VT Faith Community's Online News - June 2011

Other Faith Common Articles

Faith Common is the email newsletter of the Vermont Ecumenical Council & Bible Society (VEC). PLEASE POST IT in your house of worship. To be added to this newsletter mailing list or to submit news, please send an email to the VEC office at info@vecbs.org.

PRAYER of St. Richard Chichester (1197-1253)
Thanks be to thee, my Lord Jesus Christ, For all the benefits thou hast won for me, For all the pains and insults thou hast borne for me. O most merciful Redeemer, Friend, and Brother, May I know thee more clearly, Love thee more dearly, And follow thee more nearly: For ever and ever.

FAITH SHARED EVENTS ON JUNE 26
Interfaith Alliance and Human Rights First are asking faith communities across the country to hold interfaith events on Sunday, June 26th. Although most Americans share a commit- ment to tolerance and freedom, the media is quick to cover the stories of anti-Muslim bigotry and violence. The nationwide June 26th interfaith events will highlight respect for people of different faiths. They'll help to counter misperceptions defined by the few who would burn the Qur'an with local faith leaders who are strengthening ties among different faiths. To learn more, get resources, and sign on, go to: www.faithshared.org St. Paul's Cathedral in Burlington will host an interfaith event.

IN MEMORY OF THE REV. DR. CONSTANCE PARVEY
The Rev. Dr. Constance Parvey passed away at the end of May at her home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She was one of the first women admitted to Harvard Divinity School. In December 1972, she became one of the first women to be ordained in the Lutheran Church.

The National Council of Churches states in a news release,
"Parvey was the author of the now-famous Sheffield Report on the community of Men and Women in the Churches for the World Council of Churches (1983), and was the longtime chaplain of the ecumenical Lutheran-Episcopal ministry at Massachusetts Institute of Technology." She returned to the chaplaincy at MIT in 1996 after serving as pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Jericho, VT. She was a member of the Vermont Ecumenical Council and Bible Society's Board of Trustees from 1991 to mid-1996.

DISASTER RELIEF – CHRISTIANS RESPOND
In response to flooding, tornadoes, and other severe weather this spring, members of many denominations are pitching in - making financial contributions and helping in other ways. Church World Service has a special need now for School Kits and Emergency Clean-up Buckets. Here are links to Church World Service's website and to some denominational websites: www.churchworldservice.org/site/PageServer?pagename=kits_main%20

American Baptist Church:
www.nationalministries.org/caring_ministries/VIM/index.cfm

Episcopal Church (Episcopal Relief & Development):
www.er-d.org

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
http://community.elca.org/netcommunity/page.aspx?pid=638

Presbyterian Church USA (Presbyterian Disaster Assistance)
http://gamc.pcusa.org/ministries/pda/

United Church of Christ
www.ucc.org/disaster/spring-storm-appeal.html

For a sample "Go Pack" emergency list to have ready in case of disaster, go to: www.vtcucc.org/docs/GoPackFlyer.pdf

United Methodist Church: (United Methodist Committee on Relief - UMCOR)
new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/work/emergencies/

CHURCHES ENCOURAGED to TAKE PART IN VT READS
Vermont Humanities Council (VHC) invites churches to partner with groups in their community to host programs and events related to "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, this year's Vermont Reads book. Any organization can take the lead and apply at www.vermonthumanities.org. VHC will provide free books and program assistance. Ask at your local library if the town is already involved and discuss partnerships. The book addresses issues of racial and social justice, faith, morality, and religion. In a letter to The New York Times in 1966, Harper Lee wrote, "Surely it is plain to the simplest intelligence that To Kill a Mockingbird spells out in words of seldom more than two syllables a code of honor and conduct, Christian in its ethic, that is the heritage of all Southerners." Contact the Community Programs Director at VHC, Mark Fitzsimmons, to learn more: 802-262-2626 x 306 or mfitzsimmons@vermonthumanities.org

NEWS FROM THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CHURCHES

1. Congregations are encouraged to participate in the program Faith Advocates for Jobs – to advocate for the unemployed and underemployed and to advocate for more just policies. There's a toolkit available from the Interfaith Worker Justice website here: www.iwj.org/doc/jobs-toolkit.pdf
2. AmpleHarvest.org connects food pantries and local gardeners. Food pantries can register on the website. Spread the word to the gardeners in your faith communities so they can find food pantries that welcome excess garden produce. Go to: www.ncccusa.org/news/110214ampleharvest.html

HORIZONS of the SPIRIT" - TV SPECIALS on NBC"
The Interfaith Broadcasting Commission will air on NBC stations the television specials listed below, beginning on the dates given (check local TV schedule for the exact air times). June 12 - Shadow Voices: Finding Hope in Mental Illness Sept. 25 - Lives for Sale: Immigration and Human Trafficking Nov. 13 - Journey into Action: Helping Hands in the Economic Crisis For more details, go to: www.interfaithbroadcasting.com/hofs.aspx