Faith Unleashed: Women’s Retreat at Rock Point November 15-16, 2019 – Registration Now Open!
Faith Unleashed: Women’s Retreat
Friday, November 15 – Saturday, November 16, 2019
Rock Point Center, Burlington, VT
4:00 p.m. Friday, Sign-in begins
6:00 p.m. Friday, Dinner
5:00 p.m. Saturday, Retreat ends with Holy Communion
Please join us for a delightful weekend in God’s Word!
All Registrations require a $50 non-refundable deposit.
Early Bird Registration (before 10/25/19) subtract $30 from price listed below.
Registration Rates after 10/25/10: 1 Room – $170; Shared Room – $140; Commuter (No room) – $95
Click here for the event flyer and registration form.
Beth Greer and Pat Hobbs (pictured above) will come together to lead us in our women’s retreat, not only in the teaching of God’s Word, but in worship and songs of praise. They are Christian speakers and have participated in international missions for many years. Beth also has an incredible singing voice and leads in worship and praise wherever she goes. Both Pat and Beth love the Lord Jesus deeply and love teaching from God’s Word – delivering messages of love, hope, and victory! If you have any questions, please contact Darcy Jewett at 802-985-2067 or darcyjewett@aol.com.
Colchester Priest to Lead CDSP Continuing Education Opportunity
Church Divinty School of the Pacific (CDSP) is now accepting registrations for The Way of Jesus: Toward Christological Liturgy, September 16 – November 4, 2019. The course instructor will be the Rev. Dr. Robert K. Leopold, interim priest at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Colchester.
From the CDSP Website:
This course will help students examine their own personal and corporate spiritual and liturgical practices and the ways in which they are connected to the life, ministry and teaching of Jesus. Southside Abbey a non-traditional church in the Episcopal tradition co-founded by the instructor, will be used as a case study.
The Rev. Dr. Leopold has served in many, varied contexts. At a resource-sized parish with an endowment he was integral in building one of the largest young adult groups in the Episcopal Church. In the gritty south side neighborhoods of Chattanooga, he and a team started Southside Abbey: a non-traditional church in the Episcopal tradition. He has served internationally in the Anglican Church of Canada, in Ottawa’s Chinatown. In addition, he has taught classes at Sewanee’s School of Theology on missional ministry and the changing Church. As a Fellow with Episcopal Church Foundation, he has travelled around the Episcopal Church and Anglican Church of Canada in search of missional expressions, serving as coach, cheerleader, storyteller, and convener. He currently lives in Vermont, where he serves as interim rector while he finishes a Master’s Degree in Storytelling.
VT Episcopalians Join in Solidarity, Support for Immigrants Facing Deportation
From August 24-24, local immigration advocates – including some Vermont Episcopalians – participated in a Solidarity Bike Tour from Montpelier to the Stafford County Jail, a detention center in Dover, NH for immigrants awaiting deportation. Along the way, bikers visited designated checkpoints, including St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Norwich, where the Rev. Jennie Anderson provided prayers and blessings, as well as bicycle storage. St. Barnabas partnered with the nearby Norwich Congregational Church, which hosted a prayerful discussion about the challenges immigrants are facing.
The bike tour ended in a five mile walk to the Stafford County Jail, where additional participants joined on foot. The Rev. Earl Kooperkamp, rector of Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Barre, and his wife Elizabeth, were among them. Click here to view cyclists’ photos from the journey aried by WCAX.
The Solidarity Bike Ride was organized by Vermont Interfaith Action. To learn about other VIA activities, and to get involved, please visit https://viavt.org/.
Interfaith CROP Hunger Walks Are Stepping Up to End Hunger in Vermont This October
NEWS RELEASE | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Adam Smedberg and Erin Luchenbill
asmedberg@cwsglobal.org; eluchenbill@cwsglobal.org
CROP Hunger Walks – stepping up to end hunger since 1969.
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the national CROP Hunger Walk movement, CROP Hunger Walks continue to raise millions of dollars each year to help end hunger and poverty through long-term sustainable approaches to significantly reduce or eliminate hunger. In each CROP Hunger Walk community, 25% of money raised comes back to local agencies. Across the country, over 1,600 local agencies receive funds from CROP Hunger Walks.
This year some 800 communities nationwide, and five here in Vermont, are joining together in interfaith CROP Hunger Walks around the theme “Stepping up to End Hunger Since 1969.” The CROP Hunger Walk was started in 1969 by a group of energized young people in Bismarck, North Dakota who wanted to mobilize their community to fight global hunger. Today, the CROP Hunger Walk is a national movement raising funds for the global hunger-fighting work of Church World Service and local hunger-fighting agencies. Last year, over 800 events raised over $8 million dollars.
The CROP Hunger Walks taking place in Vermont this fall include:
| Addison County, VT | 10/6/2019 | Middlebury | VT |
| Lake Fairlee, VT | 10/6/2019 | Fairlee | VT |
| Washington West, VT | 10/6/2019 | Waterbury | VT |
| Burlington, VT | 10/20/2019 | Burlington | VT |
| Champlain Islands, VT | 10/20/2019 | South Hero | VT |
For more information, or to find a local Walk, visit www.crophungerwalk.org.
Aspire Together’s Annual Fundraising Banquet
Doors open at 5:30, Banquet starts at 6:00.
Mary Beerworth of VT Right to Life is our keynote speaker.
An appeal will be made.
RSVP Devon 658-8046
The Man Who Saved the World
In honor of the UN’s International Day to Abolish Nuclear Weapons
September 26, 2019 at 6:30 PM
O’Brien Community Center,
32 Mallets Bay Ave
Winooski, VT
September 28, 2019 at 7:00 PM
Main Street Landing
60 Lake Street
Burlington, VT
On the night of September 26, 1983, Russian missile officer Stanislav Petrov disobeyed military protocol and probably prevented a nuclear holocaust. He says that he is not a hero. “I was just in the right place at the right time. You decide!
For a few crucial minutes on September 26, 1983, Stanislav Petrov held the fate of the world in his hands. It was the height of the Cold War. The Soviets had recently shot down a Korean airliner. The United States was preparing to deploy Pershing II missiles in Europe. The Soviets suspected that the United States was planning a nuclear first strike. When an alarm suddenly went off at Soviet nuclear early warning center Serpukhov-15, Stanislav was responsible for reacting to information from Soviet satellites that five American nuclear missiles were heading toward the Soviet Union. Rather than initiate a nuclear retaliation, Stanislav went against protocol, and assured his colleagues that it was a false alarm.
“The Man Who Saved the World” recreates those tense moments in 1983 when Stanislav was faced with the decision of his life. And it chronicles his spectacular journey to the United States three decades later, where he was finally acknowledged for his historic deed and found the strength to reconcile with his past. He is honored at the United Nations. And he is thanked for his actions by celebrities including Walter Cronkite, Kevin Costner, Robert De Niro, Matt Damon, and Ashton Kutcher. Shot on location in the former Soviet Union and the United States, The Man Who Saved the World shines a light on the continued risks of nuclear weapons today, and the challenge to reject nuclear weapons in order to prevent an unimaginable disaster.
A discussion will follow lead by John Reuwer, MD, of Physicians for Social Responsibility
For more information Contact
Sr. Pat: pat.mckittrick@uvmhealth.org or Mariah Riggs: mariah@mainstreetlanding.com
2019 International Day of Peace
The International Day of Peace (“Peace Day”) is observed around the world each year on 21 September. Established in 1981 by unanimous United Nations resolution, Peace Day provides a globally shared date for all humanity to commit to Peace above all differences and to contribute to building a Culture of Peace.
The Winooski Peace Initiative is planning an evening peace vigil and encourages others to plan activities as well. Visit here for ideas: https://
VT Christian Rock-toberfest
CITIZEN WAY – JASON GRAY
with THE YOUNG ESCAPE
The VT Christian Rock-toberfest is coming EARLY this year!
On September 28, 2019 @ 7PM at the Barre Auditorium the “Love is a Lion Tour” will be rocking out with featured artists CITIZEN WAY (“Wavewalker”, “Bulletproof”) and JASON GRAY (“With Every Act of Love”, “More Like Falling in Love”) with special guests THE YOUNG ESCAPE (“Love Me Like You”).
If you saw how CRAZY last year’s Rock-toberfest was with CITIZEN WAY crowd surfing – you WON’T want to miss it this year!!!
This event will be hosted by Barre City Auditorium, Barre, VT.
Tickets available online at www.VTChristianMusic.com
STDA Fall Classes
Are you, or someone you know, in need of compassionate, achievement oriented, faith-driven education? Are you feeling frustrated with the confines of traditional schools, a lack of individualized attention, or dogged transportation woes?
With academics, instructors, and curriculums tantamount to those offered at state renowned Rice Memorial High School in Burlington, Vt., NOW you have a choice!
Saint Therese of Lisieux Digital Academy is an ONLINE Diocesan Catholic High School whose rigorous program is grounded in the firm foundation of a Christian Faith. STDA works with parents in their role as the primary educators of their children by providing flexible options to assist with the diverse educational needs of students and their families. Our goal is to develop well-grounded, well-educated, global citizens to serve as Christ-like ambassadors within our society and beyond.
Registration is now open for 2019-2020 Fall classes. The Fall semester classes will start on September 23, 2019.
For more information about registration, tuition assistance, scholarships, and partnering with St. Therese, please go to http://stdavt.org, or contact Mr. Bob Goudreau at stdavtorg@gmail.com.
11th Episcopal Bishop of Vermont
The Episcopal Church in Vermont Elects Shannon MacVean-Brown as Eleventh Bishop Diocesan
On May 18, 2019 the Episcopal Church in Vermont announced the election of the Rev. Dr. Shannon MacVean-Brown, Interim Rector at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Franklin, Ind., as its 11th bishop diocesan.
MacVean-Brown was elected on the first ballot of the Special Electing Convention in Burlington, receiving 41 votes in the clergy order and 69 votes in the lay order. A minimum of 31 clergy votes and 58 lay votes were necessary for election on that ballot.
The other nominees were:
- The Rev. Dr. Hillary D. Raining, Rector, St. Christopher’s Church, Gladwyne, Pa.
- The Very Rev. Dr. Hilary B. Smith, Rector, Holy Comforter, Richmond, Va.
The Rev. Dr. Rick Swanson, president of the Standing Committee of The Episcopal Church in Vermont, said, “I am thrilled to welcome the Rev. Dr. Shannon MacVean-Brown as bishop-elect. Her gifts and skills for ministry will not only lead The Episcopal Church of Vermont into the future, but her role in the wider Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion will be a voice of hope and promise for all of God’s people throughout the world.”
Commenting on the election MacVean-Brown said, “I’m excited that the people of The Episcopal Church in Vermont are so willing to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit and try something courageous. I am looking forward to forging relationships, participating in ministry, and joining in the work of the Church in the Brave Little State of Vermont.”
This historic election marks the first time an African American has been elected as bishop of The Episcopal Church in Vermont. Additionally, MacVean-Brown will be one of only three African American women to hold the title of bishop in any of the seven dioceses that make up The Episcopal Church in New England, also known as Province I of The Episcopal Church. The first was the Rt. Rev. Barbara Harris, who served as a bishop suffragan (assisting) bishop in the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts from 1989-2003 and the Rt. Rev. Gayle Harris, who is presently serving as bishop suffragan in that diocese.
MacVean-Brown holds a Master of Divinity degree from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Ecumenical Theological Seminary. She was ordained deacon in 2004 and priest in 2005 in the Diocese of Michigan. MacVean-Brown and her husband Phil have been married for 26 years. Together they have three daughters. MacVean-Brown resides in Indiana but will be relocating to Vermont.
Pending the consent of a majority of Episcopal bishops with jurisdiction and a majority of the Diocesan Standing Committees, MacVean-Brown will be ordained and consecrated on September 28, 2019, at Ira Allen Chapel in Burlington. The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church, will serve as the chief consecrator.
MacVean-Brown will succeed the Rt. Rev. Thomas. C. Ely, who has served as bishop diocesan since 2001 and will retire in October.
The Episcopal Church in Vermont encompasses 45 congregations across the Green Mountain State.