HARDWICK – On Sunday, May 7, Neil Richardson will speak to the congregation of St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church after the 10 a.m. service during coffee hour. Richardson and his wife Mickie, both from Randolph, have a long ongoing relationship with two Episcopal churches in Zimbabwe, one in a major city, Buluwayo, and another in the farming village of Filabusi. Richardson recently returned from a visit to these churches with some photos and a video and he will report on these congregations, their present needs, and possibilities for helping them.
In the past, the people of St. John the Baptist (SJB), with Richardson as envoy, have helped send a medical mission to the people of Filabusi. Last year, after floods devastated their fields, SJB parishioners provided new seeds, solar panels, a windmill to pump water for crops and funds for direct food relief.
The partnership with Zimbabwe has been ongoing since 2015, when the rector of the Bulawayo church, Father Shingi, made a trip to Vermont. The Richardons. of St. John’s Church in Randolph. hosted him and organized his visit to the Hardwick church, where he led the Sunday service and preached. Since then, the congregation has set aside an annual amount in its budget to assist those in Zimbabwe, and parishioners have supplemented it individually.
All are welcome to hear the speaker. For more information, call the church on Wednesdays at (802) 472-5979 or email [email protected].