When Bishop Bickerton toured the flood-ravaged areas in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom (a region composed of Caledonia, Essex, and Orleans counties), he returned with a made-up mind and a plan to put the collective impact of the newly-formed New Hope Episcopal Area into full gear. Bishop Bickerton tasked members of his Cabinets in New England and New York to mark their calendars and get set to serve as well.

The New Hope team was the 13th to arrive and work on restoring the property, which required ongoing attention. Several different finishing projects required attention, including fixing the chimney, completing work to shore up the foundation, and framing and painting.

For five fruitful and faith-filled days in Vermont, the 10 district superintendents and other leaders on Bishop Bickerton's Cabinets—and most importantly, the homeowners impacted—were forever changed.

The completion of the one home requiring the most time and attention during the Cabinet's time in Vermont restored the hopeful mindset that the homeowner, Justine, needed to push forward after living with the impact of the devastation.

Listen in on a conversation with Lisa Isom, our NYAC Director of Communications, and the homeowner Justine Farrow. Her daughter, Arantha also spoke with Lisa, detailing what happened and why this project was transformational for her mother and the small community they call home.

Finally, Lisa spoke with Tim Shaeffer of “A Call to Build” (a volunteer disaster rebuild mission) and his wife, Marcy Sheaffer. Tim served as project lead, providing the Cabinet members with ongoing direction, project management, equipment, and other necessary items for the repair and rebuilding of two homes.

The duo spoke about the life changing ministry that takes place when volunteers are empowered to do God's work on behalf of others.

The time spent serving as volunteers in mission served as a reminder of the effect that the mission has not only on the homeowners but also on the faith-filled people who offer their time and talents.

To learn more about how you can get involved, check out the New England Annual Conference website.

United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) site also contains information ways to help and to give in support of this ministry. We've also added before and after pictures taken during the Cabinet's time in Vermont, visit the NYAC Flickr channel to check them out.

Happy Listening!
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