Communities for Spiritual Vitality provides lay leaders in parishes without full-time clergy with opportunities for spiritual growth.
The project, which includes leaders in both this diocese and the Diocese of Massachusetts, is funded through Lilly Endowment’s Thriving Congregations Initiative. Its aim is to encourage congregations to flourish by helping them deepen their relationships with God, enhance their connections with each other, and contribute to the vitality of their communities and the world.
The initiative organizes lay leaders from Vermont and Massachusetts into cohorts that follow a curriculum that includes in-person gatherings; clergy-led online formation groups; coaching and spiritual direction; resource development; and integration of these practices into parishes. After the first year, interested members of the cohort work together to design second year that meets their needs.
Participants will gather for regular Zoom meetings and three in-person retreats to develop relationships of support, fellowship, and trust with peers; explore various spiritual practices to deepen and renew their spiritual lives; and take time apart for themselves and God, rediscovering the love that drew them into the service they give.
The initiative is overseen by Bishop Shannon MacVean-Brown of Vermont and led by the Rev. adwoa Wilson, vicar for discipleship and formation and director of the Communities for Spiritual Vitality.
The Communities for Spiritual Vitality also strives to make resources available to those outside of the cohorts. These resources include Lenten devotionals, expansive language bulletins, and spirituality centered events in the Dioceses of Vermont and Massachusetts. Learn more on the Communities for Spiritual Vitality website.
