Interfaith Potluck--November 17 @ 6 PM FBC hosts!

The Interfaith Council invites you to an “interfaith potluck” at First Baptist, Bennington, on Tuesday, November 17, at 6 PM.  Bring friends, family, and food to share. (Table service and drinks will be provided).  Sit together and eat around the table with other persons from the many faiths of our community.  In your food preparation, please consider labeling foods to help persons with dietary considerations (food allergies, vegetarian/vegan, or religious dietary practices). 

The potluck will welcome students from Southern Vermont College enrolled in the Comparative Religion course being co-sponsored by Interfaith Council this semester.  Opportunities to visit the Bennington Free Clinic, also located at First Baptist, will be offered. 

For more information, contact First Baptist 802/442-2105 or follow event updates via www.twitter.com/fbcbennington.

Community Safe Halloween Event coverage in local paper

BENNINGTON -- Trick-or-treaters and the adults accompanying them are welcome on Saturday to stop in at First Baptist Church for Halloween games, food and hospitality.

The event will be offered from 4 to 8 p.m. in Colgate Hall of First Baptist, which is located at 601 Main St.

"It’s kind of a hospitality opportunity," said Jerrod Hugeont, minister at the church, during an interview Wednesday. "It’s not an alternative to Halloween, it’s just a way of being friendly to the families in town."

On Elm Street where he lives, Hugenot said, "We see 300 families, and it’s great, you see a cross-section of town, and at the same time there’s the concern that a lot of parents have about safety."

Among other things, the event at First Baptist will provide trick-or-treaters a place to warm up and will emphasize safety.

"We’re going to do a safety quiz about safe trick-or-treating and also give out reflectors," said Alycia Post, director of the board of Christian Education, who came up with the idea with safety in mind. "We’re always looking to find different things to do; we look for the community’s needs."

Her daughter, Ivy Post, 2, interjected that she was going to dress as a cat for Halloween. Last year she dressed as Elmo.

Alycia Post said there will be contests, snacks, prizes and crafts -- and some candy, too. Several adults will supervise the event. Restrooms will be available.

Hugenot said the event, open to those of any faith or none, is part of the church’s wider effort to help the community and build capacity. This includes providing space in its facility for non-profits such as the Bennington Free Clinic.

"This is just a one-night-only initiative, it’s a way of providing welcome and hospitality," he said. "But it fits in to the overall of what we do here."

For more information, call the church at 802-442-2105.

All Saints Worship @ First Baptist

CELEBRATORY WORSHIP AT FIRST BAPTIST FOR ALL SAINTS DAY

On Sunday, November 1, 2009, the First Baptist Church of Bennington, Vermont, will celebrate All Saints’ Day, as part of the 9:30 AM worship service.  Congregants will recall the names of those who have passed on from this life whose lives were witness and testament to the Christian faith.  The congregation will sing hymns of the day, including music from John Bell, Ralph Vaughn Williams, and Fred Pratt Green.  The service will also serve as the monthly Communion observance, where all baptized Christians are welcome to participate in the sharing of bread and cup. 

The service marks the first service with a new director of music.  Effective November 1, 2009, Scott Smedinghoff, a 2009 graduate of Williams College, begins his tenure as the staff musician and choir director.  Smedinghoff will commence choral direction the following Wednesday evening, offering choir rehearsals weekly at 7 PM, Wednesdays.

The congregation’s adult forum will be offered after coffee hour at 11 AM.  The Rev. Hugenot will present reflections on the Desert Fathers and Mothers, early Christian monastics.  This forum’s lecture and discussion is patterned after a lecture Rev. Hugenot recently gave as part of the comparative religion course currently being offered at the Southern Vermont College.

The First Baptist Church is located at 601 Main Street in downtown Bennington, Vermont.  First Baptist is “a place for healing, community involvement, and spiritual grounding”.  To learn more, visit www.fbcbennington.org, the congregation’s FACEBOOK page, or call 802/442-2105.

Have a Safe Night on Halloween

HAVE A SAFE NIGHT ON HALLOWEEN! 

Community Event at First Baptist, Bennington

On Halloween night, remember: safety first! As little ghosts and goblins go out into the neighborhoods of Bennington, the First Baptist Church welcomes families to stop by.  The church will offer safety information and items to help tricker-or-treaters stay safe while walking down dark streets. Games, food, and hospitality will be offered from 4 PM to 8 PM in the Colgate Hall of First Baptist, which is located at 601 Main Street in downtown Bennington.

The First Baptist Church offers this event as part of its vision to be "a place for healing, community involvement, and spiritual grounding".  An American Baptist congregation, First Baptist worships weekly at 9:30 AM Sunday mornings.  The Rev. Jerrod H. Hugenot serves as coordinating minister.  To learn more call 802/442-2105 or visit us online:  www.fbcbennington.org.

End of Summer All Church Potluck

End of Summer All-Church Potluck—Friday, August 28, 2009 at 6:30, Colgate Hall.Bring food to share and friends as well! The board of deacons will serve fresh Moses’ corn on the cob and provide drinks and table service. Please RSVP so enough corn can be prepared.Call the church office before Thursday, August 27, 2009, to confirm the number of people attending from your family or as guests.