By Ann Carroll and Maurice Harris
BURLINGTON, VERMONT – Never Heard of Rock Point Center? That may be because, until recently, Rock Point Center was widely known as Bishop Booth Conference Center, named after the Right Reverend Samuel B. Booth, Vermont’s Episcopal bishop from 1929-1935. Although the Center’s former namesake remains close to the heart of The Episcopal Church in Vermont—which owns Rock Point Center and the larger 130-acre property on which it is situated—the new name reflects the Center’s expanded outreach to the wider community. In conjunction with the renaming, the dining room at Rock Point Center has been renamed in honor of Bishop Booth.
The newly-renamed Rock Point Center has provides lodging and meeting space to individuals and groups of all kinds, religious and non-religious. Many of the Center’s lodging rooms and meet spaces feature glorious views of Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks. Rock Point Center has 17 hostel-style lodging rooms, ranging in size from doubles to quads. There are also six meeting rooms, a large dining room, and an indoor chapel.
Over the years, Rock Point Center has made a name for itself as a welcoming sanctuary for personal growth groups, local colleges and universities, secondary and primary schools, human service agencies, state agencies, spiritual retreat groups, and faith communities of all kinds. We also host family reunions, weddings, and memorial services year-round.
Rock Point Center’s history is inextricably linked to the 130-acre property on which it is situated. Deeded to the Episcopal Diocese of Vermont in 1854 by the Rt. Rev. John Henry Hopkins, Vermont’s first Episcopal Bishop, the Rock Point property was originally designated as a home for Episcopal bishops and as an educational resource. The property has since grown in environmental and historical significance. Today, under the leadership of the Rock Point Board, Rock Point’s vision is “to be a welcoming sanctuary of spirituality, creativity, community, education, training, and environmental stewardship.”
To help realize the vision, the Rock Point Board forged a coalition last year with the Parks Foundation of Burlington, the Lake Champlain Land Trust, and the City of Burlington. The coalition has been working hard to improve Rock Point’s hiking trails, public access, and signage—improvements which directly benefit guests of Rock Point Center.
Each year, nearly 10,000 people come to Rock Point, finding a place to walk, seek solitude, learn, play, sing, pray, think, share, and be. To inquire about lodging or meetings at Rock Point Center, visit https://rockpointvt.org/rpc.