VIA's 5th Annual Statewide Convention

Rev. Jennie Anderson (St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Norwich) shared with us Prayers for the VIA Convention out of the Episcopal faith tradition. 

Mary Beth Barritt, Christ Church Presbyterian and VIA Board Member

Rev. Joan Javier-Duval, Unitarian Church of Montpelier

Rev. Earl Kooperkamp, Good Shepherd in Barre - Moral Economy

Mary Chin and Sherry Merrick - UVIP Report

Fred Breunig, Guilford Community Church - Southern VT (SEVIA)

Rev. Josh Simon, First Congregational Church in Essex Junction chatted with Executive Director of Faith in New Jersey, Charlene Walker about how she got into organizing, what Faith in New Jersey is up to and how their organizing strategies have or have not changed in the age of a global pandemic.

Fran Carlson, St. Paul's Cathedral - Corrections Reform

Deacon Beth Ann Maier, Christ Episcopal Church/Good Shepherd - Affordable Housing & Homelessness

Rev. Elissa Johnk (First Congregational Church, Burlington) and Rev. Ken White (College St. Congregational) - Racial Justice

 VIA leaders, clergy, staff and friends shared in this statewide discussion about how they reimagine communities across Vermont to look - from more affordable housing to providing a universal income to tackling racial issues head-on to climate change to immigration to land reparations and so much more. From reimagining together we moved on to remember how we as a community build power - through organizing people and organizing money. Then we pulled this all together in thinking through how we can move forward in this work during a yet-to-be-determined period of time where we must physically distance ourselves from one another at a moment in time when being there for one another never seemed more important.

Bishop Dwayne Royster from Faith in Action and POWER, PA addressed VIA leaders, clergy, friends and staff in his address on being Architects Of A Better America. 

Rev. Tricia Hart (First Unitarian Universalist Society in Burlington), Rabbi Jan Salzman (Ruach haMaqom) and Imam Islam Hassan (Islamic Society of Vermont) lead us in a time of interfaith worship.