Dear Friends,

This year, as most of you have heard, I am taking my full month of vacation for this year at the same time…..in this case in the month of May. It’s a special month in our household, with Nancy’s birthday on the 1^st, and Emma’s on the 26^th.

Taking vacation time this way will, I believe, be good both for me and for the church. It will be good for me, because it will give me the chance to let go of usual, daily preoccupations that have built up in my work life; and to do so for a long enough period of time to get a real break and rest, especially mentally, as well as physically.

This coming month will also, I believe, have the potential to be good for the church. It will give you a chance to hear several varied perspectives from the pulpit, of course. But it will provide several important events in the life of the church that will take place this month and that will need to be planned and carried forward entirely by lay people, and with minimal dependence on the minister.

I mention this because as I look at how I spend my time here, although the pluses clearly outweigh the minuses, I also know that there are what seem to me to be an increasing number of events and issues in the life of the church in which I get involved in a good deal of the logistics, administrative work, and general detail work of planning for, thinking through, and executing several of our events. [There are many instances also, of which this is very definitely NOT the case; and for which I am very, very appreciative.] This takes up a lot of my time; more time …… at least from my perspective …… than may be wise or necessary for a pastor to be expending in such ways.

The ministry, of course, does and must involve some level of administrative work and detail work. And I fully accept that. But there is always a balance to be sought for. For me, those times in which my professional life is happening in the best possible way are those in which my time is most heavily focused on the things that I see ministry as being primarily about: preaching; doing the required reading, study and preparation for it; worship preparation; leading and taking part in study groups and other public presentations; writing and creative work; counseling; working directly with people needing pastoral care, presence and help; and working together as needed with other clergy and denominational staff.

Correspondingly, I feel that the church is happening best when its internal, organizational workings are handled primarily by lay people. To give a couple of examples, I am thinking of things like hiring staff; developing job descriptions and personnel policies; securing speakers, planning and setting up for events, including securing electronic equipment; processing committee matters through group emails; sending out group emails about church events; planning and executing youth group events, etc. My hope when I come back is that we can work together in clarifying what we are wanting from each other, and helping, if possible and if we are in agreement, to put the main focus of the pastor on those pastoral duties I mentioned earlier; with a corresponding increased focus by lay people on the administrative, detail-oriented side of the life of the church. I offer these as some thoughts that, at least for me, might have the potential to strengthen my relationship with you in the short term, as well as strengthen the long-term pattern of relationship between pastor and church.

While we are on the subject of administrative details, during my time away, our Church Secretary, Cassandra Brush, will be checking the phone machine regularly each week  [including electronically on days when she is not here.] This will insure that any important messages will be responded to in a timely way.      For any pastoral or worship related needs, you can call the Chair of Deacons, Ken Johnston [533 7100]. During this month there will be pastoral clergy coverage provided for the whole month.

Alan Parker will be covering for me May 1-May 10 [684-1030; or alanparkerdanville@myfairpoint.net].

Judy Waible will cover May 11-May 20 [472-66353; or rogerandjudy@myfairpoint.net].

And Dennis Hett, the Interim from East Craftsbury, will cover May 21-May 31 [586-7707; or

dennis_hett@comcast.net].

Your Pastor,

Tony Acheson

Dear Friends,

In these next few days, millions of Christians, and we ourselves, will move our way one more time through the stages of the church’s holiest week. As we move toward Easter, we are also moving toward the arrival of growing warmth and the green of Spring. The fact that these twin events come nearly together is no accident. The events of Passion Week take place at the same time as Passover. Most Biblical scholars would concur that the Passover itself coincided with the age-old rite of Spring. This is why Easter is often called the Spring of Souls, a feast that we celebrate, appropriately enough, at the same time that new, green life is springing up from the ground.

The re-appearance of the beauties and aliveness of Spring reminds us of one of nature’s most hopeful lessons: that the processes of life are moved by a great guiding Hand and that all forms of life are deeply inter-dependent and inter-related. The flower draws life-energy from the sun, the bees from the flowers, other flowers from the bees, and so forth.

The invitation of Easter is not only to believe in this larger Hand of life, but to surrender to it. In a sense that is at least one part of how and why the resurrection was able to happen; because Christ surrendered himself so fully to the life and will of God. By giving our aliveness to and for a larger good, we share in sustaining the web of life that sustains us. When we grow in our own surrender we see more and more that God’s love is here for us in all places at all times. That’s what Easter is about-the triumph of Divine Love. And, as Saint John says, “The one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in that person.” (1 John 4:16)

May all our celebrations of this sacred season be rich with the power of God’s love, hope and enlivenment.

Your Pastor,

Tony Acheson

Dear Friends,

We have a lot to be grateful for here at Greensboro Church. Our forebears who built this church created a rich foundation for us to work from. Just as we honor those past roots, it is equally important to look forward. One way we do that is to increasingly rely on more efficient tools in our office, including digital resources. That is why we have made it a high priority in recent months to create a website for the church. [Our address is www.guccvt.org .] Our website enables us to communicate with Members, Associate Members, building users, and those who want to learn more about us. As such, we would like to encourage you to not only to take a look at our website if you haven’t already done so, but to make a habit of using it regularly when you need information or want to keep in touch. Some of the website’s helpful functions include:

Scheduling. If you want to reserve the building for an event, the best way to start is to click, “News & Events,” then, “Calendar,” to check availability for a certain date. Then email or call Cassandra [at gucc@guccvt.org; or at 802-533-2223] to make the reservation.

Announcement of events. On the front page, you will see our Announcement box where we post upcoming events and special services. You can also find links to important documents, such as the 2009 Annual Report, and basic worship and music information.

Recent events. We are building an album of photographs from special times in the church’s life, such as Bronwyn Potter’s retirement reception, or Cabin Fever Follies. If you have photos you’d like posted, bring them to the office on a thumb drive or CD, or email them to gucc@guccvt.org.

Newsletters . Did your newsletter get lost in the mail, or worse, lost in cyberspace? You can find copies dating back to early 2009 under, “News & Events.”

Sermons. Most of my sermons are being posted online. Just click on “Ministers Messages,” then “Sermons.”

Grant applications. You can find all applications and guidelines for our scholarship fund, camperships, or The Pleasants’ Fund.

Boards & Committees. We keep an updated list of who is serving as chair of what committee, to make it easy for the membership to keep in touch and communicate about critical church issues.

As we draw closer to Holy Week, and then our busy summer season, we hope that you will make regular use of our website as a way to keep in touch, keep abreast of what we’re doing, and communicate with the church office. We look forward to seeing you all online, but most especially-in person–in the coming days and months.

God’s blessings to you all,

Tony Acheson

Dear Friends,

As we make our way from Christmas through Epiphany to Lent and Easter, there are several changes affecting our church life that I want to bring to your attention.

First, as mentioned in more detail elsewhere in this Newsletter, we have accepted, with regret, the resignation of our Church School Director, Cara Hill. Cara has done a terrific job with our kids and youth over the last couple of years and we will miss her greatly. In addition to her work with the Sunday School, she has also been active in recent months [along with the wonderful contributions of Sonia Dunbar] in offering invaluable help to the start-up of our Youth Group, which has now split into younger and older groups. And although I regret that Cara can’t continue as our Church School Director because of the many demands on her time, I am most grateful she will still be available to keep working with the Youth. Thanks, Cara, for the many contributions you have given, and are continuing to give, to this church.

Another major change is the transition toward new leadership for our music program. I hope Sunday, February 7, is on everyone’s calendar [at 3 PM] to come and fete Bronwyn Potter for her many labors of love here these many years. That should be a fun event, including good food, gifts given, music shared and the offering of loving appreciations.

As we look forward, the Deacons have created a Music Director Search Committee. The members are: Cilla Bonney-Smith [at large]; Mike Coffey [Deacons]; Bronwyn Masse [choir]; Paula Ratchford [Trustees] and myself [Pastor, Ex Officio.] We have met twice; elected a capable chair [Mike Coffey;]  provided supply organist-choir-directors through February [Bronwn Masse will be playing through February 7, and Hal Parker will be playing the last three Sundays of that month;] written a first draft of a job description; and begun to compile a list of places to advertise. I think we are off to a good start, and we will keep you posted.

Finally we are having a valuable and stimulating study group on 6 consecutive Wednesday nights this winter, beginning on January 27. We are studying the book, ‘A Hidden Wholeness,’ by the educator [and committed Quaker] Parker Palmer. This is a wonderful book about reclaiming spiritual and human wholeness through the power of community. Feel free to come even if you couldn’t make the initial meeting. The Galaxy has been stocking the book [and it can be quickly ordered if they are out.]  The focus for our first meeting was pp 1-30; and for Feb 3, we will focus on pp 31-70.

We will gather on those Wednesdays at 5 PM in Fellowship Hall, followed by a group meal [and continued discussion.] Come join us. If you want to know what food to bring, you can either email me at acheson.anthony@gmail.com ; or Paul Fixx at pfixx@pfixx.net .

Tony Acheson

Dear Friends,

Our beloved and long-time Music Director, Bronwyn Potter, has announced her retirement. She informed her choir of this decision just prior to worship on Sunday, December 20. Then, at her request, I repeated the basic information of that announcement to the congregation at the end of that service. After the announcement, the congregation started to clap. Then something especially touching took place unexpectedly and spontaneously. Our Church Moderator, Paul Fixx, stood up from the pew where he had been sitting, and started walking up to the altar/choir area. As he did so, the others in the congregation began to follow him, until all of us were crowded around close to the organ giving Bronwyn a standing ovation. This was an exceedingly moving moment, one that will remain in my memory always, and one that will stand alongside many other special times that Bronwyn has given us over the years as a musician and as a friend.

Bronwyn’s retirement is effective at the end of calendar year 2009. Her last major services playing the organ and directing the choir took place on Christmas Eve this Thursday night, and on Sunday the 27^th when we had our annual carol sing during regular worship. In the short term future, Bronwyn’s daughter, Bronwyn Masse, will be playing the organ and directing the choir in the next few weeks. The Deacons have created a Search Committee to look for a new Director, and we will keep you informed about future plans for the music program as they develop.

The Diaconate is also planning a community reception to honor the many gifts Bronwyn has given to this church and area for the last 62 years through her considerable musical skills. This will take place on Sunday, February 7 [see box on p 2.]  In the meantime, our sadness at the prospect of losing Bronwyn’s music leadership is tempered by the deep gratitude for all the love, inspiration and enjoyment she has given us for such a long period of time. I know I speak for all of us in saying to Bronwyn: Thank You, Thank You, Thank You! You have been–and will continue to be–a true treasure among us.

Tony Acheson

Dear Friends,

Years ago there was a great Baptist preacher at the Clarendon Church in Boston, named A.J. Gordon. He was fond of telling a story that says something about the meaning of this Advent season.

It seems that one day he met a young boy in front of the sanctuary carrying a rusty cage in which several birds fluttered nervously. Gordon inquired, “Son, where did you get those birds?” The boy replied, “I trapped them out in the field.” “What are you going to do with them?” “I’m going to play with them, and then I guess I’ll just feed them to an old cat we have at home.” When Gordon offered to buy them, the lad exclaimed, “Mister, you don’t want them, they’re just little old wild birds. And besides, they don’t sing hardly at all.” Gordon replied, “I’ll give you $2 for the cage and the birds.” “Okay, it’s a deal,” the kid said, “but you’re making a bad bargain.” The exchange was made and the boy went away whistling, happy with his shiny two dollars of coins.

A. J. Gordon then walked around to the back of the church property, opened the door of the small wire coop, and let the struggling creatures soar into the blue. The next Sunday he took the empty cage into the pulpit and used it to illustrate his sermon about Christ’s message of people who had become lost, becoming saved. “That boy told me the birds were not songsters,” said Gordon, “but when I released them and they winged their way upward, they seemed to be singing quite nicely indeed.”

Sometimes we may forget it, but Christianity is essentially a religion of freedom and of joy. And in this season that we celebrate Christ’s coming, the invitation is the same: to become more free, and to become more joyful. My prayer and hope for these four weeks of Advent, and preparation for Christmas, is that we might see if we can free ourselves from some of the frantic doings it is so easy to get caught up in, and see if we can’t settle into the peace of listening in stillness for the voice of the Christ who wants to make a new advent, a new coming, a new approach into our lives. Doing so can help turn these holidays into days that are not only liberating, but filled with a newer, deeper joy.

Happy holidays. And…..I look forward to seeing you in church on these four Sundays of Advent.

Your pastor,                              

Tony Acheson

Dear Friends,

One of the constant rhythms of my life has to do with balancing out my inclination for immediacy and spontaneity, on the one hand, with my need for order and organizing on the other. This need for balance takes several forms. One example comes from occasions when I speak in public. When I give a sermon or talk,  I usually enjoy speaking ‘off the cuff.’ There can be, at times, a freshness, or a turn of phrase that emerges, which might not otherwise appear in a completely ‘prepared.’ talk. On the other hand, such talks are enhanced by the structure and clear sequence of ideas more likely present than in a carefully prepared talk. For me another ongoing example of this same dynamic is found in the physical state of my office. I like to have several things that I am working on out and at hand. Spending time filing things is not my favorite pursuit. It doesn’t ‘light me up.’ But if there are too many papers lying around,  I can’t find much of anything, and I become inefficient in my use of time.

Both sides of this equation have their own benefits. One significant factor, though, is that in our culture, at least, the ‘orderly’ side of the equation gets the better press. Put another way, our culture tends to place a higher value on things that are neat, in place and under control. But things that are raw and unruly, and have a life of their own, can serve us well too.

Consider the case of the discovery of penicillin. In late August of 1928, Alexander Fleming left his office in northeast London and went on vacation. Great scientist that he was, Fleming was not neat and orderly. He left his work space so cluttered, it would not have passed 21^st century hygienic code. Specifically, he had left out some open petri dishes with active bacterial cultures on them. These dishes were located near a window that he had left partly open. During the vacation, some mold blew in through the window and landed on some of the petri dishes.

When Fleming came back on September 3, 1928 he was confronted with the mess he had left behind, including the messy dishes. But instead of immediately and reflexively cleaning them up, something important happened first. He paused, if just for an instant, and looked at the dishes and noticed something. He noticed that a small patch of mold had blown in the window and had landed on some of the bacterial culture in a couple of the petri dishes. And he noticed further that in the areas that the mold had landed, the staphylococci growth that had overgrown the rest of the cultures had been kept at bay. From that basic observation sprang the discovery of penicillin.

Fleming went on to do a lot of detailed scientific work, including repeated experimentation and record keeping that, no doubt, involved a great deal of order and organization, structure and proper procedure. All of those more disciplined elements were essential to the long process that led from Fleming’s initial, ‘Aha!,’ and the actual delivery of penicillin pills to ill patients. But if you look at that story in its fullness, an important part of that process included a significant role for disorder, imperfection, and lack of full rational control on the part of the key player in that discovery, Alexander Fleming.

What might this mean for us? Yes, of course, we should maintain….and build upon…..our life-giving routines and disciplines, including the beliefs and practices of our religion. But we should beware not to let them hold us too tightly. When uncontrollable events emerge from either beyond us or inside us; when we lapse into disorder or imperfection; when the unexpected or surprising take place……such times often have gifts to bring us as well as the gifts that come through our choices, our disciplines and our achieved order. In a phrase from the Bible, when we are visited by the parts of life beyond our control, we may at a deeper level be being ‘entertained by angels unawares.”

Your pastor,

Tony Acheson

Dear Friends,

Nearly a year ago, an anonymous donor gave our church $10,000 as seed money toward the purchase of a high quality piano for our sanctuary. Although there had been a good piano in that space for quite a few years, it did not belong to us, and there was no guarantee as to how long its owner might choose to keep it here. The Trustees were happy to accept the gift, and proceeded to appoint a seven person search committee to find a new piano.

The search took several months and involved considerable research, including studying well regarded books about pianos, and unearthing available knowledge online. Because we live in a rural area, we soon discovered that there is not a high volume of available new or used pianos in close proximity to us. This necessitated taking several field trips which covered quite a bit of geographical area. This led to the opportunity to play and hear a wide range of instruments of varying makes, models, sizes and quality. The result was a decision in early September to purchase a new Mason and Hamlin 5 foot, 4 inch grand piano.

Those of us who have been involved with this search are unanimously enthusiastic about this new addition to the life of our church. The Mason and Hamlin brand has a long history of producing pianos at the highest end of quality available, as even a brief hearing of this instrument will attest. This is a very, very good piano, and we are very, very fortunate to have it.

There will be a formal dedication of this new instrument during our worship service on Sunday, October 4. As a part of that dedication event, the piano will be featured in several ways: our longstanding music Director, Bronwyn Potter, will play the prelude on the piano for that service; Bronwyn Masse, will use it for the postlude; and Cara Hill will play a solo during the service itself. [We will be requesting quiet during the playing of all these pieces.] This is an important and joyful addition to the life of our church. I hope that as many of you as possible will come and join us on October 4 to celebrate this gift, and the many possibilities it gives us to increase our ministry through the art and beauty of music.

I want to express my deepest appreciation to those who have served with me with great ability and commitment on this piano search committee: Mike Coffey, Andy Dales, Janney Johnston, Bronwyn Masse, Karen Miller and Ed Stehle. The high quality of their work is evident in the high quality of the piano that now graces our church, as we can expect it will for decades to come. We are also deeply indebted to our initial major donor, and to quite a few others whose special interest in our music ministry, and their resulting financial contributions, have brought this new piano to us.

In Psalm 100 it says, ‘Make a joyful sound unto the Lord, all you lands. Serve the Lord with gladness and come before God’s presence with singing.’ We should all be lifting our thanks to God for this beautiful new gift. And our gratitude goes as well to the long list of people whose time, talent and treasure have made possible the new opportunities for doing God’s work in this church through the beauties of music and the arts.

See you on October 4^th.

Your Pastor,

Tony Acheson

Dear Friends,

As Labor Day approaches, I am aware of what a rich blessing we have in Greensboro summers. There is, of course, the beauty of the place. And beyond that is the strength and richness of the people who make up this community, both those who come here only for a time, and those who live here through the changing seasons. This summer of ‘09 has strengthened my appreciation of both sides of this equation, but most especially the people. Both Nancy and I are feeling the value of the long-term connections that are strengthened as each year passes.

These recent months have had their ups and down. The marriage of our daughter on July 18 was one of the highlights of all our lives in this family. It would have been a special day under any circumstances, but coming as it did only a few months after Emma’s cancer diagnosis, I think, brings home to us more than usual the preciousness of each day we have with one another, and especially each good day of good health for those of us that are lucky enough to have that, both for ourselves and those we love.

One thing that has emerged from Emma’s diagnosis is a new-found involvement on her part in supporting the work toward a cure for breast cancer. A couple of days ago she sent me an email she has been distributing, and asked if I would spread it to people in this part of the world. I do so on page 2. It contains a request for support toward raising $3,000 as part of her September 13 breast cancer walk. Whether or not you contribute, check out her web page.

See you in church.

Tony Acheson

Dear Friends,

As most of you know, our daughter Emma was married on Saturday, July 18, to Colin Koch from Charlotte, Vt. Colin is a wonderful young man whom Nancy and I have come to love greatly. The two of them have been pretty much inseparable for more than eight years, going back to when Emma was in the 10^th grade and they were schoolmates. You don’t have to be around these two for long to see that they seem to be very much meant for each other. The wedding itself was held in the Charlotte  UCC, with a reception in South Burlington attended by about 150 guests. Emma and Colin also spent a wonderful honeymoon week at St. Barth’s in the Caribbean. They are currently living in New York City.

That weekend of Emma’s and Colin’s wedding was one of the true highlights of all of our lives. Everything went extremely smoothly. It was one of the great privileges of my own life to be able to, first, walk my daughter up the aisle [and, as she put it, to 'hand her off' to Colin;] and then later in the service to come to the front and stand with my daughter and her fiancé in that beautiful church and pronounce them to be husband and wife. At one point Nancy and I were saying to ourselves that the wedding was everything we had hoped it would be and even more. Not long after that we heard Emma say almost those identical words to someone in a different conversation. It was a time of great blessing. The sun even came out!

Nancy and I deeply appreciate the many expressions of support we have received from many of you both before and after this wedding, including your best wishes for this beautiful young pair, and for the well being of all of us. We thank you so much for your affectionate support. We feel very blessed not only as parents [and now parents-in-law] but also as members of this wonderful community of the Greensboro Church, and of this town.

Your Pastor,

Tony Acheson