Sunday, July 29

'Where Is God?'

at the Federated Church

EAST ARLINGTON -- All are warmly invited to gather at the Federated Church of East Arlington on Ice Pond Road at 10 a.m. as the Sermon by Request Summer continues. This week's requested topic is a question that has troubled humanity since the beginning of time: "Where Is God?" in the midst of so much pain and suffering especially those whose challenges and pain we can barely imagine.

The Rev. Kathy Clark will address this issue in this Sunday's sermon. Following the service of worship, join the congregation for coffee hour in Bailey Hall, where a basket is present each week to support the chaplains in Afghanistan and other U.S. military posts around the world in their ministry of presence through the Holy Joe's Café program.

The Summer Lunch Program for children of Arlington, Sandgate and Sunderland runs through Aug. 21 and is still in need of individually wrapped snack items. Items such as raisins, granola bars, goldfish and pretzels can be deposited in the designated box in Bailey Hall on Sundays or any weekday between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. People who have items to donate to the tag sale that the Men's Fellowship will sponsor on Saturday, Aug. 11, during Norman's Attic are encouraged to bring them to the Methodist Church building following worship on July 29 or Aug. 5 from 11 a.m. to 12 noon.

Senior meals are served on Tuesday and Thursday at noon in Bailey Hall. To participate in the ride share program, call the church office at 802-375-2548. For more information, visit www.federatedchurchofeastarlington.org/ or look for the church on Facebook.

The Federated Church of East Arlington maintains denominational ties with the United Church of Christ and the United Methodist Church. Its mission is, "To welcome all, follow Jesus Christ together, and live God's Word with compassionate service." Worship, activities

at Second Congo

BENNINGTON -- Whoever you are, wherever you are on life's journey, you are welcome at Second Congregational Church. Jane Norrie will lead worship this Sunday morning at 10 a.m. The sermon is titled "Tales of a Life Changing Foursome." Nursery care is provided throughout worship, and a time of fellowship and refreshment follows in Webster Hall.

The Fellowship Luncheon will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 1. Come join friends for food and conversation at noon in Webster Hall.

Second Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, welcomes all people of faith or in search of faith, without regard to age, race, sex, economic condition, disability, or sexual orientation. Its building is wheelchair-accessible, and hearing-assistance devices are available. For more information, call the church office at 442-2559 or visit www.bennscc.org.

Worship in North Bennington

NORTH BENNINGTON -- The North Bennington Congregational Church welcomes all to its 11 a.m. worship service led by the Rev. Penny Rich Smith. The sermon, "Singing Our Faith," will be based on excerpts from several biblical passages with singing our faith as the theme. The church will have an old-time hymn sing as part of worship. Sunday School has concluded for the year and will resume on Sept. 9. The church will not hold worship services during the month of August.

Following the service, everyone is invited to stay for coffee hour and a time of fellowship. The church is located at 8 Bank St. and is wheelchair accessible from the back door at the parsonage driveway. For more information, call the church office at 442-5161.

Ninth Sunday after Pentecost at St. Peter's

BENNINGTON -- All are welcome to the Holy Eucharist at 8 a.m. (Rite 1) and 10 a.m. (Rite 2). Worship is led by the Rev. L. Paul Gratz, transition minister and Derek Stannard, organist/choirmaster.

In Mark's Gospel, Jesus feeds five thousand people with five barley loaves and two fish.

Following worship, all are invited for coffee hour in the Parish Hall. St. Peter's is an open and affirming church that respects religious inquiry and welcomes all people to the Good News of Christ's presence and a place at his table. Located at 200 Pleasant St. and is wheelchair accessible. For more information, call the parish office at 442-2911 or visit www.stpetersvt.org.

Kinhaven Chorus performs this Sunday at Church on the Hill

WESTON -- The Weston Community Church and the Old Parish Church of Weston will join for the 10th annual shared "Service on the Hill" at 11 a.m.

It is with the true spirit of good neighbors that the congregation of Old Parish Church follows their pastor, the Rev. Jon Bliss of Andover, who will conduct the worship. Visitors will also be treated to beautiful music by the Kinhaven Chorus from the Kinhaven Music School under the direction of Jerry Bidlac. To accommodate the Kinhaven singers the service will begin at 11 a.m. but the church will be open as usual at 10 a.m. for quiet meditation.

The Church on the Hill was built in 1838 as a Baptist Meeting House. Stained glass windows in the Tiffany style were installed in the late 1800s to honor nine of its founders. Declining population following World War I sent the Baptist congregation and the building into decline until 1938 when a former resident, Louis Parkhurst, aided by Weston architect Raymond Austin bought and rededicated it as a non-denominational community church.

To honor both the roots and significance of the Church on the Hill and history of Weston, the church continues to offer a variety of events including Sunday Services, as well as Vespers and Evensong concerts that take advantage of the sanctuary's amazing acoustics. This National Historic Building continues to keep alive its unique place in the ongoing story of Weston.

For additional information, history of the church and upcoming events, visit www.vtchurchonthehill.org.

Upcoming

International torch relay will travel through Bennington

BENNINGTON -- The World Harmony Run (www.worldharmonyrun.org) is coming to Vermont on Aug. 7 and 8. Traveling the world to encourage goodwill, harmony and friendship at the local level, relay runs occur in some 100 nations throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. The U.S. portion of the torch relay will finish its four-month, 50-state journey in New York City in mid-August.

Bennington will again welcome the World Harmony Run team on Tuesday, Aug. 7. The torch relay enters Bennington on Route 9 from New York State at 2:50 p.m. At 3 p.m. the Bennington Rec Center will host a welcoming ceremony at their temporary Day Camp site on Stark Street. The runners will be carrying the Torch along Route 9 from the west, and anyone is welcome to join in the run at any point along the route.

The World Harmony Run was inspired by the visionary Sri Chinmoy to give citizens a dynamic way to express their own hopes and dreams for a more harmonious world. An athlete, philosopher, artist, musician and poet, Chinmoy dedicated his life to advancing the ideals of world harmony one person at a time. He said, "If we have perseverance, then that is our first step towards world harmony."

An estimated 50,000 children in over 1,000 cities and towns on the 10,000-mile U.S. route are expected to participate when World Harmony Runners visit their schools and youth organizations. Runners offer educational presentations that promote self-esteem and friendship.

Since the inaugural run in 1987, more than 5 million people have held the torch and taken a step for peace. Endorsements have come from many world figures, including President Nelson Mandela, President Mikhail Gorbachev, Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa.

In honor of the World Harmony Run's 25th Anniversary, Canadian mountain climber Samuel Nirabadhi Wyatt carried the World Harmony Run Torch to the top of Mount Everest which he summitted on May 19.

Carl Lewis, 9-time Olympic Gold-Medalist, said, "By carrying the Torch, you will be bridging cultural and social barriers, and all the boundaries that separate nation from nation. You will be the living proof of the ancient vision of having a beautiful and harmonious world."

For more information, contact the run at 888-882-4081 or locally, Akankha Perkins at 802-777-3047.

New Skete Pilgrimage

CAMBRIDGE, N.Y. -- New Skete Pilgrimage: a Journey of Spiritual Significance monastic communities annual summer festival will be held on Saturday, Aug. 11, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

It will include church services and tours, a food court, photo exhibit, gardens, children's activities, gift shops, a guided hike, and a healing service with anointing. The guest speaker will be Dr. Kyriaki Karidoyanes Fitzgerald, theologian and psychologist, on the theme "Persons in Communion: A Theology of Authentic Relationships."

Pilgrimage is at the monks' monastery located at 250 New Skete Lane; the nuns' monastery and gift shop is located at 343 Ashgrove Road.

New Skete is a monastic community of men and women rooted in the tradition of the Christian East.

Through prayer, worship, and the work of our hands, we seek to respond to the mystery of God and the Gospel's power to transform human living. Welcoming all, we seek to bridge the old with the new and to witness to the sacredness of all creation.

Commemoration ceremony of Hiroshima

GRAFTON, N.Y. -- The 67th commemoration ceremony of Hiroshima-Nagasaki for a nuclear-free future will take place at the Grafton Peace Pagoda on Saturday, Aug. 11.

"Nuclear power and mankind cannot coexist. We survivors of the atomic bomb have said this all along. And yet, the use of nuclear power was camouflaged as ‘peaceful' and continued to progress," according to Sumiteru Taniguchi, director of the Nagasaki Council of A-Bomb Sufferers. "You never know when there's going to be a natural disaster. You can never say that there will never be a nuclear accident.'

The radiation released from the Fukushima plant in Japan, critically damaged by the 2011 tsunami, is 20 to 30 times that of the bombing of Hiroshima, with worldwide consequences for all living things.

The commemoration ceremony will include a 6:45 p.m. walk from Grafton Town Square to the Peace Pagoda (4.3 miles).

At 8:30 p.m. there will be a program of peace, featuring:

* John Armbruster, seismologist, Columbia University Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.

* Cecile Pineda, author of "Devil's Tango: How I learned the Fukushima Step by Step" on the the anatomy of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.

* Ceremonial lighting of lanterns.

* Interfaith peace prayers and Native American prayers.

* Eric Marczak on Native American Flute.

This event will be held rain or shine. Wear weather-appropriate clothes and bring a flashlight and insect repellant. You may also want a blanket.

For information on the ceremony before the event, call Heidi at 518-588-7122. The Grafton Peace Pagoda is located at 87 Crandall Road Petersburg, NY 12138; 518-658-9301.

Also check out the Grafton Peace Pagoda's website at www.graftonpeacepagoda.org.

Announcements

Basketball and music and arts camps at Grace Christian

BENNINGTON -- Grace Christian School will offer a free music and arts camp from July 30 to Aug. 3 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. for children of all ages at Grace Christian School. Parents are invited to stay for a nightly movie. Call Grace Christian School at 447-2233 to register.