It Is Who We Are: Montpelier Congregations of Faith
To the Editor:
Our faiths inform us that we know God and life’s ultimate meaning in welcoming and caring for our neighbor. Our traditions challenge us to do so. The love and care that we receive from God is not ours to keep. It is ours to share. It is who we are.
As congregations of faith striving to be partners with God and to serve the common good, we demonstrate care and love through our actions as individuals and as participants in community organizations, in businesses, in our corporate voice during elections, and our feedback to the elected.
We are dismayed and outraged that Vermont has arrived at the brink of terminating indoor shelter for our neighbors without housing. Among them are hundreds of children and elderly and disabled people. No plan has been offered to support their need for a roof, a bathroom, ways to store and prepare food, electricity to meet their medical needs, or a home base to accomplish the tasks of moving on with their lives. This is not who we are. Love and care means using all the resources available to meet the very basic needs of our neighbors in ways that preserve their dignity, honor their value, and allow them to thrive. We are exhausted by applying Band-Aids as more and more people fall out of permanent housing, yet we remain motivated to do what we can to support them.
As congregations of faith, we pledge to set a tone of radical welcome for our unsheltered neighbors. Their distress is our distress. Their peace is our peace. We will welcome them as individuals in relationship with us. We will actively participate in pursuing and supporting community solutions that address their needs. We will actively advocate for a state government plan that provides humane shelter for all who are without permanent housing.
It is who we are.
Bethany United Church of Christ and the Rev. Amy Pitton; the Board of Directors, Beth Jacob Synagogue; Capital Community Church and Pastor Matthew Nunnely; Christ Episcopal Church and the Revs. Kevin Holland Sparrow and Beth Ann Maier; St. Augustine’s Catholic Church and the Rev. Julian Asucan; and the Unitarian Church of Montpelier and the Rev. Joan Javier-Duval
First Annual Montpelier High School Alumni Roundup: July 14–15, 2023
To the Editor:
The first annual Montpelier High School Alumni Roundup is a reunion fundraiser welcoming all classes, faculty, staff, coaches, and respective families to celebrate the Montpelier High School experience and give back to both the school and the Montpelier community.
The weekend-long event kicks off on Friday, July 14, with a 4–10 p.m. “Welcome Back Street Party” hosted by Langdon Street Tavern’s Dave Thomas (MHS Class of ’06), featuring pub food and drinks for purchase, with entertainment by the locally popular Gallison Hill Band.
The fun continues Saturday, July 15 at the Montpelier Pool and Pavilion with a 2:30–5:30 p.m. afternoon event with fun for all ages, including face-painting, a raffle, games, and more. There will be a beer garden and food truck run by the popular pub and brewery from Northfield, Good Measure Brewing, and the Sisters of Anarchy Ice Cream, Vermont’s quintessential farm-to-cone ice cream company, will also be on hand scooping at the event. At 6:30 p.m. everyone is invited to cheer on our Vermont Mountaineers at their home field with a special national anthem performance by MHS alum Meghan (Hatch) Sheeran (Class of ’03) and her daughter, a 50/50 raffle to benefit the event’s charity, Montpelier Roxbury Public Schools Partners in Education, and a bounce house for the children by Real Bounce from Barre.
MHS alums, faculty, coaches, and staff may reserve tickets through Seven Days Tickets and can join the Facebook page for regular updates as the event approaches.
The MHS Alumni Roundup is a collaboration of the MHS Alumni Committee, Montpelier Roxbury Public Schools Partners in Education, Montpelier Alive, The Mountaineers, Elevate Youth Services (formerly Washington County Youth Service Bureau), and the Montpelier Recreation Department. For more information go to
mhsalumniroundup.com.
Mary Campo McPheat, MHS Class of 2003
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