VT Faith Community's Online News - March 2008

Previous VECtor & Faith Common Articles

GREENING OUR RELIGIONS: AN INTERFAITH RESPONSE TO OUR ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS

A series of five lectures will be held at Ascension Lutheran Church in South Burlington each Sunday evening in April and the first Sunday in May. All the lectures begin at 7 p.m. To find out more, go to: www.alcvt.org/envirolecture or call the church at 862-8866. The lecture series is free and open to all.

The schedule is as follows:

• April 6: Islam, Dr. Saleem Ali, UVM
• April 13: Christianity, The Rev. Nancy Wright, Ascension Lutheran Church
• April 20: Native American, Dr. Kenneth Mello, UVM
• April 27: Judaism, Dr. Rebecca Gould, Middlebury Coll.
• May 4: Buddhism, Dr. Stephanie Kaza

UVM IDENTITY & OTHERNESS in a FRACTURED WORLD

Mirslav Volf will give this lecture in McCarthy Recital Hall at St. Michael’s College on Monday, March 31st, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. Dr. Volf is the founder and director of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture. He has written numerous books and scholarly articles. He is a leading participant in many top-level initiatives concerning Christian-Muslim relations. The lecture is sponsored by The Edmundite Center for Peace & Justice and is free and open to the public. For more information, call 654-2205.

SAFE SANCTUARY SEMINAR:

Keeping the Church Safe from/for Sexual Offenders This program will be at Maranatha Christian Church in Williston on Sat., Apr. 19 from 8 – 4. It’s sponsored by The Church at Prison and Maranatha Church. At this seminar, participants learn how to be proactive and how to reach out to sexual offenders in Christian love. They’ll learn about treatment for and characteristics of offenders and more. Registration is required and the deadline is Apr. 12. The $30 fee includes lunch. To register or for more information, contact Pastor Pete at 899-1437 or email: pastorpete@churchatprison.com

JOIN THE DREAM TEAM at Clementwood

This is the title for a four-college conference on Ecology that will be on Wed., April 9 from 2 – 5:30 p.m. featuring two nationally known speakers: Avery Cleary and Marion Honors. The conference, to be at Clementwood Spiritual Life Center in Rutland, includes a panel discussion, swap shop, and pizza feast. At the conference, which is free and open to the public, questions about our role on the planet and responsibility for its ecology will be explored. To register or for more information, contact Patricia Kane, SSJ at 776-2960 or email: ClementwoodSpLCt@aol.com

WALKING TOGETHER TOWARD JUSTICE & PEACE

Doris “Granny D” Haddock will be the featured speaker in this event-filled day. At age 89, she walked across the country for campaign finance reform. All are welcome at Bethany United Church of Christ in Montpelier, Saturday, April 26 from 9 – 3. Workshops on immigration, peak oil, white privilege and more will be held. Music will be by Dawna Hammers and lunch is available (please donate). The American Friends Service Committee is the sponsor. Contact Joseph Gainza for more information: 229-2340 or jgainza@afsc.org

CHRISTIANITY AND THE ARTS

This is the 6th annual Vermont Conference. It will be held at Middlebury United Methodist Church, Sat., April 26, 8:45 – 5:30. Internationally known visual artist Sandra Bowden will give a Keynote address titled, “A Quiet Renaissance: Artists of Faith for a New Century.” The workshops will include painting, songwriting, story-telling, etc. Registration begins at 8 a.m. For more information and to register, go to: www.christianityarts.org

PRISON MINISTRY IN VERMONT

The 14th annual conference will be held at Dale Women’s Facility in Waterbury on Fri., May 2, beginning with 1 p.m. check-in, and at Hunger Mountain Christian Assembly in Waterbury Center on Sat., May 3, with 8 a.m. registration. Numerous speakers will participate and workshops such as Victim Offender Reconciliation, Teen Challenge, and Working with Substance Abusers will be held. The cost is $25 for one day or $35 for two, meals included. To find out more and register, contact Pastor Pete at 899-1437 or email pastorpete@churchatprison.com

CLEAN-UP BUCKETS NEEDED FOR CWS

Church World Service requests help from congregations to assemble/provide buckets or kits for those in need. Currently there’s a shortage of Emergency Clean-up Buckets, and other kits are also welcomed. The specific instructions for assembling buckets and how to package, etc. are found on CWS’s website (see link below). The buckets & kits will be picked up at four locations in May as follows:

• St. Johnsbury, North Congregational UCC, May 9 –10 Call 748-2603 for hours and to make appointment.
• Waterbury Congregational Church, UCC Call 244-6606 for date and hours.
• Bristol, First Baptist Church, May 3rd from 9 – 2 Call Nancy Skidmore (453-5276) for more information.
• Bennington, First Baptist Church, May 7th, 10 – 3 Call NancyJean Steffen(442-4795) for information.

For instructions, please go to this website: www.churchworldservice.org/kits/cleanup-kits.html To reach CWS, call 1-888-297-2767.