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/.