HALIFAX-The Halifax Union Society will begin its 134th year of interdenominational worship in a service led by the Rev. Bert Marshall on Sunday, July 13, at 5 p.m. Marshall is the first of three guest ministers who will bring diverse religious perspectives to four services in July and August.
The Union Society has hosted Sunday evening services at its hilltop location in Halifax since 1891. The Society has no creed and welcomes people of all denominations, or no particular denomination, to join together in prayer, hymns, lessons, and reflection. A social hour follows each service. They are open and welcoming to all.
Rev. Marshall serves as pastor of the Congregational Church in Plainfield, Massachusetts. He also serves as New England regional director for Church World Service, which provides self-help, disaster relief, and refugee assistance throughout the world. Rev. Marshall earned his master's degree from Yale Divinity School in 1997 after earlier work as a musician, farmworker, innkeeper, and tractor-trailer driver.
Marshall has led services at the Union Society in prior years, most recently when he served as interim pastor at Centre Congregational Church in Brattleboro.
Two other guest ministers will provide contrasting perspectives this year. The Rev. Richard Morton will lead the service on July 27 and the Rev. Jon Heydenreich will lead services on Aug. 10 and 24.
Rev. Morton serves as chaplain at Vernon Homes, a senior living community. He advises residents at all stages of care, their families, and the employees who support them. He began his ministry while working as a compliance officer for Brattleboro Savings & Loan, a position from which he retired in 2018. He is active in local politics, most recently running to be the state senator for Windham County.
Rev. Heydenreich serves as pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Brattleboro and writes the Mindful Minute column in the Brattleboro Reformer. He is a graduate of Princeton University and Duke Divinity School. He and Marsha, his wife, who is also a minister, led a congregation in Andover, Massachusetts, for 27 years until semi-retirement in 2020. In the services he led at the Union Society last year, he focused on developing appreciation for everyday blessings and achieving worthwhile goals within the limits of our ability.
The Union Society is located at 44 Stowe Mountain Rd., two miles south of the Halifax town office and school. All services begin at 5 p.m. For further information, email [email protected] or go to Facebook or Google Maps.
This Town and Village item was submitted to The Commons.