November 4-5 will mark the 184th year that clergy and lay delegates from across the Episcopal Church in Vermont have convened to hear and decide on matters of importance to the life of the church. As preparations reach a fevered pitch this month, the committee is taking action to ensure that every parishioner—not just the registered attendees—can connect with the experience online.
The convention page on the diocesan website serves as the online hub for clergy, delegates and parishioners alike. Today the majority of the posted information is for those who will be attending in person, submitting nominations, or proposing resolutions. Once the event begins, however, downloadable parish resources and video highlights will be added.
Event organizers anticipate that the most viewed coverage may be of the Rev. Becca Stevens, special guest and founding director of Magdalene and Thistle Farms. They plan to make video recordings of her forthcoming keynote address and Eucharistic message available during the convention.
Thistle Farms, a community of women who have survived prostitution, trafficking and addiction, has become one of the largest social enterprises in the United States, and last year topped a million in sales revenue. “Love Heals,” the Thistle Farms tagline and the message of Stevens’s 2015 book, Letters from the Farm: A Simple Path for a Deeper Spiritual Life, has been adopted as this year’s convention theme.