This was our boat Sunbeam. We were married in her and lived on her year round. There was nothing better than coming home from work and Nancy saying: "Dinner will be ready in twenty minutes, do you want to eat it out on the bay?" Ten minutes later she had the shore power disconnected, cable and phone lines stowed and all but the breast line coiled and we were ready to cast off. And then she served dinner up in the pilot house and we would watch the sun set over Long Island Sound. Often, we just anchored off in a cove and stayed to sunrise just to return in time to go to work. It was heaven while it lasted but Sunbeam got us safely to Canada when we moved there, was a meeting place of my "flock" of about 15 friends who came to me (or more often to Nancy) for counseling and we did an informal service on Sunday mornings with Nancy and some other ladies making breakfast in the galley which was served on the aft deck in good weather or the main salon in winter. In winter we often had homeless persons staying with us in the forward crew quarters which could accommodate six, but our private area aft of the galley was inviolable and people respected that. For Christmas we rigged the mast with enough white lights to be seen from the space station.  I miss this but now that I have decided to dedicate the rest of my days to go back to "minister", call me if you wish to speak to someone, need me to visit you in hospital, listen to your gripes about your wife, husband or partner, just call me anytime, day or night at:

(802) 487-9323 (landline), or (802) 673-0548 (Cell phone)

For spiritual counseling please contact my friend Larry Wall at the Church of God in Newport, the best pastor I know.

Have a lovely day!

Good evening friends: I have been an ordained minister through the Universalist church for almost 40 years but have not worked very hard at it. Shame on me. But Nancy and I lived and got married on a former mission boat "Sunbeam" and in a small way lived as very part time missionaries by taking children on weekend cruises, we did some weddings on the boat, dropped ashes of the deceased into Long Island sound, let school plays be performed on her aft deck or broke ice for fishermen who needed to work. (Sunbeam could cut through about 16 inches of ice like butter).

Now I should like to atone as my own days are numbered. I have very little to offer that your own church does not but I am non denominational. Everyone who needs to talk to me is welcome regardless of who they are.

I can perform weddings and officiate at funerals, I am registered with the State of Vermont and the City of Newport. I love to do informal weddings at any location of your choosing and can make it a five minute affair in your kitchen or an elaborate festive occasion. I charge nothing for my services but will accept a good-will offering, but it is not necessary Just buy me a beer.

If you wish me to officiate at a funeral service, I should like to meet the family and friends so I may represent the deceased in an appropriate manner other than just mouthing the words without knowing who I am talking about.

If you have a loved one in hospital who needs someone to talk to I shall be there.

If you have problems in your marriage that you wish to talk about - talk to me.

I will however not offer you prayers or quote from the good book. Your own priest is there for that. I am just a simple old minister wishing to help those in need. I do read my bible every morning but only to give me a moral compass while I have my own interpretation of the needs, anxieties and fears of the people who trust me enough to speak with me. I do not judge nor sermonize, believe strongly that every one of us is born a good person and if that person should have been de-railed, maybe I can lift the wheels back onto the rails. Of course you have to do your share of the lifting.

So - if you need me, contact me at:

Manfred Rieder, 17 Prospect street, Newport, Vt. 05855

Tel.:  (802) 487-9323

Cell: (802) 673-0548

E-mail: mapleleafpress@yahoo.com

To view a small film of the launching of our boat go there:

http://oldfilm.org/collection/index.php/Detail/Collection/Show/collection_id/432