Field of Dreams Tour - Sudbury Church
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Dateline: Sudbury, Vermont - Imagine if you will a picturesque little village nestled in the verdant green and rolling hills of Vermont; the white clapboard church, just celebrating its bicentennial year. The first floor is the town meeting hall, the second story is for worship and the tall steeple houses a good, old-fashioned bell you can hear for miles (and the lay minister let Zack and Zoe have the privilege of ringing it before the service).
This is one of the parts of our trip that Cherie's been most looking forward to - a visit to the church where her grandparents were married in 1915. We swelled the ranks of the congregation which had a modest attendance of 10 adults and 4 kids (including the four of us) - but we were welcomed as family. The Sudbury Church is a Congregationalist church, pretty adherent to the teachings of John Calvin, which means simple, plain and very conservative ('cuz you know, those Amish are too liberal!). I really enjoyed the service - Coming from a mainline protestant background that's a bit more "high church", the "roots" liturgy of a more orthodox American protestent tradition were a fascinating experience. 
Part worship service, part town hall meeting, part family gathering - Cherie and I enjoyed the experience immensely. At the service, we met Sarah Elizabeth, childhood friend of Cherie's mom during her summers on the lake. And Hester, the organist, who's been pumping out the hymns at Sudbury Church since God was a boy...or, at least since Cherie's grandparents got married there!
We spent the balance of our day down at the lake. As you can see, the kids had a miserable time. It was another gorgeous day with blue skies, puffy white clouds and low humidity. We're thankful for these two days of beautiful weather since the balance of the week promises to be normal New England during August: hot and humid or rainy. Tomorrow's the big day at Camp Hiawatha, the place Cherie's family has been coming for four generations on this lake, currently owned by Cherie's cousin Bill. We'll be having a small family reunion with Merle's sister Jean and husband Bill (in their late 80's), and all five of their kids...with a few assorted offspring from the youngest generation.
Comments
Loved seeing what you wrote on your special place on the computer. This is the first time I have ever read anything like this so very special to me. Mom and Dad also talked about it at church today as Bill Jr. and I went to the Sudbury Church to hear Dad B. preach. Sad you could not have heard it. Hope your time at the lake was perfect. I will continue to read your accounts of all your special times in Vermont. Please tell Cheri that we have opened the candy box and allowed both Bill and I to have one piece. Thanks. So glad to meet your family. Susan Barnard
Posted by: Susan Barnard | August 12, 2007 6:42 PM