Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
I am writing this column just a few days after the joyful celebrations at Norwich University on April 28, and at the Cathedral on April 29, when you affirmed, once again, your confidence in me and welcomed me to my place among you as the tenth Bishop of Vermont. What a great weekend it was for our Diocese!
My hope was that we would celebrate the ministry of the whole people of God, and I think we did a pretty good job of it. So many people had a hand in making this weekend the great celebration it was, and all I can say is that from the deepest reaches of my heart and soul I thank you for your effort. I especially thank you for welcoming my family and friends from Connecticut and beyond with such warmth and openness.
There are any number of memories and images from the weekend that will be forever etched in my head and heart. Chief among them is the powerful sense of community that I felt and experienced throughout the weekend, especially in the liturgies. It was an experience of community in which I personally felt an incredible amount of love and support, and I had a sense that others were feeling the same.
We were a community full of prayer and song, burning with the fire of God’s Holy Spirit. It was an experience of community in which God’s people were feeding on God’s Word and Sacraments and renewing our commitment to baptismal life and ministry. It was an experience of community in which we were being empowered for deeper participation in Christ’s ministry in our daily lives.
For those who participated in person and for those who participated through their prayers, I want you to know how richly blessed the Diocese of Vermont was and is. We joyously celebrated God’s love for us and our participation in God’s reconciling mission. It was powerful, and I want to bottle it and hold on to it for a very long time.
In the two months now that I have been in Vermont, I have visited many places and listened to the ministry stories of many people and churches. What has caught my attention most is your deep commitment to Christ and the expression of that commitment in worship and in service. I know there is much more for me to discover and experience in the Diocese of Vermont, and I can’t wait to hear all the stories of mission and ministry waiting to be told.
I know there are struggles that many of you are facing in your parishes and I pledge to work with you as you discern the direction of the mission and ministry that is before you. What I have seen and experienced so far tells me that this diocese, through the commitment and energy of God’s people here, has what it takes to be a healthy, dynamic and faithful ministering community.
More than anything else, I hope the clergy and people of this diocese know how happy I am to be among you as your bishop and how blessed Ann and I feel because of your love and support in helping us to "settle in" and make Vermont our home. I’ve commented to some of you that there is a pretty steep "learning curve" in this office. My Spiritual Director reminds me that the only time I really need to feel anxious about it all is when I think I am in it all alone. I’m trying to pay attention to that advice. The spirit of cooperation and support that has been present in these first couple of months has made trusting that advice an easy thing to do.
In the love of Christ,
Thomas              

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