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VECtor
- June 2007
Previous VECtor & Faith
Common Articles
Episcopal - Methodist Eucharistic Sharing
In 2005 and 2006 the United Methodist Church and the Episcopal
Church adopted a covenant relation-ship of Interim Eucharistic
Sharing that permits common, joint celebration of the Eucharist
where it’s deemed appropriate by congregations. At
the Troy Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church,
held in Burlington last month, Methodist Bishop Susan Hassinger
invited Episcopal Bishop Thomas Ely to join her in celebrating
the Eucharist and he was delighted to participate. Here
are some excerpts from Bishop Ely’s address:
“Bishop Hassinger and members of the Troy Annual Conference: I bring
you greetings in the name of the Risen Christ on behalf of the people and congregations
of the Episcopal Diocese of Vermont. I am pleased to be joining with
you for this historic worship occasion in our continuing ecumenical journey.”
“The actions of our respective
national decision-making bodies in 2005 and 2006, to inaugurate
a period of Interim Eucharistic Sharing is now a reality
and tonight marks the first, of what I hope will be many
opportunities for me to experience the joy of Eucharistic
table fellowship with you.”
“I have commended to the clergy and lay leaders of
our congregations, the study guide, Make Us One With Christ,
and I have distributed the guidelines for Eucharistic fellowship
provided by the Ecumenical Office of the Episcopal Church. So,
tonight I encourage you, especially those of you here in
Vermont, to reach out to a local Episcopal congregation and
move ahead with this in whatever ways seem best suited to
your local communities.”
“I give thanks for your partnership
in the Vermont Ecumenical Council and Bible Society and
I encourage your continued and increased commitment to
that ministry in which we share.”
“Thank you for your faithfulness, your witness and
your prayers. I do believe that God has more interest
in our cooperation than in our competition, more interest
in our common life than in our life apart. My prayers
tonight are for you, for the Troy Conference, your meeting
this week, and for our growing life together in the Spirit
of God’s grace, justice, peace and reconciling love. May
God bless you and keep you.”
VT Bible Society – Free
Bible Distribution
The Vermont Ecumenical Council and Bible Society provides
free Bibles to various Vermont ministries such as to prisoners,
hospital patients, soldiers, camps, and people with disabilities
as well as to churches for Sunday School students, youth
groups, outreach, and more. Newly-ordained pastors
and those who are serving their first Vermont church may
receive Bibles. Vermont communities that have experienced
a disaster of some kind may also request Bibles.
The VECBS doesn’t keep a supply of Bibles on hand,
but orders them from different publishers, depending on the
desired version.
To request Bibles, go to the website: www.vecbs.org then
click on “Bible Society” and at the top of this
page, click on “Bible Request Form.” Print
the form, fill it out and send it to the address above. Bibles
may also be ordered by calling the VECBS office: 802-434-7307.
Domestic Violence in Vermont by The Rev. Ann Larson*
In 2006,
46% of homicides in Vermont were directly related to domestic violence (DV). In
the infamous shootings in Essex last August, two who died were not the intimate
partner of their murderer; spillover from a domestic “situation” continues
to traumatize two school systems emotionally and financially. Lest anyone
wonder, domestic violence is not just a private matter between intimate partners – whether
married, cohabitating, or “just” dating. All of us pay hidden
and not-so-hidden costs.
Most people
know that DV is wrong, but are only familiar with explosive incidents that
seem to come from out of nowhere. Highly publicized cases, however, are
just the tip of an iceberg. DV is a progressive pattern in which one
person exerts power and control over another through overt and insidious means.
Religious
leaders need to ask whether they and their congregations are prepared to address
DV so as to break the cycle of violence. Too often, instead of providing
resources, clergy and faith communities inadvertently erect roadblocks to victims’ getting
help or perpetrators being held accountable. Here are some questions
to assess your congregation’s preparedness:
- Is DV mentioned in sermons with both
clear description of its dynamics and the clear message
that it is wrong? Do
prayers include victims and/or perpetrators on a regular
basis?
- Has your congregation held a forum
or workshop about DV within the past two years? Is
relationship abuse addressed in youth group programming
and premarital counseling?
- Have clergy, staff and lay leaders
received training within the past five years about appropriate
responses to victims and alleged perpetrators? Do they know
about state laws and their status as mandatory reporters? Do
clergy and lay leaders know about denominational or judicatory
resources, and the work of the Faith Trust Institute (http://faithtrustinstitute.org)? Are
infor-mational materials readily available to members and
visitors?
- Do clergy and lay leaders know about
local agencies and state resources? (If not, start by checking www.vtnetwork.org/main.php)
Does the congregation give financial
support to these agencies? Have
members who work in the field of abuse (paid or volunteer)
been tapped to help the congregation develop a strategy for
addressing DV on an ongoing basis?
If you answer “no” to
any of these questions, it may be time for you and your congregation to give
special attention to how abuse violates God’s intentions for humanity
and to how the faith community can call individuals and society to turn this
around. In the words of one shelter’s slogan, “Peace on earth
begins at home.”
*The Rev. Ann Larson, a pastor of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, was recently appointed
by Gov. Douglas to represent the faith community on the
Vermont Council on Domestic Violence. She is also a member of VEC’s
Peace, Justice and the Integrity of Creation Committee. This
committee led a discussion about domestic violence at the
VEC’s Council meeting in March.
Vermont Interfaith
Power & Light
Programs
Vermont
Interfaith Power & Light (VTIPL) offers free workshops and walk-through
energy audits to congregations and faith-based groups. VTIPL works in
the faith community to raise awareness of the crisis of climate change and
the way that congregations and individuals can help mitigate the problem.
Two different
workshops are offered: one gives information about the climate crisis and details
steps that individuals can take in their homes and offices to use energy more
efficiently; the other is a “how-to” session on forming “EcoTeams” and
using the workbook Low Carbon Diet: A 30 Day Program to Lose 5,000 Pounds. The
walk-through energy audits are performed by a member of VTIPL’s Board trained
to do this work. To date, he’s performed over 50 audits of religious
buildings statewide.
Vermont
Interfaith Power & Light invites congregations and individuals to support
this work and become members. Membership forms can be downloaded from the website: www.vtipl.org For more information, call 802-434-7307 or email info@vtipl.org
Cooperating on Vacation Bible School by The Rev. Amanda Lape-Freeberg
One of the
best characteristics of a really good Vacation Bible School is its ability
to carry children away. With captivating curriculum, catchy songs, and
transformative decorations, a summer church experience can transport children
to an exciting place where they encounter a fuller vision of God and a deeper
understanding of themselves as loved and valuable to God. But it’s
so much work and it usually only lasts for one week!
Overwhelmed by how to make impressive decorations, get wonderful
trinkets to use as object lessons, and how to capture the
whole scope of our curriculum, we joined forces with two
other churches that were using the same VBS package as we
were, but were conducting their church schools on different
weeks. Together we met in May to divvy up the work. Each
church created one large- scale decoration so that by combining
them, we had something really big and impressive. We
also bought many of the supplies, such as nametags, invitation
postcards, and craft supplies in bulk, so that we were able
to get a better price. But most importantly, we shared
with each other what had worked and what had not worked over
the years. We felt less alone and overwhelmed and more
inspired by how powerful this work can really be. The
three VBS weeks were very different, reflecting each community’s
size and concerns, but for all three churches the work was
lighter, the end result more satisfying, and the stewardship
of supplies and time felt better spent because it all went
further.
Ecumenical Thanksgiving Services and
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Services
– Help
Us Compile Statewide List
If your
congregation or any congregation in your community offers an ecumenical Thanksgiving
service and/or a service during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in January
(or at another time), please let the Vermont Ecumenical Council know. Contact
us (802-434-7307, email: info@vecbs.org) with information about the host congregation
and the date/time of the service. We are working on a list of the ecumenical
services happening around the state and would like to post this information
on our website. Please pass this request on to others so we will have
as complete a list as possible. Thank you!
Vermont Ecumenical Council Website
The VEC
is working on an update of its website which will include a new look for the
homepage, more information about the Council’s three standing committees,
and more links to denominational information and statements. Look for
these changes over the next several months at www.vecbs.orgwww.vecbs.org
Denominational Anniversaries
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
Episcopal Diocese of Vermont – 175 years
United Church of Christ – 50 years
Quote from The Secret
Message of Jesus by Brian McLaren
“Instead of being about the kingdom of God coming
to earth, the Christian religion has too often become preoccupied
with abandoning or escaping the earth and going to heaven. Too
often its members have forgotten the teachings of Jesus about
making peace and turning the other cheek and crossing boundaries
to serve people formerly considered ‘outsiders.’ We
have instead launched or baptized wars, perpetuated racism,
and defended an unjust status quo. We have betrayed
the message that the kingdom of God is available for all,
beginning with the least and the last and the lost – and
have instead believed and taught that the kingdom of God
is available for the elite, beginning with the correct and
the clean and the powerful.”
Vermont Ecumenical Council & Bible
Society
Meeting Dates:
Finance Committee – Friday, Sept.
21st, 9 a.m.
Executive Committee – Friday, Sept. 21st, 10 a.m.
at the Greek Orthodox Church
Trustees’ Meeting – Friday,
Oct. 5th, 10 - noon
Full Council Meeting – Friday, Oct. 5th, 1 – 4
p.m.
Location: to be announced
Vermont Ecumenical Council and Bible Society
is a religious, non-profit organization that relies on contributions
of member denominations, churches, and individuals for its
funding.
To support the work of the Council, please
send a contribution to:
P.O. Box 728
Richmond, VT 05477
Checks can be made out to VECBS.
THANK YOU!
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