Snow on snow on snow! The deep peace and quiet of the winter landscape has forced me to take a step back from the usual non-stop schedule. It has invited reflection, renewal, and awareness of the natural rhythms of the Earth. This in turn has led me to be even more intentional, dedicated, and grateful while making music.

Between my working on a musical theater project in January and several snowfalls, the Chancel Choir has also been forced to slow down a bit. We’ve missed a few rehearsals and have had to wait patiently to come back together. This waiting seems to have inspired a deeper hunger and need for community music making, which has been reflected in a few ways that I want to share with you.

On Sunday, February 16, amidst the ongoing snowstorm, nine singers braved the elements and made it to church. We put together a somewhat impromptu rendition of the well-known round, Dona Nobis Pacem. There was something special and intimate about this moment as we sang in an arc in front of the pulpit. This timeless prayer for peace has stuck with me over the following week and I hope it stays with you, too.

The previous Thursday evening, we returned to rehearsal for the first time in many weeks with all of us there—Jeff at the piano, me leading, and singers eager to make music. We introduced new anthems for Ash Wednesday and began looking ahead to Lent. In particular, we focused much of our energy on a very old piece of music from the English composer Richard Farrant: Lord, for Thy Tender Mercy’s Sake, which the choir will present on Ash Wednesday. The piece is a plea to God to forgive anything in the past which may have caused us to stray from faith and to help us walk forward with a perfect heart.

In other news, the Bell Choir is slowly reawakening. I am very excited to learn more about handbells and experience a new form of music ministry at church. We’ll hope to ring at some services by around Easter. We have tons of new interest which is truly exciting to see!

Taizé is continuing each month on the 4th Sunday. This service continues to serve as a guiding presence in my life, encouraging all in the room to connect with the breath, the voice, and the profound nature of being in silence in community. More than ever, I am looking toward meditative forms of prayer such as Taizé to keep my mind, body, and spirit healthy, and I hope you will, too.

It is my wish that you may find moments in your daily life to pause and reconnect with your inner self. May music help you do this!

Love,

Ronnie

Prior to 1945, a mimeographed brochure of some ten pages had been distributed at each annual meeting, giving chiefly the financial reports, holdings, and budgets. Beginning with the annual meeting for 1950, this was expanded to some 20 pages, to include written reports from the pastor, Rev. W. T. Hawley; the historian, Professor R. H. White; and the chairmen of the deacons and deaconesses, and other major committees. These were interestingly written and communicated far more information about the church activities than was hitherto generally known, or possible to impart at an annual meeting [copied from S. A. Freeman].

The 1945 Annual Report was titled “The Congregational Church and The Religious Congregational Society of Middlebury, Vermont - - - Financial and Membership Reports for 1945.” There was no text in this report, but there were numerous financial tables and membership reports (similar to an attendance record).

In the pre-1950 Annual Reports, “The Congregational Church and The Religious Congregational Society of Middlebury, Vermont - - - Financial and Membership Reports for 1945” showed that the financial statuses of these two organizations were kept separate. It was interesting that the Moderator title was used for the Church, while the Clerk title was used for each organization; leading to the fact that there could be two clerks organizationally speaking, it was in the 1960s that the two organizations merged so that there was ONE Moderator and ONE Clerk for each year.

Beginning before World War II, here is the list of Moderators:

• Howard I. Slocum, 1939 through 1948
• Stephen A. Freeman, 1949 through 1988
• James Douglas, 1989 through 1995
• Anne Ginevan, 1996 through 2001
• Ronald Rucker, 2002 through 2005
• Russell C. Carpenter, 2006 through 2019
• Katy Smith Abbott, 2019 through 2021
• Leanna Maglienti, 2022 through current

Note that the years listed in the church fiscal years served, is not showing that January of the year that follows (up to the day of the Annual Meeting) was technically included. Each transition officially took place at an Annual Meeting.

Comments from John Emerson (10-10-21):

1. Howard I. Slocum, D.O. (osteopathy) was Moderator through the 1940s, and died in 1970.

2. He was active in many community organizations.

3. When Amy and John Emerson joined the church in 1973, Stephen Freeman was Church Moderator; Steve was Moderator beginning in1949. (He built up the French School starting in the 1920s, was a College Vice President “forever,” and served as Acting College President for one year.)

4. When Steve was abroad at the French School, Dick Hubbard served as substitute Moderator. Steve’s last full year as Church Moderator was 1988.

Note: Do you recall the names of the Clerks? Comments on the names of the clerks will be presented next month!

Historian: Malcolm W. Chase (with assistance from John Emerson)

The Green Team has been reflecting over the past several months about how our actions as individuals can have a collective impact. We are grateful to have connected with a local organization already doing the good and hard work of moving our entire community, one household at a time, toward a future where greenhouse gas emissions in Addison County are declining, rather than rising. We hope you will join us in learning more about local solutions for a global problem. The Green Team believes that together, we can make a difference!

Mission Possible: Be a Wiser Energizer!

Want to develop a plan to save money, be more comfortable, and reduce carbon emissions in your home? And would you like to develop that plan for free? The Green Team has some good news for you!

Middlebury's Town Energy Committee has partnered with CEACAC (the Climate Energy Action Center of Addison County) to establish the Addison County Energy Navigators. Energy Navigators provide FREE one-on-one home energy consulting services for residents of Addison County. An Energy Navigator will come to your home, meet with you, work with you, and follow up with you. The plan can be simple or complex, and can include a variety of weatherization, electrification, or conservation advice.

Interested? Want to learn more? Come to Fellowship Hall (AKA coffee hour) after the worship service on Sunday, March 9! Our Middlebury Energy Navigator, Adayliah Ley, will be at a table there, ready to answer your questions and provide more information.

(More good news: Adayliah says that apartment and house renters can also get audits!)

For additional information and to sign up for your free energy audit, please go to ceacac.org and click on Energy Navigators at the top of the page.

TOGETHER, WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!