the village green. Because of its location, the church has the
potential for many visitors throughout the day.
Recently, a new sign was created to tell of chapel hours and weekday
worship. This new sign is attractive,
and as an accessary to the front door has encouraged passersby to drop in for a
visit. But while St. Paul’s has a spirit of serene curiosity, St. Stephen’s is
characterized by a progressive, assertive tempo—not quite “Damn the torpedoes,
full speed ahead!”, but certainly adamant.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cBd-iuxYcxs/UoPf38K_lbI/AAAAAAAAFJc/Gg46W0S08tw/s1600/St4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cBd-iuxYcxs/UoPf38K_lbI/AAAAAAAAFJc/Gg46W0S08tw/s400/St4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>images from inside St. Stephen's, Middlebury</i></td></tr>
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One of the very special things that marks St. Stephen’s
uniqueness is their annual Peasant Market.
The Peasant Market gives “church bazaar” a whole new level of meaning
and glory! This isn’t a typical bazaar
or rummage sale; this is an endeavor of mythic proportions! It is one day only of crafts sales, antique
sales, food and concession sales, flea market and so much more. In one day, the church raises funds in the
area of $20-$25 thousand, all to support its outreach missions and
ministry. Long ago, it was stipulated
and agreed on that no funds raised at the Peasant Market would be apportioned
away from outreach to pay bills or reinforce operations, so their outreach ministry
has become a defining trait of St. Stephen’s Church. As part of their current stewardship
campaign, the rector and committee drew up a graphic design to illustrate the
ministries at St. Stephen’s and broke it down by involvement of people, the
physical plant and money. The
illustration shows a very thick path from the church to the Peasant Market,
indicating the abundance of people who participate in the fundraiser. From the picture of the market extend more
than thirty lines to outreach missions that they support. Yet, the congregation feels their ministry
may be too widespread or unfocused. So
they’ve embarked on a new kind of discernment process to determine how best to
focus their outreach ministry.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CB3YlbqzRHQ/UoPf5WQ94_I/AAAAAAAAFJk/eAASUkVxxpw/s1600/St5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CB3YlbqzRHQ/UoPf5WQ94_I/AAAAAAAAFJk/eAASUkVxxpw/s400/St5.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>the parish hall at St. Stephen's, Middlebury</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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They’re calling this process “Reaching Out Beyond Our Doors”
and have set a few outreach goals for 2014.
They want to determine what community need is not being met and whether
it is a need that St. Stephen’s can address with a new, focused outreach
mission. They want to find a way to
serve families, especially by offering alternative worship options. And they want to find ways for St. Stephen’s
to be more active participants in community happenings. Currently, they are in the researching stage. In the past, St. Stephen’s was instrumental
in establishing what today is known in Addison County as the Charter House
Coalition. The coalition has grown into its own entity and now serves as social
service in its own right, helping homeless families transition into permanent
housing, offering community meals, etc. Since the program has grown out of the need
for St. Stephen’s outreach, the parish is now looking for a new mission. The congregation also recognizes that there
are a number of folks who just can’t make it to the Sunday worship
services. So they are researching
options for other time slots for worship as well as exploring other
presentations of the liturgy. With the
third goal, St. Stephen’s realized their location in the heart of downtown
offers them an opportunity that they neglected.
Often, the community holds special events and occasions. All organizations are encouraged to
participate, but the parish really hasn’t taken the opportunity up until
recently. Now the discernment group is
exploring ways in which the parish might take a more active and participatory role
in community events. Even though they
are still in the learning stage, the energy and sense of vibrant anticipation
is practically palpable at St. Stephen's!
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
While the temperament of the Spirit stirring at both of
these churches is quite different in tone—St. Paul’s being more like a steady, even
hum while St. Stephen’s feels more like a forward surging crescendo, it is
undeniable that God is working His purpose out in these two communities. Keep them in your prayers and in your
thoughts so that the next time you are in the vicinity, you might stop by and offer
your support. <o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365574127392227485.post-23990542004017147352013-10-17T15:32:00.000-04:002013-10-17T15:32:30.567-04:00Joyful Celebrations Made in Vermont Episcopal Style<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eNqguMVqk_8/UmAyNGUrlRI/AAAAAAAAE4Y/kU05jN7F1eo/s1600/St6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eNqguMVqk_8/UmAyNGUrlRI/AAAAAAAAE4Y/kU05jN7F1eo/s400/St6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The Book of Common Prayer is truly a remarkable book. In our church, you can easily see the spines
broken at the well-worn Holy Eucharist sections. Yet some of the most moving services for
worship are rarely accessed simply because the need is so rare. In this issue, each of the featured churches presented
a unique opportunity to share one of these special moments of worship. St.
Michael’s Church in Brattleboro celebrated the consecration of their new
chapel. St. John’s in Randolph
celebrated a New Season of Ministry with an unusual twist. And St. Barnabas Church in Norwich enjoyed
the distinction of hosting an ordination of a priest. While the Book of Common
Prayer offers a template for any kind of worship service, it is through the
Spirit within a parish that makes each special occasion unique and beautiful.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EInuLHWzNqQ/UlMOFHpzoBI/AAAAAAAAEug/ee1RKX6GeOc/s1600/2013-09-28+18.14.47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EInuLHWzNqQ/UlMOFHpzoBI/AAAAAAAAEug/ee1RKX6GeOc/s400/2013-09-28+18.14.47.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>St. Michael's Church, Brattleboro</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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St. Michael’s Church in Brattleboro, not surprisingly, has a
penchant for consecrating new additions on Michaelmas, including its first gift
the baptismal font as well as this most recent addition of the new chapel—The
Chapel of Mary Magdalene the First Apostle.
The church itself was built in 1857 on a site several miles south of its
current location. One hundred years later, the church was picked up off its
foundations and moved to the corner of Putney and Bradley. It took three days
to make the move, effectively cutting off all Route 5 traffic. This was no small inconvenience in those days
before the interstate! A visitor to Brattleboro may wonder at the move
considering the prime location it had in town (where Keybank now stands). But it was precisely for that reason that the
move was made. The parish in Brattleboro evolved out of the community at Christ
Church in Guilford. With the advent of the railway to Brattleboro in the mid 1850’s,
most of the congregation migrated to the larger town and abandoned Christ
Church—the oldest Episcopal church building in Vermont. (You may recall from an
earlier issue that St. James, Arlington is in fact the oldest Episcopal parish
in Vermont, but their church was not built until 1829, some twelve years after
Christ Church.) The Webb family wanted to buy the building to move it to
Shelburne to add to their museum. But
the people of Guilford mounted an effort to preserve the building and the sale
fell through. </div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YH7_z-wFukk/UmA1pgSPHOI/AAAAAAAAE4s/3_18tGMCD9U/s1600/St7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YH7_z-wFukk/UmA1pgSPHOI/AAAAAAAAE4s/3_18tGMCD9U/s400/St7.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>images at St. Michael's in Brattleboro</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Today, Christ Church is
owned and maintained by the Christ Church Guilford Society and is used
primarily for concerts and civic events.
Since the church was never deconsecrated, it is still used on occasion
for Episcopal services like weddings and civil unions. Meanwhile, back in
Brattleboro, with the no-sale of Christ Church and realizing the commercial value
of the property upon which St. Michael’s sat, in 1953 the congregation voted to
sell the land under St. Michael’s and move the church. The proceeds from that
sale paid for the move and allowed for the educational part of the building to
be added in 1962.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ejnx4VD_4qQ/UmA2e2AoTTI/AAAAAAAAE5A/G5qyITlDv9M/s1600/St8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ejnx4VD_4qQ/UmA2e2AoTTI/AAAAAAAAE5A/G5qyITlDv9M/s400/St8.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The consecration of the Chapel of Mary Magdalene, the First Apostle</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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2011 began a new chapter in the life of St. Michael’s
parish. Having completed a discernment
process, they called the Rev. Mary Lindquist as their rector. As often happens
with transitions of this nature, the parish was infused with new energy and
vivacity. The buildings needed significant renovations including making it
accessible with ramps and an elevator, new restroom facilities, changes in the
chancel and sanctuary, among other needs. But one of the great gifts of this
renovation project was the addition of the Chapel of Mary Magdalene the First
Apostle. The chapel was made possible by a special gift in order to provide St.
Michael’s with a space for contemplative prayer. They offer a Contemplative
Worship service on Thursday early evenings and a centering prayer practice on
Saturday mornings. The Saturday
Centering Prayer program offers training for newcomers to the practice. The space
in the chapel, while small in area, is bright and open and simple in its
furnishings. The entire outer wall is of glass to allow for natural lighting
and a connection to the world outside. There is a lovely oval shaped altar
simply constructed of shimmering pale wood. Votive candles are strategically
placed about the room in effort to aid in the meditative atmosphere. During the
celebratory consecration service (on Michaelmas weekend), the new chapel was
made Holy by the Bishop and by every member of the congregation. As the
congregation processed out of the church and around to the chapel entrance, the
choir maintained a chant to inspire deep reverence and contemplation. Each congregant received a taper and was
encouraged to light it and say a prayer and add that prayer to all the
others. When all the prayers and candles
were lit, the chapel was aglow with the golden beauty of Spiritual grace. The service for the consecration of a chapel
in the prayer book denotes a procession to the dedicated space, but it is only
in the enacting that the true Spirit breathes its blessings into the endeavor.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pH3P1qmY-n8/Uk8da1tC1II/AAAAAAAAEeo/fLfoFKTr-lc/s1600/2013-09-29+18.35.48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pH3P1qmY-n8/Uk8da1tC1II/AAAAAAAAEeo/fLfoFKTr-lc/s400/2013-09-29+18.35.48.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>St. John's Church, Randolph, VT</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Such is the case with the next two special services in this
essay. St. John’s in Randolph has just
completed a discernment process and call for new clergy. Most of the time,
these Celebration of New Ministry services are to install a new priest or
celebrate a new program. In the case of
St. John’s, there is a slight twist to this. You see, the people of St. John’s
have called Deacon Susan Taylor to serve the parish. Susan is fresh and new having just graduated
from the Episcopal Divinity School with a Master’s of Divinity in May. Eight days after her graduation, she was
ordained as a transitional deacon (transitioning into the priesthood). Her zest
for combining her artistic talents with spirituality attracted the attention of
the parish in Randolph. They recognized
that Susan’s creativity combined with her firmly grounded relationship with
Christ offers the parish an inspired outlook for their future together. With the Celebration of a New Ministry
service, the congregation and the deacon have demonstrated that they will see
this transition out together. In
December, Susan will be ordained a priest and St. John’s will have a new rector.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-10IvOWp8cdc/UmA4AToGdeI/AAAAAAAAE5M/wN5OTfo0X04/s1600/St9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-10IvOWp8cdc/UmA4AToGdeI/AAAAAAAAE5M/wN5OTfo0X04/s400/St9.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>images at St. John's, Randolph</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The community at St. John’s has strong connections with the
greater Randolph community. For the past
two years, the Diocese of Vermont has held its Ministry Expo in the spring at
St. John’s in Randolph because of the good relationship they have with their
neighbors. Certainly, there is not
enough room at St. John’s itself for all the workshops and number of
participants. But because they have solid
community ties, they are able to add venues from both Bethany Church and Dubois
and King. St. John’s also participates
in the Randolph Ecumenical Emergency Council on Housing. REECH was the special recipient of the
offering taken during the New Season of Ministry service in September. As the
name suggests, REECH addresses emergency shelter issues in the area, but the
organization is also connected with the Randolph Area Food Shelf. As part of an ecumenical relief effort, REECH
and RAFS are both outreach endeavors to which St. John’s has ties.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SYh3hEhrNC8/UmAwv3VkfaI/AAAAAAAAEx4/uWy5V6_S-PA/s1600/2013-10-04+17.28.25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SYh3hEhrNC8/UmAwv3VkfaI/AAAAAAAAEx4/uWy5V6_S-PA/s400/2013-10-04+17.28.25.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>St. Barnabas Church, Norwich, VT</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
St. Barnabas Church in Norwich recently hosted another kind
of special celebratory worship service when Todd McKee was ordained as a
priest. One typically thinks of a cathedral or large church as the venue for
such a service. </div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mF3g4SooQKA/UmA6GfmR4gI/AAAAAAAAE54/3SQApE9H64w/s1600/St11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mF3g4SooQKA/UmA6GfmR4gI/AAAAAAAAE54/3SQApE9H64w/s400/St11.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>the reception of Rev. Todd McKee's ordination</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But a small church like
St. Barnabas brings a rich flavor to the service that can only come through an
intimate relationship with the candidate.
St. Barnabas received Todd’s service during his time as a transitional
deacon and both parties benefited from the relationship, which is evidence by
the choice of St. Barnabas as the venue for the ordination. The ordination of a
priest is one of the more spiritually all-inclusive services in the Book of
Common Prayer. It is the gathered people that wills the individual to be
ordained, and the gathered people who accept the responsibility of upholding
the ordinand in his ministry. It’s a powerful moment. Equally powerful is the moment when the
ordinand accepts the roles and responsibilities of a priest. In a small, local church, this is
particularly poignant because these are the people, these hardworking ordinary
folk who struggle with day-to-day reconciliation with God, with whom the new
priest will minister.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sobiKaEWXuc/UmA5bxfSZpI/AAAAAAAAE5o/RYtyhgDqFv0/s1600/St10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sobiKaEWXuc/UmA5bxfSZpI/AAAAAAAAE5o/RYtyhgDqFv0/s400/St10.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>images at St. Barnabas, Norwich</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And St. Barnabas is that kind of small, local church that
struggles to survive, yet hungers for a deeper relationship with Christ. Yet this small congregation presses on
regardless of its struggles—whatever they might be. The mindset is not unexpected—that they shall
not be defeated by challenges and difficulties.
As long as there is a congregation, they will continue in God’s work for
them. It’s very admirable. And the results are apparent. They have a small solar array in their
backyard that has not only cut their energy costs, but expresses their
understanding that good stewardship and care of God’s creation means using
resources appropriately as with renewable energy sources. They have a community
garden planted beneath that solar garden that provides locally grown produce
for the church and the community food shelf.
They reach out to others in the way that they can, and the struggles of
life do not impede their progress.
Spirituality and its myriad expressions are also important in their work
as God’s children. In exploring other ways of meditating and being in
relationship with God, the congregation at St. Barnabas discovered the
significance of the labyrinth. So they built one in the side yard of the
church. Anyone can visit at any time to walk the labyrinth and benefit from its
meditative and restorative powers.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
A book like our church’s prayer book is a wonder of structured
worship. But the true marvel comes in
the style of implementing each service. Each congregation offers its own
interpretation and gives its own color and flavor to the event. And in the Diocese of Vermont, these special
kinds of services have a wealth of spiritual truth!<o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365574127392227485.post-49120981054704907502013-10-07T15:50:00.000-04:002013-10-07T15:50:04.382-04:00When Tension Fulfills Abundance<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1XY3TkzPvZI/Uk8dDL4YewI/AAAAAAAAEcs/KhM2C0O4nx0/s1600/2013-09-24+11.25.07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1XY3TkzPvZI/Uk8dDL4YewI/AAAAAAAAEcs/KhM2C0O4nx0/s400/2013-09-24+11.25.07.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>St. Paul's Church, White River Junction</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A mere fifteen miles separate St. Paul’s Church in White
River Junction and St. James’ Church in Woodstock. Yet two churches in the same diocese could
scarcely appear more different. St.
James’ Church is old and was designed to engender a sense of timeless tradition
while St. Paul’s has a modernity that belies its fifty years. </div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fdEQ5mvfjlk/UlMM1HEYjAI/AAAAAAAAEm0/xoRAKac1nWk/s1600/2013-09-24+14.25.42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fdEQ5mvfjlk/UlMM1HEYjAI/AAAAAAAAEm0/xoRAKac1nWk/s400/2013-09-24+14.25.42.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>St. James' Church, Woodstock</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
St. James enjoys an affluent community while
St. Paul’s situation is decidedly more working class. But appearances, as we
all know, can be deceiving. For these
two parishes have a lot more in common than appears at first glance. Both are embarking
upon a period of significant change and transition that both exemplifies the
stirring of the Holy Spirit and requires a deep faith and trust in that same
Holy Spirit.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
St. Paul’s Church was built in the mid-20<sup>th</sup>
century and is characterized by utilitarian architecture and sleek, spacious
style. It’s not the prettiest church in
the diocese, but it certainly has its charm.
The sanctuary is almost “in the round” with pews on three sides of the
altar. This has the pleasing effect of
making even the furthest away pews feel intimately involved in the worship.
While there is a direct outside entrance to the sanctuary, most people will
enter from the parking lot which brings them first through the parish hall. As
you may imagine, meeting and greeting one’s fellow parishioners before worship
must also contribute to an intimacy amongst the congregation. This degree of
feeling comfortable with one another implies an informality in worship. Until
recently, worship at St. Paul’s, while maintaining due reverence, was indeed
informal. This is a congregation willing
to try new styles of liturgy and music.
Worship was enriched and accompanied by a rock band comprised of youths
from the congregation (called “the Pinks of St. Paul’s”). However, the kids
grew up and many have gone away to college forcing them to disband. That combined with the discernment process
they are working through in search of a new priest has directed the
congregation towards a return to the prayer book and introducing meditative
silence into their worship.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7wws0YDuK9w/UlMOSPp9r-I/AAAAAAAAEvY/OPdUwtVpWUM/s1600/St4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7wws0YDuK9w/UlMOSPp9r-I/AAAAAAAAEvY/OPdUwtVpWUM/s400/St4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>images at St. Paul's, WRJ</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As a testament to the diversity of its worship style, the
congregation at St. Paul’s opens itself to a variety of faith traditions. While
remaining assuredly Episcopalian, they are willing and able to witness the
value of other belief practices. Part of
the St. Paul’s campus includes the parish house which shares its space with the
Mindfulness Practice Center. The center was created through the nearby
monastery attributed to Thich Naht Hahn for the development of mindful prayer,
or centering prayer. A mindful prayer
group meets each Tuesday at the center. Over the fireplace in the parlor is a
quotation attributed to Thich Naht Hahn: “There is no way to happiness;
happiness IS the way.” </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-isUeu6KyJV8/Uk8chO79SlI/AAAAAAAAEZk/n4P8EAEGbqs/s1600/2013-09-24+10.54.24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-isUeu6KyJV8/Uk8chO79SlI/AAAAAAAAEZk/n4P8EAEGbqs/s320/2013-09-24+10.54.24.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
St. Paul’s also hosts other groups and organizations,
including a fellow who teaches drumming, a local theater group and more. St. Paul’s is committed to community
outreach. Because of this commitment, St. Paul’s along with clergy from St.
James’ in Woodstock purchased the old farmhouse next to St. Paul’s and
converted it into what is today The Haven, a community center that offers
shelter, food, clothing, case management, academic support, educational support
and learning opportunities for adults. From its earliest days, The Haven has been an
ecumenical outreach involving congregations from the Methodist, Congregational
and Catholic churches as well as St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. Besides its
involvement with the Haven, St. Paul’s tries to keep actively involved with
other upper valley interfaith outreach projects and programs. They take keen interest in “aging with
dignity” issues, transportations issues, and “title loans” regulation. The
congregation at St. Paul’s takes very seriously their baptismal covenant vow
“to respect the dignity of every human being.” Part of that is manifested in
the hospice choir that is part of their pastoral care ministry and in their
quick response to emergencies. The
latter was so vividly witnessed in their reaction to the effects of Tropical
Storm Irene two years ago when they set up a supply line for those in
need. This response to Irene has evolved
and led to renovating the Hartford Church with hopes of converting it into a
possible hostel. While many of St. Paul’s activities and ministries are
well-honed and self-reliant, it is easy to see that in spite of this interim
period (or maybe because of it) this church has a vibrant relationship with the
Holy Spirit.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S8xK5PLVqbI/UlMOUd7mGvI/AAAAAAAAEvg/4KaYrScoRM4/s1600/St5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S8xK5PLVqbI/UlMOUd7mGvI/AAAAAAAAEvg/4KaYrScoRM4/s400/St5.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>images at St. James, Woodstock</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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And so does St. James’ Church in Woodstock. But as suggested
earlier, the Spirit at St. James feel’s quite a bit different than that in
White River Junction. There is a certain kind of tension felt in both Woodstock
and St. James that arises from the dichotomy between absentee landowners and
those who are permanent residents; between those who own multiple properties
and those who own one or no property. This tension increases when trying to
build a community that includes a demographic of people who don’t have a strong
affiliation or vested interest in that community juxtaposed with a
cross-section of people who yearn for a sense of belonging to that same
community yet feel excluded. Thus, the energy at St. James has historically always
had a searching or seeking quality about it.
Because of the assumed affluence of the congregation, there lies a
danger of succumbing to “preciousness” derived from individual gifts,
restricted or otherwise. That is, material things, ways and methods, and
traditions risk becoming too precious and priceless because of their origins as
a gift from an individual to allow for change or even elimination of said
precious device. But St. James is taking steps to avoid that particular
trap. For the first time in ninety
years, St. James is embarking on a capital campaign to raise funds for major
building and renovation projects. The anonymity in giving along with the universality
in a capital campaign offers an added benefit of providing a vehicle for
community—everyone is in this together and no gift is more important than
another. The funds raised in the campaign will pay for improving the drainage
around the church, building and accessibility ramp, restoring the sanctuary
window, and modernizing the heating system with hopes of converting to a
biomass fuel burner. In fact, if all
goes to plan, the new biomass heating system may be an instrument toward
greater community connection as St. James hopes to partner with the town to use
locally grown wood. There is a model in the parish hall that shows the external
changes that are planned for the property, including the new ramp, the sheds
for the new heating system and woodsheds and the leveled courtyard between the
church and the rectory that may in time contain a community garden complete
with composting.</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZRnVftSsYlo/UlMMo9MPEkI/AAAAAAAAEl8/yHeu69nIIsg/s1600/2013-09-24+14.19.05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZRnVftSsYlo/UlMMo9MPEkI/AAAAAAAAEl8/yHeu69nIIsg/s320/2013-09-24+14.19.05.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>model of future St. James</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Since the arrival of St. James new rector, Rev. Norman
MacLeod, the congregation has revved up its zeal for environmental care and
earth stewardship. The new heating system will significantly reduce the carbon
footprint of the parish as well as create a partnership with renewable energy
groups. Having a community garden will also contribute to that goal but
providing more local food rather than relying solely upon imported foods. St.
James is developing a rapport with the Roosevelt-Billings National Park and is
hoping to work with the park for future earth stewardship projects. In June of
2014, St. James will be hosting a four-day weekend Earth Centered Liturgy
Festival. There will be a number of worship opportunities celebrating God’s
gift of creation and our responsibilities and stewards appointed by God to care
for this gift. Workshops will guide and
instruct participants not only in what stewardship of creation means, but in
how to be good stewards. Because this festival will coincide with the work
being done by the capital campaign, many of the events will necessarily take
place in partnering locations including potentially the national park and sites
in New Hampshire. For instance, plans are in the making for a kayaking evensong
on the Connecticut River. The festival is still in the ideas and planning
stage, but will soon be moving forward to implementing the event. Keep tuned to both St. James and the Diocesan
websites as things develop. And mark
your calendars now for the 26-29<sup>th</sup> of June so that you won’t miss this
innovative festival!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Clearly, God is an integral part of both St. Paul’s, White
River Junction and St. James, Woodstock.
Yet God’s spirit and energy in each parish takes on an entirely
different hue and cast. These two parishes contribute to the overall color of
the tapestry that is the Diocese of Vermont. It is not only that which we
perceive as “good and light” that speaks of our relationship with the Holy
Spirit, but the tension, strife and conflicts which complete our abundance. The response St. Paul’s takes to emergency
and outreach issues and the way St James searches for a more deeply connected
relationship with one another, their community and God both color our diocesan
tapestry with all the richness of jewel tones.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365574127392227485.post-37414663934948162212013-09-26T17:14:00.000-04:002013-09-26T17:14:56.522-04:00The Uncanny and Coincidental Holy Spirit<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--0e_d06U4NQ/UkSc2YYkyOI/AAAAAAAAEQo/YXqZLk3jkaM/s1600/2013-09-19+13.28.34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--0e_d06U4NQ/UkSc2YYkyOI/AAAAAAAAEQo/YXqZLk3jkaM/s400/2013-09-19+13.28.34.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Christ Episcopal Church, Montpelier, VT</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There is a palpable Spirit stirring at Christ Church in
Montpelier. Did I say stirring? No, more
accurately the Spirit is bouncing off the walls like an excitable child full of
Halloween candy anticipating Christmas and a trip to the fair and fireworks all in one day! Most of the time, we recognize the stirring
of the Spirit in predictable patterns.
But these days at Christ Church, the way the Spirit has been moving
makes the faithful grin and the faithless seriously consider conversion. As my father often states, “If I didn’t
believe in coincidence so much, I’d be inclined to think it’s the divine hand
of Almighty God at work here.” It is almost spooky sometimes the ways
circumstances line up to create little bits of miracles for this faithful
community. Let me tell you a story of one such little miracle.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L8ABwJl7Os8/UkSfQGD2EKI/AAAAAAAAEYQ/4MU0GZwgxpI/s1600/Christ+Church%252C+Montpelier.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L8ABwJl7Os8/UkSfQGD2EKI/AAAAAAAAEYQ/4MU0GZwgxpI/s400/Christ+Church%252C+Montpelier.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>images from the Reuse Fair; all the artwork is recycled/reused material</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 27.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;">
One day not
too long ago, there was a young man who was full of goodness and compassion
whose hope was being sorely tested. This young man had been searching for a
place where he and his people at <i><a href="http://plantinghope.org/">PlantingHope</a></i> could hold a Reuse Fair which would celebrate and educate about
sustainable communities. But, alas, no one in the city was willing to allow
them the space, for they were afraid. They were sure that showcasing garbage
could not possibly be artistic and would only engender derision from the
townsfolk. So when the young man came to Christ Church, he was sure he’d hear
“no” once again, yet he bravely pressed on and made his pitch one more
time. But the young man did not hear “no!”
Instead, he and <i>Planting Hope</i> were warmly invited to partner with Christ Church and
together they put on a festive and artistic fair. One that included an
exhibition of art created entirely from reused and recycled materials, a lineup
of live musical entertainment, and a showcase of vendors who embrace a
sustainable way of life.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 27.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-990etWTw9GA/UkSd4Sq4j6I/AAAAAAAAEWY/ut7p4lq8PC8/s1600/2013-09-21+14.06.21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-990etWTw9GA/UkSd4Sq4j6I/AAAAAAAAEWY/ut7p4lq8PC8/s400/2013-09-21+14.06.21.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>members of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra Chorus rehearse at <br />Christ Church in Montpelier</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Meanwhile, several
months earlier, the chorus for the state orchestra had been invited to perform
in the annual <i>Sing for Peace </i>concert
that would take place in that august city.
However, the poor chorus had no place to rehearse. The chorus
coordinator, like the young man from <i>Planting
Hope</i>, called several places only to be turned away because they could not
pay the rental fee. Finally, the chorus
coordinator,<i> </i>who also happens to be
an Episcopalian, called Christ Church to see if they would be willing to donate
rehearsal space. Of course they said yes because the people of Christ Church
want to encourage community partnerships and the use of their space. And, they
are basically kind and generous people. Arrangements were made for the chorus
to rehearse at Christ Church on the same day that Planting Hope would have
their Reuse Fair. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 27.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;">
Now, so far,
these two events don’t appear to have much in common beyond the generosity of
Christ Church. But the impish Holy
Spirit smiled and played. “Wouldn’t it be fun,” surmised the Spirit, “if we
were to make a connection here?” And so it came to pass that the young man’s
organization, <i>Planting Hope</i>, was
named the beneficiary of the donations raised at the <i>Sing for Peace</i> concert—that same concert which was held the day
after the Reuse Fair and at which the chorus would perform. Still, who would ever have known such a
connection existed, but for the chorus coordinator? That chorus coordinator just
happens to be the writer of this story and only learned of this connection upon
visiting Christ Church for her “diocese pilgrimage” blog. How serendipitous
that she scheduled her visit to Christ Church only days before the Reuse Fair
and the <i>Sing for </i>Peace concert! Even still, had she not been keenly
interested in the message of the Reuse Fair because she is part of the Diocesan
Earth Stewards Committee, she may never have asked the question, “What’s this
Reuse Fair all about?” <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e8rFBEoZn6M/UkShJxHMZ_I/AAAAAAAAEYk/Mc4hK5Mnxvg/s1600/Christ+Church%252C+Montpelier1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e8rFBEoZn6M/UkShJxHMZ_I/AAAAAAAAEYk/Mc4hK5Mnxvg/s400/Christ+Church%252C+Montpelier1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>images at Christ Church</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This story is typical of the kind of stirrings that have
been happening at Christ Church. When their Priest in Partnership, Rev. Paul
Habersang, joined the ministry at Christ Church two years ago, the search team
had been all set to call a rector. But
at the last minute, they decided to go in the Priest in Partnership direction
because they realized what they really wanted <i>was</i> a partnership. They wanted a partnership with a priest who
believed, as the congregation did, that Christ Church was so ready for the kind
of intentional creativity that arises from a relationship of equal partners with
individual gifts. And the Spirit made it
so. Because of this partnership, the
congregation can address issues from a fresh perspective and revived faith—one
that sees them becoming a more visible part of their community. For instance, it was agreed that something
needed to be done about children’s Christian education, and adult education
also needed attention. At the same time,
Auburn Watersong, who has a gift as a youth formation leader, was ordained as a
priest. The Spirit moved in the coinciding of Christ Church’s need and Rev.
Watersong’s available gifts. Her talents attracted the attention of the
congregation, and it wasn’t long before she too became a part of the partnership
at Christ Church. Even though her employment is rather minimal, she adds
another invaluable priestly presence in worship and Spiritual growth at Christ
Church. With her partnership, the children’s and adult’s separate formation
ministries evolved into a unified Christian Formation ministry that focuses on
developing character-shaping events in which all ages may participate and
benefit from one another. A bread-making
session designed to provide loaves of bread for the local food shelf offers an
opportunity for children and grown-ups to work together to make the bread while
learning about the Spiritual metaphor of the bread of life.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AjON8hMMOvw/UkSixdKjdFI/AAAAAAAAEY0/ljQuGXTqsIw/s1600/Christ+Church%252C+Montpelier2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AjON8hMMOvw/UkSixdKjdFI/AAAAAAAAEY0/ljQuGXTqsIw/s400/Christ+Church%252C+Montpelier2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>renovation project at Christ Church, Montpelier</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As the congregation grows in this climate of Spiritual
Partnership, the condition of the space in which they worship became a
paramount issue. They agreed that if they were to become more visible and more
integral in the community of downtown Montpelier, that view really needed to
become more appealing. The City of Montpelier made the decision to reduce its
carbon footprint by converting the heat plant for the government buildings on
State Street to a wood chip fuel burner (as opposed to oil). All the other
businesses on State as well as Christ Church were invited to become a part of
this process. At first, Christ Church had to decline because the cost was just
going to be too exorbitant. But with an anonymous gift of $40,000 and
additional grant funding, participation became not only possible, but a moral
and Spiritual responsibility. So the
Spirit moves. This new partnership energized the parish to look into other
building matters, like revitalizing the courtyard, fixing the roof on the
church and renovating the bell tower. These massive undertakings present huge
financial burdens that collectively prove to be overwhelming. But before
debilitating discouragement could set in, the Holy Spirit stirred. A business
neighbor found the overhanging trees bordering the courtyard at Christ Church
were become hazardous to their patrons.
So they offered to cut down those trees and replace them with new
healthier and safer trees. And to compensate
for the loss of the shade trees, they would provide attractive pergolas. This led to a renaissance of the courtyard
that at the completion of its rebirth will see the walkway leveled and the
flagstone pavers re-laid. Today, even with the walkway in disrepair, the
courtyard attracts people from town to sit and relax for a time under the
protective wing of the lovely church. It
made for an ideal venue for <i>Planting
Hope’s</i> Reuse Fair.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Symbolic of the transformation that has been happening at
Christ Church in Montpelier is the great window in the sanctuary of the church.
The stained glass window had been “protected” from the elements with a
plexiglass covering that over time had blackened with dirt, soot and age. It had darkened so much that no light shone
through the beautiful colors of the stained glass and you could not see the
image. And the church grew heavy and
somber with darkness. As physical
darkness overtook the church, so did Spiritual darkness overtake the people as
complacency and indifference settled upon them (albeit, in spite of a general
resistant to that encroaching darkness).
One day, a piece of the darkened plexiglass broke way up at the top,
where the image of the Holy Spirit as a dove shone through, the only light to
offer a beacon of hope. It was enough
light and enough hope to stir the people into action. The funds were raised to remove the
plexiglass and restore the beautiful stained glass to once again give glorious
light to banish the darkness. As light returned to the sanctuary, so too did
the people return to the Light. And at
Christ Church, the Spirit soars!</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HGyH-g5NKkw/UkSc52VFLeI/AAAAAAAAERA/773gJtGF1OY/s1600/2013-09-19+14.42.22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HGyH-g5NKkw/UkSc52VFLeI/AAAAAAAAERA/773gJtGF1OY/s400/2013-09-19+14.42.22.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>note the dove at the very top</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<o:p></o:p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365574127392227485.post-33175067586140432392013-09-19T18:37:00.000-04:002013-09-19T18:37:05.875-04:00A Time for Breaking Down and a Time for Building Up<div class="MsoNormal">
Ecclesiastes 3, in one of its most familiar passages teaches
us that there is a time for every action, and everything that happens comes in
its own time. The passage illustrates the cycle of life, to which no part of
our lives is immune. The life of a
church also lives according to this cycle of ups and downs, of activity and
rest. It’s interesting to witness the
juxtaposition of two churches in what appears to be opposite ends of the
swing. St. Mary’s in Northfield is
experiencing a trending period of rest, a time marked by a contemplative period
that might lead to either renewal of life and purpose or to a timely and
well-earned death. While just over the
ridge in Barre, the Church of the Good Shepherd by all indications has embarked
upon an upward trend of socially conscious activity.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ea4SSMnXeAs/Ujt2xrdCWhI/AAAAAAAAENc/13c7a8eLkb8/s1600/2013-09-12+14.40.26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ea4SSMnXeAs/Ujt2xrdCWhI/AAAAAAAAENc/13c7a8eLkb8/s400/2013-09-12+14.40.26.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>St. Mary Church, Northfield, VT</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lNLc6nBqSLo/Ujt6Ft6iPwI/AAAAAAAAEPg/HnmIjnxkNVY/s1600/St4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lNLc6nBqSLo/Ujt6Ft6iPwI/AAAAAAAAEPg/HnmIjnxkNVY/s400/St4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>inside St. Mary Church</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The building where the congregation of St. Mary worships is
actually older than the congregation itself, having been built as a Unitarian
meeting house in 1843. The Episcopal congregation
was founded in 1851 and they purchased and moved the church to its current
location just a year later. Even though Norwich University did not move to
Northfield until 1866, the congregation has connections intricately entwined
with the school. Many of the
university’s leaders and professors have been members of St. Mary’s Church. Over
the years, much of the congregation’s activities and community outreach have
been motivated by Norwich University as the school is such a visible and
integral part of the community. The two organizations have always enjoyed a
mutually beneficial relationship. Off
and on throughout the years, St. Mary has offered a “Rooks Breakfast” for the
incoming freshmen at the University. And
in return, veterans of the school became actively involved with the operations
of the church. Norwich University has always prided itself on being a vanguard
in American education. Taking
inspiration from that legacy, in the early 1980s, St. Mary’s opened a preschool
that had served the community for thirty years. But as all things change, the
preschool was closed in 2008. That,
combined with the change of priestly presence and the typical declining trend
of members, has served to send the congregation into a period of rest and
prayerful introspection.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dhI8fV0m5pY/Ujt6H--R6kI/AAAAAAAAEPo/r01Fc8T5Y-o/s1600/St5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dhI8fV0m5pY/Ujt6H--R6kI/AAAAAAAAEPo/r01Fc8T5Y-o/s400/St5.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>St. Mary's parish hall</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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These days, the congregation of St. Mary Church is comprised
of mostly older professionals. They are
small in number of a Sunday, but consider themselves a close-knit family.
During this quiet time of rest and reflection, they continue to live the
baptismal covenant through their various outreach endeavors. Northfield’s
Community Emergency Relief Volunteers (CERV) benefits from the congregation’s
generosity of both time and materials.
Once a month, members take their turn volunteering at the food shelf,
and regularly a collection of food and clothing is taken to the community
shelter. Periodically, St. Mary participates in community “progressive dinner”
fundraisers in support of other outreach projects like CROP Walk for Hunger. (A
“progressive dinner” is one where several organizations participate by hosting
one course of a meal. During their
course, they share whatever information they deem important to the diners. The diners then move on to the next
organization and course. At the end,
everyone meets in one location for networking, fellowship and
entertainment.) Yet, while the mission
of outreach is still important to the parish, this is one of those periods of
time they must take to consider what their new mission will be. Right now, the greatest mission is to serve
Christ in worship and prayer.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SPEXNnt4K50/Ujt4fj7rVrI/AAAAAAAAEOw/ETG4jZzPdog/s1600/2013-09-19+15.35.55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SPEXNnt4K50/Ujt4fj7rVrI/AAAAAAAAEOw/ETG4jZzPdog/s400/2013-09-19+15.35.55.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Church of the Good Shepherd, Barre, VT</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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As one church family experiences a slowing pace, another’s
tempo is on the rise. Just up the road,
a mere twelve miles away is the Church of the Good Shepherd in Barre. As St.
Mary reflects the academic and professional demographic of the community in
Northfield, Good Shepherd is reflective of the granite and labor industry in
Barre. The building is constructed of
sturdy Vermont granite quarried right there in the Barre area. Even the baptismal font and the altar top are
made from finely carved and polished local granite. One can see similarities in
the characters of the people in the Barre community and the stone they quarry:
strong, sure and solid, gritty and resolute. But people are not stone, and
there is also compassion and determination to do what is right and good in the
sight of God and their neighbors.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FwxpwjSB1LM/Ujt6K2XnU8I/AAAAAAAAEPw/3kfzDn42dlc/s1600/Church+of+the+Good+Shepherd%252C+Barre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FwxpwjSB1LM/Ujt6K2XnU8I/AAAAAAAAEPw/3kfzDn42dlc/s400/Church+of+the+Good+Shepherd%252C+Barre.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>images at Church of the Good Shepherd</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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About a year ago, the Church of the Good Shepherd celebrated
a new season of ministry with their new rector.
But the new season of ministry for this parish was about so much more
than the happy arrival of the Rev. Earl Koopercamp and his family. The congregation at Good Shepherd’s “new
season of ministry” is also about their own dynamic upswing. They celebrate young people who bring energy
and direction to the parish mission. They celebrate renewed activity and
awareness of their place in the community.
They celebrate the gifts they have to offer in the areas of social
justice and local outreach. They
celebrate the diversity of their own community and those communities to which
they belong. Would that we all could learn
from this congregation’s example!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GCJUIEcLim8/Ujt6NNJWgOI/AAAAAAAAEP4/QMLL9SAhTUk/s1600/Church+of+the+Good+Shepherd%252C+Barre1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GCJUIEcLim8/Ujt6NNJWgOI/AAAAAAAAEP4/QMLL9SAhTUk/s400/Church+of+the+Good+Shepherd%252C+Barre1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>where the mission begins at Good Shepherd</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Good Shepherd has become more intimately involved with a
number of social justice issues in their local area, including organized labor
(especially with the quarry workers) and their focus on increased worker safety
measures. There is also an active concern about the consequences of the changes
in our healthcare system and the effects of Vermont’s upcoming universal healthcare
program and its implications for healthcare accessibility by the real masses of
middle class. Good Shepherd is already involved with the community planning
group that seeks to address potential problems before they become social
issues. Coping with issues such as local poverty, homelessness, hunger,
criminal justice, employment opportunities can easily become wrapped up in
administrative bureaucracy, so it is vital for faith communities to participate
so that God’s work can be done—that those in need still warrant the respect of
their dignity, and that the faithful baptized serve according to their
baptismal covenant. This is the driving
motivation for Good Shepherd’s community involvement. One of the growing hopes of endeavor for the
parish includes developing a prison/criminal justice ministry. Ideas are
kicking around for ways to safely and compassionately reach out those
incarcerated and returning to the community.
As part of their community involvement, the Church of the Good Shepherd
has a strong ecumenical connection with other area churches and faiths. The often participates in activities with the
Unitarian church (which shares a parking area with Good Shepherd), the
congregational church, the evangelical church and the Presbyterian Church, to
name a few. There is a sense at Good
Shepherd, that when you become an active part of your community, reaching out
takes on a whole new meaning. That is,
when you have a relationship with your neighbor, you don’t have to extend very
far to reach out to them; so when you do extend in your outreach, you connect
with a wider and broader world. The people of Good Shepherd, led by their
enthusiastic and capable rector, are encouraged to speak out and reach as
diverse a population as possible. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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As vast as the realm of God may be, in our little corner of
it as the Diocese of Vermont, we are blessed with the fullness of the glory of
the Spirit. It is seen as simply as in
the contrasting circumstances of neighboring parishes. Yet both situations—either of seeming
diminishment or apparent enrichment—demonstrate the fullness of God’s
grace. “To everything there is a season,
and a time for every purpose under heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1).”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365574127392227485.post-17036657233282848002013-09-11T13:13:00.001-04:002013-09-11T13:17:16.898-04:00The Islander Church<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SoJzWiVYyUs/UjCWquw1gLI/AAAAAAAAEGA/76zN_Q6oEEs/s1600/St2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="318" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SoJzWiVYyUs/UjCWquw1gLI/AAAAAAAAEGA/76zN_Q6oEEs/s400/St2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><u><b>The Borders Regional Ministry</b></u><br />top left: St. Thomas, Noyan; top right: St. George, Clarenceville<br />bottom: St. Luke, Alburgh</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Alburgh, VT boasts one of the
most uniquely quirky characters of all the parishes in our diocese. It is part
of The Borders Regional Ministry in cooperation with St. Thomas’ Anglican
Church in Noyan, and St. George’s Church in Clarenceville, both in the Province
of Quebec. It is also part of the
islands community of Lake Champlain, which offers its own inimitable sense of
identity. Being interwoven in the fabric of these two dynamic cultures provides
St. Luke’s Church with charm and allure that is a special gift to this diocese.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pLiMYQn8x7A/Ui9jc1xFXUI/AAAAAAAAED0/qYKY7cTb8wY/s1600/The-Oldest-Reef-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pLiMYQn8x7A/Ui9jc1xFXUI/AAAAAAAAED0/qYKY7cTb8wY/s400/The-Oldest-Reef-2.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>part of the Chazy Reef on Isle La Motte</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
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In the middle of Lake Champlain lies an emerald green archipelago
that until fairly recently in its history could only be reached by boat. These
are geologically ancient islands. The <i>Chazy
Reef</i> on Isle La Motte, part of rock formation stretching from Newfoundland
to Tennessee, is recognized as the world’s oldest reef, exposing underwater fossils
some 480 million years old. The sense of timelessness in the Champlain Islands
is substantiated by its human history of the last three or four hundred years. Prior
to Samuel de Champlain’s introduction of the first Europeans in 1609, the
islands provided for the summer villages of Abenaki, Huron and other local
tribes. The lake allowed for year-round
living, but archaeological evidence indicates that it was rare for a village to
stay year-round on the islands—probably due to the lack of hunting game which
was so much more prevalent on either shore of the lake. Once the French arrived
with the Champlain exploration, very little time passed before Europeans built
fortifications and permanent residences on the islands. Some of the founding
families still make up the core of the community. <o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1PDh1A9EIpQ/Ui9m_pjyb9I/AAAAAAAAEEk/GTY_z-RwW58/s1600/diocese+travels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1PDh1A9EIpQ/Ui9m_pjyb9I/AAAAAAAAEEk/GTY_z-RwW58/s400/diocese+travels.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Lake Champlain</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The islands played key roles
during both the Revolutionary War and War of 1812, serving as both battleground
and hospital. Yet, during both these wars, the islanders themselves tended to
keep their distance and watch from afar.
Like gems embedded in the hilt of a silver dagger, several large islands
make up the Champlain Island Community: Isle La Motte, North Hero, South Hero,
Grand Isle, Crab and Valcour Islands, and the Alburgh Peninsula. While the peninsula is not an island, it extends
into the heart of the island community and maintains that “islander” characteristic.
The particular “islander” characteristic in question is defined by its people’s
tenacious independence predicated upon their relative isolation. In spite of
the bridges and causeways that now connect the islands with a scenic drive, the
ideal of being accessible only by water prevails. This makes for a community of people who
become either determinedly resourceful or resigned to doing without. This you
can see reflected in the congregations of the Borders Regional Ministry as it
exists today.<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The current manifestation of the Borders Regional Ministry
has its roots in earlier versions. In spite of what we learned about border
ministries from St. Paul’s, Canaan several weeks ago, the concept of a share
ministry between two countries is not immediately perceived as a logical
one! However, the history of this one
includes a somewhat historically fluid border, and in the past, Alburgh was
actually a part of Canada. Around the end of the 18<sup>th</sup> century, the
Richelieu Valley region and the upper part of Lake Champlain became a settling
ground for British Loyalists, and the need for English language worship services
grew. The communities were mostly farming and thus were widespread. In 1815, congregations in Noyan and in
Clarenceville combined their resources to pay for a minister with the stipulation
that worship services alternate between the two communities. To this day, worship is held on the first and
third Sundays in Clarenceville and second and fourth Sundays in Noyan—thus the
first bonds of mutual ministry were established. </div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kEe6F_X1JuA/UjCamK0-waI/AAAAAAAAEGc/wuSUA5b5BNs/s1600/St3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kEe6F_X1JuA/UjCamK0-waI/AAAAAAAAEGc/wuSUA5b5BNs/s400/St3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>images from St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Alburgh, VT</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Meanwhile, the congregation in Alburgh,
just down the road a few miles, flickered in and out of existence several times
before becoming an established presence in the early part of the 20<sup>th</sup>
century. Bishop Hall consecrated St.
Luke’s Church in 1907. The church was
sustained by itinerant clergy from Burlington who traveled by rail to provide
services at St. Luke’s. Even though
Alburgh is accessible overland, its border with Canada cut the land off from
the rest of Vermont so that it essentially became like the other Champlain
Isles—accessible only by boat or train.
When the road was opened in 1933, St. Luke’s was then serviced by
ministers from Swanton. Because of its proximity to St. George and St. Thomas,
many of the St. Luke’s congregation already interacted and worship with those
congregations, so the ties between the three congregations was already solidly
established. In the early years of the
21<sup>st</sup> century, a group of lay leaders from the three congregations
along with other congregations in Bedford began to work on developing a Borders
Regional Ministry that would serve six congregations in both Quebec and
Vermont. A celebration Eucharist was celebrated in 2006 with both Vermont’s
bishop and the Bishop of Montreal presiding.
But the formation of the ministry was never stabilized and the
congregation of Bedford and two others left the Borders Regional Ministry
leaving the original three to maintain its ministry. Today, the congregations support one another
and have become settled into a routine of their mutual ministry.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
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Because of its history both as a church and as part of its
community, it is virtually impossible to talk about St. Luke’s without mention
of the islands or the other churches in the Borders Regional Ministry. Those two elements make the deep, rich color
of the character of St. Luke’s. The
Sunday I visited the church, the congregation consisted of long-time members of
St. Luke’s plus others from both Clarenceville and Noyan. The conversation during fellowship focused on
pastoral care issues particular to the islands (a piece of property on Isle La
Motte is being offered to St. Luke’s and ideas for how best to use it were
shared; members of the congregation struggle with issues that make it hard to
attend worship services; that kind of thing). And often at St. Luke’s fellowship takes the form of lunch at a nearby restaurant or at the Alburgh Golf
Club. When you cross the bridge into Grand Isle County, and when you visit St.
Luke’s Church in Alburgh, you become immediately immersed in the island character.
It is special and uniquely Spiritual.<o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365574127392227485.post-34317116829756800032013-09-02T15:34:00.000-04:002013-09-02T15:34:19.999-04:00For the Least of His People<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>“And the king will
answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these
who are members of my family, you did it to me.’” (Matthew 25:40, NRSV)<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1qlht6zfamw/UiTlmvVZJcI/AAAAAAAADRc/FdA3V3SoTtY/s1600/2013-08-25+09.08.46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1qlht6zfamw/UiTlmvVZJcI/AAAAAAAADRc/FdA3V3SoTtY/s400/2013-08-25+09.08.46.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Springfield, VT</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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About halfway through my journey of the Diocese of Vermont,
I begin to recognize certain patterns emerging.
Our parishes are a lot like individual people and have individual
characteristics. Some are very cautious
and act only after due consideration and prayer, while others are willing to
take a blind leap of faith and risk taking a misstep. Some employ careful interpretation of all
Jesus’ teachings, using the full extent of Biblical content when determining
their own ministries and actions in the world.
Others have the sense that the two Great Commandments are simple enough
to interpret and rely on the Holy Spirit to guide them on their actions,
trusting that if they live those commandments, then what they do is God’s
work. Most parishes fall somewhere in
between those two extremes an rely on certain passages more than others as
relevant to their mission. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODQCmus6Hog">Willard Jabusch’s song setting
of Matthew 25:40</a> repeating again and again in my head. For it struck me that this passage most
describes the mission and actions of St. Mark’s Church.<o:p></o:p></div>
As I visited
St. Mark’s Church in Springfield, I heard the refrain from <br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>“for I was hungry and
you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a
stranger and you welcomed me,” (Matthew 25:35)</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cIHA2MzKcRw/UiTl6VFPzlI/AAAAAAAADWI/MKzjarG9lmE/s1600/St.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cIHA2MzKcRw/UiTl6VFPzlI/AAAAAAAADWI/MKzjarG9lmE/s400/St.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>images at St. Mark's, Springfield</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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My visit to St. Mark’s began in July when I called their Sr.
Warden (for, like many others, the congregation is in transition and does not
have a priest serving with them). Boris
von York not only encouraged me to come visit St. Mark’s at any time, he
extended his and the parish’s welcome even further by making a visit to
me! I was a stranger whom he made
welcome by visiting me. I could not turn
away from this invitation. He told me of
the congregation’s practice of holding a simple <i>agape</i> meal on the last Sunday of each month and encouraged me to
visit in August if my schedule could arrange it. My schedule did, but I rather rudely
neglected to confirm my visit, so my arrival on August 25 was a bit of a
surprise. But I was made to feel my
presence was a welcome and happy occasion.
Boris was to lead Morning Prayer at worship that morning, so he was
occupied with other matters when I first arrived. So his wife, Pearl, and several other
congregants greeted me and welcomed me with warm sincerity. Again during the
service, I was introduced by name as a welcome and special guest. But even more welcoming than the words were
the actions. Everyone stayed after the
service for the <i>agape</i> meal and made
me feel even more important, for they listened to my story and shared with me
theirs. And the refrain sang on in my
mind: “Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>“I was naked and you
gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you
visited me.’” (Matthew 25:36)</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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As I pulled into the driveway at St. Mark’s on that Sunday
morning, I noticed the tidy little church sat on a somewhat large bit of
property with a large paved circular driveway.
Off to the side I read a large sign proclaiming “Dump Daze—Saturdays at
St. Mark’s.” <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfyrdJfpCXQ&feature=youtu.be">There’s
a little story behind Dump Daze.</a> St.
Mark’s is a small congregation comprising a diverse group of people, yet none
of whom are overly financially well off.
So there isn’t a great deal of resources there to provide for those in
need. But the desire to do so is there
in great abundance! Now, the church is
located on a normally quiet street, however, on a Saturday, it turns into a busy
thoroughfare as town-folk pass by on their way to the dump just up the road
apiece. It occurred to the congregation
that the front lawn and parking lot on a busy Saturday would be a great place
for a yard sale; it would get a lot of attention from the passersby. So Dump
Daze was inspired. People from the
community are invited to set up their own yard sale table so long as they take
everything away with them when they are done.
Dump Daze has all the makings of a community flea market, and thus
provides the congregation with a way to fulfill their need to provide for those
in need.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-em6rTzqiGiQ/UiTmbNHAYQI/AAAAAAAADWY/0KyyobY4Rzw/s1600/St1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-em6rTzqiGiQ/UiTmbNHAYQI/AAAAAAAADWY/0KyyobY4Rzw/s400/St1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>more images from St. Mark's Church</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Like most churches, St. Mark’s has a Pastoral Care
ministry. They have members who make
hospital visits and call on the home-bound.
But special to their church is their prison visit ministry. Springfield is home to one of the state’s
seven correctional facilities, and in keeping with the words of Jesus in the
Gospel of Matthew, the good folks at St. Mark’s want to be sure that those
incarcerated are not forgotten or neglected. Holy Eucharist and the Word are
brought to the prison each week for anyone interested in partaking. But what makes this ministry stand out even
more is the offer of a kind of Bible Study in which inmates can pose their
questions and doubts without fear of condemnation. They are encouraged to think
about the scriptures and the message and consider how the presence of God
appears in their own lives. Within this
ministry, St. Mark’s was able to reach several inmates who chose to become
baptized into the body of Christ. Yet,
this is not a source of pride in a job well done. Rather it is a commitment just begun with
these souls. For now the responsibility continues
in the expectation of supporting the newly baptized inmates in their journey in
faith. And you have to imagine their faith to be a bit rocky this early on!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>“Then the righteous
will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food,
or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a
stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that
we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” (Matthew 25:37-39)</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Is it more in keeping with the spirit of Jesus’ teaching to
learn from his words and meditatively plan to fulfill his commandments? Or is there more sincerity to be found in the
spontaneous gestures of “random acts of kindness”? I’m sure there is fodder for much debate in
those questions. But it seems to me that
the congregation of St. Mark’s in Springfield acts in accordance with the stirrings
of the Holy Spirit. They may be
deliberate in their ministries, but I experienced the truest sincerity in their
actions. The part of Jesus that resides
in my heart smiles.<o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365574127392227485.post-23223318147797121572013-08-27T13:41:00.001-04:002013-08-27T13:41:30.444-04:00Being a Beacon within the Community<div class="MsoNormal">
Many church congregations ponder ways in which they can be
more visible in their communities. Some even set goals and achieve them. But there a few churches who really are
actively involved with their communities.
These churches are not visible because their church was built in a prime
location; rather they are visible because they are working out God’s purpose
within the greater community. For them,
it’s not about being seen. It’s not even
a political thing. It’s about listening
to the needs and dreams of the people and then working together to meet those
needs. I recently visited two such
churches that are beacons in their communities, and whose light shines in very
different ways.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kYUIArafnCM/Uhzdvq2-EnI/AAAAAAAADOo/n8eRRO0gBH4/s1600/Holy+Trinity%252C+Swanton1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kYUIArafnCM/Uhzdvq2-EnI/AAAAAAAADOo/n8eRRO0gBH4/s400/Holy+Trinity%252C+Swanton1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Holy Trinity Church, Swanton, VT</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://www.holytrinityswanton.org/">Holy Trinity
Church in Swanton</a> somewhat defies pigeon-holing in its identity. It doesn’t
really qualify as a “rural” church since it stands right in the middle of a
downtown small town/city. And yet, it reaches out to very rural people, nestled
as the town is in the midst of the largest dairy farming community in Vermont. It certainly doesn’t qualify as an urban
church as it lacks typical city amenities.
Yet, located in the center of town, it is vulnerable to the occasional urban
distress—like breaking and entering and theft. Holy Trinity’s congregation also
struggles with a certain identity ambiguity.
On the one hand, the sturdy work ethic instilled in its members that
allows them to take pride in a job well done, alternately has them a little
embarrassed that much of what they have in the way of the church and its
appointments has been given to them through no fundraising or work effort of
their own. (The church has been well endowed with gifts that leave them in a
financially comfortable position.) It seems they struggle to understand that
gifts are given out of love rather than as payment for labor and marketing
skill. Certainly, Holy Trinity is a church and spiritual home worthy of that
kind of love!<o:p></o:p></div>
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For it is clear that the parish of Holy Trinity has a deep
love for the people of its community.
<o:p></o:p><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Bem_hAwfoLc/UhzaWjRH_4I/AAAAAAAADNY/14akaakDtag/s1600/Holy+Trinity%252C+Swanton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Bem_hAwfoLc/UhzaWjRH_4I/AAAAAAAADNY/14akaakDtag/s400/Holy+Trinity%252C+Swanton.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>images at Holy Trinity's community center</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Holy Trinity earnestly wants to embrace its community in a reverent and
spiritual relationship. And so it does. Just a few years ago, the parish
rebuilt its parish hall and renovated part of the main church building in
effort to be more connected and involved with its community. The intent was—and
is—to provide a space for other organizations throughout the area to meet,
provide offices and even educate one another. The community center at Holy
Trinity is now home to myriad organizations and programs. The local school district holds teacher
inservices there as it is an off-campus site that is close to all schools should
an emergency arise during one of their meetings. The area Bar Association holds meetings and
trainings there. All kinds of self-improvement classes are held there,
including yoga, zumba, Tae Kwon Do, and the like. The scheduling calendar is full and covered
in red and blue inked inserts. Holy
Trinity, in an ecumenical effort with the Roman Catholic church and the
Methodist church, hold once-a-month community dinners. When it is Holy Trinity’s turn to host, the
hall is filled with visitors. They also
have their own program of bi-monthly breakfasts. One of the really BIG outreach
efforts at Holy Trinity is the newly established Franklin Alliance for Rural
Ministries (FARM). This program is
dedicated to helping the Mexican migrant workers at area dairy farms get the immigration
and social services and assistance to basic human rights that they need. The
program works toward more fair and equitable farming practices in global
economics. In January of 2013, F.A.R.M.
opened its office in the community center building at Holy Trinity.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_p9gKU2sBic/Uhzij2tWRkI/AAAAAAAADPo/QwKl1e514pE/s1600/2013-08-23+14.36.42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_p9gKU2sBic/Uhzij2tWRkI/AAAAAAAADPo/QwKl1e514pE/s320/2013-08-23+14.36.42.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>St. John's, Highgate Falls, VT</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Holy Trinity’s history is wrapped together with that of <a href="http://www.holytrinityswanton.org/stjohns.htm">St. John’s Church in
Highgate</a>, located four miles up the road from Swanton. The people of
Swanton attended this church until Holy Trinity was built in town, and in 1896,
the two parishes were combined. St. John’s
is under the custodial care of Holy Trinity and is used for weddings, Evensongs
and special fundraising events—especially concerts. St. John’s has the distinction of possessing
the oldest in situ pipe organ in the state. The Henry Erban organ was
constructed for this building in 1836, just six years after the church’s
consecration, and was recently restored by Peter Walker of Walker Pipe Organs
of Brattleboro, VT. Together, Holy Trinity and St. John’s churches shed a
loving light of welcome to all in the area.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.gracechurchsheldon.org/">Grace Church in
Sheldon</a> shines with a similar, yet completely different light. And yet, like Holy Trinity, Grace serves the
needs of its people. First and foremost,
Grace is a haven for the worship of God.
The space itself implies all the welcoming warmth of the Holy Spirit’s
embrace simply by its warm, wooden interior. <o:p></o:p><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--_OG17VI_xk/UhzhFFQY4lI/AAAAAAAADPA/JEHb2cF51s8/s1600/Grace+Church%252C+Sheldon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--_OG17VI_xk/UhzhFFQY4lI/AAAAAAAADPA/JEHb2cF51s8/s400/Grace+Church%252C+Sheldon.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Grace Church, Sheldon</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The building stands in the midst of farmland in its own large
field. A steep-pitched roof protectively
shields the brick building. The entrance
ramp and steps were fairly recently built, but were cleverly and artistically designed
to look as if it was part of the original 1816 structure. Grace Church has a
small congregation as is typical of a somewhat remote and rural church. Being small, they recognize the necessity of
collaborating with others in the community.
So they will often join forces with the United Methodist Church just
over on the next hill for events like food drives, community flea markets and
social events. </div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FbyqBl-blk4/UhziFxc5m2I/AAAAAAAADPU/1Zg0LpJA9go/s1600/Grace+Church%252C+Sheldon1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FbyqBl-blk4/UhziFxc5m2I/AAAAAAAADPU/1Zg0LpJA9go/s400/Grace+Church%252C+Sheldon1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>images evoking Grace Church's history</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Yet, the real strength of this small congregation lies in
individuals who reach out to one another, with church as the main
connection. One gets the feeling that
the events and day-to-day activities and missions of this congregation haven’t
really changed all that much in the nearly 200 years of Grace’s history. There
is an historical marker just a short distance up the road that tells of a Civil
War Action that occurred in Sheldon. It
tells of how Confederate soldiers planned to raid the local bank, and set fire
to the covered bridge (which is no longer standing, but not as a result of that
fire). The fire alerted the community
who not only raised the alarm, and put out the fire before the bridge was
destroyed, but foiled the raid attempt and chased the detachment of soldiers
away. This kind of pulling together is
not an unfamiliar to modern parishioners at Grace Church, Sheldon either. It is
at a church event—any event, even if it’s not worship—where one might chat with
his neighbor about getting enough hay in before the freezing weather sets in.
In hearing the worry about having enough time or farmhands’ help to make a
fourth and final cutting, the good neighbor offers his own time and his son’s
as well. And the relief is evident in
the farmer’s two-handed handshake as he accepts the kind offer. (This was an
actual conversation I overheard at a recent concert event at Grace Church, and
I believe this is one of the tenderest examples of living Jesus’ commandments
that I’ve ever been privileged to witness.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Grace Church commands an air of sturdy self-reliance. Yet as its name suggests, there is also a
charming and whimsical grace evoked as the centuries of history co-mingle with
the present day. Grace has a tradition
of offering a Summer Concert Series featuring local musicians. It’s the type of program that could easily
have been practiced 100 or 150 or nearly 200 years ago. The series runs for a
number of weeks during the summer and concerts are held Friday evenings. As an example, one recent Friday a musical
group called <i>Full Circle</i> performed. <i>Full Circle</i> is comprised of five women
of, shall we say, “mature” years who agree that retirement means time to do
what they really love. It is places (and
people) like Grace Church that allow others to grow and flourish. Surely, Grace Church meant to provide an
evening of entertainment for members of its community. But in doing so, its community expanded to
include this musical group in whom the Spirit is bursting to be released and
shared. And that touches others. And the beacon shines on. <o:p></o:p></div>
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These examples, as seen in Holy Trinity, Swanton with St,
John’s, Highgate and Grace Church, Sheldon demonstrate what it means to be a
beacon in the Diocese of Vermont.<o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365574127392227485.post-32178929746810679262013-08-08T14:08:00.000-04:002013-08-08T14:08:01.415-04:00The Scepter and the Throne<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vw9jFcc_Crw/UgPONQ_mZCI/AAAAAAAACNI/r4sXBVeLvmc/s1600/IMG_1513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vw9jFcc_Crw/UgPONQ_mZCI/AAAAAAAACNI/r4sXBVeLvmc/s320/IMG_1513.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Conference Center at Rock Point</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IOS8C9n2aUM/UgPM3pv94zI/AAAAAAAACCU/zoEVt6qTVwQ/s1600/IMG_1573.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IOS8C9n2aUM/UgPM3pv94zI/AAAAAAAACCU/zoEVt6qTVwQ/s320/IMG_1573.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Burlington</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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As a scepter is a symbol of authority in the hands of a
ruler, so the beautiful property of Rock Point is emblematic of the Diocese of
Vermont. Juxtaposed with the natural historic appeal of the Rock Point property
stands the testimony to the modern creative imagination of mankind in the Cathedral
Church of St. Paul—the “throne” of the Episcopacy. The two represent all that
is diverse in our diocese and celebrate, even invite that diversity. More than
any other properties in our diocese, these two entities belong widely to all of
us. Inasmuch as our parishes are our church homes, Rock Point and the cathedral
are our “back yard and playground.”<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_VF3Eq_EajI/UgPPMFIjuCI/AAAAAAAACMo/iCL-JA1CIz4/s1600/Vermont+Episcopal+Institute.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="257" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_VF3Eq_EajI/UgPPMFIjuCI/AAAAAAAACMo/iCL-JA1CIz4/s320/Vermont+Episcopal+Institute.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Vermont Episcopal Institute, archived photo</i></td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4YGqF3RTnto/UgPWQajFH_I/AAAAAAAACNY/ISfus3y-rx4/s1600/Rock+Point.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4YGqF3RTnto/UgPWQajFH_I/AAAAAAAACNY/ISfus3y-rx4/s400/Rock+Point.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>images of the Bishop's House</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Rock Point’s colorful history parallels its scenic beauty. The
property was “given” to the diocese by John Henry Hopkins, Jr. under the
condition that Bishop Hopkins debts and his own incurred in the purchase of the
land be absolved and that the bishop’s dream of establishing a school and
seminary on the grounds be secured. And so in 1860 the Vermont Episcopal
Institute was opened for use and included an academic wing for a boys’ school
and a theological wing for the seminary. Both schools shared a central chapel. The Institute functioned as a school and
seminary until 1899 when it was closed. The building stood empty for decades
until the diocese converted it into a Diocesan Center. Meanwhile, in 1888,
Bishop Hopkins Hall, which is now Rock Point School, was opened as a girls’
school. That school, too, was closed in
1899 as costs for these academies became prohibitive. However, the school in
Bishop Hopkins Hall underwent a number of incarnations, and today is a coed
school for students with special educational needs and has an entirely
different history line than that of the other schools housed in the building. In
1895, the current Bishop’s House was built under the auspices of Bishop Arthur
Hall. Bishop Hall was a member of the
Society of St. John the Evangelist, and thus designed the building after the
“mother house” in Crowley, England (a capital H footprint). Looking out of the
dining room window, one can see the Bishop’s Cemetery wherein all Vermont
Bishops and their kin may be buried. In 1937, the Chapel of the
Transfiguration, more widely known as the Outdoor Chapel, was consecrated
adding another element to the total property.
It became apparent in 1968 that the business of the diocese needed
meeting and office space other than that in the bishop’s residence. Rather than
including offices in the ongoing Institute building renovations project, the
current Diocesan Offices were built. In
1979, the beautiful gothic building that was the old Institute was destroyed by
fire and its remains demolished and buried on site. Since it was insured for
replacement value, work for the new conference center was set immediately into
motion, and on September 30, 1980, Bishop Booth Conference Center was
consecrated. The most recent and exciting addition to the Rock Point properties
is the solar array which was consecrated on April 30, 2012 and is designed to
provide 75% of the electricity use on the Rock Point property.<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U72mNVD-u1A/UgPWZ9zNAqI/AAAAAAAACN4/JngmmB6Q4rU/s1600/Rock+Point3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U72mNVD-u1A/UgPWZ9zNAqI/AAAAAAAACN4/JngmmB6Q4rU/s400/Rock+Point3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>images at Rock Point School</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Today, Rock Point is a serene hub of diocesan activity. Rock Point School is home to 30-40 students
during the academic year from all over the country; 15 during the summer
session. The school was and is actively involved with the solar array installation,
taking advantage of the opportunity to learn about renewable energy and
sustainability. Right next to the solar array and on both sides of the Diocesan
Office is a large community garden that helps provide locally-grown food to the
surrounding community. At any time
during the day, you will likely see someone tending the many beds.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-22KQQKz6V4o/UgPWXU08VBI/AAAAAAAACNw/uXMo-b87LsY/s1600/Rock+Point2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-22KQQKz6V4o/UgPWXU08VBI/AAAAAAAACNw/uXMo-b87LsY/s400/Rock+Point2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>images at the diocesan offices</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The Diocesan
Office is an unassuming building that provides an open and welcoming atmosphere
to all visitors. There must be a story about the ornately carved grandfather
clock, but it’s a story you’ll have to find out on your own!<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oC1w9KVAmZs/UgPWVfY0GzI/AAAAAAAACNo/3R1m0o5b26s/s1600/Cathedral+Church+of+St.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oC1w9KVAmZs/UgPWVfY0GzI/AAAAAAAACNo/3R1m0o5b26s/s400/Cathedral+Church+of+St.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>VT Bishops, clockwise from top left: John Henry Hopkins, <br />William A. H. Bissell, Arthur C. A. Hall, Samuel Babcock Booth,<br />Vedder Van Dyck, Harvey Dean Butterfield, Robert Shaw Kerr, <br />Daniel Lee Swenson, Mary Adelia McLeod, Thomas Clark Ely</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In the hallway,
you will find the walls adorned with portraits of most of the Episcopal Diocese
of Vermont bishops (Bishop Hall, the 3<sup>rd</sup> bishop is elsewhere and
Bishop Hopkins graces the conference room). Up the road from the office building is the Bishop’s House. The house is
H-shaped with a common room in the center and the Bishop’s Wing on the left and
the Family Wing on the right. The Bishop’s
Wing includes the library (which is now an archaic period piece), the bishop’s
study and upstairs is the chapel which has been used for private baptisms,
confirmations and other services.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7iHKvC7ch_s/UgPWTblZcBI/AAAAAAAACNg/Kl9vxq4YhPk/s1600/Rock+Point1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7iHKvC7ch_s/UgPWTblZcBI/AAAAAAAACNg/Kl9vxq4YhPk/s400/Rock+Point1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Bishop Booth Conference Center</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And just a little beyond the residence are
the buildings of the Bishop Booth Conference Center. The center includes the
Bishop Van Dyck dormitory building, the Bishop Butterfield main hall with more
rooms, a dining hall, a library and meeting rooms, and the Bishop Kerr building
which houses St. Michael’s Chapel and conference facilities. BBCC hosts several
retreats throughout the year, including Advent and Lenten retreats, family
retreats, and a host of other conferences. The center is nestled in a gentle
wooded glade that overlooks Eagle Bay on Lake Champlain. A path leads down to the bay where summer
campers can go swimming, boating and exploring. A short walk down an overgrown road
brings you to the Chapel of the Transfiguration across from an open field where
once stood the Vermont Episcopal Institute. And just beyond that, you will find
the summer camp cabins. As you make your way down to Lone Rock Point, you will
see some of the rarest, oldest and most interesting geology in the world! The
overthrust is an exposed ancient fault where two distinct plates are visible
and the crushed rock between the plates indicates the fault. The upper layer is rock that has moved some
30-50 miles from the east! Rock Point has trails that will lead to this site
and many others around the peninsula.<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aa2s7qTmVmg/UgPWcG8BtQI/AAAAAAAACOA/H4p_ImZbQgE/s1600/Cathedral+Church+of+St1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aa2s7qTmVmg/UgPWcG8BtQI/AAAAAAAACOA/H4p_ImZbQgE/s400/Cathedral+Church+of+St1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>images from the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Burlington</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Two miles south of Rock Point, and less than a ten minute
drive brings you right into the heart of downtown Burlington. On the corner of
Battery and Cherry Streets, right above the lakefront, stands the imperious majesty
of the Cathedral Church of St. Paul. The
controversial building is ultra-modern in its architecture and composition,
being constructed of enormous blocks of stressed concrete. The church was built in 1973 on its new
location overlooking the lake and the Adirondack Mountains after a devastating
fire in 1971 destroyed the old St. Paul’s Church. The Cathedral Church of St.
Paul has something of a Janus-like character: it is both a parish church with
local pastoral responsibilities and is a diocesan cathedral church with services
and hospitality offered for the parishes within the diocese. For instance, two
of every three diocesan conventions are held at the cathedral. And of course,
the Hopkins Bookstore is housed at the cathedral. The cathedral serves in partnership with
Cathedral Square, a housing development for seniors and low-income households.
St. Paul’s also partners in JUMP (Joint Urban Ministry Project) with other area
churches, which promotes physical, emotional and spiritual well-being of those
in need of pastoral care. The church has supports the work and mission of the
Integrity Vermont Group. Integrity affirms the LBGT community in God’s family
and works for full inclusion of this community in all of the sacraments.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-StiW0rwdSkA/UgPMv33kYaI/AAAAAAAACBs/S3j3J1GkejQ/s1600/IMG_1568.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-StiW0rwdSkA/UgPMv33kYaI/AAAAAAAACBs/S3j3J1GkejQ/s400/IMG_1568.JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>"Viola Finding Her Voice" by Melinda White-Bronson</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The parish has a large and active children and youth
contingent, with the youth group (SPY-St. Paul’s Youth) taking mission trips each
year, most recently to El Salvador. Many children sing in the Treble and
Canterbury Choirs. The Treble Choir is comprised of children in grades 2-5 and
trains young singers using the Royal Chorister Training Program. By the time they graduate to the Canterbury
Choir, grades 6-12, singers are well able to sight read music and learn advance
methods of choral singing. Together,
these beautiful choirs enhance the 9:00am Sunday worship service at St. Paul’s. Music is an integral part of cathedral life. This summer as part of the Cathedral Arts
program, a visual arts exhibit called “Drawn to Music” displays unique music-themed
artwork by local artists. Cathedral Arts
also includes performing arts. It is supported by and supports the local chapter
of Episcopal Church and Visual Arts (ECVA), a church-wide program exposing local
area artists. Each year, an aspect of Episcopal life is chosen to be the theme
for the artwork entered in the display.<o:p></o:p></div>
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St. Paul’s is currently in the midst of renovating its St.
Francis Chapel. The chapel will be a meditative haven for contemplative
worship. The 8:00am service is a Contemplative Holy Eucharist that includes a
10-15 minute quiet period of meditation following communion. To sit in quiet
company, each in his own silent space, really deepens one’s sense of connection
with God in one another. The Cathedral offers a Meditation Center where
meditation groups gather three times each week at different times to
accommodate one’s schedule. The Meditation Center is an offering to the diocese
and other Christian communities in Vermont and upstate New York.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The descriptions in this blog are merely a glimpse of all
that Rock Point and the Cathedral Church of St. Paul have to offer our diocese.
For those who have never experienced either place, do not lose the chance to do
so at your earliest opportunity! These are true treasures of our diocese, and
ought not to be kept secret! I encourage you, dear reader, to visit these sites
(both physically and virtually) with all my enthusiasm! <o:p></o:p></div>
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Rock Point—Bishop Booth Conference Center: </div>
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<a href="http://rockpointcenter.wix.com/rockpointcenter">http://rockpointcenter.wix.com/rockpointcenter</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Rock Point Blogspot:</div>
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<a href="http://rockpointvt.blogspot.com/">http://rockpointvt.blogspot.com</a></div>
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<br /></div>
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Rock Point School:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.rockpointschool.org/">http://www.rockpointschool.org/</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Cathedral Church of St. Paul:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.stpaulscathedralvt.org/">http://www.stpaulscathedralvt.org/</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365574127392227485.post-32182952240260587842013-08-01T11:57:00.000-04:002013-08-01T11:57:16.277-04:00The Dinner (…and Lunch…and More) Church<div class="MsoNormal">
It seems like all churches have a thing for feeding each
other. But it seems especially so with
Episcopal churches. On any given Sunday,
worship may be endured just to get to fellowship! And if a smorgasbord of delectables can’t be
had at coffee hour, then chances are pretty darn good that a potluck dinner is
to follow. But the need to feed doesn’t
stop with feeding one another; Episcopalians take dearly to heart the mission
to feed the world! Feeding the hungry, both literally and symbolically is what
Episcopalians do. Not the least example
of such a church is St. James Church in Essex Junction.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rsGV1SvMcuY/Ufp9Dbm4abI/AAAAAAAAB_o/PhJdwVLxIig/s1600/IMG_1383.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="207" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rsGV1SvMcuY/Ufp9Dbm4abI/AAAAAAAAB_o/PhJdwVLxIig/s400/IMG_1383.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>St. James Episcopal Church in Essex Junction, VT</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Most Episcopal churches collect food for their local food
pantries—some even ARE the local food pantry. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
Many churches participate in local and ecumenical food distribution
projects. Quite a few offer community
meals. Well, St. James does all that and
more!<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FHhxe5IdYzE/Ufp81yDHlsI/AAAAAAAAB-c/aP5siB785ts/s1600/IMG_1374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FHhxe5IdYzE/Ufp81yDHlsI/AAAAAAAAB-c/aP5siB785ts/s320/IMG_1374.JPG" width="249" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>St. James' shield</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Their symbolic shield should
picture three oysters-on-a-half-shell rather than merely the three scallop
shells that typify St. James, for everyone knows that oysters make good eats.
Each oyster shell would represent a branch of feeding: the community at large, one
another, and spiritual nourishment.
Tuesdays are busy days in the summer at St. James. Not only does Meals-on-Wheels, which operates
five days a week out of the St. James kitchen, come in to prepare meals for
their day’s patrons (roughly 125 per day of both hot and cold meals, tailored
to individual dietary requirements), but it is also the day folks come in to
pack bags full of a week’s worth of lunch provisions for hungry children who
don’t have the benefit of the school lunch program during summer vacation—the Ecumenical
Lunch Bunch or ELB. Some people donate
food supplies, others donate their time to help organize and pack the grocery
bags. Still others help with the
distribution. St. James has a community
garden and some of the produce from that garden goes into the lunch bags. Like
St. James in Arlington, this program is an ecumenical one with participants
from a number of area churches of various denominations: Catholic, United
Church of Christ, Methodist, Church of the Nazarene, etc. And of course, it goes (almost) without
saying, they collect for the local food shelf.
In these ways, St. James does its part to feed its neighbors.<br />
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LympPQA7Ht8/Ufp8lIXo3rI/AAAAAAAAB84/cDQy3iMvfYE/s1600/Collages.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LympPQA7Ht8/Ufp8lIXo3rI/AAAAAAAAB84/cDQy3iMvfYE/s400/Collages.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>feeding the masses</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Equally important to feeding the hungry and providing
nourishment to those in need is the notion that food also serves a social and
fellowship function. When people enjoy a meal together, that common experience
brings them closer together and relaxes the dynamic of the group to enable a healthy
exchange of ideas. So food becomes a
centering device for a number of St. James gatherings. Members of St. James
participate in Foyers, a fellowship program where small groups gather at different
conveners’ homes for a simple meal and good conversation. Periodically, they
have fun programs like “Pancakes and Parables” where they gather for breakfast
and a Bible Study. This takes the concept of coffee hour to a whole new level! But
perhaps their most meaningful or spiritual food-centered gathering is their
monthly Dinner Church. This is
essentially a meal surrounded by worship. Holy Eucharist is shared, and between
the sacraments of bread and wine, a meal is served. Casual conversation is shared during the meal
and then attention is re-gathered with the Word of God as the service proceeds
to its close. Food for the meal may be prepared by a small group or it may be
provided as potluck. Dinner Church is held on the second Friday each month.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Lest you think that St. James, Essex Junction is <i>only</i> about food, this congregation is
vibrant and active in <o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-99KqzSGRYvg/Ufp8jHOMkqI/AAAAAAAAB8s/RUC4DgTlz_o/s1600/St.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-99KqzSGRYvg/Ufp8jHOMkqI/AAAAAAAAB8s/RUC4DgTlz_o/s400/St.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>images from St. James Church, Essex Junction</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
many other ways. Worship is augmented with music provided
by a number of choirs, including a cherub choir made up of very young
children. They also have an active bell
choir, and adult choir. St. James’ Kids offers the youth of the congregation
opportunities to learn about outreach through activities offered at least once
a month. Sometimes the outreach that is
offered is barely recognizable under the cloaking of fun! On the other end of
the age spectrum, St. James has Sole Mates.
Sole Mates consists of any single person over the age of 65. Like St. James Kids, Sole Mates gets together
for fun activities, day (or even longer) trips, and various “good works”
activities. St. James sponsors a Sudanese mission in Africa and each April
hosts a fundraiser to support that mission. Outreach is an important element of
mission at St. James, and almost all their activities endeavor to reach out to
others in faith.<br />
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It makes a certain amount of sense that healthy faith
communities such as St. James, Essex Junction would center much of their mission
on food. For food is the source of
nourishment, not only for the body and mind, but for the spirit as well. To be able to nourish a deeply spiritual
faith with both literal and symbolic food is a special gift. It is gift that St. James has in abundance
and is more than happy to share!</div>
<o:p></o:p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365574127392227485.post-61858689736292041542013-07-26T11:41:00.000-04:002013-07-26T11:41:49.084-04:00Teaching the Good Word <div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FiyBy1UGKl0/UfKQEgIU_TI/AAAAAAAABxw/ubm1ABH-CZ4/s1600/IMG_1446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FiyBy1UGKl0/UfKQEgIU_TI/AAAAAAAABxw/ubm1ABH-CZ4/s320/IMG_1446.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>All Saints Episcopal Church, South Burlington, VT</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
All churches—if they are at all effective—teach the Word of
God. Spreading the message is the very purpose of the Church, after all, according to “The
Great Commission”. “Go and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have
commanded of you.” Yet some churches take the<br />
second part much more to heart. Then Christian Formation and Education becomes a paramount mission. Such is the
case with St. Andrew’s Church in Colchester and All Saints’ Church in South
Burlington, albeit in rather different manifestations.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1aKgJbBQdVE/UfKRAPWnmfI/AAAAAAAAB2s/QJNm3nMswKU/s1600/IMG_1396.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1aKgJbBQdVE/UfKRAPWnmfI/AAAAAAAAB2s/QJNm3nMswKU/s320/IMG_1396.JPG" width="315" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Colchester, VT</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The drive to St. Andrew’s Church takes one along the shore
of Malletts Bay on Lake Champlain and by views heartbreakingly lovely. The
church itself celebrates its proximity to the lake and its resources with its
very iconography.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U4tlsA9Xf7I/UfKRGH9310I/AAAAAAAAB3Q/EGFCRxvNHwI/s1600/IMG_1401.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U4tlsA9Xf7I/UfKRGH9310I/AAAAAAAAB3Q/EGFCRxvNHwI/s320/IMG_1401.JPG" width="188" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>St. Andrew's Church cross</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The cruciform in the sanctuary, rather than being imagery of
Christ’s death, is representative of Christ’s life and mission—to make fishers
of men. The cross is made of two large
branches of Lake Champlain driftwood found by a parishioner who organized the
youth of the parish into twining the pieces together. Draped over the cross is a
remnant of an old fishing net. That net
transcends time and cultures to connect the fishing communities of upper
Vermont and of Jesus’ disciples. From a distance, the cross appears rough and
crooked. But as one approaches the
sanctuary and comes closer to the cross, it straightens and becomes a like a pointer
pointing to “the light” (symbolically represented by the recessed lighting).
The cross is a conversation piece that leads to prime educational opportunity.
Incidentally, the <a href="http://www.diovermont.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=383:vermontvoices-24mar2013&catid=103:vermontvoices&Itemid=311">March 24, 2013 issue of Vermont Voices</a>, which you can read on the diocesan website, tells a story about this very special cross.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D4GvKBTWCEc/UfKPkHzCHBI/AAAAAAAABwI/fkWRVCpB7tk/s1600/St.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D4GvKBTWCEc/UfKPkHzCHBI/AAAAAAAABwI/fkWRVCpB7tk/s320/St.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>images of St. Andrew's, Colchester</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The curiosity of the cross is one lead into St. Andrew’s
education program. On Wednesdays, a
Bible study class is offered to delve into the lessons prior to Holy Eucharist
that is celebrated at 12:30pm. Tuesdays
is the “big” day for educational opportunities at St. Andrew’s. Currently, the Tuesday group is learning is
studying a program called “Decoding Christianity” which examines the symbols,
icons and rituals of Christianity through the ages. Primary among Christian symbols is (of
course) the cross and the fish—a direct conversational line back to their
sanctuary cruciform. As seasons change,
so do the topics of study for the Tuesday programs. As with adult education, St. Andrew’s also
has a strong children’s program with their Sunday School during the regular
season (read that as “the academic year”) and Summer Sunday School which is
somewhat special. The regular Sunday School teachers are adamantly freed from
teaching during the summer. So other
adults in the congregation are asked to volunteer in pairs to teach one
Sunday. (Notice the significance of the
pairing! As went the disciples, so go the magisters.)<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oaEPY-H2bKw/UfKQ0MzTcpI/AAAAAAAAB14/tX5LuQVwCjQ/s1600/Collages.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oaEPY-H2bKw/UfKQ0MzTcpI/AAAAAAAAB14/tX5LuQVwCjQ/s320/Collages.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Christian Ed. rooms at St. Andrew's</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Incidental educational opportunities abound at St. Andrew’s. Along with the contemplative atmosphere in
the Memorial Garden and St. Francis Pet Memorial Garden, there are a number of options
for introspection and learning. Several self-improvement
groups that meet at the church, including the ubiquitous AA, al-anon, and
weight watchers groups, but also, there are two grief counseling/support groups
that meet at St. Andrew’s. The congregation gives 6½% of their pledge income to
outreach programs. Leaders of these
programs come in from time-to-time to talk about and educate about their
programs. Currently, among St. Andrew’s outreach programs are several emergency
shelter organizations, Project Warm (emergency assistance for winter heating),
Brookhaven School for Boys (in the form of Christmas gift giving), and Rock
Point Summer Camps. Of course, the staples of Episcopal Church giving are also
represented: UTO, ER-D, local food shelves, etc. Upon completion of the major
renovations and building of the new parish hall, paid for in spite of having no
endowment from which to draw, these various groups have a lovely and inviting
place to meet and learn in St. Andrew’s
Church.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9bCEIOI93YI/UfKR44t-mYI/AAAAAAAAB8c/xpYtqbuIs0s/s1600/All+Saints+Church%252C+South+Burlington.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9bCEIOI93YI/UfKR44t-mYI/AAAAAAAAB8c/xpYtqbuIs0s/s320/All+Saints+Church%252C+South+Burlington.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>images at All Saints Church, South Burlington</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Like St. Andrew’s Church, All Saints Church in South
Burlington has a special mission for education.
Only they have a slightly different approach to educating. While St.
Andrew’s favors regular structured classes and meetings, the folks at All Saints
prefer a more a more randomly creative style, accessing education through the
arts and theatrics venues. The creative bent has been articulated in the very
walls of the church. Some of you may
recognize All Saints as the “blue church” with its blue glass walls that infuse
the sanctuary with a soothing blue cast. The enormous exterior cross has been
taken down due to safety concerns (the cross bar was so rotten and riddled with
woodpecker holes that it threatened to fall on visitors to the Memorial
Garden), but plans are in the works for an 18-foot high replacement cross. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IWNFQVzsI0k/UfKStcmEw4I/AAAAAAAAB8A/euK9-U7pctw/s1600/All+Saints+Church%252C+South+Burlington1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IWNFQVzsI0k/UfKStcmEw4I/AAAAAAAAB8A/euK9-U7pctw/s320/All+Saints+Church%252C+South+Burlington1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>All Saints Community labyrinth</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Recently, All Saints and the community installed an
11-course labyrinth in their back yard that is open all the time to the
public. When it was first installed as a
mowed grass temporary version, people from around the community began to frequent
it. Upon receiving a grant to build a
more permanent version, a brick-bordered version was installed and volunteers
raked over 300 tons of Shur-pak over the pathways. The installation includes a dolman that on
the summer solstice casts a shadow that cuts directly to the center of the
labyrinth. This labyrinth is larger than
most, allowing for group visits and simultaneous usage. In fact, future hopes
for the labyrinth include self-guided prayer walks and the installation of an
interactive project called “Odyssey of Light”.
The current capital campaign to raise funds for the labyrinth will
apportion 40% to a maintenance program for its upkeep. The church provides a
pamphlet and other resources that teach about labyrinths and offer suggestions
for how to use one for personal spiritual guidance.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All Saints’ unique plan for Christian Education includes
theater performed by “The All Saints Players.” One <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E0j6PpGhAQ4/UfKTfkM9uRI/AAAAAAAAB8U/g9q9skmYfm0/s1600/All+Saints+Church%252C+South+Burlington2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E0j6PpGhAQ4/UfKTfkM9uRI/AAAAAAAAB8U/g9q9skmYfm0/s320/All+Saints+Church%252C+South+Burlington2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>images inside All Saints church</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
of the parishioners in the
congregation is a particularly talented playwright who enjoys composing plays
complete with music and dance that give humorous recounting of familiar Bible
stories. Sadly, last year was the first time in a number of years that a play
was not held due to a lack of a director.
But perhaps the Spirit will stir someone with talent who will see to the
continuation of this unique way of teaching God’s Word. Along with the plays, All Saints has received
a degree of fame for their Christmas pageants. Each year, they are featured in
an “above-the-fold” article in the Burlington Free Press as the Christmas show
to watch! As part of the productions, music and dance are integral to
telling the story. All Saints has been
the happy recipient of some very generous donations. The baby grand piano in the church was a gift
from a parishioner and is often used to accompany the productions. Another
parishioner heard about an organ that needed a new home once the church where
it lived in Winooski closed. That church
gave the organ to All Saints provided they found a way to transport it. This lovely little Hook and Hastings pipe
organ, circa 1880, now graces the nave of All Saints and periodically
supplements the musical contributions to worship, the Players and more.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
St. Andrew’s in Colchester and All Saints in South
Burlington are two examples of how the Spirit of God uses the gifts and talents
of a community to drive the same mission in completely different manners. One hears the whisper, “Go and teach” and
creates well-crafted classes, structured and organized for an optimal learning
curve. Another hears the same charge and
goes singing and dancing and playing their way into sharing the Good News. Both are significant and of utmost importance
to their audience. Neither method is
better than another, and both serve God in just the manner they are supposed
to. Sometimes God’s ways aren’t so mysterious after all!<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365574127392227485.post-91057836743748600122013-07-19T13:05:00.000-04:002013-07-19T13:05:35.145-04:00A Quiet Progress <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xIKRy3j9Uxc/UelwgQzU0xI/AAAAAAAABtk/6sab5ikudTk/s1600/St.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xIKRy3j9Uxc/UelwgQzU0xI/AAAAAAAABtk/6sab5ikudTk/s400/St.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Lt. Luke's Episcopal Church, Fair Haven, VT</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was an after-thought to mention the renovation project. For at St. Luke’s in Fair Haven, the
renovation project is a means to an end rather than the end itself. St. Luke’s is at the approval and fundraising
stage of a project to install an elevator that will allow handicap access to
their undercroft. But it is the reason behind these renovations—to welcome
everyone to all parts of their church—that is important, not the renovations
themselves.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8MqbtUuhb5g/Uelwj5HgilI/AAAAAAAABu0/V-YXt-VEPeE/s1600/IMG_1354.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="198" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8MqbtUuhb5g/Uelwj5HgilI/AAAAAAAABu0/V-YXt-VEPeE/s400/IMG_1354.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>schematics for elevator installation</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The small congregation at St. Luke’s Church, Fair Haven has
a much greater concern for reaching out to its community than to wax on about
its renovation project. In fact,
building an elevator is in direct response to members of the community to whom
they are reaching out. Each month, St.
Luke’s host a community breakfast which, as is typical of church community
meals, serves a number of individuals and families in need. Right now because
of the lack of access, those who cannot use stairs are fed upstairs in the
church and are unable to join the company in the undercroft. While they still enjoy the meal, it is not an
ideal situation, for they are separate from the rest of the company. The elevator will make it so everyone may
partake of the meal together. Another idea in the works is that of ecumenical
worship in the park (Fair Haven’s town green) celebrating God’s love. This is <o:p></o:p></div>
still a germinating idea with hopes
for fruition this fall. St. Luke’s has
been for many years a combined congregation with St. Mark’s Church in Castleton.
For the past two years, St. Mark’s has been closed and the congregation
worships exclusively at St. Luke’s and the building in Castleton is to be sold.
The congregation came to the understanding that maintaining two church
buildings in separate towns for a single congregation was simply an
impracticality that they could ill-afford. Several members acknowledged that
making the decision has been liberating and has allowed for growth and
flourishing in ways they hadn't expected. <br />
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--hBlYP558a0/UelwhslccTI/AAAAAAAABtw/_xFrrgLNI8A/s1600/St1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--hBlYP558a0/UelwhslccTI/AAAAAAAABtw/_xFrrgLNI8A/s400/St1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>interior images at St. Luke's</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
St. Luke’s recently welcomed their new
Priest-in-Partnership, John Miller, and his wife. In the same month, they made their farewells
to two very important members of their parish—their co-senior wardens, in
fact. Prior to the Miller’s arrival, the
congregation became used to worshipping with their interim’s dog, whom they
affectionately termed their “Episco-dog.” They were happy to welcome the new
priest’s pet, Leo, as their new Episco-dog.
One church member expressed how having the animals at worship(which
another member interjected were better behaved than some of the human members!)
expanded their understanding of God’s creation and family—that as our pets are
members of our own families, so are they beloved members of God’s divine
family. While they welcome Leo, they haven’t completely embraced the idea of
welcoming the potentially hazardous distraction of pets on a regular basis!
Even as they welcomed their new priest, they endured the difficulty of saying
goodbye to two other very dear members and they journeyed westward to make
their new home in Oregon. These transitions, welcoming newcomers and letting go
of those who leave, are all part of the ongoing changes that life in a small
parish brings.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
St. Luke’s Church is a quaint and charming clapboard
building with a warm interior that includes a distinct <o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-to_B5D_JNmQ/Uelwi6GL7gI/AAAAAAAABt4/Df8aCTGbs8Q/s1600/Collages.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-to_B5D_JNmQ/Uelwi6GL7gI/AAAAAAAABt4/Df8aCTGbs8Q/s400/Collages.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>sanctuary, nave, and chancel</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
nave, chancel and
sanctuary. The nave, representing the present populous church, is the lowest
level furnished with wooden pews and the floors covered by area rugs. The chancel, representing the expectant
church, is carpeted and sparsely furnished.
It rises above the floor of the nave in front of the rood arch and is
bounded with a wooden railing. The
sanctuary, representing kingdom come or the future church, rises one more step
and is tucked in behind the rood arch.
The congregation takes communion around the altar in the sanctuary
rather than at the railing which would keep them out of the future. This congregation prefers to take part in the
future church and so offers themselves as the present church moving through the
expectant church to be in communion with the future church. It makes a
statement of how the Spirit is stirring at St. Luke’s! The stirrings may not be
loud, and they may not be profuse, but they are forward-looking.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365574127392227485.post-85295430900098945902013-07-15T20:42:00.000-04:002013-09-02T15:42:02.797-04:00A Renewal of Space and Spirit<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pFLrRSy-GQA/UiTl4eN0_AI/AAAAAAAADVw/jwiYWE_DArc/s1600/Gethsemane+Church%252C+Proctorsville.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pFLrRSy-GQA/UiTl4eN0_AI/AAAAAAAADVw/jwiYWE_DArc/s400/Gethsemane+Church%252C+Proctorsville.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>images at Gethsemane Church, Proctorsville, VT</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A “sea-change” is defined by one dictionary as “a poetic
term meaning a marked transformation brought on by tragic circumstances in
which the form is retained but the substance is replaced,” and by another as “a
striking change, often for the better”. On
August 28, 2011, the congregation of Gethsemane Church in Proctorsville
experienced a sea-change. When Tropical
Storm “Irene” thundered through Vermont, most of the churches in our diocese
were spared. But not Gethsemane. This small parish lost their parish house and
nearly lost their church. Yet, small as
they were and daunting as the prospect of restoration was, they had the
fortitude—and the community support—to put Gethsemane back together again. But as usually happens with events such as
this, the renewed church looks familiar, but has made substantial changes.<br />
<div>
<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A natural disaster like this will really show what people
and communities are made of. While the
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
congregation had a great deal to contend with themselves, they first looked to
their neighbors to see how they could help.
They had no place to distribute items people needed, but distribute,
they did! So when it came time to ask
for help in return, Proctorsville showed up.
And so did Vermont. <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i20VspH6AZQ/UiTl5QRpqTI/AAAAAAAADWA/SbuirGW00e8/s1600/Gethsemane+Church%252C+Proctorsville2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i20VspH6AZQ/UiTl5QRpqTI/AAAAAAAADWA/SbuirGW00e8/s400/Gethsemane+Church%252C+Proctorsville2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>a tribute from El Salvadoran friends</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And so did
the world in the hands of our friends in El Salvador. A group of people from the congregation of
San Lucas, El Salvador came to Proctorsville to help with the rebuilding
process. They brought with them a number
of gifts that now appear throughout the church and parish hall—especially the
bathroom, which is was decorated in bright Salvadoran colors and Salvadoran
folk art. Those from San Lucas who could
not be there physically to help remained at home and prayed for Gethsemane,
dedicating the September 4, 2011 Holy Eucharist service to their brothers and
sisters in Proctorsville. <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ea5P-XMopak/UiTl47ViJ8I/AAAAAAAADV8/286JgX_Vh-w/s1600/Gethsemane+Church%252C+Proctorsville1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ea5P-XMopak/UiTl47ViJ8I/AAAAAAAADV8/286JgX_Vh-w/s400/Gethsemane+Church%252C+Proctorsville1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>the new, the gifts, the renovations</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The community of Proctorsville also showed up. In fact, the town made absolutely clear how
vital they find this little Episcopal church to be. Much of the contracting and labor was
donated. One artistic friend of the
church reclaimed broken pieces of the colored glass windows and created a
beautiful stained glass window piece that now graces a window in the parish
hall. The rubble needed to be removed,
the foundation of the church was raised significantly, a whole new heating
system needed to be built and of course, the parish house needed to be
rebuilt. The lovely memorial garden was
completely destroyed and a new landscaping plan had to be drawn up. In all the plans, the church also needed to
meet FEMA codes and accessibility standards.
One of the most arduous tasks was building a ramp. Because of the flood plain, the ramp could
not enter the front door, which seemed at first to be so frustratingly
degrading and not at all what they wanted to convey. But they had little choice, so the ramp comes
in through the parish hall and into the church through the sanctuary. What started off as a disappointment turned
into a special grace, symbolizing God’s blessings upon these “last” who shall
be first. In another example of
community support, one parishioner offered to donate stones to provide
aesthetic appeal to the newly raised foundation, but needed someone else to
teach him how to lay the stones. He got
the help and the result is a lovely raised-bed flower garden. Of course, space is of a premium in a little
church like Gethsemane, so the tiny sacristy required special care. What to do about hanging those very large,
easily wrinkled vestments? Why use a
horse blanket rack and add extenders to each hanger so that you have as much
hanger as is needed. And the beauty of
the thing is that is folds back against the wall out of the way! These are the kind of ingenious gifts that
have been given to this recuperating church.
The sink for the disposal of Holy water and wine was also a gift—a Vermont
soapstone sink with a square of tin—probably from an old tin ceiling—to cover
it adds a special touch to the sacristy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Regardless of all the necessary renovations and repairs,
life did go on. The congregation
continued to meet for worship and they continued in their community
outreach. One outreach event was the
Blessing of the Animals service on the town green, just down the street from
the church. A gentleman with serious and
significant physical impairments attended the service with his dog, a Labrador service
dog who was literally saved in the last moment from being euthanized. She was unstrapped from the table and sent to
Vermont where this gentleman received her.
She supports him as he leans against her to keep upright. To see his beloved Angel (the dog’s name) be
blessed so moved the man that he offered help such as he could give. The former carpenter helped out by doing some
of the sanding and other “unseen” carpentry work. There is love built into Gethsemane’s church!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Gethsemane Church opens its doors during the week to a
number of community programs. Twice a
week one can take a tai chi class or Pilates.
Monthly, a homeopathy class is offered.
A community theater group has used the space to put on a Shakespearean
play. Gethsemane presented a series of “Raise
the Roof” shows, beginning with a phenomenal African drummer and including a
lively show by the singing group “House Blend.”
During the winter, folks from the community come in out of the cold to
watch old black and white movies together.
The winter congregation is supplemented with transient folks from the
ski industry—both skiers and seasonal workers.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3r5TijMbf7k/UiTl5zoCMoI/AAAAAAAADWE/py6M-6Z1hyA/s1600/Gethsemane+Church%252C+Proctorsville3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3r5TijMbf7k/UiTl5zoCMoI/AAAAAAAADWE/py6M-6Z1hyA/s400/Gethsemane+Church%252C+Proctorsville3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>landscaping work and restoring the memorial garden<br />remains to be done</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Though most of the building and interior work is done (there
are still a few things that need doing), Gethsemane still has a great deal of
work to do outside. A dream of the
congregation is to create a memorial garden that imitates a part of the Garden
of Gethsemane in Jerusalem. The possibility
of a labyrinth is also in the plans. Since
the congregation moved back into their church just a few months ago, in March
of 2013, they have had a baptism and two funerals, proving that as much as
things change, so they remain the same.
They are not a fiscally wealthy church, but goodness, how rich they are
in community, love and Spirit!<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365574127392227485.post-87957209431992420552013-07-08T15:37:00.000-04:002013-09-02T15:45:54.884-04:00On the Border in the Kingdom Far, Far Away<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lK1rHm7RYX4/UiTl2lwovUI/AAAAAAAADVQ/pvlSERnxOyo/s1600/Camera+Uploads.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lK1rHm7RYX4/UiTl2lwovUI/AAAAAAAADVQ/pvlSERnxOyo/s400/Camera+Uploads.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>left: St. Paul's, Canaan, Vermont<br />top right: St. Stephen's, Colebrook, New Hampshiire<br />bottom right: All Saints, Hereford, Quebec</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Far away in the most northeastern corner of the state stand
two of our diocese’s most remote parishes: St. Paul’s Church in Canaan and
Christ Church in Island Pond. Both
churches have a congregation of less than ten on a regular Sunday. Even as an outsider may think these parishes
are too small to sustain themselves, to those who know, these small
congregations are survivors and have not been neglected by the Spirit!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HZSWyY911hA/UiTl3ubTdwI/AAAAAAAADVk/fTgnonqOsu0/s1600/Camera+Uploads2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HZSWyY911hA/UiTl3ubTdwI/AAAAAAAADVk/fTgnonqOsu0/s400/Camera+Uploads2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>images from the three border churches</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
St. Paul’s in Canaan is the northern and eastern most church
in the diocese. It is part of a Border Ministry Covenant with All Saints’
Church in Hereford, Quebec and St. Stephen’s Church in Colebrook, New
Hampshire. Understand how remarkable this is: three dioceses from two countries
form one covenant! All three of these churches have very small congregations,
yet are rather close in proximity to one another. About sixty-five years ago, these churches
were on the brink of closing. But they
still served a purpose in their respective communities and no one wanted to see
them close. So the congregations pledged
support to one another in a common ministry and the Covenant of the Border
Ministry was born. Around the early to
mid ‘70s, they found themselves in the midst of another struggle in that none
of the churches could keep a priest. With the help of the dioceses, several
members of each parish enrolled in the Canon 9 ordination process. Today, the
churches are in their second or third generation of locally ordained priests.
The Spirit is still calling!</div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Kpi_-sNC5No/UiTl3FXvt_I/AAAAAAAADVY/Omrxwt_LEzI/s1600/Camera+Uploads1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Kpi_-sNC5No/UiTl3FXvt_I/AAAAAAAADVY/Omrxwt_LEzI/s400/Camera+Uploads1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>images from St. Paul's, Canaan</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
At St. Paul’s, there are only three regular members in the
congregation, although the numbers rise in the summer. In the winter, the church is closed and the
congregation crosses the border to worship at All Saints’ in Hereford. It’s a
little ironic, for the building in Canaan was actually from Canada to begin
with. It was built roughly around the
1870s and after thirty years, the original congregation abandoned the
building. The congregation in Canaan
purchased the church and had it dismantled, moved and reassembled at its
current location on Powerhouse Road in the early 1900s. It must have been quite an undertaking as the
interior is entirely paneled with wainscoting and the pews were numbered and
reordered in the exact same positions. The current priest, Rev. Robert Lee, is
descended from one of those early parishioners who made the move happen. As he
related the anecdote, Fr. Lee quipped, “We may have the only church in the
country that had to pay duty to get through customs!” His wife, Rita, is an
artist who applied her talent to the walls of the undercroft where they meet
for fellowship--even in the bathroom! She also painted murals
on the walls of the undercroft at All Saints Church, but hasn’t yet made the
attempt at St. Stephen’s in Colebrook.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is in these small churches like St. Paul’s in Canaan and
Christ Church in Island Pond where one sees the <o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JUKhuOBxKLU/UiTl39K8owI/AAAAAAAADVo/qiHND9Po2sI/s1600/Camera+Uploads3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JUKhuOBxKLU/UiTl39K8owI/AAAAAAAADVo/qiHND9Po2sI/s400/Camera+Uploads3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Christ Church in Island Pond</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Holy Spirit manifested in the
grit and sheer determination to survive of their members. They are like “flag
trees” that grow on the sides of windblown mountaintops whose branches all grow
in the direction of the prevailing wind.
In these rural churches, the congregations do not grow big, but they
grow sturdy. And they are adaptive. With the current “prevailing winds” of
society, communication with one another is paramount. Christ Church in Island
Pond is working with the other small congregations in the Northeast Kingdom to
establish an interactive communications system in effort to better connect with
one another. Through the use of
interactive TV and Skype, these congregations hope to share Bible Studies,
prayer services and other interactions. As the Spirit moves, who knows? Maybe these small parishes will be the
vanguard for greater things to come in our diocese. Imagine every one of the 48 parishes sharing
interactively on a regular basis.<br />
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I learned two valuable lessons on my visit to St. Paul’s in
Canaan and Christ Church in Island Pond. First, I learned that isolation and
remoteness does not preclude the presence of the Holy Spirit. God does not neglect anyone who seeks
God. Far away in the Northeast Kingdom,
there is no God-forsaken place, for the blessings of God are everywhere,
including small Episcopal parishes.
Second, I learned that isolation and remoteness are more a lifestyle choice
than a geographic location. Any congregation who loves their church and wants
to keep their church will find a way to do so. It is imperative for others of
us in the diocese to recognize the value of these small and distant
congregations and to support them in their endeavors. When we fail to do so, we
risk becoming isolated and remote ourselves regardless of how centrally located
we may be.<o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365574127392227485.post-36690142320475870852013-07-01T15:05:00.002-04:002013-07-01T15:05:58.229-04:00When “Like Family” Means Family<br />
One endearing aspect of rural and small town church
communities is the familial atmosphere and the sense one has of being cared for
as a member of the family. At St. Thomas
and Grace (the two parishes of Brandon and Forestdale have combined into one),
that sense of family is more literal than many other churches, for virtually
every one of the roughly 70 members is indeed related to one another. And those
who are not literally related are quickly assimilated into the body and made welcome
as part of the family. So fellowship
time after worship can become something of a glorified family reunion!<br /><div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lLp8jq6f4Ug/UdHQBYIFv_I/AAAAAAAAAsQ/4s6tusbDJOE/s1600/2013-06-27+13.00.50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lLp8jq6f4Ug/UdHQBYIFv_I/AAAAAAAAAsQ/4s6tusbDJOE/s320/2013-06-27+13.00.50.jpg" width="259" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>St. Thomas Church, Brandon</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-anHbp7cu17Y/UdHQE1Plp4I/AAAAAAAAAsY/3fYlLl1JC4c/s1600/2013-06-27+13.13.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-anHbp7cu17Y/UdHQE1Plp4I/AAAAAAAAAsY/3fYlLl1JC4c/s320/2013-06-27+13.13.14.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Grace Church, Forestdale</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Like any family with the inevitable chances for squabbling
and bickering, this family has learned to adjust and compromise. Perhaps the
greatest compromise came when the congregations of St. Thomas in Brandon and
Grace Church in Forestdale found it necessary to merge the congregations.
Imagine telling a pair of sisters that they must now share a room. You can predict the hue and cry over who will
have to move into whose room! In this
family, a compromise was struck out of fiscal necessity. During the warm temperature months, the
congregation worships at St. Thomas. To reduce the cost of heating fuel, they worship
at Grace Church in Forestdale during the winter months. Grace Church, a quaint New England wooden
clapboard building that is much smaller than St. Thomas, is significantly more
conducive to keeping warm. So far, the congregation has managed to be able to
afford the two locations, but there may come a time when they will have to
consider closing one of the buildings. Grace Church is smaller and easier to
maintain and has some property. But St.
Thomas is more conveniently located and has a rectory. Both buildings have equally loyal and devoted
proponents. Still, as yet, this is not an imminent decision, so we won’t borrow
trouble!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--7hwrR7hoLE/UdHSe8U3otI/AAAAAAAAAso/O6lXM6QXIRE/s1600/St1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--7hwrR7hoLE/UdHSe8U3otI/AAAAAAAAAso/O6lXM6QXIRE/s320/St1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>images at St. Thomas...</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
St. Thomas Episcopal Church is a stately building that
dominates the hill in Brandon, VT. Like
a number of other churches in the diocese, St. Thomas was designed by Bishop
John Henry Hopkins. It is the only stone church in town and has an equally
impressive rectory next door. In fact,
the rectory is the largest in the diocese. The building was left to St. Thomas
Church by the Conant family with the stipulation that it be rented out to provide
the church with an income stream. Today,
the Vestry is in the early planning stages for converting the building into
apartments that can be leased, including an apartment for the rectory. Currently, the rector shares the house with a
small family who lives in the upstairs portion of the house. Part of the planning will take into
consideration the parish’s dedication to environmental stewardship and finding
ways to make the building “green”. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One step in the effort has already been taken. A pellet stove has been installed in the
rectory to reduce the <o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9ZUiPPlWL2E/UdHSy-L3pAI/AAAAAAAAAsw/W7E_FG2Fyv0/s1600/St-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9ZUiPPlWL2E/UdHSy-L3pAI/AAAAAAAAAsw/W7E_FG2Fyv0/s320/St-001.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>...and Grace</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
reliance on fossil fuels. In the other buildings, new
low-volume bathrooms have been installed to help reduce the amount of water
waste. Energy saving lights have
replaced the old fixtures and are already showing a positive effect on the
electric bill. St. Thomas is also
committed to recycling, reusing and reducing.
They make every effort to ensure that all functions at the church are as
near zero-waste as possible. To that end,
they’ve set up a composting system that includes a biodegradable compost for
paper and most food scraps, and a compost bin specific for breaking down meat
by-waste like fats and bones and other lipids and proteins. What cannot be
composted—glass, plastics, metals—is recycled if it can’t be used again.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The results of all this compost is great topsoil that is
used in their community gardens. The garden beds are on the rectory lawn and
produce food enough for members of the congregation and community alike. They are small gardens and require gardening
from a number of members. But the
results are that each week produce is shared with the congregation and
leftovers are given to the local food shelf.
By the end of summer, over ninety bags of groceries will have been
donated from the gardens.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
St. Thomas and Grace have adapted and are very accepting of
change. There are only about seventy
members, yet they have a Sunday school of up to twenty children. School-aged children’s schedules being what
they are, there is the perennial problem of having acolytes. Rather than scheduling acolytes, they allow
anyone who is there on a given Sunday to be an acolyte. So the church has plenty of torches to bear
and they made fun red t-shirts with “acolyte” emblazoned across the front that
the kids can wear when they serve. One
member built a set of wooden candelabras that adorn the ends of pews during
Christmas thereby giving some acolytes an extra task in lighting all the candles.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
St. Thomas and Grace offer the rest of us in the diocese a
fine example of how a family should function together. They take care of each
other; they take care of others in their community; they take care of the world
they live in as if Earth itself is a vital member of their family. They do all this secure in the comfort of God
as the head of both their literal and figurative family.<o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365574127392227485.post-9195153516767423562013-06-16T11:25:00.000-04:002013-06-22T17:17:17.406-04:00The Fullness of Circles<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rEzWGztq0e4/Ub3Wgx9A8LI/AAAAAAAAArk/j4ROBKv1upg/s1600/My+Photo+Stream2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rEzWGztq0e4/Ub3Wgx9A8LI/AAAAAAAAArk/j4ROBKv1upg/s400/My+Photo+Stream2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Wells, VT and St. James Episcopal Church, Arlington, VT</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">As I made my visits this week to St. Paul’s Church
in Wells and St. James’ in Arlington, I was impressed upon by the circular
nature of life.</span><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The life of a parish or
congregation of people, while certainly longer than that of an individual,
differs in cyclical pattern very little.</span><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">
</span><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">As I witnessed the light shine in the eyes of a young family who find
love and comfort in the congregation of the newly restored church in Wells, the
sense of growth and renewed fortitude was palpable.</span><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">And as I wandered St. James’ graveyard on a
picture-perfect June day and read again and again on stone markers of a faith
that in death is life eternal with God, I was struck by the notion that here
and now is but a step in a continuous circle.</span><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">
</span><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In both churches, as I expect is the case with all living churches, the
everyday functions of life bear witness to the health and vigor of the parish,
while the memorials remind of a past and presage our inevitable future.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YizrGDMc6TQ/Ub3V-h5xoII/AAAAAAAAArM/rQ9ZNFtY0Oo/s1600/My+Photo+Stream3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YizrGDMc6TQ/Ub3V-h5xoII/AAAAAAAAArM/rQ9ZNFtY0Oo/s400/My+Photo+Stream3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>images from St. Paul's church in Wells</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In January of this year, St. Paul’s Church in
Wells, VT celebrated the culmination of four years of restoration. The foundation was firmed, the steeple shored
up, and the rot and decay removed. Like
the building, the congregation, too, found invigorating renewal as they began
this venture. How could this tiny
congregation afford this huge restoration project? Yet, how could they not and not simply wither
away and die? It turns out that the
whole community of Wells felt connected to the church, even if they were not
“members.” My sense is that the entire
village of Wells <i>are</i> members of St.
Paul’s, whether or not they are Episcopalians or attend services or are “on the
rolls.” So with the help of the
immediate community and the larger community in the form of the Vermont Trust
for Historic Preservation, the project was done. The historical integrity maintains its
balance with the addition of modern conveniences and necessities such as
running water and accessibility. And all
this is as support for the spiritual home of its congregation. A testament to the sacredness of this small
New England Church is its inclusion in National Geographic’s <i>Sacred Places of a Lifetime</i>, featuring
500 sacred places around the world. Today,
St. Paul’s stands on the town green proudly refurbished and preening like a
mother hen protective of her brood. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This pretty little church has every right to its
satisfaction, for it is loved by its congregation and <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mOnaud8eP8s/Ub3WAT1Ey6I/AAAAAAAAArU/J5oYJR-BQro/s1600/My+Photo+Stream4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mOnaud8eP8s/Ub3WAT1Ey6I/AAAAAAAAArU/J5oYJR-BQro/s400/My+Photo+Stream4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>images from the parish house and surrounds</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
its surrounding community,
and that love grows as the congregation grows.
With broad smiles that reached their eyes, members of the congregation
shared with me that as thrilling as the completion of the restoration of the
building is, the restoration and growth of the congregation is even more so. For the first time in years, they are able to
have a Sunday School because there are new young families with children
attending. Indeed, in the yard between
the church and the parish house is a little toddler’s playground that seems to
make the church building itself smile.
Okay, that might just be my fanciful imagination, but the smiles on the faces
of those warm and welcoming parishioners I met were true and sincere! The day I visited St. Paul’s just happened to
be the day of their monthly rummage sale.
The rummage sale something of a permanent fixture and is open every
third Saturday of the month. This, too, seems to be something the surrounding
community encourages and supports. The
new parish house is also opened to serve the community with space for meetings
and other gatherings. The evidence of
the Spirit may seem small and subtle, especially to those closest to it, but
the impact and stirring in this community is grand and marvelous!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bky37xVOg64/Ub3V4bGsB0I/AAAAAAAAAqw/QVCUXTkQdeA/s1600/My+Photo+Stream5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bky37xVOg64/Ub3V4bGsB0I/AAAAAAAAAqw/QVCUXTkQdeA/s400/My+Photo+Stream5.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>St. James church in Arlington</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PpDhe2T-IJw/Ub3V6-Mh3XI/AAAAAAAAAq4/KETWXX2BGtg/s1600/My+Photo+Stream6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PpDhe2T-IJw/Ub3V6-Mh3XI/AAAAAAAAAq4/KETWXX2BGtg/s400/My+Photo+Stream6.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>St. James' graveyard and resting place of founding fathers of the diocese</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The congregation at St. James also shows signs of
slight stirrings that create significant impacts. St. James in Arlington is also known as “the
cradle of the diocese.” The first
Episcopal worship services recorded in Vermont were conducted by lay reader
Captain Jehiel Hawley out of his home in 1764.
Shortly after the Revolutionary War, Nathan Canfield led a group of
families into forming the first Episcopal Society and installed Vermont’s first
Episcopal priest, the Rev. James Nichols, in 1786. The first convention of the Episcopal Church
in Vermont was held in Arlington in 1790.
Much of this history is reverently displayed throughout the church and in
the church yard. The people of the
parish have created a self-guided tour of the cemetery wherein many of these
founding fathers are buried and memorialized.
These original stirrings have a continuing affect upon the generations
of descendants that have followed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As is wont to happen over years and years, the
life of the parish ebbs and flows with periods of vibrant action juxtaposed
with periods of quiet recuperation and everything in between. At any given
time, depending on one’s angle of perspective, the parish can be seen as in the
midst of any one of these periods. Five
years ago, Rev. Scott Neal, the rector at St. James, and Rev. Kathy Clark of
East Arlington Federated Church recognized a need within their community. That is childhood hunger. Vermont has consistently ranked as one of the
top ten hungriest states in the nation.
With 22% of Vermont children living in food insecure households (that
is, households whose finances preclude regular and healthy meals), the mandated
school breakfast and lunch programs have become crucial to more than 27,000
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fViXI_byCAY/Ub3V8iLt3-I/AAAAAAAAArE/U2R4r5PgzKg/s1600/My+Photo+Stream7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fViXI_byCAY/Ub3V8iLt3-I/AAAAAAAAArE/U2R4r5PgzKg/s400/My+Photo+Stream7.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>kicking off the summer lunch program with Holy Eucharist</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
children. When school is out of session
during the summer, hunger becomes even more problematic. So, the two congregations worked together to make
up for that loss. Today, five years
later, St. James and four other faith communities gather each week during the
ten weeks of summer to fill over sixty grocery bags with enough food for five
lunches and snacks for each child. Along with such staples as bread and tuna, a
number of local growers donate fresh produce from their gardens to supplement
each bag. This week marks the kickoff of
this summer’s lunch program, and begins with an ecumenical worship service with
Holy Communion. Now, some folks may feel
that a five-year old program is well-founded and risks tending towards inertia.
Yet to those grateful recipients—both the children and their parents—there is nothing
stagnant about a well-run program that meets such a life-altering need. It is a prime example of living out the
teachings of Jesus: feed the hungry, not to receive anything in return, but
because it is right. The Spirit continues
stirring up something right and good in Arlington.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">As impressive as watching life draw circles may
be, I find myself more drawn to what those circles encompass.</span><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Like pebbles tossed into still water, the
Holy Spirit creates tiny stirrings that ripple out into ring after ring,
encompassing all that has come before yet excluding nothing as a
possibility.</span><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">As life—an individual’s or
a congregation’s or even a church building’s life—moves inexorably along its
cyclical path, it is the faith and actions and love filling in and coloring the
circles that tell the most gripping story.</span><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">
</span><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">And that is what impressed me at St. Paul’s Church in Wells and at St.
James’ in Arlington.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365574127392227485.post-25034518823247993552013-06-12T16:17:00.000-04:002013-06-12T16:17:12.534-04:00Hope Found in New Beginnings<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EFPWhG5woO4/UbjWexligYI/AAAAAAAAAqQ/PBh2XNHxCMw/s1600/cos+and+cc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EFPWhG5woO4/UbjWexligYI/AAAAAAAAAqQ/PBh2XNHxCMw/s400/cos+and+cc.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Church of Our Saviour, Killington and the "old" Christ Church, Bethel</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There is a certain excited energy in the hopes and
expectations of new ventures. And when the Holy Spirit is present, the fear of
the unknown is transformed into the delight of adventure! This is the case with both congregations of
Church of Our Saviour in Killington and Christ Church in Bethel. This weekend,
both congregations will celebrate new seasons of ministry. At Church of Our Saviour, they will begin
their new season with the installation of their new vicar, the Rev. Lee Alison
Crawford. At Christ Church, the Covenant
Group will be installed as the new Local Ministry Support Team. The atmosphere
in both parishes is akin to that of runners taking their marks for a race—and
they’re off!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ESmS03n3O8c/UbjTXg_cVuI/AAAAAAAAApc/pQjbAmuIZVA/s1600/Church+of+Our+Savoiur%252C+Killington.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ESmS03n3O8c/UbjTXg_cVuI/AAAAAAAAApc/pQjbAmuIZVA/s400/Church+of+Our+Savoiur%252C+Killington.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Church of Our Saviour, Killington</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Church of Our Saviour is unique in our diocese, both in its
history and its position for service. Still known as “Mission Farm,” the parish
is no longer a working farm, but retains the earthy, prayerful serenity of a
monastic-like farm. Its historic
connection to the Order of the Holy Cross reverberates in today’s contemplative
ambience of the place. Vicar Crawford likens Mission Farm to the famous
Carthusian monastery La Grande Chartreuse, calling the church “La Petite
Chartreuse.” (No plans—as yet—for supporting the parish by brewing liqueur,
however.) The monks of the Carthusian Order are equally famous for the vow of
silence they take. And to parishioners
and visitors alike, there is a similar spirit of silence and quiet that
permeates Mission Farm. When I spoke
with Senior Warden Donna Abramov, she agreed that the peace of the place wraps
you up and makes it hard to leave even knowing you’ll be back soon.<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ntGQzkCutr0/UbjTc1kit3I/AAAAAAAAApk/vzv_skLSo_I/s1600/Dropbox-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ntGQzkCutr0/UbjTc1kit3I/AAAAAAAAApk/vzv_skLSo_I/s400/Dropbox-001.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>"La Petite Chartreuse" Church of Our Saviour and trails</i></td></tr>
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It is the fervent hope and wishes of the vicar and the
congregation to translate that sense of the Spiritual within the Natural to
inspire others to come and experience “la petite chartreuse.” The Church property includes a guesthouse
that is open to individuals and retreat groups, the vicarage, a bakery which
produces wholesale baked goods for local establishments, and of course, a
beautifully picturesque stone church nestled between the Ottauquechee River and
the base of the Green Mountains. There are abundant mowed trails through the
fields and woods for visitors to walk; and the river provides water-play
opportunities like kayaking and tubing. The congregation has a garden that
offers its own kind of silence in communal solitude. The produce of the garden is offered to
parishioners and visitors each Sunday after worship. Yet, the tranquility of
Mission Farm ought not be mistaken for stagnation or non-progress. The <o:p></o:p><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LtOjloHJOqo/UbjTfiVeTSI/AAAAAAAAAps/9-5EKjYcTS0/s1600/Dropbox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LtOjloHJOqo/UbjTfiVeTSI/AAAAAAAAAps/9-5EKjYcTS0/s400/Dropbox.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Mission Farm Guesthouse</i></td></tr>
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quietude
has a dynamism that the Rev. Crawford intends to offer to neighboring
Killington (both the village and the resort). Church of Our Saviour is
negotiating with the ski resort to offer on-site tri-lingual worship services
(English, French and Spanish) to allow seasonal employees an opportunity to
worship where they work. Another hope,
albeit far distant and more dreamlike, than hopeful at this point, is to
combine the traditional with the contemporary. They would like to connect more
intimately with the nature of the area, perhaps installing solar panels for
power or using geothermal for heating and energy. A more immediate and
potential plan for Mission Farm includes developing a Nature Camp for all and
various ages at the guesthouse. Each plan, hope and prayer at Church of Our
Saviour holds within its core the quiet yet adamant breath of the Spirit,
gently stirring the souls of congregation and visitors alike.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cUGNjzKuzko/UbjUfbNClkI/AAAAAAAAAp8/6XdqdiFywM0/s1600/Dropbox-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cUGNjzKuzko/UbjUfbNClkI/AAAAAAAAAp8/6XdqdiFywM0/s400/Dropbox-001.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Christ Church, Bethel -- the "Village Church"</i></td></tr>
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Like Church of Our Saviour, the congregation of Christ
Church in Bethel is also celebrating new beginnings. Several years ago, this small congregation
stood at a crossroads. They knew they
were a vibrant congregation, lively, caring and God-loving. Yet they also knew they were too small a
group to be able to maintain even a part-time priest. So they decided to look into alternative ways
to meet the needs of the congregation and its community. Having assessed the gifts and talents within
their own congregation, they discovered that they had the gifts and the means
right here to create a Covenant Group—a priest (currently in the ordination
process) who presides over worship needs, a stewardship minister who
coordinates outreach and all other things stewardly, a preacher liaison who
coordinates preaching voices and Christian Formation, and a mutual care
minister who coordinates pastoral care needs. This Covenant Group has been in
formation for the past two years, discerning exactly what needs require
addressing and working out just what tasks each role will assume. The members of the Covenant Group have
generously and completely volunteered their services, thereby freeing up
finances that can be used in other meaningful ways such as providing
significant relief assistance to the Bethel community following the devastation
of Tropical Storm “Irene.” And at last,
the group is ready to be installed as the Local Ministry Support Team on June
15! By the way, Christ Church would love to have you help them celebrate at the
“old church” at 5:30pm on June 15.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The congregation at Christ Church
whimsically refers to itself as “nomadic” as they worship in several <o:p></o:p><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-15F_FXI0spM/UbjUgJYBPhI/AAAAAAAAAqE/1G-P6ogK8hA/s1600/Dropbox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-15F_FXI0spM/UbjUgJYBPhI/AAAAAAAAAqE/1G-P6ogK8hA/s400/Dropbox.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>the "Old Church" Christ Church by Gilead Brook, Bethel</i></td></tr>
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different
locations throughout the year. During the darker, colder months of autumn,
winter and early spring, they worship in the “village church” located in Bethel’s
downtown. When it gets really cold and prohibitively
costly to heat the lofty sanctuary, they pack everything up and move it next
door to their parish house. They worship
in that location usually from just after Christmas until Holy Week. In the summer, from Memorial Day to Labor
Day, everything lightens up and they once again turn into Vermont’s Bedouins. They pack up once again and move everything
to the beautiful old Federal-style church with its soaring multi-paned clear
glass windows, gleaming aged wide-planked floorboards, and pew boxes complete
with doors. There’s pride they take in
their buildings, for the old church (which was built in 1823 a mere 24 years
prior to the church in the village) is listed on the National Register of
Historic Places. Like our own Trinity Church in Rutland, the village church was
designed by Bishop John Henry Hopkins.
Both churches stand on a firm foundation, yet suffer at the
steeple. There is currently a
fundraising campaign in effect to restore the steeples on both buildings to
restore the facades to their original appeal.</div>
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As Church of Our Saviour and
Christ Church embark upon their new paths of ministry, the energy of hope
dynamically permeates both parishes in markedly different ways. Church of Our Saviour, with its bucolic
setting, conveys a Spirit of gentle peace and quiet labor. Christ Church, on the other hand, seems
stirred by a Spirit of history and industry. Regardless, it is the same Holy
Spirit that stirs both congregations as they anticipate their futures with
loving trust in God.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365574127392227485.post-26839714735753296882013-06-06T17:49:00.000-04:002013-06-06T17:49:33.751-04:00A Place to Heal <div class="MsoNormal">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FWa04Cubpa0/UbECvBYx7EI/AAAAAAAAAow/GI5vvup4D2I/s1600/Zion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FWa04Cubpa0/UbECvBYx7EI/AAAAAAAAAow/GI5vvup4D2I/s400/Zion.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Zion Episcopal Church, Manchester, VT</i></td></tr>
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Many churches in our diocese experience an attendance lull
during the summer, with folks traveling on vacation and business and leisure
taking them away from home for periods at a time. Yet the opposite is true for <a href="http://zionchurchmanchester.org/">Zion Episcopal Church</a> in
Manchester. Manchester is arguably the richest
parish in the state; it is considered a resort town. A good number of Zion’s church members make
their summer residence in Manchester. In
fact, to accommodate the increased numbers, Zion has an extra Sunday service
held in their satellite chapel, St. John’s Chapel in the heart of Manchester
Village. But Zion isn’t stirred by
wealth. To be sure, having parishioners wealthy enough to offer to have the
church buildings painted is a very nice perk, and Zion certainly appreciates
them. But it is not what stirs this
parish.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ArFbiNrDiuc/UbEDEMoCqHI/AAAAAAAAAo4/R2kXOyCIpZQ/s1600/Zion+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ArFbiNrDiuc/UbEDEMoCqHI/AAAAAAAAAo4/R2kXOyCIpZQ/s400/Zion+collage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
As I sat in the sanctuary waiting for the Wednesday service
to begin, I thought about my impressions of Zion and what special grace God has
bestowed upon this church. I felt welcome—but I feel welcome in just about any
Episcopal church, especially those within this diocese. I felt peace, and here I thought I might be
getting somewhere. The complex of Zion
Church includes beautiful glass-paned corridors connecting the church to the
two parish hall buildings. The windows let
the light, color and warmth of the daylight pour in and warm the bones and soul
of one passing through. The genteel elegance of the receiving room continues in
that theme of soothing comfort. The
large “Middle Room” is a jumbled collection of cushioned chairs and sofas that
are arranged in several cozy circles. In
fact, all of the rooms, including the Sunday School rooms upstairs and the
pre-school room in the back have a comfortable feeling of hominess. The atmosphere created throughout allows one
to relax and open up to the possibility of goodness and certainly contribute to
the overall sense of “here is peace.” The
Wednesday service is also a healing service, and concentrating on that, I was
persuaded that this was the key. Zion’s
stirrings involve healing. During the
worship service, the small congregation gathered around the altar and shared
Holy Communion and human communion. As
we held hands with one another, linking us all together, we asked for God’s
healing grace to reach those on whose behalf we interceded. This is a common
enough practice and many congregations pray for others in need and have faith
in the power of prayer. But what makes
Zion different in my own experience is the absolute depth of faith in the
expectation of God’s healing grace. Zion’s
congregation is made up of folks who have been healed, who are in the process
of healing, and who need healing—healing from physical, emotional, mental and
spiritual ailments. So to them, there is no doubt that of course God will send
His healing Grace.<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Periodically, Zion invites special guest healers to visit. Not too long ago in March, Fr. Roy Henderson
of from<i> <a href="http://mercylives.org/index.cfm">The Ministry for the Renewal of Love and
Mercy</a> </i>made his second visit to Zion to conduct a healing service. Fr.
Henderson is a Catholic priest who, upon receiving the gift of healing after a
pilgrimage to Lourdes, established his ministry with the express purpose of
sharing the person of Jesus Christ through evangelization; that through Christ,
true healing can happen. When Fr. Henderson offered his worship service at
Zion, part of the service included prayers with laying on of hands. Some of the members admitted skepticism that
hands-on prayers could be any more effective than any other kind of
prayer. But having witnessed the results
of this particular healing service, they set aside their skepticism. What they
witnessed was not a miraculous and dramatic lame-shall-leap, blind-shall-see
type of cure. What they witnessed was a
deeply sincere caring communicated through human touch from one member of the
body of Christ to another. And that
communication allowed for a closed or doubting heart to be opened or moved, to
accept God’s grace and God’s love. To witness such a wonder is the kind of “ordinary”
miracle that keeps faith alive.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y8GkiA2IcuM/UbEDMBMjmqI/AAAAAAAAApA/9DycxdIW950/s1600/Zion+windows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y8GkiA2IcuM/UbEDMBMjmqI/AAAAAAAAApA/9DycxdIW950/s400/Zion+windows.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
As I stood hand-in-hand with the small Wednesday afternoon
congregation, with the variegated rays of color <o:p></o:p><br />
shining through the lovely
stained glass windows—each of which depicts a piece of a story conveying God’s
healing grace—I came to understand that God’s Spirit stirs in Zion Episcopal
Church through the love and faith and touch of each member, and the conviction that
the healing grace of God is manifested through them.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365574127392227485.post-46122969238028048032013-05-29T15:37:00.000-04:002013-05-29T15:37:45.689-04:00Of Innovative Determination in Bellows Falls<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tjHo6l4WQK0/UaZWUbAUxbI/AAAAAAAAAog/e6DTz2uoB7k/s1600/Immanuel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tjHo6l4WQK0/UaZWUbAUxbI/AAAAAAAAAog/e6DTz2uoB7k/s320/Immanuel.JPG" width="292" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Immanuel Episcopal Church, Bellows Falls, Vermont</i></td></tr>
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Downtown Bellows Falls, VT is situated on two levels—the river
level and the bluff level. <a href="http://www.immanuelepiscopal.org/">Immanuel Episcopal Church</a> is on the upper level,
just a little bit closer to God. And one
can easily see the fine hand of the Almighty Spirit stirring things up atop the
bluff! The congregation is a small one
of only about twenty-five or so on any given Sunday, but those folks have an
innovative bent to their thinking and a determination to see an idea
through! They know their gifts and are
willing to share. They share through
their food programs, through their thrift shop, and most recently through their
newly founded Retreat Center.</div>
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One of Immanuel’s longest running missions is the <o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ymUFbt_p_Xw/UaZVAK0esEI/AAAAAAAAAn8/PHQV8jnuPGw/s1600/Immanuel+kitchen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ymUFbt_p_Xw/UaZVAK0esEI/AAAAAAAAAn8/PHQV8jnuPGw/s320/Immanuel+kitchen.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>collage of Immanuel's professional kitchen</i></td></tr>
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Community
Dinner which they host every Monday evening.
The dinner has been a part of the parish’s outreach mission for more
than twenty-seven years. The under croft
in turned into a welcoming dining room, and guests are treated to the
comforting smells and tastes produced by the capable cooks and hosts. Not only is dinner served each week, but
folks who are unable to get out and have difficulty acquiring nourishing food
may call the Church to be added to their food delivery program. Three times a week, food is donated by the
local Shaw's and dedicated members of the congregation pick up and distribute
the food. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LIDxWE4vZcs/UaZVQCWvq6I/AAAAAAAAAoU/KS3Z4-MyqBc/s1600/Immanuel+thrift+shop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LIDxWE4vZcs/UaZVQCWvq6I/AAAAAAAAAoU/KS3Z4-MyqBc/s320/Immanuel+thrift+shop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>collage of Immanuel's thrift shop</i></td></tr>
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Another more recent project established at Immanuel Church is
their Community Closet thrift shop. The
shop was begun in response to the considerable need of the underprivileged community
of Bellows Falls and the surrounding area.
The shop was open in January of this year and is entirely supplied by
donations. The very reasonable prices
ensure that even the most destitute are able to afford “new” clothes when
needed. The shop is open twice a week on
Wednesdays and Saturdays and usually enjoys a steady flow of customers whenever
the shop is open. It is a tidy and
quaint shop full of inviting color that sells clothing, shoes, some baby items
and various accessories like handbags and costume jewelry. Both the thrift shop
and Immanuel’s food programs accommodate a specific demographic and serve to address
pressing needs of that community. But
the newest gem in Immanuel’s crown of ministry caters to an altogether
different clientele. This demographic has been virtually ignored in the region,
perhaps because they are not perceived as “being in need”, or perhaps because of
erroneous conviction that the need can be met elsewhere. But Immanuel’s
research has shown that indeed there is a need in the area for a place of retreat and rejuvenation. Welcome to Immanuel Retreat Center!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-21pqoFmpcmc/UaZVPKmlKyI/AAAAAAAAAoM/2aVRpVIl1lY/s1600/Immanuel+retreat+house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-21pqoFmpcmc/UaZVPKmlKyI/AAAAAAAAAoM/2aVRpVIl1lY/s400/Immanuel+retreat+house.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Immanuel Retreat Center</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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It wasn't too long ago that the congregation at Immanuel
Church was faced with a significant problem.
What to do about the old rectory?
They were too small and too impecunious to afford a full-time rector who
would live in the building. And standing
empty the building was rapidly deteriorating. The church also owns the adjacent
property which is used by The Boys and Girls Club and also has an occupied
apartment. Plus, the building has
historical significance, having been built in 1847, so selling the property or
demolishing the building was rather distasteful. Well, it turns out that while
the congregation may be tightening its belt financially, it is wealthy, healthy
and wise when it comes to talent and innovative thinking! This is a
congregation that endeavors to live the baptismal covenant to the best of their
ability. They looked around at one
another and saw a gathering of thoughtful and talented individuals aching to
share their gifts. Here was a woman who loves to cook; there sat a gentleman
who knows how to market an idea. Yonder
were some folks willing to put in some hard labor. Over there was someone who could organize and
manage. As they looked at one another,
they recognized that they had everything needed to implement a creative and
innovative purpose for the old rectory building. Ultimately, the decision was
made to renovate the rectory and convert it into a retreat facility. Part of the consideration for developing the
retreat center was the acknowledgment of the changes in society and in the ways
in which people seek God. Immanuel
Retreat Center offers an alternative method for being in communion with one
another and God, and yet still allows for the congregation to survive in a
traditional way as well. There is still
work to be done, and eventually the center will need a board of directors. But in the meantime, the center offers nearly
a dozen retreat opportunities in the areas of Spirituality and the Arts. Other congregations and organizations are
also invited to create their own retreats at the center. To learn more about <a href="http://www.immanuelretreat.org/">Immanuel Retreat Center</a>, just click on the hyperlink.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5PpxaTsST5I/UaZVMh0lKqI/AAAAAAAAAoE/4-W5AjUanQQ/s1600/Immanuel+mosaic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5PpxaTsST5I/UaZVMh0lKqI/AAAAAAAAAoE/4-W5AjUanQQ/s320/Immanuel+mosaic.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>images of Immanuel Episcopal Church</i></td></tr>
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In all the works, projects and ministries undertaken at
Immanuel Church, the foundation of their mission is “to serve guests as we
would the Christ…” On Sunday, June 2 at 5:00 pm, Immanuel Church will celebrate Immanuel
Retreat Center and the Community Closet thrift shop with a dedication and
blessing. You are cordially invited to attend, and if you do so, you can expect
to be treated as welcome a guest as Christ himself!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365574127392227485.post-10868312008482911202013-05-23T12:32:00.000-04:002013-05-23T12:32:35.042-04:00The Holystic Community This Sunday is Trinity Sunday wherein we celebrate the holy
mystery of the union of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy
Spirit. We also celebrate our church’s
naming day. But ours isn’t the only Trinity Church in our diocese. So for this issue, we will celebrate with
Trinity Church in Shelburne. <i>Happy Naming Day, Trinity Church!</i><br />
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<o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y27DtErWmcM/UZ5Cbpom-DI/AAAAAAAAAnU/WKLUqxgR2DU/s1600/Photo+May+21%252C+1+54+41+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y27DtErWmcM/UZ5Cbpom-DI/AAAAAAAAAnU/WKLUqxgR2DU/s400/Photo+May+21%252C+1+54+41+PM.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Trinity Episcopal Church in Shelburne, VT</i></td></tr>
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<a href="http://trinityshelburne.org/wp/">Trinity Episcopal
Church in Shelburne, Vermont</a> embodies its namesake in its foundation, its ministries
and its calling. If one interprets (read that as saying “limits”) God the
Father as the creator and master builder, then Trinity’s buildings and grounds
and rich history represent those elements of the Father. If the Son is the teacher who prepares his
disciples to live a life manifesting the two greatest commandments—to love God
and to love one’s neighbor, then Trinity exemplifies those characteristics by
its worship and ministries. If the Holy
Spirit is the fire and light that call people to God’s purpose, then Trinity’s
deep conviction of “community” reflects that Spirit.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Recently, Trinity built a new parish hall. That building was designed to be unique to
the church, but in keeping with the history and spirit of the parish. Where the church presents an elegant, dignified
space for worship of God, the parish house is where the Spirit rolls up her
sleeves and cheerfully sets to work. It is here that the fulfillment of the
calling of community takes place. The
juxtaposition of the parish hall and the worship space of the church creates an
outdoors safe harbor with a sensation of being gently and comfortingly wrapped
in loving arms. It is in this space that
the Meditation and Memorial Garden offers <o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qln2kTWigSw/UZ5CtKvY5-I/AAAAAAAAAnc/XSUAW9sTrpg/s1600/gardens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="253" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qln2kTWigSw/UZ5CtKvY5-I/AAAAAAAAAnc/XSUAW9sTrpg/s400/gardens.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>collage of Meditation and Memorial Garden</i></td></tr>
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peace and tranquility. Trinity has a dedicated group of parishioners
who tend and lovingly maintain this sacred place, and as I walked through the
church, the garden and the parish hall, I was moved by the sensation that in
this parish, the calling of “community” is a holistic one: it includes those
past, present and future with a very slim measure of liminal space separating
these members. Trinity’s ancestral history and founding members are as defining
of its community as its current members are, and its future members are so
integral to the whole corpus of the community that they direct the ways in
which current projects and plans will be fulfilled, as is apparent in the
thoughtful consideration that went into the new building. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Smd1Aqmg2ro/UZ5Cu01J0SI/AAAAAAAAAnk/iepCadbsNyM/s1600/Windows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Smd1Aqmg2ro/UZ5Cu01J0SI/AAAAAAAAAnk/iepCadbsNyM/s400/Windows.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>collage of Tiffany stained glass window images</i></td></tr>
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As you look at the beautiful Tiffany stained glass windows
at the altar and in lieu of a Rose window, the depictions of Jesus are
representations of him still teaching his disciples—the disciples of
today. At the altar, Jesus is portrayed
as The Way. In the nave, Jesus is our master role model, teaching of the significance
of baptism and communion. The communion of Trinity Church looks upon these
windows every Sunday and is reminded of is Spiritual calling. The Spirit enables further learning
opportunities, not only in the capable preaching of Rev. Craig Smith during
worship, but in a special program they call “Space for Grace.” Each week between services, folks gather
together to learn about issues of our time and discuss in what manner our
baptismal covenant requires us respond. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Like most churches and other sacred places, Trinity opens
its doors to a variety of groups and organizations throughout the week. But I got the feeling that at Trinity in
Shelburne, those groups are welcomed as additional members of the Trinity
Community—not as outsiders who make use available space. As part of a regular
schedule, Trinity Church members gather together to prepare a mass meal that
they take to Salvation Army in Burlington that helps to feed the many homeless
and impoverished of that city. They also
offer “senior” lunches a number of times each year to remind those who cannot
come to church regularly that they are still important and beloved members of
the Trinity Communion.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I learned while I visited Trinity Church that it is not so
much <i>what</i> one does to fulfill God’s
purpose that is important, but that it is fulfilled <i>together in community</i>. I
learned that community defined in a broader, holistic understanding of the word
results in the kind of grace that is Trinity Episcopal Church, Shelburne. I
would venture to say that the community of Trinity, Shelburne is stirred not
merely by the Spirit, but by the Trinity.<o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365574127392227485.post-35965160794346219872013-05-15T14:22:00.000-04:002013-05-15T14:22:58.849-04:00A Fire Alights Upon Us<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Fg6--TMbATc/UZPQEyCJdbI/AAAAAAAAAm8/tGNwlvc57yo/s1600/2-holy-spirit-fire-ann-lukesh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Fg6--TMbATc/UZPQEyCJdbI/AAAAAAAAAm8/tGNwlvc57yo/s320/2-holy-spirit-fire-ann-lukesh.jpg" width="246" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="color: #e69138;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">And I will ask the
Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you
forever—</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">(John 14:16, New International Version)</span></b></span><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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In the story from which this verse is taken, it is the first
time Jesus refers to the time when he will be gone from his disciples. He assures
his disciples that he will intercede with God on their behalf and that they
will not be left alone. This “advocate” (in other versions, “comforter,” “helper,”
“paraclete”) will teach and guide them along their journeys. But it’s not just Jesus’
intercession that’s important to note here.
Consider the implications of this advocate who will “be with you
forever.” Was Jesus speaking about his immediate disciples, and forever being
defined by the duration of their lifespan?
Or when he said “forever,” did he mean for all disciples in perpetuity?
Or does this “advocate” move from teacher to pupil, sort of like a contagious plague?
Looking at this remark from another angle, one can infer that the Holy Spirit
was not and had not been with the disciples at all up to the point until fire
danced on their heads and they spoke in many languages. Of course, one might
further presume the Holy Spirit was unnecessary when you have God in the Son
right there with you. (Imagine God being
redundant…)<o:p></o:p></div>
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For the purposes of this blog entry, let us interpret the
promise universally. That is, Jesus
intended the Holy Spirit for all of his followers through all time, for this is
what we gain through baptism and recite in our creed. This Whitsunday, we will
remember the descent of the Holy Spirit in tongues of fire, and we will redirect
the focus of our spiritual guidance upon the Holy Spirit who moves within our
own selves. But, too, we must remember
that we are each part of the larger corpus.
When we take Holy Communion together, we reinforce that bond with one
another and God. Therefore, while we
examine the Spirit’s call in us individually, we must do the same with the
larger body. And that, my friends,
brings the topic around to our new theme for the coming months.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ElIjT7_3-0U/UZPQXdVIDkI/AAAAAAAAAnE/w-0A9Kj9So8/s1600/holy-spirit-fire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ElIjT7_3-0U/UZPQXdVIDkI/AAAAAAAAAnE/w-0A9Kj9So8/s320/holy-spirit-fire.jpg" width="149" /></a>Last autumn, Diocesan Convention passed a resolution to
embark on a three-year mission to explore ways in which the Spirit is working through us in the Diocese of Vermont. <i><a href="http://www.diovermont.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=374&Itemid=315">Stirrings
of the Spirit</a></i> explores what it means to follow Jesus in today’s
changing world. The concept of <i>Stirrings
of the Spirit</i> is to not only discern the direction God is pointing us in,
but to actually take those steps and follow His calling. <i>Stirrings</i>
is about innovation, creation, collaboration.
It’s about taking risks, having faith, trying new things. <i>Stirrings of the Spirit</i> offers parishes
and the diocese support and tacit permission to “go for it!” and see what
happens. The word “stirrings” suggests both
grand actions and tentative movements. “Of
the Spirit” acknowledges that nothing we done, either individually or
collectively, is without God and God’s direction. <i>Stirrings of the Spirit</i> is the closest we are likely to come to
someone saying, “Dream big, make it happen; we, with God, are right there with
you!”</div>
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There are 48 parishes in the Diocese of Vermont. Every single one of them is profoundly
touched by God through the Spirit. It is
my hope to share through this blog just what kind of stirring the Holy Spirit
has manifested in each one of these parishes and other diocesan holdings. Some entries will necessarily include surveys
of several parishes, while other entries may focus on a single parish. This is not to minimize or discount the power
of the Spirit moving in these parishes, but speaks to my own ability to learn
and communicate. I guess we’ll just have
to see how the Spirit stirs within this blogger!<o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365574127392227485.post-52887644286820480492013-05-09T00:00:00.000-04:002013-05-09T00:00:05.016-04:00The Ascension Soundtrack<br />
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When I look at artwork depicting the ascension of Christ, I
can’t help but feel something is not quite right <o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JpOZ6OD-49s/UYscm7fKg-I/AAAAAAAAAmY/fTl9kmORKQw/s1600/ascension-of-christ-garolfalo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JpOZ6OD-49s/UYscm7fKg-I/AAAAAAAAAmY/fTl9kmORKQw/s400/ascension-of-christ-garolfalo.jpg" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ascension of Christ</i> by Il Garafalo</td></tr>
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about it. Typically, Jesus stands on a cloud, looking
suitably Godly with divine light illuminating his wind-tossed clothing and curiously
still hair. Some of them even show the
holes in his hands and feet (one supposes to distinguish the event as the
ascension and not the transfiguration). The witnesses on the ground below him
portray expressions of awe, reverence and inevitability (you can almost hear
the surfer accent as they cry, “Whoa, dude!”). There are hundreds of paintings
and relief sculptures like this.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QjQ8PXeJAI4/UYseW5DhoII/AAAAAAAAAmk/nyTKQUM5MRA/s1600/ascension-of-christ+ivory+relief+400ad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QjQ8PXeJAI4/UYseW5DhoII/AAAAAAAAAmk/nyTKQUM5MRA/s320/ascension-of-christ+ivory+relief+400ad.jpg" width="205" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a relief sculpture in ivory circa 400 a.d.</td></tr>
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What leaves me baffled—besides the event itself—is the
reaction of the witnesses. Imagine yourself as Jesus’ BFF. Imagine you spent years traveling with this amazing man. You learned from him
and maybe even taught him something. You
laughed, cried, raged, and implored with him. You ate, slept, and prayed with
him. You witnessed all the miracles he performed. You witnessed all the
miracles conferred upon him: his baptism, his transfiguration, his crucifixion,
his resurrection. Even if you weren’t
there for <i>all</i> of these events, you
would have wanted to be, right? In
short, you would have become an intimate friend and developed a deep bond of
friendship and love with this man. Would
you really resign yourself to the inevitable and simply watch with reverence as
he rises into the air? Or would you cry
and cling like a child to his parent’s leg on the first day of school? I imagine deep in my heart, I am broken. AGAIN! This would be the second time in forty
days that my best friend is adamant about leaving me. I think I’d feel disinclined to blithely
stand by and watch it happen and be more inclined to doing some ranting and
railing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But Jesus did warn his friends and followers that while he
must leave, he won’t leave them alone (John 14:18). <span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">He knew his beloved friends would feel his loss keenly,
for don’t you think he felt the loss as well? </span>He promised he would see
them soon, and until then, he would send the Holy Spirit to be with them. The Greek word, <i><span style="background: white; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">ορφνος</span>
</i><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">(phonetically
“orphanos”),</span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">is translated
differently in various versions of the Bible, sometimes “like orphans,” or “disconsolate,”
“desolate,” “all alone,” or more commonly “comfortless.” In 1934, American composer Everett Titcomb composed
a motet called <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eV0g-gbF_s0">I Will Not Leave You Comfortless</a></i>
that uses this text from John 14:18. This
motet was the first ever by an American composer selected for the 1936 English
Church Music Festival in London, where 4,000 voices sang the piece. The music of the anthem is somewhat haunting
and expressive of the sense of imminent loss.
In contrast, the renowned English Renaissance composer William Byrd
composed his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPaujaggRSU">anthem</a>
using the same text, but with a more sweetly cheerful expression. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">While
these anthems are sometimes used for Ascension Sunday, the text tends to be
used more at Pentecost, when the Holy Spirits descends. Psalm 47, instead is more often the text used
for Ascension anthems. Because of the
nature of psalms and anthems, usually only a verse or two is used in a
setting. So it gives composers a variety
of text from which to choose to create a fitting musical accompaniment to the glory of Christ's Ascension into heaven. Generally,
anthems using the psalm text for Ascension Day are much more upbeat and joyful—Christ’s
ascension into heaven is a miracle, after all.
“O clap your hands all you people” is a text used by many composers: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pV9vKNVwsvk">Orlando Gibbons</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szwtsGsz-X0">William Mathias</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-UcZisjcog">John Rutter</a>, and many
more. “God has ascended with shouts of
joy” is another popular text from the psalm used by such composers as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrs5XR9Pd7k">Gerald Finzi</a>, Charles
Villiers Stanford (<i>“<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8maeFdlpyvw">Coelos Ascendit Hodie</a>”</i>),
Jacobus Gallus (“<i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5u2ZsGf0yXg">Ascendit Deus</a></i>”),
Spanish Renaissance composer Cristóbal Galán (“<i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQKsL-l0yos">Ascendo ad Patrem
meum</a></i>”). As with the paintings,
sculptures and other artwork depicting the Ascension, the variety of anthem
picks for Ascension Day are myriad! This
Ascension Sunday at Trinity Church, we will sing an anthem appropriate for the
day, an <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4-GQSruV0o">Hallelujah</a></i> by Georg
Philip Telemann.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365574127392227485.post-7422864814692391822013-05-02T15:29:00.000-04:002013-05-02T15:29:49.379-04:00Re-valuing the Lost Message of Rogation Days<br />
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From the very beginning of faith and worship, people have
offered thanks, praise and prayers of request and intercession for the fruits
of the earth. Celebrations and rituals were established to recall us to our dependence
upon the bounties of the earth. These
celebrations remind us of our duties as stewards and caretakers of God’s
creation and caution against willful negligence and careless destruction of our
only source of sustenance. Our celebration of Rogation Days is one such rite
and begins this Sunday, the sixth after Easter. The word “ Rogation” is from the
same Latin root as “interrogate” and means “to ask.” Rogation Days—the four
days before Ascension Day—are days to ask God to bless the fruits of the earth
by which we subsist. (In the autumn, Rogation Days of planting and sowing are
mirrored by the Ember Days of harvesting and reaping.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bmlheNmzEAs/UYK9HP0o3LI/AAAAAAAAAlo/ryj7_wVdcj4/s1600/rogation+days.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bmlheNmzEAs/UYK9HP0o3LI/AAAAAAAAAlo/ryj7_wVdcj4/s400/rogation+days.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Beating the bounds on Rogation Days, blessing the earth, the fields, the farms</i></td></tr>
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While Rogation Days rituals are among the oldest in our
tradition, hearkening back to the Sarum Rite of the 5<sup>th</sup> century,
they are merely given a passing nod in today’s worship. As society moved from
an agrarian one to becoming more and more industrialized, the rituals
pertaining to localized farming and plantations grew less and less pertinent.
By the 1979 <i>Book of Common Prayer</i>,
Rogation Days rites and lectionary had been relegated to “occasional services” to
be used at the discretion of the parish priest.
To be fair, the developers of our current prayer book have included many
more prayers and thanksgivings for the natural order that speak to our more
global understanding of God’s creation and our roles as stewards.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In fact, the ancient lectionary for Rogation Sunday had
evolved out of the instruction for the newly baptized. The Epistle of James
focuses on the correct disposition one needs to hear the Word and the expectation
of <i>doing</i> the works of God. It was the
collect which connected the care and preservation of the fruits of the earth to
the expected behaviors of the newly baptized: “O Lord, from whom all good
things do come; grant to us, your humble servants that by your Holy inspiration
we may think those things that are good, and by your merciful guiding may
perform the same; through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.” The Gospel from John is
one that Jesus forewarns of his departure and that the Holy Spirit will come
upon them. So ultimately the message of
the lectionary is that now that we have received the learning, we are to
listen, think and do. Through us, God is working His purpose out.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We no longer use the ancient lectionary for Rogation Sunday.
Neither do we use the Rogation Days lectionary during the daily offices. But vestiges of the ancient rite remain in
some of the hymns we use that are designated for those four days. Hymn 534 in <i>The Hymnal 1982</i> is called “<a href="http://www.hymnary.org/text/god_is_working_his_purpose_out">Purpose</a>”
and is the setting for the text by Arthur Ainger. The text was written for the boys of Eton
College, where Ainger was a popular schoolmaster, and subtly connects the
ancient Rogation lectionary of becoming messengers of God to the even more
ancient rites of asking for God’s blessings of earthly produce. This is
especially evident in the last stanza:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>All
we can do is nothing worth,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Unless
God blesses the deed;<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Vainly
we hope for the harvest-tide,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Till
God gives life to the seed;<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Yet
nearer and nearer draws the time,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>The
time that shall surely be,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>When
the earth shall be filled with the glory of God<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>As
the waters cover the sea.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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A hymn text by Edward White Benson set to the Vaughan
Williams adaptation of the folk tune “<a href="http://www.hymnary.org/text/o_throned_o_crowned_with_all_renown">Kingsfold</a>”
is another hymn specifically denoted for Rogation Days. The first stanza of hymn paraphrases the
preamble of the collect: "thou reignest and by thee come down henceforth the gifts of God." Yet this hymn addresses
more specifically the spirit of “ Rogation” in petitioning God for a bountiful
crop—the better to do God’s work! <o:p></o:p></div>
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As you progress through the days to Ascension Day next
Thursday, take a moment or two to remember the past traditions of Rogation Days
and consider the future and our roles in the husbandry of God’s bountiful
creation with the following collects:<o:p></o:p></div>
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MONDAY--Almighty God, Lord of
heaven and earth: We humbly pray that your gracious providence may give and
preserve to our use the harvests of the land and of the seas, and may prosper
all who labor to gather them, that we, who are constantly receiving good things
from your hand, may always give you thanks; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who
lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.<o:p></o:p></div>
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TUESDAY--Almighty God, whose Son
Jesus Christ in his earthly life shared our toil and hallowed our labor: Be present
with your people where they work; make those who carry on the industries and
commerce of this land responsive to your will; and give us all a pride in what
we do, and a just return for our labor; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who
lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.<o:p></o:p></div>
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WEDNESDAY--O Merciful Creator,
whose hand is open wide to satisfy the needs of every living creature: Make us
always thankful for your loving providence; and grant that we, remembering the
account that we must one day give, may be faithful stewards of your bounty;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and
reigns, one God, for ever and ever.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-chVy3sRBgtc/UYK87c3_edI/AAAAAAAAAlg/cJ2KlRlmozI/s1600/sowing_seeds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-chVy3sRBgtc/UYK87c3_edI/AAAAAAAAAlg/cJ2KlRlmozI/s320/sowing_seeds.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365574127392227485.post-17776109469412792892013-04-25T12:56:00.000-04:002013-04-25T12:56:41.739-04:00Music from the Mouths of Babes<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GAQd6xnzvNc/UXlSsLzshqI/AAAAAAAAAlI/LpI1j8eDeOo/s1600/little+light.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GAQd6xnzvNc/UXlSsLzshqI/AAAAAAAAAlI/LpI1j8eDeOo/s320/little+light.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>This Little Light of Mine, I'm Gonna Let It Shine</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Music in our worship is a very purposeful and considered
element. All the selections that have been included in our hymnals (regardless
of denomination) have been carefully considered and chosen based on a
preconceived plan or list of criteria for acceptance. Music in our worship must praise and glorify
God. Music might be used in lieu of a spoken prayer. It might be used to reiterate and reinforce
the text of the Gospel or other lessons.
Regardless of how it is used, musical selections are almost always chosen
with conscious forethought for how they will fit into the service. It’s a rare moment in our Episcopal tradition
of worship where the congregation will break into spontaneous song simply for
the sheer joy of singing a song! Yet it
does happen. I've actually experienced
one of those rare spontaneous moments of song recently at a Diocesan Convention
when Bishop Ely led us all in a rousing rendition of “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCN893hzueQ">This Little Light of Mine</a>.”</div>
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Our rigid structure of the order of service somewhat precludes
spontaneity of song. But even in our elegant and reserved tradition, there is
one area of mischief and joy where spontaneous song still erupts. Enter a
Sunday School class and you will find spontaneous song as children work on an
assignment. Spy on a youth group meeting
and somewhere along the way, they’ll bond over a song. They remind us that
music in our worship should also bring us closer together and should (at least
once in a while) be a joy! To that end,
the editors of our hymnal ensured that a number of hymns geared specifically to
appeal to a young audience were included in The Hymnal 1982, and most assuredly
again in <i>Wonder, Love and Praise</i> the
hymnal’s more recent supplement. The back of the hymnal includes a number of
rounds and canons that have specific appeal to children. “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJpcyMaeqFg">Seek Ye First</a>” comes to
mind. Another is a round by Michael
Praetorius called, “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSgoyvGIJYo">Singt
dem Herren</a>.” Other hymns specifically included to appeal to children
include “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uhjz4lyYSsU">Grand Isle</a>”
by John Henry Hopkins, Jr. and “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdqB_bcxRuk">Earth and All Stars</a>” by
Herbert Brokering.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kUXcsYcLEfY/UXlTRfo7LyI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/HxSEkQsl9ic/s1600/kids+songs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kUXcsYcLEfY/UXlTRfo7LyI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/HxSEkQsl9ic/s320/kids+songs.jpg" width="278" /></a></div>
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Not included in our hymnals are those songs children learn
through the oral tradition. Children who attend Sunday School or summer camps
learn songs that tells stories, teach lessons, illustrate morals and are just
plain fun. And not all of them are
forgotten by the time we reach adulthood, as Bishop Ely demonstrated. Along
with “This Little Light of Mine,” remember those other great campfire songs, “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2R4D6qhaD8">Peace Like a River</a>,” “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXtFqCw6rH8">He’s Got the Whole World</a>,”
“<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGsgHlTz6Oc">I’ve Got the Joy, Joy,
Joy, Joy Down in My Heart</a>” and “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmUuDQMnVM8">Give Me Oil in My Lamp</a>”
and some African songs like “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1KZbMprW8U">Siyahamba</a>” and “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO9d0IsiRAA">Ukuthula</a>” and, of
course, “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jjcxFGEysE">Khumbaya</a>.” Some favorite story songs retell Bible
stories with a twist. “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7ncTdDF0PI">Rise
and Shine</a>” is one that retells the story of Noah’s Ark. “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oasu3e8PQCk">Joshua Fought the Battle of
Jericho</a>” helps kids understand a confusing Old Testament story. Some kids are fortunate enough to grow up in
a family with a musical background. In my family, we used to trade silly songs.
My favorite growing up was an irreverent song my Dad taught me called, “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBpn366iqeo">The Happy Bible School</a>.”
It’s a silly old folk tune with endless verses and this refrain: <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>“Young folks, old folks, everybody come!<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Join the happy Bible school and
have a lotta fun.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Please check your razors and your
rifles at the door*<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>And we'll tell you Bible stories that
you've never heard before.”</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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*Cleaner versions say “Please check your chewing gum and
raisins at the door” but I like the hillbilly version better. My brother and I used to entertain ourselves
by making up verses about our favorite Bible stories. The only verses of our
own that I can remember are these, but you get the idea…<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i> “Abraham
and Sarah were getting on in years.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>An angel of the Lord arrived to
ease all Abram’s fears.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>He talked about a son and descendants
like the stars.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>And Sarah laughed until her husband
left to hit the bars.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>“Absalom was David’s son who had a lot
of hair<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>He thought that he could oust his
pop and steal the royal chair<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>But the king had a general that
disobeyed his lord<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>As Absalom hung by his locks he
stabbed him with his sword.”</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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You can find original as well as alternate verses at this
link if you <a href="http://www.whitetreeaz.com/yfof/yfofword.htm">click here</a>. Some of them are pretty funny and worth the
read! But be forewarned; as a folk song, many of the alternate verses show
their prejudices.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As everything that goes around, comes around again, the idea
of spontaneous song in worship is getting a revival of sorts with “paperless
music.” Paperless music hearkens back to
the days when congregations knew all the hymns by name and sang them as the
minister saw fit. Today, paperless music
is more in the style of Taizé with simple, repetitive lines that can be sung
and harmonized for use throughout the service. Who knows? The old favorites
from our Sunday School and Bible Camp days may find themselves back in our
worship again!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0