Author Archives: weybridge1234

Happy holidays to all of our Weybridge neighbors and beyond! 

Everyone is invited to join the Weybridge Church and First Congregational Church of Cornwall for a Christmas Eve worship service at Weybridge Church followed by refreshments and fellowship. 

Our lessons-and-carols style service will begin at 5pm in the Sanctuary at Weybridge Church, and you are welcome to join us in the pews or on Zoom. Email weybridgechurch@gmail.com for the Zoom info. 

We have activity packs for kids so that they can join worship at their own pace, and there will also be a separate space available for anyone to take a break (we just ask that kids bring a grown-up with them). 

Gather with us to celebrate the radical God-with-us good news of the Christmas story, and bring it into our own lives and communities.

Black Angels of the Green Mountains: The Challenge of Black Abolitionists in Antebellum Vermont.

A discussion of racial equity in our state and country with Reverend Arnold Isidore Thomas, B.A., M.Div., D.Min.

Sunday, October 15th, 3pm, First Congregational Church of Essex Junction, 39 Main Street, Essex Junction, VT

http://www.fccej.org

Fall Greetings!

It’s CROP Walk time again, Sunday, October 1! This means it’s time to revisit the important work of Church World Services and how we can join them to make a difference.

Ukraine, Morocco and Libya are a far cry from Weybridge, Vermont.  And the space between us is much more than the actual distance.  The challenges and hardships are difficult to accurately imagine and certainly to relate to. So we ask, what can we do?

Fortunately, our friends and allies at Church World Services are doing the hard, grassroots, action-oriented work to make a difference.  As an example, CWS is one of the leading refugee resettlement agencies responsible for Afghans settling in the U.S. And, as we see photos of the deadly floods in Libya and the earthquake in Morocco, one word comes to mind: loss. Thousands of lives, entire communities and the livelihoods of millions have been lost to the forces of nature and the evils of man.  CWS has hundreds of workers on the frontlines of disasters, many of which have been significantly intensified because of climate change. 

The CROP Hunger Walk is more than just a yearly gathering or event for us. It is our chance to help families who are struggling with hunger and concerned about where they’ll find their next meal. The Addison County Walk is how we take action to make sure that one more person has enough to eat.  And, alongside this far reaching support, one-quarter of the funds raised by our CROP Hunger Walk will be directed to these local organizations: Friday Night Community Supper, Vergennes Community Food Shelf, HOPE Have a Heart Food Shelf, John Graham Emergency Shelter, and The Giving Fridge.

We want to help as many people as we can and would love your support. Please join us in the fight against hunger by making a donation! The steps we take – and the funds we raise – support programs that provide meals in our community and long lasting solutions to hunger around the world.

Please donate to the Weybridge Wanderers today!

To donate by check, please make payable to CWS-CROP and contribute in church
or mail to: Weybridge Church, 2790 Weybridge Road, Weybridge VT 05753.

To donate online or to join the Weybridge Wanderers team please go to:
https://events.crophungerwalk.org/2023/team/weybridge-wanderers

Thank You!

The Weybridge Wanderers

Weybridge and Cornwall churches will once again join forces for 5th Sunday community projects.  Gather at 10 a.m. at the Cornwall Church for a very brief prayer and instructions.   Some folks will head out (carpool) to the Breadloaf Mountain Zen Center just a couple of miles down the road on Route 30 to help weed their garden.   Bring work gloves, kneelers, bug spray, and any tools you may have…  a hoe, trowel, etc.   Other folks will stay at the church for one of the following projects.

• Cut out fabric for school book bags (to be used for Church World Service, or for local school children)  There will be some ironing also, to make the bag handles easier to sew.   If you have pieces of child friendly COTTON fabric prints or bright plain colors, bring those.   A bag can be made with a 1/2 yard of fabric.  COTTON ONLY, PLEASE.  But we do have fabric on hand.  Cutting boards, fabric scissors, rulers, iron, ironing board all provided.
• Write letters and note cards to the Vermont UCC churches damaged by the floods.  Write letters & note cards to the state highway workers who have sacrificed to get our roads back in drivable condition.  If you have any blank note cards or nice writing paper with envelopes, that would be appreciated.  We have the pens, markers, etc!   

Join Weybridge Church for our first Intergenerational Sunday on July 23rd starting at 10am! 

Our theme is Water: both a precious gift for thriving life and a powerful force. We’ll explore many ways that water can inspire our spiritual lives.

While we seek to foster intergenerational community year-round, this will be a special worship service with lots of interactive elements. We hope to help bring out the kid in everyone – whether your chronological age is 8 or 98! Come try out this new worship celebration with us, and stay for snacks and fellowship time afterward, too. 

Wear clothes that make you feel comfortable and (in hopes that we can be outside under the Tent!) bring a lawn chair if you have one that you like. In the event that we get even more water in the form of rain that morning, we’ll be indoors. 

Every Sunday we welcome one another into worship saying, “no matter who you are and where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome.” We strive to make this true in everything we do. 

Vermonters,

As we prepare ourselves for these days of intense rain and flooding, here are some helpful reminders.

If you are in a life threatening emergency, call 911. If it is a non life threatening emergency, contact your town government.

Avoid travel until the storms and flooding have abated, and do not walk or drive into any standing or moving water. 

As the situation continues to develop, we will continue to share relevant information. New England 511 is a good place to go for current road closures, and Vermont Alert can send you alerts to your phone or email and can be customized for your area. You can find links to their websites below in an article shared from Vermont Public.  

Prayers of safety and security for all of Vermont. This will be a time for us to demonstrate again what loving our neighbor really looks like. 

Greg Briggs, VT Conference Disaster Coordinator

From Vermont Public: 

The National Weather Service and Vermont Emergency Management offer these tips:

• Monitor the latest weather and water level reports. (Check forecasts from the NWS Albany office for Bennington and Windham counties and the NWS Burlington office for the rest of the state.)
• Vermont Alert is one way to get the latest emergency notifications on your phone or email.
• Have a plan for your evacuation route if rising water is approaching.
• Find road closure information on the New England 511 website or on Twitter at @511VT.
• Never drive or walk through flooded roads or areas.
• If you live in a flood-prone area, move valuables from your basement.

https://www.vermontpublic.org/live-updates/vermont-experiencing-significant-flash-flooding#be-prepared

Join a multi-church group of UCC folks to physically show all LGBTQIA+ folks the vast, expansive love of God. Now is an especially important time to make our affirmation LOUD, as legislation threatens more trans and queer folks around the country. 

When: Sunday afternoon, June 25th. The Middlebury church is hosting a sign-making and pizza party starting at noon. We’ll make our way outside to a cheering spot at around 1pm. If you can’t make the pre-party, you can still join us for the cheering! There will be a Pride Festival on the Green going until 5pm. 

Where: At the Congregational Church of Middlebury, then at a spot outside near the town green. 

What to bring: Any Pride flags, noisemakers, a lawn chair if you’d like to have the option to sit at the parade, water, anything else that will make you comfortable, your cheering voice! 

Why: Because our Open and Affirming covenants mean that we show up for our people. 

The bad news: We have a housing crisis in Addison County. 

The good news: You can explore & support solutions.

 Come Sunday June 4 at 5 pm to The Congregational Church of Middlebury, UCC (Unity Hall) to learn about three different initiatives to alleviate Addison County’s housing shortage: HomeShare VT, Tiny Homes, and Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). Hear case studies and receive a valuable resource sheet. 

Sponsored by the Middlebury Area Interfaith Affordable Housing Alliance. For more, email Mike Greenwood (mike802vt@comcast.com) or visit cvuus.org/news.  

From the Stewardship CommitteeChurch Clean Up Day is on Saturday, May 6, from 9-11:30, coinciding with Vermont’s Green Up Day. Bring your rakes, shovels, pruning shears, cleaning towels, or dust busters. We’ll be working inside and outside this year, which means there are plenty of flies in the loft and weeds in the garden that need to go. Pitch in where you’d like and for however long you can and enjoy coffee and donuts with great company. If you have any specific questions about what’s happening or how you can help, John M. and Steve are managing the outdoor work, Karen is organizing the indoor work, and David is providing snacks. Feel free to reach out to any of them ahead of time or just show up on Saturday morning ready to dig in!