2025 Covered Bridge
Welcome!
Covered Bridge welcomes you to our first ever Fundraising Dinner Feast!
In A Nutshell...
With a lean giving season this past year, we’re hosting this fundraiser to help funding, as well as have a more formal style event to showcase exactly how it all began, and how far we’ve come!
The evening will feature a catered banquet style meal, live praise music, keynote speakers, and door prizes. We hope you will join us for an evening of fellowship, remembrance, and encouragement as we celebrate what God has done, is doing, and will do with this ministry!
Where and When?
FRIDAY APRIL 4, 2025
The event is being hosted at Union Baptist Church, in their Gymnasium. The Location is 932 US Route 5, Waterford, VT. 05819. For Directions, you can Click Here.
Dress
Dressy Casual / Casual
*****-PLEASE NOTE-*****
You will need the password provided on your invitation, or from the newsletter to access the automated RSVP page, and the password IS Case Sensitive.
Keynote Speakers
Hear words from some of the very folks instrumental in growing Covered Bridge from the beginning and through the years!!
Steve Clark
Steve has been involved in ministry to incarcerated men and the recovery community since 1993.
In 2003, Steve and his wife Lorie left the church they were serving in Georgia Plain to help establish Cover Bridge. In 2015, Steve and Lorie left Covered Bridge to care for Steve’s terminally ill mother in Middlebury.
Upon their return to the NEK in 2016, Steve answered the call to minister at Passumpsic Community Baptist Church where he continues to serve as pastor. Steve and Lorie are blessed with five children and nine grandchildren.
Bob Emery
Born in 1942 in Colchester/Raised in Essex, VT- Bob is a true Vermonter! He spent 4 years in the Navy from 1960-1964- 3 years of which he was blessed to be on Staff at the US Navy School of Music. Music is a huge part of Bob’s world, and he had a personal band that played in Washington DC for about 20 years. Years later while in Florida, he was sitting on his back deck reading God’s word when he felt God’s hand on him. He gave his life to Jesus Christ right then and there, and was later baptized. it appeared that whatever he became involved with, he was thrust into leadership roles. Bob started to become involved with a myriad of ministries- eventually landing back in Vermont. He started to attend Maranatha Church and became heavily involved with prison ministry. During this he was asked to plant a home group in Milton, VT that was later planted as New Life Christian Church. This church would later give birth to Covered Bridge!
Rick Menard
Pastor Rick Menard was born as a native “Son of the Soil” of Newport, VT, where he graduated from Sacred Heart High School. He holds a 5 th Degree Black Belt in the Martial Art of Taekwondo and operated the St. Johnsbury Academy of Taekwondo for almost 25 years. He began his biblical studies through the International Miracle Institute of Pensacola, Florida. In 2007 he obtained his Master’s Degree in Practical Theology through the Christian Life School of Theology of Columbus, GA. Pastor Rick has a strong passion and has been involved in the prison ministry since 1993. He has performed many gospel concerts and evangelistic outreaches in Vermont, New Hampshire and New York. He has a strong singing ministry and has recorded two gospel Albums, and is a published author.Rick serves as the Vice President and New England Director of Maranatha Ministerial Fellowship International. He also served as the Senior Pastor of New Beginnings Christian Church, which he and his bride, Pastor Carmen founded in 1997. The Menards have been involved in missions work in the Dominican Republic, Kenya, Nigeria, and the Philippines as well as several trips to the Los Angeles Dream Center. Pastors Rick & Carmen live in St. Johnsbury, Vermont along with their son Sean, Daughter-in-law, Tanya and grandson Brayden