VIA's 6th Annual Statewide Convention

Rev. Joan Javier-Duval, Unitarian Church of Montpelier

Rev. Lise Sparrow, retired UCC minister

Rev. Earl Kooperkamp, Good Shephard Episcopal Church, Barre

Breaking into 1:1s, we spent time sharing with one another how this last year and a half has changed us? What new things have we learned about ourselves? About our relationships? And about society?

We heard what's happening on all of VIA's issues and from our new geographic regions. This 35-minute video covers Affordable Housing/Homelessness, Corrections Reform, Immigration, Racial Justice (business, housing & land ownership, and public safety), the Upper Valley, Brattleboro, and Bennington.  

 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.