News, information, messages from Bishop Rob, and more about the Episcopal Church of New Hampshire.
Micah 6 Commission: A Year of Building Relationships for Local Justice
When the Most Reverend Michael Curry, 27th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, travelled to Portsmouth, New Hampshire last February to speak along with Bishop Rob at the Black Heritage Trail of NH’s celebrated “Tea Talk,” it was a perfect example of the power of the Micah 6 initiative and how it brings people and organizations together in the name of social justice. The event was held in a synagogue, was open to all, and drew a large audience who were thirsty for wisdom and encouragement. The Bishops didn’t disappoint. Their vastly different experiences growing up, their bond of friendship, and their shared faith made for interesting conversation, storytelling and ways to further racial justice. The crowd was mesmerized. This is one example of how the Micah 6 Commission – just one year into its existence – is shaping how the Episcopal Church of NH is taking action with partner organizations.
Now just one year since its formation in April 2025, the Micah 6 Commission is making strides. The Commission was formed as a way to streamline and empower parishes to take action against racism, economic inequity, and environmental degradation. The work is guided by the principles of Micah 6:8, which emphasizes the importance of doing justice, being kind, and walking humbly with God.
“Micah 6 is a guiding call for how we live our faith and baptismal covenant,” says Commission Chair Derek Scalia. “Our world is hurting, and people are yearning for points of light and relief. Through this work, we seek to embody the call to do justice.”
Created to combine our local efforts around reconciliation, earth care, educational equity, and reparations, Micah 6 has found a sibling in the Global Missions Committee, which focuses on international social justice work, while Micah 6 focuses on New Hampshire organizations already doing critical justice work.Rather than creating new programs, Micah 6 focuses on building relationships with these current initiatives. These partnerships reflect shared learning, mutual respect, and a commitment to long-term impact. Among its early collaborations:
Supporting Black Heritage Trail of NH “Tea Talks,” fostering dialogue on race and history
Partnering with the NH Fair Funding Project to advocate for equitable education
Advancing environmental stewardship through the New England Episcopal Path to Creation Justice initiative
John Rowntree, parish treasurer at Good Shepherd Church in Nashua, urges Episcopalians to consider joining churches in Claremont, Keene and Londonderry that are currently participating in the New England Episcopal Path to Creation Justice , a program which provides support and tools to parishes committed to addressing the climate crisis. Rowntree says the Micah 6 Commission contributed a three-year grant to support them. Says Rowntree, “We have done multiple projects to reduce our 148-year-old church’s carbon footprint, including insulation, improving our historic church windows, changing lightbulbs and implementing 35 solar panels. It feels really good to make a difference and helps us be strong financial stewards because we have reduced our energy costs.”
The Commission is made up of 12 members in addition to Bishop Rob. The Commission meets monthly and has held two major planning sessions over the last year.
It has also helped distribute $85,000 in Coit House funds, administered through the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, to support a wide range of community organizations – from childcare centers and summer camps to youth programs and family services.
At its core, the Micah 6 Commission is grounded in the belief that justice work begins in relationships.
“We are not here to solve every problem,” Commission leaders note. “We are here to listen, to accompany, and to support the work already unfolding in our communities.”
This relational approach is already strengthening parish life across the Diocese. By sharing stories, connecting congregations to opportunities, and deepening engagement, the Commission is helping Episcopalians live out their call to justice in tangible ways.
As the Commission enters its second year, it is building a more intentional structure to sustain and grow this work: strengthening communication, aligning resources, and supporting parishioners in integrating justice, mercy, and humility into every aspect of ministry.
Ultimately, the Micah 6 Commission is an invitation: to listen more deeply, to partner more intentionally, and to participate more fully in the work of healing and justice across New Hampshire. Commission members believe that justice takes root most fully when nurtured in parish communities that pray, learn, and serve together. They are committed to ensuring that the wisdom gained becomes a resource for congregations seeking to deepen their own ministries of justice. These faithful committee members believe that sharing stories and opportunities strengthens parish life and inspires local action rooted in the Gospel.
To share your stories of social justice work at your church or to find out more about Micah 6 please email Derek Scalia at dnascalia@gmail.com.
Top - Micah 6 Committee members at a planning meeting; bottom left - solar panels on the roof of the Good Shepherd complex in Nashua; bottom right - Tea Talk with Most Rev. Michael Curry, in Portsmouth.
Bishop Rob's Epiphany 2020 Letter
Ever since I was a small child, I’ve always lamented the day when the Christmas tree came down and the colored and white lights that glowed off the snow outside were shut off. My earliest years were in the cold and snowy towns of Minnesota, and somehow my soul attached the meaning of Christmas with these lights that shone in that deep darkness with the mystery of Jesus coming to be with us in our complicated world…
Ever since I was a small child, I’ve always lamented the day when the Christmas tree came down and the colored and white lights that glowed off the snow outside were shut off. My earliest years were in the cold and snowy towns of Minnesota, and somehow my soul attached the meaning of Christmas with these lights that shone in that deep darkness with the mystery of Jesus coming to be with us in our complicated world.
As I write this we are moving from the bright, festive lights of Christmas decoration to the more contemplative season of Epiphany, a word which means “revelation” or “manifestation,” or more simply, “showing.” The Magi, having been guided by a great light to pay a visit of respect and adoration to the Son of God in the Baby Jesus, return to their own realms without that light. A friend and poet, Christine Hemp, suggests that the Magi didn’t even have the benefit of the old constellations to guide them home, so radically does the Christ child’s birth change the universe:
Everything was
different: constellations no longer
pointed out the path. We gave up gazing
at the stars for answers. We were haunted
by a fitful flame wavering inside us.
“We asked for signs and followed what we saw,” Christine Hemp
So, the Christmas trees are on the curb or on a brush pile and the lights are slowly being extinguished. And who could blame us, in this time of political uncertainty — and even rumors of yet more war — if we didn’t feel some anxiety, fatigue, disorientation, even exasperation in gazing up at the stars for answers.
But the mystery and wonder are that in each of us light has dawned. We get to pray to the Christ who seeks to dwell within and among us. We get to look to each other in our communities of faith for that hope and courage. The light is no longer merely beyond us out there, but in our hearts. As those sentimental strings of light glowed on the snows, now the light of Christ glows in our prayers, in the words and gestures we exchange with one another, in our acts of kindness, generosity, and concern. These are ways that allow the light of Epiphany to be revealed and manifested. As the great Prologue of the Gospel of John proclaims:
What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. (John 1:3b-5)
The Rev. Jay Sidebotham, the designer of the “RenewalWorks” program that has enriched so many of our congregations in recent years, has observed how an organization, a congregation, or a community will adopt some of the core characteristics of the heart of its leader. Recently I asked a presidential candidate what is in his heart and what aspects of this soul will help our nation heal and flourish. Of course, I have to ask the same question of myself, as every priest, deacon, or lay leader has a powerful effect on the whole local expression of the Body of Christ. How might you respond? Are you guided by the light of Christ, now drawn so close to us in Jesus? My prayer for all of our presidential candidates and more importantly for us all as the members of the Church of New Hampshire is that we, like the Magi, search for and pay homage to the light of Christ in our hearts. This is the light that can drive away all that may prevent us from sharing God’s mending love to the world.
So, let the lights come down from our trees and houses. And instead, may the light in our hearts shine forth with unconquerable faith, hope, and love.
Faithfully Yours in Christ’s Light,
+Rob
The Rt. Rev. Robert Hirschfeld