A Service of Prayer for Christian Unity
Pentecost, June 8, 2025, 4:00 PM at Trinity Episcopal Church, Shelburne
For over a hundred years the Graymoor Ecumenical and Interreligious Institute has traditionally sponsored the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in the octave between the Feast of the Confession of St. Peter (January 18) and the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul (January 25). Each year Graymoor invites churches everywhere to observe this occasion with a special ecumenical service in a way and at a time best suited in their local context.
As members of the Vermont Ecumenical Council we have come to recognize the Feast of Pentecost as a most appropriate day on which to come together and pray for deeper unity among Christian bodies. This year, 2025, we invite Christians in Vermont to gather on Pentecost, June 8, at 4:00 PM at Trinity Episcopal Church in Shelburne. We also invite all who wish to stay after the service for dinner together at 5:00. Please join us if you can, and invite others! Both the service and dinner will be “hybrid” events, so participation will be available both in-person and by Zoom.
We feel blessed to be part of worldwide Christian Unity observances occurring throughout each year. We are inspired by the historic Lund Principle, from the World Council of Churches’ 1952 Faith and Order Conference held in Lund, Sweden. The Lund Principle affirms that churches should act together in all matters except those in which deep differences of conviction compel them to act separately.
To this end, the Vermont Ecumenical Council seeks to act as a “network of Christian cooperation,” connecting Christians across our state for the work of God through Christ. We invite you to visit our website at www.vecncc.org, and consider joining the VEC if you are not already a member. For more information on the history and background of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, please visit the website of the Graymoor Ecumenical and Interreligious Institute at www.geii.org.
This event is a great way to show our commitment to continued good works and community with our fellow Christians here in Vermont. Please RSVP by June 1st to info@vecncc.org so we know how much food we need.