Community & Arts in Brief: French classes; Rotary Cabaret coming together; interim pastor at Congregation Church

New French classes at Misty Valley Books

Misty Valley Books will again offer French classes beginning Monday, Oct. 15. The Learn French courses will run for six weeks. Intermediate classes will be held on Monday evenings, beginning Oct. 15. Beginners classes will be held on Tuesday evenings, beginning Oct. 16.

Both classes will run from 7 to 8:30 pm. The courses are open to students middle school age and older and will meet in the bookstore. Instructor for the courses is Bill Reed, co-proprietor with his wife, Lynne, of Misty Valley Books, on the Chester Green next to the Fullerton Inn.

Course fee is $95 and includes materials. Workbooks and dictionaries will be available for sale. Please register by calling Misty Valley Books at 802-875-3400 or write billreed@vermontel.net.

Green Mountain singers practice a number for the Rotary Cabaret that will be held Oct. 27.

2nd Annual Rotary Cabaret set for Oct. 27

The 2nd Annual Chester Rotary Cabaret, featuring the talents of Green Mountain High School music and theater students, will be held on Saturday, Oct. 27 beginning with cocktails at 5:30 p.m.

As last year, the event will be held on the 2nd floor of the Newsbank Conference Center, 352 Main St. Following the cocktail hour, a three-course dinner will be served. Singing, dancing and hijinks made up last year’s successful cabaret and this year’s program is expected to meet if not exceed last year’s excitement.

Intermission will feature a raffle and live auction.

Tickets are $30 each and are available by calling 802-875-5886. Funds go to benefit Green Mountain Union High.

Congregational Church welcomes interim pastor

Members and friends of the Congregational Church of Chester celebrated the installation of Susan Moody as interim pastor on Sunday, Sept. 30.

Susan Moody, interim pastor

The Rev. Terry Shanahan, N.E. Regional Conference minister of the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference, officiated the covenant between pastor and congregation and the Prayer of Installation. Carol Wing was guest organist. The service was followed with an old-fashion chicken pie dinner accompanied by butternut squash, a variety of salads and a dessert of fresh apple crisp and ice cream.

Moody is a graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary where she earned a masters of divinity in 2007. She also has a B.A. in youth ministry and an M.A. in higher education. Moody is a licensed minister with the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference. Moody most recently served in two part-time positions as the associate minister at the Middleton Congregational Church and as the office administrator at First Church Boxford both in Massachusetts. She grew up in Maine where her father was a missionary at New England Frontier Camp.

The church is also inviting everyone to a new Thursday series, which began Oct. 4, studying “The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict.” A free-will offering will be taken for the books and workbooks. A morning session will be held at 10 a.m.; an evening session will be held at 7 p.m., both in the Church Library behind the main building. To register, please call Pastor Moody at 802-875-3382.