Spring Has Sprung at St. Andrew’s Church
The weather in St. Johnsbury is consistently lovely and spring-like now, and the gardens at St. Andrew’s are emerging into their beauty. At Morning Prayer today we sang one of the loveliest of all hymns, “Noël Nouvelet”, better know by its first words “Now The Green Blade Riseth”. Turn up the volume and sing along with either the Choir of Ely Cathedral or Steve Winwood or both!
Now the green blade riseth, from the buried grain,
Wheat that in dark earth many days has lain;
Love lives again, that with the dead has been:
Love is come again like wheat that springeth green.
In the grave they laid Him, Love who had been slain,
Thinking that He never would awake again,
Laid in the earth like grain that sleeps unseen:
Love is come again like wheat that springeth green.
Forth He came at Easter, like the risen grain,
Jesus who for three days in the grave had lain;
Quick from the dead the risen One is seen:
Love is come again like wheat that springeth green.
When our hearts are wintry, grieving, or in pain,
Jesus' touch can call us back to life again,
Fields of our hearts that dead and bare have been:
Love is come again like wheat that springeth green.
The Bluegrass Jam Season Has Ended - See You in The Fall!
The inaugural season of the St. Johnsbury Bluegrass Jam at St. Andrew’s has come to an end but will pick-up again in the fall. And what a wonderful first season it was! With an average of 17 “pickers” and 30 listeners at each session, the rafters rang with the sounds of traditional bluegrass and folk favorites. And the potluck desserts — yum. Many thanks to all who contributed their time, talent, and presence at this wonderful community event. See you in the fall!
Bat Work Is Complete
A year-long process to eliminate the bats from our building is complete. This process, guided by bat conservation best practices, ensured that the bats born over the winter were old enough to head out into the world to live long and happy bug-eating lives.
On Monday, April 29th, an 80 foot lift was delivered by United Rentals. Peter Lossmann of “Bats in The Belfry” in Bristol, Vermont was ready and waiting to use that lift to reach the areas around our two chimneys where gaps had been identified last season. Maneuvering around trees, architectural details and phone lines, Peter was able to reach these two tricky areas. Plenty of goop was used to seal the smallest gaps and crevices to ensure that no new bats try to make a home inside the church building.
A Bake Sale That “Eclipsed” Our Expectations
Monday, April 8th, was surely a day to remember! Upon learning the full extent of what was expected in St. J that day, and knowing that Main Street was going to be thronged with people for the Museum’s Eclipse Party, St. Andrew’s Church partnered with the Friends of The Athenaeum to sell coffee, bottled water, and baked goods in front of the church building. Everyone who stopped by was so happy to be in our little town and so grateful for the food and drink we were providing that it made the entire afternoon a true pleasure. Many of our customers were amazed that our prices were so low and were moved to put their paper change into a donation jar. We netted over $1000 that was then split between St. Andrew’s and the Friends of the Athenaeum, and all of which will be used to support the community through direct programming and community events.
