Vermont Churches, continued:
think more deeply about the community we are embedded
within. Churches so often think about programs they can
offer to their communities. I think that the United Church of
Underhill has begun to see the power of offering programs
with the community for the benefit and vitality of all in-
volved.”
The “Can Do” Congregation:
First Congregational Church of Morrisville
The members of First Congregational Church of Mor-
risville have a reputation around town for pulling up their
sleeves to help those in need. For the last year and a half, they
have run their Breakfast on Us program serving morning
meals to hungry clients five days a week from 7 to 9 in the
morning. Each month, the program attracts between 300 to
500 people, and is run by an army of church members and
community volunteers. Breakfast on Us was the brainchild
of three members who were inspired by the emphasis Part-
ners places on community engagement through local part-
nerships. “The main way Partners’ has helped us is with asset
mapping and community building,” said Dr. Marisa Laviola,
pastor of First Congregational. “Our people who are willing
to volunteer and to commit to helping folks who are most
vulnerable in our greater community, that is our greatest
asset.”
The breakfast program receives most of its food through
donations from restaurants and grocery stores. Volunteers
from the church and the greater community lend a hand
with cooking, serving, and cleaning up each day. Laviola said
14 • SACRED PLACES • AUTUMN/WINTER 2017-18
Breakfast on Us began on a shoestring budget, but when the
congregation learned more about the program, they mobi-
lized to volunteer and seek out extra help by encouraging the
surrounding community to lend a hand. The congregation
also hosts a monthly community dinner that draw crowds of
roughly 50 to 80 each meal.
But First Congregational’s outreach programming
doesn’t end between breakfast and supper. The church is
listed on Vermont 211, a public assistance resource managed
by United Ways of Vermont, as a place to help those in need
with food, gas, rent, and utility bills. Through a partnership
with the local Catholic church in
Morrisville, Most Holy Name of
Jesus Parish, First Congregational
provides clients with support
through donations made almost
entirely by their members.
Along with providing assis-
tance through community part-
nerships, First Congregational
runs a popular teen center in the
basement of its church that was
saved from the brink of closing a
few years ago. “We decided to take
over administratively and fiscally.
We also manage the employees,”
said Pastor Laviola.
The next project on First
Congregational’s to-do list is to take the seed grant provided
by Partners to hire an architect to help make the most of its
200-year-old church by providing even more space for pro-
gramming and community development. “When we see a
need, we work very hard to meet that need,” said Pastor
Laviola. The main thing we learned from Partners is how to
join together with the community. They encouraged us to
reach out to the greater community and boldly ask for part-
nerships.”