Bishop’s Report to Diocesan Council – April 21, 2018
1. There are no personnel announcements this month.
2. The following congregations are in some phase of transition (mostly with respect to calling new clergy leadership): St. Thomas & Grace, Brandon, Supply Clergy; St. Andrew’s, Colchester, Supply Clergy, while seeking Interim; St. Luke’s, Fair Haven, Local Ministry Support Team in Formation, the Rev. Richard Brewer, Regular Supply; Christ Church, Island Pond: Supply Clergy; St. Peter’s, Lyndonville: Supply Clergy; Saint Mark’s, Newport: The Rev. Jane Butterfield, Interim; Gethsemane, Proctorsville: Supply Clergy; Saint John’s, Randolph: The Rev. Angela Emerson, Interim; Saint Luke’s, St. Albans: Supply Clergy, with some regular support from the Rev. Craig Smith; Saint Andrew’s, St. Johnsbury: Supply Clergy; St. Mark’s, Springfield: Supply Clergy; Calvary, Underhill: Supply Clergy; St. Paul’s Windsor, Supply Clergy; St. Mary’s, Wilmington: The Rev. Nicholas Porter, Interim; Saint James, Woodstock: the Rev. Lisa Ransom, Interim
3. Canon Lynn Bates is scheduled for a Sabbatical leave this year and she is developing plans for that leave, which she will detail a bit more in her report to Council.
4. I joined other Episcopalian in the March for Our Lives in Montpelier on Saturday March 24th from 12 noon to 2:00 PM. Student Allie Brown, from St. Paul’s Cathedral, was one of the speakers. I also spent time the day before at the Statehouse for the legislative debate on gun safety measures, laws which ultimately passed and were signed by the Governor.
5. On Holy Monday, I offered a reflection at the 7 PM Taizé evening prayer service at Saint Paul’s Cathedral. Bishop Christopher Coyne, from the Diocese of Burlington, officiated at this well-attended and very beautiful service.
6. I participated in the Province One Synod meeting, along with our Delegates, Bob Wilson and Eric Davis and most of our General Convention Deputies, who were there for a pre-General Convention orientation. We met in Worchester, MA on April 7th.
7. The Rock Point Partnership Campaign has reached our $1.7 million-dollar goal; however, we are awaiting a more public announcement about this since there are a few more donors we hope to include in the final tally, including a couple of congregations. In addition, plans are moving forward on the Rock Point/Arms Forest Coalition effort. This is a community-based partnership between Rock Point, the Burlington Parks Foundation, the Lake Champlain Land Trust, the City of Burlington and others that will lead to additional funds ($450,000) to Rock Point for improved public access and trail development. We are anticipating a public event for the Coalition at Rock Point in May. Meanwhile, “quiet” fund-raising continues.
8. My visitations since our last Council meeting included weekday visitations with Saint Stephen’s, Middlebury on April 11th; Saint Luke the Beloved Physician, Saranac Lake (one of my DEPO congregations) on April 19th; and Good Shepherd, Barre on April 20th, and Sunday visits with Saint Peter’s, Bennington on Palm Sunday; Saint Paul’s, Vergennes on April 8th; and Holy Trinity, Swanton on April 15th.
9. I worshiped at the Cathedral for Holy Week, preaching on Maundy Thursday and the Easter Vigil and presiding on Good Friday, the Easter Vigil and Easter Day. At the Easter Vigil, we Baptized one young adult and Confirmed and Received an additional twelve young people and adults.
10. Ann and I enjoyed time with our children and grands, who came and went at various times over the Easter “weekend.”
Faithfully,
