2013-14 Events
2013-14 Scott Center Events
Islamic Jumah Prayers
Fridays at 1:30 p.m., starting on July 4
Islamic Society Center, Forest Hall
Join us for prayers led by Muslim Chaplains Naila Baloch and Beau Scurich every Friday at 1:30 p.m.
Summer Shabbat Services
7:30 p.m.
Jewish Center at Freeman International Center
Join us for Jewish shabbat services every Friday during Language Schools. Please contact Noam Lekach (nlekach@middlebury.edu) for more information.
Reunion Chapel Service
Sunday, June 8, 2014
10:00 a.m.
Mead Memorial Chapel
Ecumenical Christian service led by Chaplain Laurie Jordan ‘79. Music by the Alumni Reunion Choir, led by Emory M. Fanning, Professor Emeritus of Music and College Organist. Be a part of the Choir!
Bible Talks with Christal Brown
Wednesdays from 2:20-3:30 p.m.
Coltrane Lounge
A weekly discussion geared toward gaining a deeper understanding of the Bible, the life of Jesus Christ and cultivating a life of faith. All are invited and welcome; discussions will be led by Christal Brown, Assistant Professor of Dance.
Yom HaShoah — Holocaust Remembrance Day Ceremony
Sunday, April 27, 2014
5:00-6:00 p.m.
Mead Memorial Chapel
Join us in Mead Chapel for a service of commemoration of Yom HaShoah, Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day.
Co-sponsored by Middlebury College Hillel, The Addison County Jewish Congregation: Havurah, The Middlebury Area Clergy Association, and the Chaplain’s Office.
Easter Sunrise Service
Sunday, April 20, 2014
6:00-6:30 a.m.
Alumni Stadium (Athletics Center Kenyon Lounge in case of rain)
Ecumenical Christian service led by Chaplain Laurie Jordan. All are welcome at the service, and at the post-service breakfast at the Weybridge Congregational Church (at which donations will be gratefully accepted).
Passover Seder
Monday, April 14, 2014
6:00-9:00 p.m.
Atwater Dining Hall
RSVP’s are required; please call Ellen McKay at 802-443-5626802-443-5626, or email emckay@middlebury.edu.
Presented by Middlebury College Hillel, The Chaplain’s Office, and
Havurah—The Jewish Community of Middlebury.
Emerging Leaders Retreat
April 5-6, 2014
Bishop Booth Conference Center, Burlington
Emerging leaders of student spiritual and religious life organizations will travel to beautiful Rock Point for an overnight retreat. Chaplain Laurie Jordan and Associate Chaplain Ira Schiffer will facilitate conversations centered around leadership development, multi-faith programming, and best practices.
Lodging is dorm style; all meals and transportation will be provided.
Please RSVP by March 21 to Ellen McKay, emckay@middlebury.edu. Please let us know if you prefer vegetarian meals.
Acting Righteously in Times of Danger
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
4:30-6:30 p.m.
McCullough Social Space
Click here to see a video recording of the entire event.
When others are threatened in times of danger, what is it that moves us to rise to the occasion and risk our own safety and those closest to us?
How do we foster tolerance, understanding, empathy and courage?
Acting Righteously in Times of Danger is a program that will engage Middlebury College students in that conversation, facilitated by educators from Facing History and Ourselves. They will introduce selections from the film Two Who Dared, to be followed by both small and large group discussions.
This program is made possible by Middlebury College French School alumna Cookie Tager MA ’66 to honor the memory and courage of her host family in Paris, Pasteur Pierre and Helene Gagnier, who were awarded the designation “Righteous Among the Nations” by Yad Vashem-The Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority, for their efforts in saving Jews in France during World War II.
The program will include remarks by Cookie Tager and by the Gagniers’ granddaughter Sabine Gagnier, who works for Amnesty International in France.
Acting Righteously in Times of Danger is a program of The Scott Center for Spiritual and Religious Life.
Seating is limited to the first 100 guests. Refreshments will be served.
The Veritas Forum at Middlebury — “The Meeting of Science and Faith”
Troy Van Voorhis, Professor of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Thursday, March 20, 2014
4:30-6:00 p.m.
103 Hillcrest
Sponsored by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, The Newman Club, The Scott Center, the Department of Religion, and Ross Commons.
“Success Without Stress: Escaping the Cult of Overwork” with Cal Newport
Monday, March 10, 2014
7:00 p.m.
Dana Auditorium
Click here for the full recording of Cal Newport’s March 10 lecture.
An increasing number of high- achieving college students find themselves trapped in a “cult of overwork” that urges them to do more, stay up later, and work harder. The result is stress and unhappiness. This talk offers an alternative: do less, but do what you do better. This simple strategy will not only make you more successful, it will also increase your enjoyment of college life
Cal Newport is 31-year-old Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Georgetown University. He earned his Ph.D. in electrical engineering and computer science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2009, and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Dartmouth College in 2004.
Newport is the author of the blog Study Hacks, and four best-selling books of unconventional advice for students and young professionals.
Video: Cal Newport Speaks at World Domination Summit, 2012.
Article: “Follow a Career Passion? Let It Follow You,” New York Times, Sept. 29, 2012
Two of Newport’s books are currently for sale at the College Store: So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love, and How to Win at College: Surprising Secrets for Success from the Country’s Top Students. Book-signing to follow questions at the lecture.
Refreshments will be served.
Co-Sponsored by the Wellness Committee, The Chaplain’s Office, The Center for Teaching, Learning and Research, the Education Studies Department, the Center for Careers and Internships, and the Computer Science Department.
Ash Wednesday Services
March 5, 2014
5:00-5:45 p.m.
Mead Memorial Chapel
Chaplain Laurie Jordan will lead an ecumenical Christian service, holy communion, and imposition of ashes.
Heartbeat Concert
Thursday, February 27, 2014
McCullough Social Space
8:00 p.m.
Israeli-Palestinian youth musicians present a free concert.
Co-sponsored by Hillel, J Street U, The Scott Center for Spiritual and Religious Life, Middle Eastern Studies, Jewish Studies, the Islamic Society, the Departments of Music and Dance, and all five Commons.
What is Death If There Is No Self?
Konrad Ryushin Marchaj
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
4:30-6:00 p.m.
Abernethy Reading Room, Axinn Center
Buddhist perspectives on complete living, dying and freedom.
Ryushin Sensei is the abbot and resident teacher of Zen Mountain Monastery in Mount Tremper, NY. Ryushin Sensei came to the dharma through Vipassana meditation, eventually shifting to Zen practice and taking Daido Roshi as his teacher in 1987. After a medical career that included pediatrics and psychiatry, he entered full-time residential training in 1992; he received dharma transmission from Daido Roshi in 2009.
Co-sponsored the Department of Religion and the Scott Center for Spiritual and Religious Life.
Film screening: Linsanity
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Axinn 219
8:00 p.m.
New documentary film about the life and rise of NBA star and Harvard graduate Jeremy Lin, a devout Christian. More than just a film for basketball addicts, Linsanity serves as an insightful study of the way race, athletics, and faith interconnect. Director Evan Jackson Leong chronicles Jeremy Lin’s struggle to find a place in a league that didn’t want him and his inspirational rise to stardom. 88 min.
Presented by Middlebury College InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, with support from the Scott Center for Spiritual and Religious Life.
Lessons & Carols for Advent and Christmas
Sunday, December 8, 2013
4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Mead Memorial Chapel
Lessons & Carols for Advent and Christmas, an annual traditional program combining choral music, congregational singing and the biblical texts of the season, takes place on Sunday, Dec. 8, in Middlebury College’s Mead Memorial Chapel. Chaplain Laurel Macaulay Jordan ‘79 will officiate at this celebratory community service. George Matthew Jr. will ring in the service with selections on the chapel carillon; Emory Fanning, professor emeritus of music, will play the organ, and the Middlebury College Choir, directed by Jeff Buettner, will perform.
There will be two services, at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Both are free and open to the public. Donations collected for local charities.
Harriet Scott Chessman, The Beauty of Ordinary Things
Monday, December 2, 2013
4:30 p.m.
Abernethy Room at Axinn Center
Professor Emeritus John Elder will introduce author Harriet Scott Chessman, who will read from her new book, The Beauty of Ordinary Things (Atelier26 Books, 2013). This passionate, honest novel is the story of the unexpected love between a young Vietnam veteran and a Benedictine nun. As Benny Finn and Sister Clare come to know each other at an abbey in New Hampshire, in 1974, their profoundest desires emerge with courage and contemplative power. www.harrietchessman.com
Co-sponsored by the Scott Center, and the Department of English and American Literatures. Refreshments will be served.
Fall Family Weekend Events Sponsored by the Chaplain’s Office
Hillel Shabbat Services
Friday, October 11, 2013
5:30 p.m.
Jewish Center at Freeman International Center
Fall Family Weekend Chapel Service
Sunday, October 13, 2013
10:00 a.m.
Mead Memorial Chapel
Ecumenical Christian worship service led by Chaplain Laurel Macaulay Jordan ‘79.
Fall Family Weekend Hillel Bagel Brunch
Sunday, October 13, 2013
11:00 a.m.
Jewish Center at Freeman International Center
“A Changing World, A Changing Aidscape: How International NGOs are Adapting,” lecture by Bill O’Keefe
Friday, October 18, 2013
12:15 p.m.
Robert A. Jones ‘59 House Conference Room — RSVPs required
An International and Global Studies Colloquium presentation by Bill O’Keefe, P’13, ‘17, Vice President, Government Relations and Advocacy, Catholic Relief Services. Lunch will be available for those who RSVP by Monday, Oct. 14, by emailing rcga@middlebury.edu or by calling 802.443.5324. Sponsored by the Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs, The Scott Center for Spiritual and Religious Life, and The Newman Club.
“No Time to Think! Technology, Balance and Academic Life”
Monday, Oct. 7, 2013
Axinn 229
Today we have the most powerful tools for teaching and learning the world has ever known, yet we have no time to think, write, and reflect. Professor David Levy will describe the historical and technological conditions that have brought this about and will then discuss work that aims to address it by restoring “contemplative balance.”
Following up the Monday evening lecture, Prof. Levy will lead a hands-on workshop Tuesday afternoon workshop in Axinn 219 from 4:30-5:45. In it, he will introduce some simple contemplative practices and explain how they can be used to establish a more mindful relationship to the powerful (but also powerfully distracting) digital technologies we use at work and at home.
David Levy is Professor at the Information School at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Prof. Levy’s visit anchors MiddUnplugged Week, Oct. 7-11; visit our blog here.
Co-sponsored by the Wellness Committee , the Program in Education Studies, the Scott Center, Wonnacott Commons, and the Center for Education in Action.
36th Annual Addison County CROP Hunger Walk
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Middlebury Town Green
Registration begins at noon
Walk begins at 1:00 p.m.
CROP stands for Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty.
Join hundreds of Addison County residents in a fun 2.4-mile walk to raise money for seven local food shelves and for hunger and sustainability projects around the world.
Call Patty Hallam at 802-388-1561 for a walker packet, or go online at churchworldservice.org to start raising money on the web.
Last year, our little Addison County walk raised over $25,000 and was the highest-grossing CROP Hunger walk in all of Vermont. And #9 out of the 84 walks in all of New England!
As of November 12, the 2013 Addison County CROP Hunger Walk has raised a record-breaking $27,196!
Dead Sea Scrolls: Life in Ancient Times — SOLD OUT
Field trip to the Museum of Science in Boston
Saturday, Oct. 5, 2013
“In 1947, a goatherd wandered into one of the many hidden caves along the banks of the Dead Sea — and concealed inside were ancient scrolls that had not been seen in 2,000 years. These Dead Sea Scrolls include literary writings of the times and the oldest known texts of the Bible, making their discovery perhaps the most significant archaeological find of the last century.” Boston Museum of Science
Tickets are $15 per student and include:
- 8:30 motor coach departing from Adirondack Circle
- General admission to the Museum of Science
- 2:00 p.m. showing of Jerusalem in the IMAX theater
- 3:10 p.m. admission to the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit
Students will have an opportunity to purchase food at the Museum Food Court for lunch/dinner (or pack one).
For more information see:
Exhibit: http://www.mos.org/exhibits/dead-sea-scrolls
Movie: http://www.mos.org/imax
Seating is limited. Please contact Trish Dougherty in Twilight 202 about reserving a seat. The Chaplain’s Office can help with financial assistance.
Sponsored by the Chaplain’s Office, the Religion Department, the Jewish Studies Program, and the Classic Department.
High Holidays 5774 Services Schedule
September 2013
ROSH HASHANAH
Wednesday, Sept. 4
7:00 p.m. Evening Services at Mead Chapel. Babysitting space in Forest East Lounge*
Following services: “Apples and Honey” Reception Forest East Lounge
Thursday, Sept. 5
9:30 a.m. Shacharit – Morning Services at Mead Chapel. Babysitting space in Forest East Lounge*
5:00 p.m. Tashlich Service at Otter Creek Footbridge, Marble Works
Friday, Sept. 6
9:30 a.m. Shacharit – Morning services and babysitting space at Havurah House, 56 N. Pleasant St., across from the Swift House Inn
YOM KIPPUR
Friday, Sept. 13
6:30 p.m. Kol Nidre at Mead Chapel. Babysitting space in Forest East Lounge*
Saturday, Sept. 14
9:30 a.m. Shacharit – Morning Services at Mead Chapel. Babysitting space in Forest East Lounge*
11:15 a.m. Yizkor – Memorial Service at Mead Chapel
5:00 p.m. Minchah – Afternoon Services and Ne’ilah – Concluding Services at Mead Chapel
7:00 p.m. Shofar Blowing and Havdalah at Mead Chapel
Break-the-Fast to follow at Atwater Dining Hall; reservations required. Contact Ellen McKay at emckay@middlebury.edu.
For more information, please contact Rabbi Ira Schiffer, ischiffe@middlebury.edu
*Babysitting space is provided, but Havurah does not provide babysitters.
Ringing in the New Year
September 4, 2013
6:15 p.m.
September 13, 2013
5:45 p.m.
Mead Memorial Chapel
George Matthew, Jr, Middlebury College’s Carillonneur, will again be performing a Carillon Prelude to the Erev Rosh Hashanah and Kol Nidre High Holiday Services on Wednesday evening, September 4 and Friday evening, September 13.
Each program will start about 45 minutes before the service and end about five minutes before the service begins. The Carillon is best heard on the lawns surrounding the chapel.