“Together WE can make a BIG difference”
by the Rt. Rev. Thomas Clark Ely, Bishop of Vermont
Mountain Echo
August 2007

The various Gospel accounts of the feeding of the 5,000 are among my favorite narratives. Each has variations from the other, but all end up telling the story of abundance in the face of apparent scarcity. In the John Gospel account (John 6:1-14) we are told that the loaves and the fish are provided by a young lad. That detail alone is enough to remind me of the power of ONE as we think about how we respond to the needs of the world expressed through the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. ONE person can make a difference. ONE family can make a difference. ONE congregation can make a difference. ONE diocese can make a difference. In a world where we can become too easily paralyzed by the feeling that I can’t possibly make a difference, the Gospel witness offers a striking challenge. It all begins by offering what we have.

Throughout this anniversary season in our diocese, when we celebrate the election of John Henry Hopkins as the first bishop of the Diocese of Vermont and the rich heritage of the 175 years of ministry that have followed since that time, we are also looking to the future by responding to the needs of the world through our engagement with and response to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. The Episcopal Church, through the action of General Convention in 2006, has made this the number one mission and funding priority for our church. Our new diocesan Global Reconciliation Committee is up and running, serving as a resource to congregations, helping to raise awareness through education, and coordinating our diocesan effort in response to these goals. This edition of the Mountain Echo is filled with articles, ideas and resources to help each person, each family and each congregation increase its awareness and engagement around this vital mission focus. The needs are great. The opportunities are numerous. The invitation is extended to each ONE of us.

In November we will welcome the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, the Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori, to the Diocese of Vermont. Her visit among us will include a public forum on the Millennium Development Goals at Ira Allen Chapel on the campus of the University of Vermont. This will be an opportunity to showcase our commitment to mission as a defining dimension of The Episcopal Church. My hope is that she will hear from us about all the many ways in which each ONE of us is engaged God’s Mission to change the world.

During my sabbatical pilgrimages to Southern Sudan and El Salvador I encountered incredible poverty and need. The lack of educational opportunities, the need for clean water, sanitation, medical services, agricultural assistance, housing and jobs presents a seemingly overwhelming challenge. Many of you have experienced first hand similar needs, both close to home and around the world. No ONE of us can respond to all these needs, yet each ONE of us can respond to something, to some specific invitation to offer what we have in order that God might use it to nourish a multitude. ONE can make a difference. YOU can make a difference. Together WE can make a BIG difference.

+Thomas

What ONE can do:
The Diocese of Bor, Southern Sudan
[sidebar to Bishop Ely's August column]

Bishop Ely returned from his sabbatical visit to the Diocese of Bor, Southern Sudan, with several specific ways Vermont Episcopalians can help that diocese in its mission and ministry in a region struggling to emerge from years of war:

Theological Education for Clergy: There is a crying need to help clergy get good theological education. This is a big priority for the bishops. The average cost is about $1,500 per year, per priest.

Re-establishing the Malek Bible School: This school has continued its mission of education “in exile” for several decades, and with the recent peace accord there is a strong desire to rebuild and reopen the school in Malek as a center for theological studies for clergy and lay leaders. The cost is large and will need to be done in partnership with others, but there are pieces that people in Vermont could assist with, including helping to fund the salary of the principal of the school.

Building Diocesan Offices in the Diocese of Bor: Currently the Diocesan Offices are in Nairobi, and an effort is underway to build an infrastructure in Bor. Again, this is an expensive project that will require partners, but there are specific needs like laptop computers and other equipment that individuals or congregations could assist with.

Establishing the new Diocese of Kongor: Because of the growth and geography in the Diocese of Bor, The Episcopal Church of Sudan has decided to create a new Diocese of Kongor in the northern part of the current Diocese of Bor. Establishing the office of the Bishop and the diocesan infrastructure is another big project looking for partners.

Farming assistance project: There is an opportunity to assist the diocese by providing tractors and other farm equipment that the diocese can use to assist its people and also to generate revenue.

At the end of July [after this issue went to press], Bishop Ely traveled to Spain for an Africa/US partnership consultation sponsored by Trinity Wall Street [see Page C], and he hopes to return with prospects for partnerships with other groups and dioceses to realize some of these needs.

To help in any of these areas, make checks payable to the Diocese of Vermont, and mark them “Bishop’s Discretionary Fund, Diocese of Bor.” If there is a specific project to which you wish to contribute, please note that with your contribution. Send contributions to Bishop’s Discretionary Fund, Episcopal Diocese of Vermont, 5 Rock Point Road, Burlington, VT 05408.