Dear Church,

Have you ever suddenly felt awe-struck by the beauty of a moment in nature? A sunset over the Adirondacks, the apple blossoms and baby animals in the spring, the silence of a snowy night. You name it! I’m sure you have—after all, we get to live in this beautiful state. When it happens, I’m left with a happy feeling: an awareness of God here with me. It’s wonderful! 

It also makes me wonder if we are doing all we can to care for this beautiful world. If we are teaching our children not only about the fear of climate change—which they know plenty about—but also about the beauty in our planet now. About how to care for it, not only because we need it to survive, but because it is a gift from God. A life-sustaining one that we also get to enjoy.

These thoughts helped me decide on the focus for the first semester of Sunday School this year. We will be using a curriculum that was recently published by Illustrated Ministries, called Compassion Camp: What Every Living Thing Needs. It focuses on the Psalms, especially Psalm 104, to help us consider how we can become better co-sustainers and participants in the work of God’s creation. It includes Bible stories, games, videos, music, poetry, science, and more.

I’m excited to explore it with the children in our church and with the amazing team of Sunday school teachers this year. Church School will begin on Welcome Sunday, September 10. We can’t wait to start! Please register your child here.

The teachers this school year are:

Stacia Greene: PreK–K and 1st/2nd, combined

May Poduschnick: PreK–K and 1st/2nd, combined

Rik Poduschnik: 3rd–5th

Jenny Orten:  6th–8th

Likewise, I’m excited to start a new year of Junior Youth Group in our new Youth Room. The teens will have the chance to make it their own while thinking about the future generations of youth groupers. I can already feel their excitement! Junior Youth Group will begin on Tuesday, September 19, and I am welcoming back two amazing leaders: Judy Albright and Robin Bentley. 

I am looking forward to this year, with the help of God and of so many in our congregation that make this ministry possible. I’m grateful.

Love and peace,

Eliana

Dear Church,

It is bittersweet to leave the Music Directorship after such a long and deep investment in the musical life of this church. I have been able to use my creativity and skill to the fullest in this place, and I am grateful that so many of you have been willing participants in our programs from Chancel Choir, to Dads (and Church) Band, to Sing for Social Justice Choir, Taizé Choir, Church School Music and Hand Bell Choir, plus special vocal and instrumental music. Thank you to the music leaders I have worked along-side including Mal Chase, Elizabeth Bates, Suzanne Calhoun, Kristen Andrews, Leanna Maglienti, Elizabeth Davis, Carol Campbell, Steve Abbott, and Jeff Buettner. It has been wonderful. 

This church has been a part of my entire life in Vermont, which began in 2007. I married Jeff Buettner (as most of you know) and we agreed to move to Middlebury six months after that. When we moved here I was fresh off of my work as Individual Giving and Special Events Coordinator at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and as Music Director at the University United Methodist Church in East Lansing, MI where I was able to take advantage of the proximity to Michigan State University and its music student population for a few years after graduating from MSU with my Master’s Degree in Choral Conducting. I commuted for my church job!

The plunge into small town New England and a UCC congregation in pastoral transition from Rev. Tinus Riekert to Rev. Andy Nagy-Benson had its challenges, but soon I was taking joy in the potential that I could see here. Participants in the choir began to take a few risks with me, to sing Spirituals, to sing more contemporary anthems in addition to the traditional canon, to make space for music from professionals in the community in collaboration with choir, or simply allow guest musicians to play or sing on a given Sunday. The congregation, and as a result, the church budget, began to support these changes.

The children in our church began to be more included in music programming that was just for them, first through Junior Choir and Junior Handbells, then Church School Music where there was an intentional effort to teach the music of our faith during class time.

Taizé Choir and Sing for Social Justice Choir were formed following the new addition to our building, and were especially intended to serve our afternoon New Light Services on a monthly basis. 

Chancel Choir and friends sang outreach concerts at local retirement communities. In addition, we put on a special community-wide Bicentennial Concert in 2009, a Broadway Revue Benefit Concert, and an Ash Wednesday performance of Fauré Requiem with orchestra. We also hosted a special jazz concert and an organ and trumpet concert. We sang carols on the front steps of our church during Very Merry Middlebury events downtown, and singers participated in the Charter House Benefit Concert each December.

We kept groups going during the pandemic and recorded virtual anthems for our online services, as did individual congregation members and guest musicians from the community. 

We have done a lot together over the past 16 years! Through it all, the depth of personal connection and the joy of community music-making have stood out to me as most significant. As people of faith, we worked together to bring something beautiful, meaningful, and relevant to our church and to God on a weekly basis through music. This is what I have appreciated most about my time as Director of Music for this congregation.

I hope that you all take courage now in this time of transition as our church leaders evaluate and vision our church music program into the future, and endeavor to find the next right person, or people, to lead our church music programs. I can hardly wait to see what is possible when others have the opportunity to dream as big as I have. Thank you all for these many years of energy, growth, and love. 

Jessica Allen

This arson attempt was well documented in three local newspaper articles: two in the Addison Independent and one in the Burlington Free Press.

Addison Independent, Aug. 1975

“Congregational Church Arson Attempt Fails”

A small, deliberately set fire in one of the pews of Middlebury’s majestic Congregational Church failed to become a major blaze, Saturday night, Aug.9, when passersby saw light “flickering” in a window and called the police.

Middlebury Police Officer Shawn Lundrigan responded to the call, also saw the flicker, punched a hole through a window in the vestry door on Seymour Street and let himself in, then went into the sanctuary and put out the fire with a fire extinguisher.

James H. Douglas, chairman of the church deacons, said police and firefighters were in the church until 2 a.m. Sunday making sure the fire was completely out, and that church people had the area all cleaned in time for the 9:30 a.m. Sunday service. 

Middlebury Police Chief Robert Van Ness called the incident a deliberate attempt to set the church on fire. Douglas, however, said Office Lundrigan considered it was “kids playing with the Communion candles.”

The church, a highly popular edifice for tourists and townspeople alike, is open all day until about 6 p.m.

The edifice was built in 1806 according to architectural designs drawn by Lavius Fillmore, brother of former President Millard Fillmore, and is one of the most photographed churches in New England. It has been painted by artists using every known medium, from oils and water colors to pastels, and has appeared on post cards besides fliers that go around the world.

Douglas said it is assumed that the person or persons hid in the church until after Eugene Bachelder, the janitor, locked the doors at 6 p.m. Douglas said Batchelder checks the church thoroughly before going home, and noticed that the two Communion candles on the altar were lighted. He put them out routinely, locked the church and left.

Douglas said some pew cushions and part of the wood of the pew was burned as the would-be arsonists apparently carried the Communion candles from the altar to the pew.

The burned pew, Douglas said, was under the balcony, and, if the fire had gotten much hotter it would have set off the sprinkler alarm system.

Douglas said Mr. and Mrs. Michael Wood and Mr. and Mrs. Roger Quesnel were in a car on Seymour Street, passing the church, when the Woods noticed light flickering in the window and called the police. This was shortly before 10 p.m. when Lundrigan broke in and put the fire out. 

Douglas said there also were some holes burned in the rug near the pulpit, which statement indicated there were two attempts in start a fire. He said there were some “burn marks” on the church Alpha and Omega plaque, and two pages of the church Memory Book had been written on. 

Writing on one page, “God is Here,” and that on the other page was illegible. Cigarettes, Douglas said, were ground out in the offering plates, and police found melted was on one of the pews. Douglas said church people searched until 2 a.m. for more fire, and started up again at 7:30 a.m. Sunday in order to have the place cleaned up by the 9:30 a.m. worship service.

The Burlington Free Press, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 1975, p. 16

“Church Fire in Middlebury is Investigated”

MIDDLEBURY – Investigation is continuing into the Saturday fire which caused moderate damage to the Congregational Church here.

Patrolman Shawn Lundergun extinguished the fire shortly before 10:00 p.m. before it had a chance to go out of control.

The fire was arson, according to the fire investigator, Cpl. James Lilly of the state police. Lilly requested anyone seeing persons in or around the church Saturday night to contact police.

Addison Independent, Aug 21, 1975

“Town Lucky Church Fire Was No Worse”

The Editor:

Sir: The members of the Congregational Church of Middlebury are very fortunate that a fire at the church building earlier this month did not result in serious damage.

If the blaze had been allowed to continue, the damage from the fire and water would have been extensive.

On behalf of the congregation, I wish to express my gratitude to Dr. and Mrs. Michael Wood and Mr. and Mrs. Roger Quesnel, who saw and reported the fire, and to Middlebury Police Officer Shawn Lundrigan, who entered the building and extinguished the flames. Officer Lundrigan’s quick response and courageous action clearly averted a tragedy.

James H. Douglas, Chairman, board of Deacons

Brief comments from the 1975 Annual Report of the Congregational Church of Middlebury, VT

“after the fire, Mr. Tenny will repair the damaged pew and Mr. Lacey, of Burlington, repaired the burned carpet behind the pulpit”

Next up (hopefully): A list of all land owned by the church, and a list of Moderators since 1939. Stay tuned!

Malcolm W. Chase, Historian

This September, your Board of Mission and Social Concerns is shifting our food-drive focus to all things soap—bar soap, shampoo, laundry, dish detergent, body wash—all the important personal products people use in their daily lives for cleaning up. These items are in demand at HOPE’s community pantry, especially for those without steady housing. Please join us for act one of this soap opera on Sunday, September 3, when we will have our monthly grocery-cart collection at the 10 a.m. worship service. If you would rather donate food, please do so. We're still collecting all kinds of nonperishable food items as well. 

UPDATE: We're rounding the 3,000-pound mark on our way to collecting two tons of food this year. This ambitious goal is only possible thanks to your generosity. Please know that your giving is helping alleviate hunger and food insecurity in our community.

This month our focus is on Volunteers and Schedules.

Bazaar Week starts Nov. 1, and Bazaar Day is Sat. Nov. 4. Over the past few months, we have described how you can donate items to sell at our church’s largest fundraising event, the Holiday Bazaar.

We’ve confirmed this year’s Rooms & Tables managers. They are listed below, along with a tentative list of volunteers, most of whom volunteered in 2022. (If we inadvertently omitted your name, please let us know!) To give you an idea what goes on each day, we also listed a Bazaar Week Schedule below.

We welcome additional and new volunteers! After reviewing the list below, please touch base with the individual Room and Table Managers to tell them about your volunteer interest and the days and times that you’re able to spend a few hours helping during the set up days and at the Bazaar. You may also direct questions about Bazaar Week drop off times or volunteering to us, the Bazaar Co-Chairs.

We welcome all to this community-wide event and are enthusiastic about the activities and programs to which the proceeds contribute. There will be many ways in the coming months that you can contribute to making the Bazaar a success!

Gratefully, Ruth Penfield (ruthpenfield@gmail.com) and Judy Jessup (judyjessupvt@gmail.com)

REMINDER: Attic Treasures and Finer Things sales have been discontinued.

*Managers will decide volunteer schedules for the Bazaar Week and Bazaar Day

BAZAAR WEEK SCHEDULE

Set Up Days

• Wednesday, Nov. 1: Donors can drop off contributions from 9:00AM – 5:00PM. Bazaar workers will be setting up spaces, sorting, and pricing merchandise and non-perishable food items.
• Thursday, Nov. 2: Workers continue to receive, price and set up from 9:00AM – 6:00PM.
• Friday, Nov. 3: Friday is the last day to drop off donated items, and the first day to drop off perishablefoods including baked goods (whole pies, etc.) and soups from 9:00AM – 6:00PM. On Friday, Theme Baskets should be brought to the church between 9:00AM – noon. (To make alternate arrangements to drop off baskets, contact Chris Ketcham.)