May 15, 2026-Weekly Meditation by Reverend Devon Thomas
What makes the Easter story important is how it shows God is in communication with us. The ministry of Jesus started a conversation between humanity and God through Christ. Jesus’ execution and resurrection started a new, one-on-one conversation between God and humanity.
This direct communication was not just a blessing; it was the point of Jesus’ ministry among us. Jesus sacrificed himself to help us understand that God has always been speaking to us, and God is still speaking to us. God’s Spirit of love lives inside of us, and when we open ourselves to that loving Spirit living in ourselves and the people around us, then suddenly, God has a voice in the world.
John 17:1-11 is a passage about finding that Spirit within us. In it, Jesus blesses his followers, “For the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. ” (John 17:8,11).
In this passage, John wants to show us that it was Jesus who entrusted his message to his disciples after his death. So that readers of his Gospel could see that we all have the ability to be messengers of God. For his followers, Jesus was like a jumper cable that shocked them with awareness of a connection they already had with God’s love. Once they understood this, they became messengers of God, and the disciples became the apostles.
No matter how extraordinary we feel the apostles were, they were just people, the same as you and me. They came to Jesus from ordinary lives, but after Jesus reminded them they had love in their hearts to share, they let that love guide their lives.
We, too, struggle as the disciples did to listen to God’s voice of love and follow it. We close ourselves off to love's call. Or we only listen for it in ways that make us comfortable. That is not how Jesus communicated with God, and it is not how the apostles did either.
Jesus and the apostles went out into the world. They accepted and listened to people who were suffering and being oppressed. They created communities where all people were valued equally, and they resisted the powers of oppression even when doing so put their lives at risk.
They embraced the discomfort that it takes to listen to God, because often God tells us things we do not want to hear. Love reminds us that we benefit from systems, harbor biases, and commit actions that harm other people. God’s love reminds us that when we are not aware of others, we do harm to others.
When we challenge ourselves to listen to these uncomfortable truths, it enables us to better live our lives with compassion and love for our neighbors.
All of us can be messengers of God if we are up to the challenge of listening to the Spirit of love that lives in us all.
Breaking news!
As of May 10, 2026 we have a new minister!!! Welcome Reverend Devon Thomas! Join us Sunday, May 17, 2026 at 9 AM (note new time start), in person or by Zoom.
October 2025 Update from the Joint Pastoral Search Committee
Committee Members:
UCN- Laura Ranker, Steve Allen, Catherine Howard, and Dex Rowe.
Bethany UCC- Stephanie Ratmeyer, Carrie Youngblood, and Judi Joy.
Candidate Profiles received to date:
5 under active review by the committee.
2 candidates withdrew; call accepted with another church.
3 no longer under consideration.
In Memory of Frank Plumley, May 22, 1931 – January 14, 2025
Memorial contributions may be made to the United Church of Northfield (PO BOX 188, Northfield, VT) or by clicking on the Donate button on this page, or to the Brown Public Library in memory and celebration of Frank Plumley,
a beloved church member, friend and blessed child of God. Frank’s life was a testament to dedication, love, and community, and he will be deeply missed by all who knew him. For full obituary please go to www.vtfuneralhomes.com
Vermont Reads program: "Gather" by Kenneth Cadow, a Vermont author and Co-Principal at
Oxbow Union High School.
Brown Public Library is hosting Vermont Reads 2024-2025. This year's book is "Gather" by Vermont author and
Co-Principal at Oxbow Union High School, Kenneth Cadow.
If you are interested, the book is available for free from Vermont Humanities, at the Brown
Public Library. Just ask for it at the desk.
There will be a book discussion at the Brown Public Library Community Room on Sat. March 29, 10 AM-
12PM.
Northfield Community Emergency Relief Volunteers (CERV)
Please support the local CERV organization with weekly food donations and the monthly monetary
offering taken on the fourth Sunday. All proceeds go to help this local mission in our community.
CERV is looking for volunteers. CAN YOU HELP?
*Fridays from 8:30 a.m. -10:00 a.m. to help unload food from a truck and stock shelves.
*Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. to help distribute food and stock shelves.
Contact Liz O'Connor by email at lizoconnor0824@yahoo.com or speak with a UCN Mission Committee
Member if you are interested in serving in this way.
Playgroup is back at the United Church of Northfield!!
Children birth - five years old
Each accompanied by their adult (18 years and older) care-taker
Playgroup will meet every Thursday from 10 am -11 am at the United Church of Northfield beginning on Thursday, September 12th. Run by the Family Center of Washington County and hosted the the United Church of Northfield.
July 22, 2024- The Church Vitality Committee drafted the following Statement of Purpose July 17, 2024: “Meeting in faith, honoring diversity, transformed by love and kindness, serving the community with joy.” This will be presented to the Church Council on July 23, 2024. This meeting will decide how we move forward in the adoption of the statement. The full congregation will be involved.
The Church has a lot going on with three new Ad Hoc committees recently formed to look at the church during this period of transition where we are actively planning and shaping our future. There will be weekly updates and church engagement which is vital to the whole process so please participate and be actively engaged.
Pastoral Search Committee:
Catherine Howard
Judy Howard
Laura Ranker
Dex Rowe
Lauren Howard-Chair
Church Vitality Committee:
Debra Maloney-Evans
Mary McDaniel
Karen Taylor
Laura Ranker
Dex Rowe
Peter Evans
Elizabeth Redmond-Chair
Multi Church Collaboration Team:
Elizabeth Redmond
Lauren Howard
Laura Ranker
Peter Evans-Chair
Below is a synopsis of the focus for the three committees. All three committees are integrally connected and their work will overlap, giving deeper meaning and strength to each.
CHURCH VITALITY, “VISION TEAM”
Following up on a March 9, 2024 workshop on church vitality sponsored by the Vermont Conference of UCC, the TEAM is working with coach Rev. Paul Nickerson in a structured coaching process to develop a church purpose statement, vision, and action plan. Congregational and Community engagement are integral to the process and outcomes.
PASTORAL SEARCH COMMITTEE
The Pastoral Search Committee is charged with the work involved with calling a Pastor to serve the church. This includes developing a church profile for use in the Call for a Pastor. Congregational and Community engagement are integral to this process. The Pastoral Search Committee will review candidate profiles, conduct interviews, and select a candidate for consideration and vote by the membership of the UCN.
MULTI-CHURCH COLLABORATION TEAM
At the same time The United Church of Northfield is beginning the process to call a new settledminister, other churches in our region are about to do the same thing. Does it make sense for us to team up during the search process to maximize our efforts, create a shared ministry and work more collaboratively? The TEAM is exploring these questions and what a model for shared ministry may look like.
The Pastoral Search Committee wants to hear from you. A questionnaire has been developed to gather your wishes for the next Pastor and how you envision the United Church of Northfield. Your response is important to us and valued as we develop the Church Profile for calling our next Pastor. Please take the time to complete the questionnaire when you receive it. The Questionnaire has been sent out electronically and, for those needing a hard copy, by Postal Mail. Paper copies are available in the church sanctuary as well. Please contact Laura Ranker if you need a copy. The fillable pdf can be returned to the church electronically by using the email address of lranker@myfairpoint.net
Hard copies (paper copies) can be mailed to the church using the UCN, PO Box 188, Northfield, VT 05663 or you can leave your completed copy in the marked basket in the church sanctuary.
We ask that you return the questionnaire no later than Sunday, June 23rd
.
Howe’s Hall Restoration News
Nov. 1, 2021
by Peter Evans, Chair of Howe’s Hall Restoration Committee
I met with Chris Hill from Engineering Ventures two weeks ago and he has come up with a final plan to shore up the sanctuary floor from Howe’s Hall ceiling. When he did the original drawings, he only could see part of the structural support and so once we had the entire ceiling out, he came back to update his original work. Some of that work has already been done thanks to my son, Jackson who worked with me on Monday, October 18th, to add some structural members above the kitchen serving window, with the balance coming as soon as funds permit.
The floor has been installed in the bathrooms, closet and kitchen. Once the work is completed in the sanctuary floor, Country Floors will return to complete the installation in the hall.
Delary's will be installing the bathroom and kitchen fixtures this week and the port-a-let is scheduled to be removed this week as well.
The most recent grant application to the Vermont Division of Historic Preservation was completed and submitted by Debbie Maloney-Evans. We should know in December whether we will be funded to restore the windows in the hall and vestibule.
Insulation work continues this week with a completion date of another week or so. Almost all of the perimeter walls have been filled and once that is completed, work will begin in the space above the sanctuary. This work was partially funded by a matching grant from Vermont Interfaith Power and Light, Katy Gerke Memorial Program. Our deepest thanks to them.