Do not…consider the things of old.
I am about to do a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.
— Isaiah 43:18-19
The Communities for Spiritual Vitality is an initiative of the Diocese of Vermont and the Diocese of Massachusetts to foster a spirit of depth and abundance among our lay leadership community during a time of vigorous change in the reality of “church”.
The Communities for Spiritual Vitality is an emerging ministry building on:
the continued growth of the Green Mountain Online Abbey, an online congregation created by Bishop Shannon MacVean-Brown during the early days of the pandemic
the development of congregational networks in both the Dioceses of Vermont and Massachusetts
practices that have contributed to the vitality of St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Brattleboro, Vermont.
The Green Mountain Online Abbey, in particular, has become a vibrant space of connection and spiritual growth for people who would not otherwise know each other or gather together, as it continues to pray twice daily, seven days a week.
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As Vicar of the Abbey and with the blessings of the bishop, The Reverend Adwoa Wilson began to build on the vitality of that community by creating seasonal devotionals which expanded over time to include writings from clergy and lay people from both dioceses – Vermont and Massachusetts. The enthusiastic response to these common experiences for people in both dioceses led Vicar Wilson, Bishop Gates and Bishop MacVean-Brown to develop the Communities for Spiritual Vitality as a collaborative initiative primarily serving lay people in parishes with little clergy support. With funding from the two dioceses and the Lilly Endowment, the Communities will work with 3 cohorts of these lay people over 5 years to help their congregations thrive.
This new initiative is but another way that the passion in both dioceses for collaboration, mission grounded in spiritual depth, and commitment to nurture the gifts and dignity of smaller contexts is being realized. While this phase of the Communities focuses primarily on sustained support for cohorts of lay leaders, we hope that you will find many resources on this website to nourish your own spiritual vitality in community, wherever and whoever you may be.
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To learn more about the Communities’ vision and a bit about the first year of the initiative, read this article from The Rev. adwoa Wilson.