Meet Holy Comforter, Burlington

Church serves students through bilingual preschool, deep partnership with elementary school

By Morgan Robinson

The Episcopal Church of the Holy Comforter is located in downtown Burlington. Easily recognizable by its stone facade, Holy Comforter traces its roots back to 1879. The people of Holy Comforter, though very diverse politically and socially, care for each other and care deeply for how their faith is manifested in the community. They believe all people are equal in God's hand. This nurturing congregation has an appreciation for diverse perspectives and opinions.

Holy Comforter has undergone some changes recently, including having an interim rector while completing the search process for a new rector. In the fall of 2018, the people of Holy Comforter were excited to welcome the Rev. George Silides, originally hailing from Fairbanks, Alaska.

Holy Comforter is proud to offer a wide range of faith development, fellowship and outreach opportunities such as weekly Bible studies, Stephen Ministry, Parish Home Gathering groups, a bilingual preschool, a partnership with a local elementary school and much more.

Holy Comforter’s partnership with Newlin Elementary, a neighborhood school, began in 2012 as the brainchild of parishioner Betsey Savage. Newlin serves a transient population of students, nearly 100% of whom qualify for free and reduced lunch. Struggles with poverty, teacher and administration turnover, and many other pressures have negatively impacted student learning over the years. Several years ago, the people of Holy Comforter felt compelled to do what they could to address these needs and have been inspired to continue this work ever since.

There are many ways Holy Comforter is woven into the daily lives of Newlin students and teachers through the work of dedicated volunteers. These volunteer opportunities include a branch of the Augustine Literacy Project, being a “Lucky Listener” (reading with a student for one hour each week), Camp Newlin (a week-long summer camp for 15 rising 3rd graders), a “backpack” (hunger alleviation) program, classroom buddies and teacher appreciation events over the course of the school year.

On February 22, 2019, Holy Comforter held its third annual Great Adult Spelling Bee, which served as both a social event for the parish and a fundraiser to support the work being done at Newlin Elementary. Teams from the church and school community came together for a night of fun, competition and a lot of challenging words. This event raised $10,500, enough to fund 50 backpacks for one full school year.

We would be delighted to have you visit The Episcopal Church of the Holy Comforter in Burlington. Please join us in worship and ministry. Holy Comforter is a happy place, a source of comfort when needed and, above all, a reflection of God's wide, loving embrace.