VT Faith Community's Online News -November 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.

In This Newsletter

• 3 Squares Challenge – Nov. 13-19
• Thanksgiving worship services
• Leadership changes at National Council of Churches
• Lecture by author of “God's Secretaries”
• Advent Calendar
• Green Mountain Monastery wreaths
• Vermont Choral Union Holiday Concerts
• Week of Prayer for Christian Unity services

PRAYER

Now thank we all our God,
with hearts and hands and voices,
who wondrous things hath done,
in whom his world rejoices;
who from our mothers' arms
hath blessed us on our way
with countless gifts of love,
and still is ours today.
Martin Rinckart, 17th Century

TAKE the 3SQUARES CHALLENGE

Hunger Free Vermont is asking Vermonters to take the Challenge from Nov. 13 – 19 as part of a larger national effort to fight poverty and hunger. It's a way to learn first hand what it's like to try to make ends meet on a very limited food budget. Spend only $38 on food for the week (for a single person), and through Hunger Free Vermont's blog, there's an opportunity to share your experience with others. To learn more and register, go to: http://www.hungerfreevt.org/learn/events

3SquaresVT (formerly food stamps) is the nation's single most important program in the fight against hunger. The program was designed to improve the nutrition and purchasing power of those with limited incomes. It is helping 93,000 Vermonters every day, but in some cases the benefits are too low to allow families to regularly purchase nutritious food. The Challenge will show what it's like to have about $1.80 to spend per meal. Questions? Contact Angela Smith-Dieng: ASmithDieng@hungerfreevt.org This action is connected with National Hunger and Homeless- ness Awareness Week. Learn more about this broader action at: www.nationalhomeless.org/projects/awareness/index.html

THANKSGIVING WORSHIP SERVICES

Some Vermont communities hold ecumenical Thanksgiving worship services to which all are welcome. These include: -Burlington Area Thanksgiving Service, Sunday, Nov. 20 at 7:30 p.m. at First Baptist Church on St. Paul Street. -Swanton Community Thanksgiving Service, Sunday, Nov. 20, 7 p.m., at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Grand Avenue. -Williston/Richmond Thanksgiving Service, Sunday, Nov. 20, 4 p.m. at Williston Federated Church.

LEADERSHIP CHANGES at NCC

The general secretary of the National Council of Churches, The Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, announced that he will step down from that position for health reasons. He and the NCC Governing Board have begun a “process for a stable and grace- filled transition.” Also, the Rev. Peg Chemberlin has recently completed her two-year term as NCC President and President Elect Kathryn Mary Lohre moved up to take over as NCC President. She is the first Lutheran to hold this position. The Rev. A. Roy Medley, general secretary of the American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A., was elected President Elect.

LECTURE by AUTHOR OF “GOD'S SECRETARIES”

The speaker for the Massachusetts Bible Society's recent Beck Lecture was Adam Nicolson, author of “God's Secretaries: The Making of the King James Bible.” Watch the video of his speech here: http://vimeo.com/31541047

ADVENT CALENDAR by Thomas Mousin & Merry Watters

Click on the link below for the Advent Calendar: http://thomasmousin.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/2011-advent-calendar1.pdf For cards by Thomas Mousin, go to: http://web.mac.com/tmousin/Site/Calligraphic_Designs.html

GREEN MOUNTAIN MONASTERY WREATHS

Sisters Gail and Bernadette make their wreaths from balsam hand harvested from trees at the monastery in Greensboro. They are 20” with a bow and pine cones. The cost is $25 plus shipping. Cards will be included with wreaths that are given as gifts. Shipping begins on Nov. 28 (or an earlier shipping date can be arranged). To place an order, send an email to: greenmountainmonastery@together.net

VERMONT CHORAL UNION HOLIDAY CONCERT

Vermont Choral Union will perform two holiday concerts of carols and choral a cappella music. -Saturday, December 3, 7 pm, St. Luke's Episcopal Church in St. Albans. -Sunday, December 4, 3 pm, McCarthy Arts Center at Saint Michael's College in Colchester. Tickets are sold at the door: $15 general, $10 seniors, $5 youth. For more information, go to: www.vtchoralunion.org/blank.html

WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY SERVICES

PLEASE CONTACT the VT Ecumenical Council (info@vecbs.org) if your congregation hosts and/or participates in a Week of Prayer for Christian Unity service in January (or at another time) – or if you know of any Week of Prayer services happening around the state. A list of these services will be included in the next VEC newsletter. Thank you!