Weybridge Congregational Church

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!

From Pastor Caryne

Hello, Weybridge Church!

Last Sunday, we “Eastered” in so many different ways. Several of you helped decorate the altar and the front of the church with items that remind you of your connection to creation. I enjoyed hearing each of you share about what made your item special. Our choir blesses us every time they sing, but it felt like some special joy was present this last Sunday. And we all prayerfully made our Creation Care pledges: committing to awareness and action in recognition that the things we do to steward the Earth ripple outward. Last but not least, Nancy and Baird’s locavore fellowship hour featured treats from very close by, including apple scones baked by Baird. I left on Sunday feeling nourished and energized, both physically and spiritually. 

This week is our 5th Sunday of Service! Our worship will be in the form of service at the Addison County Parent Child Center in Middlebury. (There will be no service at the church building!) We will meet at the Center (126 Monroe Street) at 10am and wrap things up by noon (feel free to come for as long as you can). Hopefully, we’ll be able to dodge the rain and work on different yard and gardening projects: painting a shed, planting herbs, and starting some seeds. We will also have note cards available for writing notes of encouragement to the staff of the Center. Our Cornwall neighbors will join us for what I am sure will be a fun morning of worship looking different.

A reminder that Green Up/Clean Up Day is coming up on Saturday, May 6th! As we did last year, we are combining our church Clean Up Day with Vermont’s Green Up Day. We’ll meet at the church building at 9am and divide up tasks, both indoors and outdoors, to spruce things up. We will have a table out in front with refreshments for both Clean Uppers and Green Uppers. I’ve let Peggy Lyons know that we are happy for anyone from the community to stop by, say hello, and fuel up for greening. I had a lot of fun seeing all of the activity in and around the church last year, and I’m excited for that again this year.

Peace,

Caryne  

Community Forest Celebration

Sunday, April 30, 2023
3 – 5pm at the Waterworks
4783 Plank Road Bristol, VT

Come celebrate springtime—warmth, light, flowers, sap, songbirds, and
all things green and growing. So much to be thankful for. Join us at the
beautiful Norton Brook Reservoir to welcome the warmest months of
the year with food, music, poetry, campfire, and a wee bit of dancing

‘round the maypole.

Music and maypole begin at 4pm at the reservoir. No dogs please.
Park on the road shoulder. Bring a dish/beverage to share

& your own plate, cup, and utensils.

Sponsored by Vermont Family Forests & The Watershed Center