Our Convention Offering this year will support two local ministries and two global ministries with strong ties to the Episcopal Church in Vermont.
Anyone not coming to Convention who wants to contribute to the Convention Offering should send their check with their congregation’s delegates or by mail to The Episcopal Diocese of Vermont (note Convention Offering) 5 Rock Point Road, Burlington, VT 05408.
On the local level our offering will support efforts in Vermont to address hunger and food insecurity. Many of our congregations are involved in ministries related to food and feeding people. The Vermont Foodbank and Hunger Free Vermont are two statewide organizations with whom many of us have strong connections. Through its programs and a network of 225 food shelves and meals sites, the Vermont Foodbank helps feed as many as 153,000 Vermonters each year. Hunger Free Vermont is an education and advocacy organization with the mission to end the injustice of hunger and malnutrition for all Vermonters.
On the global front our offering will support two ministries that help bring hope to our friends in Zimbabwe.
The first is the Aslan Summer Camp, a project of the Petra School, and is shepherded by the Rev Christopher Hingley. Chris was with us at convention last year and is here again this year. During the summer of 2015 the camp was at full enrollment, with a racially mixed group of 48 children and 15 teenage leaders. The summer camp was helped financially by folks here in Vermont as a result of Chris’ appearance here with us last year.
The second is The Anglican Church of the Ascension – Bulawayo Zimbabwe, whose Rector the Rev. Shingarai Kaseke was present in Vermont for several weeks in late summer of this year. “Shingi”, preached and made presentations about the current economic situation in Zimbabwe at several of our congregations. We also heard about The Way Clinic, a health care program operated by the Church of the Ascension. Folks who met Shingi were impressed with him and his presentations and have expressed a desire to further help his ministry.
Please be generous in support of these local and global ministries.