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 2019 Easter Letter: A Community of Weavers
Much has been written about our torn social fabric. So many in our society wake up feeling cut off from any sense of family, community or neighborhood. Belonging is on the wane. Isolation is on the rise.
Much has been written about our torn social fabric. So many in our society wake up feeling cut off from any sense of family, community or neighborhood. Belonging is on the wane. Isolation is on the rise. In such a fragmented culture as ours, it is no wonder that there are nearly 50,000 suicides every year in America and over 70,000 deaths to drug addiction, almost double the number of casualties during the whole of the Vietnam War.
Recently I read a powerfully truthful and hopeful piece by columnist David Brooks who reported on attending a conference called “Weave: The Social Fabric Project.” Its first core idea is “that social isolation is the problem underlying a lot of our other problems. The second core idea is that this problem is being solved by people around the country at the local level who are building community and weaving the social fabric.”
The Church has benefited society because Jesus calls each of us to a holy weaving. Every time we see a person as a bearer of God’s image, we weave. Every time we pigeonhole someone into the isolating labels of gender, ethnicity, nationality, race, sexual orientation, or even political party, we are rippers. To seek to fulfill our Baptismal Vow to “uphold the dignity of every human being” is to weave.
This weaving is done in so many of our churches. When we welcome the homeless into our spaces through Family Promise, volunteer to be mentors or tutors at local public schools or for at-risk children, when we simply have lunch at the local soup kitchen, or visit those in prison or in hospice or the homebound, we are weavers. We weave when we faithfully keep vigil with one who struggles to recover from addiction. We weave when we participate in book groups or discussions across differences of opinion. We weave when we pick up the trash by the side of the road or from our river banks and are cautious about our carbon footprint.
When I say this is holy work, I speak from the depths of our Christian tradition. The theological word that describes the love and adoration that moves among the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity is perichoresis, meaning, an interweaving, a dancing flow, among three distinct identities. More simply, God is a weaver. God’s love is known not in isolation, but in community. As he washes his disciples’ feet, Jesus says, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35) Being created in God’s image means sharing in this eternal identity and mission wherever and among whomever we find ourselves.
The torn body of Jesus is mended by God in the Resurrection. May it be so with us in the Risen Body of Christ this Easter!
Bishop Rob
The Rt. Rev. Robert Hirschfeld