A Tale of Two City Churches

St. Paul's, Vergennes                                                                          St. Stephen's, Middlebury

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.

St. Paul's Church in Vergennes, VT

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!

images from St. Paul's, Vergennes

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.  

St. Paul's parish house in Vergennes

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.

St. Stephen's Church in Middlebury, VT

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.

images from inside St. Stephen's, Middlebury

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.

the parish hall at St. Stephen's, Middlebury

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!  

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.