Local missions and service to those in need

On the first and third Sundays of each month (Communion services), we collect special offerings for special outreach. Donations are received for the local food shelf and for the Deacons' Fund, for distribution to those in need by the deacons.

Each year in the late fall, members of the congregation contribute new towels and wash cloths to the Christmas Shop at the HOPE. And in the spring, members collect "spare change" in baby bottles for donations to the Care Net Pregnancy Center and share special food shelf offerings in the "donate your weight" program.

Our church friends and members also work with the Middlebury Care Coalition to provide community lunches at the Charter House once every three weeks and a community supper at the Congregational Church once every few months, as well as provide volunteer staffing for the Charter House housing shelter during the winter months.

We also support Addison County Young Life and its outreach to teens. Young Life and Wyldlife provide fun, sometimes crazy, but always safe places for high school and middle school kids. We usually meet at someone's home on a weeknight during the school year, and we go to an awesome camp in the summer.

Around the globe

Haiti mission trips 2010

A group of adults and teens plans to travel to Haiti in April 2010 to provide humanitarian assistance as Haiti continues to rebuild from the devastating 2009 earthquake. Frank Mazza, Kathleen Smith, and high school students Hannah Logan, Moriah Comeau, and Justus Sturtevant plan to go to Haiti, and work with Moriah's aunt, Carole Comeau, a missionary based in Port-au-Prince for the past twelve years in association with Evangelistic World Outreach. Jim Logan has already been to Haiti to help provide relief, and he will head up another team of people from Memorial Baptist in June.

Leading up to the trip, the group will learn cultural and language traditions of Haiti, including online conversations with Carole.

BENEFIT CONCERT FOR HAITI MISSIONS
featuring Zephyr
Sunday, February 13, 7:00 p.m.
Local band* playing covers and originals of Folk-Americana-Gospel style music invites you to bring your sweetie or your family to this benefit concert. Proceeds donated to the Memorial Baptist Church mission teams for their work in Haiti this spring and summer. Chocolate truffles and dessert items for sale. Let us know if you're coming on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=183400178367299 

*Zephyr: Dutton Smith, Jr. ~ Matt Dickerson ~ Susan Nop ~ Kathleen Smith

Those interested in donations may contact any of the travelers; checks may be sent to Memorial Baptist Church, 97 S. Pleasant St, Middlebury, VT 05753 with a memo noting Haiti mission trip.

Our church members also support those who've been a part of our fellowship as they now serve in the field in Africa:

• Tom and Meghan Langsdorf: see their blog at http://tmlangsdorf.blogspot.com
• Andrew and Anne May who work with prisoners in South Africa: http:amayx2.blogspot.com
  

 
Romania
Since the late 1990s, a group of youth and adults from our church travels to Romania to offer an English-language camp for teenagers, in an ongoing partnership with Vox Domini Baptist Church in Timisoara.

10000 Villages
Each fall on a Saturday in late November, our church meeting space is converted to a shop with goods provided from around the globe. Proceeds from sales go back to the artisans through Ten Thousand Villages. "Since 1946 Ten Thousand Villages has supported the work of literally tens of thousands of artisans in over 30 countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East, making us one the largest fair trade organizations in North America. Working with more than 100 artisan groups, we purchase fine pieces from craftspeople with whom we have longstanding, nurturing relationships…helping to bring dignity to their lives. We market quality products from diverse cultures around the world made by people that we know and care enough about to do business in a manner that together we consider fair. We strive to operate as a business with a compassionate mission so that we can provide vital, fair income to artisans. Our dream is to one day see that all artisans in developing countries will earn a fair wage, be treated with dignity and respect and be able to live a life of quality."

CROP Hunger WALK (Church World Service)
Each October members of the church seek sponsors as they walk in the local CROP Walk. Proceeds benefit local food shelves as well as worldwide hunger and disaster relief through the Church World Service.
The Addison County Crop Hunger Walk usually takes place on the first Sunday in October.

 
Local Church Planting
We support a new church serving the greater Burlingon area - St. Andrews Christian Church, led by Kevin Fitton. Regular services are held on Sundays at 4pm at First Baptist Church in Burlington. For more information, see: http://www.standrewsvt.org