"All this ‘getting to know you’ has
proved to be a great joy."
By the Right Reverend Thomas Clark Ely, Bishop of Vermont
Mountain Echo, September 2001
My first summer in Vermont (since my childhood days) has been a full and rewarding one, the record heat not withstanding. Parish visitations have taken me from Wilmington to Alburg, from Canaan and the Border Ministry to the Slate Valley Ministry and several places in between. The ordinations of two local priests, Robert Borden and Robert Lee, provided opportunities to celebrate the Church’s deepening appreciation for mutual ministry. I spent time at each of the Rock Point Summer Conferences, celebrating the Eucharist and sharing in the learning, fun and community that the young people, volunteer staff and permanent staff enjoy. Some even came to the house for a tour and visit.
I met individually with most of our diocesan Postulants and Candidates for Holy Orders, as well as several of our Deacons. I worked with the Program and Budget Committee on developing the 2002 Diocesan budget. I worked with the Rock Point Joint Board and the Canons Committee shaping a new canon for the oversight of Rock Point that will be voted on at Convention in November. I met with the Congregational Support and Resources Committee to help create an effective model for Mutual Ministry Reviews in our congregations. I spent time implementing new staffing patterns at the Diocesan Office as we move forward with the concept of a Ministry Support Team that will include part time Canons for Ministry Development living and working in different parts of the Diocese.
I participated in graduation ceremonies at Rock Point School and met with the Rock Point School Trustees for the first time. I rededicated the 1833 Erben organ at Grace Church, Sheldon. I commissioned a play about collegiality that will involve young people from our Diocese and which I hope will premiere at Diocesan Convention. I had the great joy of informing the Vestry of Holy Trinity, Swanton that they are the beneficiaries of an estate in excess of seven million dollars! I spent time with our Chancellor and others on several legal matters facing the Diocese and met with several other Diocesan and Parish committees.
In the midst of all that, there was sufficient time to enjoy the beauty of Vermont in the summer and share in some of the varied cultural and recreational opportunities, like theatre in Winooski and Hyde Park, the Mozart festival in Stowe, the Bread and Puppet Circus in Glover, the Vermont Expos and of course golf for me and cycling for Ann. From our porch at the Bishop’s House, Ann and I have a lovely view of Lake Champlain and a great location for watching the July 4th fireworks. The end of the summer included two weeks of vacation in Nova Scotia.
All of this reminds me how truly blessed I am and how very thankful I am for the opportunity to serve as your Bishop. All this "getting to know you" has proved to be a great joy.
As blessed as I am and as I think we are as a Diocese, and rich and full as this summer has been, there is one disturbing thing I learned this summer, that presents an ongoing challenge for us as the Church. It is not our only challenge but it is one that we can effectively address if we choose to do so. That challenge is childhood hunger. When meeting this summer with some folks from the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger (VTCECH), I learned that only about ten percent of the children eligible for the free or reduced school lunch programs receive any similar benefits during the summer. Several of our Episcopal Churches have been working in partnership with VTCECH to increase that percentage and I am supporting their application for an Episcopal Relief and Development Grant. If you are looking to make a difference in the lives of Vermont’s children, either individually (tax rebate?) or as a parish, I would encourage you to consider a partnership with VTCECH. Summer will be here again before we know it!
Faithfully yours in Christ,
Thomas
Copyright ® 2001, The Episcopal Diocese of Vermont. All rights Reserved.