All Saints’ Littleton, Launches Academic Support Program for Local Schools

All Saints’ Episcopal Church, Littleton, NH, is introducing an Academic Support Program for students at the local high school and middle school, tapping into the talents, knowledge, and skills of volunteers from the congregation. The Rev. Kathy Boss, Curate of All Saints' is leading the effort, which has already attracted several volunteers.

The impetus for the program is the state's widening education gap -- increasing gaps in local school funding levels, student achievement, and available resources during COVID, such as access to technology for remote learning. Also, in creating "Our Kids" Commission in 2016, New Hampshire's Bishop Rob challenged all “...to find and serve the Child Jesus in our communities by helping congregations move away from asking how can we get more young people from our community in the doors of our church to asking, how can we go out the doors of our church to serve the needs of young people in our communities?” All Saints’ Academic Support Program seeks to answer that call.

The program, which is free to students, will recruit, train, and pair academic volunteers with students in grades 7-12. Students will meet with their academic support volunteers 2-4 times per month, for 30-45 minute sessions. Work may focus on student organizational skills, academic progress, projects and assignments, learning standards, and encouragement and support, depending on the needs of the student.

The thoughtfully designed program will provide training, a background check, and academic mentoring structures and frameworks to prepare volunteers, offer ongoing support, and deliver a robust academic program for local students.

To view a 15-minute introductory video created by Rev. Kathy for the All Saints' program, click on this link:

https://www.loom.com/share/bfc3074e7cb4483a845f015f6039e366

With the support of the schools' principals, the program will begin at Littleton High School and Daisy Bronson Middle School. Program flyers will be sent to guidance counselors to distribute to families. In addition, the program will be promoted on the schools' Facebook pages to reach families.

If you are interested in learning more, and how you might develop a similar program in your community, contact the Rev. Kathy Boss at kboss.allsts@gmail.com.

In the News: Series on ‘The Stories We Tell’ begins March 1

As reported in SeacoastOnline.com: St. John’s Episcopal Church, Portsmouth, will be hosting six Sunday evening programs during Lent. “The Stories We Tell” will feature a different presentation each evening, followed by discussion, dinner and compline in the church sung by the Compline Choir. The series will begin Sunday, March 1 at 5 p.m. with “Why Our Stories Matter” with Rev. Nathaniel Bourne…

In the News: The Rev. Stephen Blackmer and Church of the Woods

Please check out these wonderful articles featuring the Rev. Stephen Blackmer and Church of the Woods. The Dartmouth cover story details Steve's spiritual journey and the creation of the Church of the Woods and Kairos Earth. In addition, Steve has also written a marvelous, thoughtful piece in Yale Divinity School's Reflections Magazine: "A Sacred Assembly of Pines, Plants, and People Too."

"Every time we interact
with the creation
is a sacred act.”

200+ Attend Inspiring and Informative Spring Renewal Event

Over 200 people from across the Episcopal Church of New Hampshire (and beyond) gathered at Manchester Community College for a day filled with personal spiritual growth, ministry development, connecting, and renewal.

“It always renews my faith and strength in the Lord to be around people who are there for the same reasons,” said one of the attendees. “It is wonderful to think out-of-the-box, and the sessions I attended certainly helped me to do that. I have already been talking to people about ways to involve our mission in our community.”

Bishop Rob led everyone in worship, gave thanks, and rejoiced for a "loving, gracious, renewing, restoring, recreating God to be at work in the Episcopal Church of New Hampshire.” He prayed, "May we find our rising today."

30 presenters conducted a wide-range of workshops throughout the day, and Spring Renewal’s Keynote speaker, the Rev. Jay Sidebotham, Director of RenewalWorks, a ministry of Forward Movement, energized us with insights from his stories about the initial development and subsequent growth of RenewalWorks. He urged everyone to ask themselves “in what areas might you benefit from renewal in your lives and the lives of your congregations.”

“The quality of the offerings was very good” noted an attendee. “The keynote was thought-provoking and humorous.”

Workshops included The Way of Love, Green Guidance for Your Spiritual Home, Supporting Your Marriage and Family Life with the Five Love Languages, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Holding Courageous Community Conversations Across Difference, Parishes Welcoming Recovery, RenewalWorks, Vital Conversations, Crossing Boundaries as a Way to Encounter Christ, The Upside Down Week: Reclaiming Sabbath, Stories of Humble Chutzpah, Reflections on Spiritual Authority, and more.

“What a great day. I only wish I had been able to attend more of the workshops!”

Feedback about the event has been very positive. ”Overall over 81% of attendees said they were “very satisfied” with Spring Renewal, and over 93% said they were “very or somewhat satisfied.” When asked how likely they would be to attend Spring Renewal next year and recommend it to friends, 90% said “likely” or “most likely.”

“This was a great opportunity to get together and meet people from other parishes and to do something interesting and informative!” Most agreed that Spring Renewal strengthened their relationships with others in the Diocese, and almost half said that the workshops gave them “a lot” of practical spiritual growth tools they can implement now.

Spring Renewal created a wonderful sense of community and offered insightful tools for transformation. Stay tuned for Spring Renewal 2020!

Revival: Reimagined. Sharing Faith and Fun

“Insightful, playful, a real celebration,” Revival: Reimagined drew over 110 people in early May, 2019, for a day of spiritual exploration, discussion, and worship in a festive, music-filled setting. 

Organized by St. Christopher’s in Hampstead and St. Peter’s in Londonderry, Revival: Reimagined featured
a Celebration Eucharist, six different presentations covering a diverse range of spiritual topics... and a jazz band, a bluegrass band, and an ice cream truck! 

Presentations included the Intergenerational Church, Experiencing God in the World of Pop Culture, Becoming Beloved Community Through the Way of Love, Losing Faith and Finding It, Where the People are: Unexpected Christian Formation, On the Way of Love, and a conversation with Bishop Rob. 

Revival: Reimagined featured special guest, the Rev. Dr. Tricia Lyons. She lives and teaches evangelism at Virginia Theological Seminary, and is finishing her latest book, “What is Evangelism?” (to be published in late 2020). “People raved about our guest speaker,” said the Rev. Colin Chapman, St. Peter’s, Londonderry. “She had an amazing ability to speak uncomfortable truths about sharing faith and evangelism in a way that was straightforward and genuine.” 

People had fun and learned a lot about how to share their faith, share their stories, engage their communities, and work to find deeper peace and meaning in their lives. Many attendees commented on learning about the importance of “listening for the voice of God in their lives” and “meeting, talking, and listening to people where they are to establish a true, loving connection.”

Energizing and celebratory music was provided by the WildVine Jazz Sanctuary House Band and the New Revival Bluegrass Band.