The Guilford Church

May 24, 2009

Michael Mario received the Shirley Harris Crockett Award for 2009, fittingly, on the anniversary of Shirley's death in 1998. The award "intends to recognize, encourage and perpetuate the qualities and values which characterized Shirley's ministry in the Guilford Church: e.g., growth, risk and innovation in the spiritual life; service to and compassion for others; devotion to the life and work of the church." Michael intends to enter the ministry, and will attend V.A.S.T. (Vermont Academy of Spiritual Training). Congratulations, Michael!

Saturday April 25, 2009

Book sale 2009 was a big success, thanks to the many people who donated books, sorted books, helped on the day of the sale, carted books away and helped clean up. We raised over $1400 for the church—and many people took home treasures to read!

April 11, 2009

“Slowly, slowly, they return
To the small woodland let alone:
Great trees, outspreading and upright,
Apostles of the living light.”
(Wendell Berry)

As Wangari Maatthai began her first public presentation in Brattleboro since receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, she focused first on the Guilford Nine O’clock Choir singing her the verse above as part of the welcome song.

April 4, 2009

About fifteen of us gathered at Hallelujah Farm in West Chesterfield, NH, for a daylong retreat under the leadership of Lise Sparrow, Susannah Crolius, and Sandy Daly—who, with her husband Roger, runs Hallelujah Farm as a retreat center and bed and breakfast. What a peaceful, spirit-filled day it was, with singing, reflection, art projects, worship, and homemade soup.

We asked ourselves the questions: Where am I now? Where have I come from? Where am I going? What is holding me back? What do I need to get there?

We drew or painted mandalas representing where we are now in our lives. We wrote down the things that hold us back—our fears and everything that makes us hesitate—on wooden crosses and symbolically freed ourselves of these crosses we bear by placing them in a bonfire and watching them go up in smoke. We had a wonderfully messy cut-and-paste session making collages about where we're headed and what our future holds. We closed by sharing communion—and by agreeing that this was a place we would love to come back to.

This joyous event told Christ's birth in dance, as choreographed by Kathy Gatto Gurney. Click on any of the images for a slide show.

ALANA Community Organization, Guilford Community Church, St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, All Soul’s Church UU, people from other faith communities and general supporters line up behind the HATE HAS NO HOME HERE banner for the 4th of July parade in Brattleboro. Our own Terry Sylvester coordinated the making of the banner.