Bradford Congregational Church-United Church of Christ Bradford, VT

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EPISTLE Customer Name

Street Address City, ST ZIP Code

B R A D F O R DBRAD

FORD

CONGRE

GATIONA

L

CHURCH

-UNITED

CHURCH

OF

April was a month of transition, from being

led by a settled pastor to having to lead

ourselves. That meant taking on

responsibilities that we all look for the

minister to perform. And April had both Palm

Sunday and Easter, Communion and the Choir

Festival. We were lucky and pleased to have

the Rev. Jay Sprout of St. Johnsbury for

communion as well as Easter, leaving the

other two Sundays being filled by Brenda

Egbert and Marcia Tomlinson.

In this Epistle is the list of who will be filling

the pulpit in the next four months.

May is Green-Up Day in Vermont and a time

for us all to pitch in and lend a hand. And

what better metaphor than that for this

“new beginning” for our church.

As someone said at the April Community

Supper: many hands really do make light

work!

A note from your Diaconate

Interim Pastor Search

The process for finding our church an Interim Minister is underway. This duty falls on your Diaconate. We have submitted to the Conference an Interim Profile of our church which contains a summary of what we are looking for in terms of full or part time, what meetings we would want him/her to attend (Church Council and Diaconate) every month, what compensation we offer, and a brief description of who we are, what Bradford is

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Diaconate news 1

The searching has begun 1

Arthur’s gift of coffee 2

Warning: Annual Meeting 3

Who’s filling our pulpit 4

CWS kits and Blanket Sunday 4

Volunteers needed 5

GO Association and Lectionary 6

Dr. Bildad Andross 8

like, and in what way we look for guidance. Now we wait. The Conference has a list of ministers who have specialized training in Interim ministry and should they be interested, the Diaconate will interview them. Your Diaconate does appreciate how soon you would prefer to have an Interim Minister hired. We will be keeping this in mind as the

process continues. All we ask of you is to be patient with us so that when we make that recommendation to the Church Council it will be for a minister who can stay with us throughout the Settled Pastor Search! Every month there will be an update on the 2 searches: the Diaconate’s search for an Interim and, once formed, the Search

Committee’s progress for the settled pastor.

MAY, 2014

Page 2

EPISTLE May 2014

Some readers may not have heard of the generous donation to our church from the Hyde family in memory of Arthur. There were no specific requests for its use, so Church Council members decided to remember Arthur though various Hospitality activities. Part of the money was given to the Hospitality Committee of the Women’s Fellowship, which we rely on for wonderful expressions of love and comfort after funerals and memorial services. Some money purchased Fair Trade coffee through our long-standing relationship with SERRV International. Arthur was a well-respected

dairy farmer, with much help from his wife. In retirement, Fran and Arthur traveled much of the world, often with agricultural groups. They even took their adult children to Africa. They also visited Mexico and numerous other places. The coffee has an interesting story, which we think Arthur would have supported.

Just Coffee’s colorful bags announce: "Not Just a Market, but a Movement".

Their coffee is packaged in the US, but is grown in the Dominican Republic,

Bolivia, Peru, from the La Fem Women’s Co-op in Esteli, Nicaragua, Ethiopia and Uganda, and from Pangoa Grower Coop in St Martin de Pangoa, Peru. This coffee is roasted and packaged in the US.

JUST COFFEE

Vermont PBS has let us know that their coverage of Bradford UCC's Wild Game Supper will appear on their series "Out and About" on May 6 at 7:30pm as well as live on their website, vpt.org.

Please share this news forward!

May 6 on VPR

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Deadline: 25th of the month

The Mission Statement for their Mexican counterpart, Café Justo, reads, "We are a cooperative of coffee-growing families who live in Salvador, Urbina, Chiapas Mexico. We grow, roast, package and ship our own coffee, giving our people good reason to stay here on our own family lands. Grown

under the shade of trees on the side of a volcano, our 100% organic arabica coffee is sweet, light, and inviting. We hope this coffee brings pleasure to your life. This coffee frees us from poverty and helps us grow as people. It provides us with our health care and pensions and is the way we can determine our future It transforms our lives 100%."

To follow up on their wish that their coffee brings pleasure to us, may we raise our coffee cups to Arthur in thanks for ways he

enhanced our lives.

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By Lucia Button

By Barb Joslyn

Page 3 EPISTLE May 2014

Congregational Church of the United Church of Christ, Bradford, VT

“The Church of the Lighted Window “ “An Historic Congregational Church”

“Wherever you are on your Spiritual Journey, You are Welcome Here!”

May 1, 2014

Dear Members and Friends: The 203rd Annual Meeting of the Congregational Church of the United Church of Christ,

Bradford, Vermont, will convene on Thursday, May 22, at 7:00pm in the Church Vestry. The annual reports of the various officers, boards, committees and organizations for the past year

are included in this booklet. We hope you will take the time to read these reports and bring the booklet to

the meeting with any questions, suggestions or concerns you may have.

AGENDA

OPENING- Recite Covenant Together: Storme Odell, Moderator MINUTES OF 2013 ANNUAL MEETING: Barbara Joslyn, Clerk MINUTES OF APRIL 7, 2014 SPECIAL MEETING: Barbara Joslyn, Clerk

AND ACT ON THE REPORTS OF: 1. Treasurer

2. Trust Fund Committee 3. All Other Reports

OLD BUSINESS NEW BUSINESS

1. Nominating Committee Report for 2014-2015 2. Proposed amendments to the Bylaws:

a. PG.8, SECTION IX- PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER: Shall this Officer

position be eliminated or allow this Officer to hold a second Officer position?

b. PG.8, SECTION I- DIACONATE: Shall the word ‘preferably’ be added before “consisting of no less than (3) men and (3) women”?

c. PG.9, SECTION III-BOARD OF TRUSTEES: C. Add ‘they may hire someone

to carry out any of these duties’. d. PG.13, SECTION VII: Shall the committee ‘CHURCH AT LARGE’ be

eliminated? e. PG.14, SECTIION III-DELEGATES TO THE GRAFTON-ORANGE

ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST: A. Shall the words “shall be members of the Church” be changed to “should be members of the

Church”; (thus if members don’t come forward to serve, non-members could be

nominated).

3. Proposed budget for 2014-2015 4. Other business

ADJOURN CLOSING PRAYER

Sincerely, Storme Odell, Moderator Barbara Joslyn, Clerk

Page 4

EPISTLE May 2014

Fillingte Pulpit this Summer

Dedication of CWS Kits Blanket Sunday May 4, 2014

Health, School and Layette kits will be gladly accepted for the dedication. Please bring all kits to church by May 4th. We can also use monetary donations to help supplement the shipping of each kit $2/per kit. Any questions please contact Storme Odell 222-9655

Church World Service, Inc., is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3)

of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code.

JULY 6 Heidi Hoskin 13 David Pruitt 20 Margaret Flad 27 Margaret Flad

AUGUST 3 Mel Bridge 10 Elisa Lucozzi or lay leader 17 Elisa Lucozzi or lay leader 24 Marcia Tomlinson

31 Martina Stever

MAY 4 Jay Sprout 11 Marcia Tomlinson 18 Hal Drury 25 Cass Poulos

JUNE 1 Heidi Hoskin 8 David Pruitt 15 Cass Poulos 22 Margaret Flad

29 Margaret Flad

Pulpit Supply: this is the list of this summer’s worship leaders. Looking ahead, Margaret Flad of Corinth will return to serve Communion on Sept. 7. Also, our Conference’s Pam Lucas and Jim Thomas will each fill the pulpit sometime this Fall.

Page 5 EPISTLE May 2014

Nominating Committee Special Report Our Church is entering an extremely hard

unforeseen time without a pastor. The Diaconate is already searching for an Interim Pastor. Many attendees and members are now uncertain about the future of the Church and their own. The Committee has prepared it’s annual report with fifty four positions filled and 15 that are un filled. Many Boards and Committees have operated in the past with vacancies and I am sure they will continue to do so. However, we are lacking the MODERATOR, ASSISTANT MODERATOR, ASSISTANT CLERK, TREASURER, and ASSISTANT TREASURER. These are important positions that cannot go vacant. We would appreciate anyone who would like to help in filling these Leadership positions to please notify any of the following committee members soon, or be prepared to nominate from the floor at the Annual Meeting: Storme Odell,

Randy Moore, Janice Larabee, Charlotte Welch, Ruth Clements or Dan Perry

Our Community Supper Every 4th Wednesday at 6pm

Always Free …. Always Fun

Always Delicious!

Women’s Fellowship Two years ago it was decided to give Women's Fellowship another try. It was the hope that we would have the interest and participation from the ladies of the church to create a vibrant/active women's church group. Unfortunately this has not happened. The steering committee met this week and has decided that unless there is someone that would like to step up and give it a try the women's fellowship group will dissolve as of the end of this fiscal year with the current committees coming under the auspices of the Church Trustees if the church decides to keep them and the funds being distributed to the church for use accordingly. If you wish to lead the women's fellowship for the upcoming fiscal year, please email Erin, Storme or Sue prior to May 15th. We will continue to have our annual women's luncheon at Colatina in May. An invite will go out shortly. Thank you, Steering Committee

Page 6

EPISTLE May 2014

Greetings: The Spring Meeting of the Grafton-Orange Association will be held on Sunday, May 4

beginning at 2:30 p.m. at the West Fairlee Congregational Church, VT RT 113, West Fairlee,

Vermont. ** Official representation at the meeting is by the pastor(s) and four lay delegates from each church,

all ministers holding standing in the Association and officers. Other interested persons are

welcome to attend. PASTORS AND CLERKS RECEIVING THIS CALL ARE ASKED TO NOTIFY THEIR

DELEGATES.

Program

Our guest speaker will be Vermont Interfaith Power and Light's Vice

President, Ron McGarvey. Ron conducts the energy assessments in

houses of worship (he's done over 180). We will also have

information on comparable programs in New Hampshire. The roll call will include the question; “what has your church done to

become better stewards of the earth? (go green)” Delegates are invited

to bring household cleaning or personal care items for the local food

shelves.

LECTIONARY May – June 2014 Third Sunday of Easter May 4 Acts 2:14a, 36–41 Psalm 116:1–4, 12–19 1 Peter 1:17–23 Luke 24:13–35

Fourth Sunday of Easter May 11 Acts 2:42–47 Psalm 23 1 Peter 2:19–25 John 10:1–10

Fifth Sunday of Easter May 18 Acts 7:55–60 Psalm 31:1–5, 15–16 1 Peter 2:2–10 John 14:1–14

Sixth Sunday of Easter May 25 Acts 17:22–31 Psalm 66:8–20 1 Peter 3:13–22 John 14:15–21

Page 7 EPISTLE May 2014

Seventh Sunday of Easter June 1 Acts 1:6–14 Psalm 68:1–10, 32–35 1 Peter 4:12–14; 5:6–11 John 17:1–11 Pentecost Sunday June 8

Acts 2:1–21 or Numbers 11:24–30 Psalm 104:24–34, 35b 1 Corinthians 12:3b–13 or Acts 2:1–21 John 20:19–23 or John 7:37–39 Trinity Sunday June 15 Genesis 1:1—2:4a Psalm 8 2 Corinthians 13:11–13 Matthew 28:16–20

June 22 Genesis 21:8–21 and Psalm 86:1–10 16–17

or Jeremiah 20:7–13 and Psalm 69:7–10, (11–15), 16–18 Romans 6:1b–11 Matthew 10:24–39 Proper 8/Third after Pentecost June 29 Genesis 22:1–14 and Psalm 13 or Jeremiah 28:5–9 and Psalm 89:1–4, 15–18 Romans 6:12–23 Matthew 10:40–42

More about Dr. Bildad Andross (from Rev. McKeen’s and Harold Haskins’ Histories of

Bradford) One of Bradford’s earliest practicing physicians was Dr. Bildad Andross who came here as early as 1777. This is the time (May 29) that Bradford voted to send him and Benjamin Baldwin to Windsor to help organize a new state. Mary S., his wife, was an aunt of Dr. Arad Stebbins. Dr. Stebbins succeeded Dr. Andross in his Bradford medical

practice. Dr. & Mrs. Andross were members of the Bradford Congregational Church during the ministry of Dr. Gardner Kellogg and were held “in high estimation” according to Rev. Silas McKeen. They lived on the Lower Plain, north of the road that goes to Piermont, NH and near the Connecticut River. At the Seventh Convention held in Windsor on June 4, 1777 attended by Dr. Andross and Mr. Baldwin, Mooretown representatives (Bradford’s original name was

Mooretown in Gloucester County, which is now Orange County), named a committee to draft a Constitution. When they found out there was a district in Pennsylvania named New Connecticut, they changed the name of the new state to Vermont. The name New Connecticut had been chosen at the Sixth Convention held on January 15, 1777. Twenty-seven east-side towns to twenty-one west-side towns made this the largest convention. According to Mr. Harold Haskins, the May 29, 1777 town meeting records are still very legible in the handwriting of the Town Clerk Stevens McConnell: “Met at the dwelling home of Samuel McDuffee, agreeable to the Convention of the new State. Voted to send delegates to the Convention to be held at Windsor the fourth day of June next. Voted to send Bildad Andross and Benjm. Baldwin, delegates.”

According to Mr. Haskins, Bradford is one of only four Vermont towns known in 1965

to have the record of the town meeting which chose the delegates to this convention. The other three are Brattleboro, Guilford and Chester. The Constitution for Vermont was finally adopted at an adjourned session (number eight) held from July 2 to 8, 1777. At this eighth session, word was received that the British had recaptured Ticonderoga and that our Continentals were going to try to hold the invaders at Hubbardton. Of course this upset the delegates, especially the west-side ones, so they headed home to protect their families. In addition to this confusion, a violent thunderstorm struck and “imprisoned” them. During this long and unusually severe storm, the delegates sat in that “sultry oppressive Hall, windows closed to keep out the driving twisting rain, and hammered out, one by one, the remaining articles of a Constitution for free men.” The new and free Republic of Vermont was born, and Dr. Andross and Mr. Baldwin came home to Mooretown! Then it took fourteen years to get our Republic admitted to the Union in 1791 as the fourteenth state. (For more information on this process, see Harold Haskins’ “History of Bradford, Vermont). Dr. Andross and his wife had six children – four girls and two boys. Our own Mary

Sanborn is a descendant of Bildad Andross through her Dad, Willard Martin.