Our Day is embraced by local parishes in Vermont

Using the “Guide for Places of Worship” at the end of Our Day to End Poverty, parishes in Vermont, and around the U.S. are finding it a useful resource for classes, discussion groups, forums, and mission outreach, locally and abroad. Christ Church, Bethel, VT under the leadership of The Rev. Diane Root, arranged for every family in the parish to have a copy of the book. Throughout the summer, parishioners speak from their own perspectives on various global as well as local poverty issues at the Offertory time in a worship feature called “Poverty-Plenty Moments.” Conversation groups then meet following the service to further the particular emphasis of that Sunday. A film series-discussion will be hosted in various homes later in the fall to share individual actions taken as well as to decide which actions to take as a group.

St. John’s in Randolph, VT has also provided twenty copies of the book for people to use in a series of forums coming up later this year around the topic of “Water” (Chapter 22: Improve Access to Clean Water). According to The Rev. Tim Eberhardt, “Many of our parishioners are closely involved with Randolph’s “Clean Source”, formerly “Vermont Pure” water purification and bottling plant. We want to involve local government officials and others to explore how we consume water, our plastic bottle usage, as well as what clean water means to Vermonters. And our local students will be invited to enter a writing contest around the issues of water and poverty.” St. John’s began seriously looking at poverty issues as their Lenten focus this year, and were introduced to the book even before it published. They decided which organizations would receive a portion of their Easter Offering ($800) in a very unique way. At Pentecost, they voted by placing 800 pennies into labeled six containers. The result, in descending order: Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (CHABHA), Medical volunteers on St. Lucia, ERD, Theological Education in Sudan (through Bishop Ely), Latin American Missionary and Bible Institute (LAMB) and Global Aids Interfaith Alliance (GAIA). In addition, individual St. John members have pledged to meet the target .07% of their income for global relief.