Update on COVID-19 Guidelines

June 23, 2021

Blessings to All,

I offer my profound thanks for the leadership of our clergy, pastoral leaders, and wardens during the last 14 months as we have grieved and grown together through this pandemic. I am grateful for their — and your — faithful willingness to stay home and limit in-person gatherings while we have also created opportunities to worship virtually, focused on formation, and found new ways to serve neighbors. I am amazed by the ways that, together, we innovated and even thrived during this time! I know how tired we all are. I also trust that the joy of beginning to regather will refresh and replenish us all.

I am writing today to announce that as of this date the diocese will no longer require churches to follow diocesan-wide restrictions for in-person gatherings in the Episcopal Church of New Hampshire. Given high rates of vaccination among our church members, the availability of vaccination to everyone age 12 and older, and the low rates of COVID19 across our state, we will no longer impose requirements around masks, distancing, singing, or distribution of Holy Eucharist.

The guidelines we have posted on our COVID19 webpage will continue to serve as a resource for local church decision making. All of us now have access to information about vaccination and best practices. You, our church members, are able to make well- informed decisions in support of your personal health and the well-being of our congregations. I have asked the Short Term COVID19 Response Team to reconvene as needed and we may re-impose restrictions on gathering if infections rates rise to unsafe levels again.

Just because our church leaders are not required to mandate masks or distancing does not, however, mean they can’t continue to implement these requirements at a local level. Church leaders will continue to monitor local virus rates and make decisions based on the needs of your community. Clergy and church leaders who conclude that practices such as masking, distancing, outdoor worship, or communion in one kind will better serve their local context have the full support of the Diocese.

Please pay special attention to the following:

• Although churches may decide to no longer require masks it should also be clear that masks are welcome for those who prefer them. Let’s establish a culture where people are comfortable wearing masks, for any reason.

• Churches may now offer wine in the common cup (intinction is discouraged however). If wine is offered, churches will make sure that it is understood that communion in one kind is entirely appropriate. Let’s foster a church culture where people are comfortable crossing their arms on their chests as the wine is distributed, for any reason.

• Clergy and church leaders will consult directly with families with children under 12 before they make decisions about how to approach mask wearing, distancing, or worshipping indoors. Let’s nurture a culture where children are protected, even if we need to wear masks in certain situations.

• Churches will continue to offer online worship options as they are able. Let’s promote a culture where people feel like welcomed worshippers whether they are in-person or online.

I want to express my deepest gratitude to the Short Term COVID19 Response Team, with leadership from the Revs. Chip Robinson and Curtis Metzger, for leading our response to the pandemic. I also want to express my gratitude and thankfulness for the faithful kindness, patience, and love for others you have all demonstrated during this time.

I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you ... And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God. Philippians 3-4, 9-11

Faithfully yours,
The Rt. Rev. A. Robert Hirschfeld

Note: A PDF version of this letter can be found here.

In the News: Beyond acedia and wrath: life during the climate apocalypse

Published in the may issue of Anglican Theological Review, “Beyond acedia and wrath: life during the climate apocalypse,” is co-authored by Bishop Rob and the Rev. Stephen Blackmer, founding priest and chaplain at Church of the Woods in Canterbury. “In a time when climate change and other ecological disturbances wreak havoc upon both human and natural ‘households,’ how can the people of God respond beyond anger and acedia, or sloth?…” Read the full article HERE.

In the News: A Call to Serve: New Episcopal Priest Presides Over the Eucharist on Easter

In the News: In an Easter Sunday story, Union Leader reporter Shawne Wickham writes about newly ordained Rev. Kathy Boss, All Saints’ Littleton and White Mountain School. “She first heard the call when she was a young girl. It whispered to her over the years as she studied, worked and raised three sons. The call grew more persistent, and at last she responded as the ancient prophet once did: Here I am, Lord. The Rev. Kathy Boss was ordained as an Episcopal priest last month. She will serve communion for the first time this Easter Sunday to her parishioners at All Saints’ Church in Littleton.” CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STORY.

North Country COVID Memorial Created

Several parishioners from All Saints’ Littleton, and students and faculty from White Mountain School in nearby Bethlehem have created a memorial for Americans who've died of COVID. Each made with love and prayer, over 500 origami stars (one for every thousand Americans who have died) was created.

On the one year anniversary of New Hampshire proclaiming a state of emergency (March 13), the group of volunteers hung the stars in the window of a local bakery with a sign in memoriam that was donated by a local copy shop.

Several stars were also created and donated by students from the local high school. The memorial project was a full community endeavor — a way to process and sit with this very difficult year, and remember those we've lost.

Photo: (L to R) Deborah Davison, Questa Anderson, and Barbara Buckley are All Saint’s parishioners who helped with the installation.

$40,000 Grant Awarded to Youth Theatre Group at Christ Church Exeter

Christ Church, Exeter, is excited to announce that its youth theatre program, The Pine Street Players at Christ Church, has been awarded $40,000 by the Empowering Youth Program — a part of New Hampshire’s Invest in the Future Fund.

The funding is designed to expand opportunities for New Hampshire’s children who, after months of remote learning and canceled summer programming due ti COVID, may be experiencing the adverse effects of social isolation.

Through the art of theatre, The Pine Street Players fosters emotional intelligence and communication abilities, encourages a strong awareness of self and others, and increases the self-discipline and self-confidence of their performers.

Throughout the pandemic, the Pine Street Players, led by Artistic Director Lexi Meunier, has continued to offer theatre activities to the young people it serves. Moving to online workshops, safe and socially distanced in-person programming, and performances streamed online, The Pine Street Players continues to give New Hampshire children and teens opportunities to exercise their creativity and to build social relationships. 

The funds provided by the grant will help Christ Church host and support the Pine Street Players, an important ministry that reaches children and teens from Christ Church and many young people from the larger community as well.

To learn more about the Pine Street Players, visit https://www.pinestreetplayerscc.com/

The Rev. Jamie Hamilton's Sermon for the Ordination of the Rev. Kathy Boss

March 20, 2021, (Feast Day of Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, Bishop and Missionary 687)
The Rev. Kathy D. Boss ordination to the priesthood
White Mountain School, Bethlehem, New Hampshire

Numbers 11:16-17, 24-25 Philippians 4:4-9
Psalm 132: 8-19 Matthew 9:35-38

By the Rev. Jamie Hamilton

Joy is Divinity dancing in us.  Amen

(Thank you’s on behalf of Kathy)-  Bishop Rob Hirschfeld, the Revs. Curtis Metzger, Colin Chapman, Elsa Worth, Derek Scalia, Sandi Albom, the staff of the Diocesan house, the parishioners and priests and deacons throughout the diocese.  The congregations of All Saints, both in Peterborough and Littleton, and St. James in Keene, the students, staff, and professors at Boston University, at the White Mountain school, the community at the Peterborough Food Pantry, your co-workers at Jellison’s Funeral Home, your three sons Jonathan (his partner Katherine), Adam (his partner Allison), and “Baby” Noah, and your parents and siblings, and your many friends, including Michal and Allison.

And for all the other invisible hands and hearts that have nurtured you, Kathy. With landscape weaving your theology, as you listen to the ice sing, pray the Camino, or dig in gardens, we acknowledge this land.  This land is located on N’dakinna, the traditional lands and waterways of the Abenaki, Pennacook and other related Wabanaki Peoples past and present. We honor with gratitude the land itself and the people who have stewarded it throughout the generations.   And finally, we pray for all those who are no longer with us, remembering especially Eunice Chalmers, your dear friend who died over four years ago, and today, March 20, is her birthday.  She and so many are with all of us in spirit. 

On the occasion of an ordination, all of us today-priests, deacons, bishops, laity, and this, our deacon, our soon to-be priest, Kathy, are trusting our lives, yet again, to our Beloved, the Ancient Heart of all Life, who beckons us daily into the dance of intimacy with our faith, as we live and move and have our being.  Kathy, thank you for giving us this opportunity with you as you embrace your life as priest, to renew our own promises and our own vows.

“Rejoice in the Lord Always; again, I will say, Rejoice.”

When Paul writes these words to his fledgling church in Philippi, he is writing by candlelight from the cell of a dark prison in Rome.  It’s difficult to imagine such hope and joy in the face of such possible despair, defeat, and ruin. 

Actually, maybe it’s not so difficult to imagine as we have struggled mightily this past year during a global pandemic. Covid-tide is a season too long, too painful, with too much loss, too much uncertainty and too much distance. Imagine the irony (we’ve all talked about this… as minsters, parents, friends, co-workers, siblings) that our separation, our protection, our abundance of caution, our receiving of guided autonomy, our mask wearing, our acts of closing doors- to church buildings, homes, businesses, schools, community suppers, nursing and retirement communities…. 

Yes, CLOSED OFF…YET...

All of these “closing” actions are acts that are saving lives.  These are acts of sacrificial love.  

These things “shutting down” make absence, yet in the vacuum, the presence of LOVE emerges in a new way.   The Holy Spirit is present, especially right now in our many acts of not doing, not being, not sustaining how we’ve always been.   These strange ways of being, (disorientation, forgetfulness, confusions, sorrows, anxiety, etc.) are like seeds buried in the deep dark earth, and rather than being smothered, they are breaking open… strong enough to reach for the sky.  So unlikely, so strange, yet so true.

Paul would say, “Welcome to the faith. Of course, everything is upside down.  Remember, in the midst of your vertigo, to cling to the Sustainer of all Life, as your center which will always hold.”  Paul would continue, “I greet you as you enter into the cell of my dark prison. Pull up a chair. Find your prayer beads. Strap yourself into your heart and know that God remains with us, even in possible horrors.  Dead center.  And by the way, this is where Joy resides!”

And before we even have a chance to resist, Paul writes, “Again, I will say, Rejoice,” even though he has no idea of his own fate. He has no idea whether he will be rescued, like he was before, with God unlocking inner cell doors by earthquakes and jailers converting to liberators before his very eyes,

OR… 

whether he will waste away, tied to chains and to darkness and to a brutal end.   For Paul, it doesn’t matter.  He trusts he’s in God’s hands which gives him great joy. Rejoice, the Lord is always near.  

“Don’t be anxious,” he tells us, “God is the next breath.”  

Paul knows the peace of God which surpasses all understanding because this peace has nothing to do with his circumstances, and everything to do with trusting in the sustaining presence of this Living Love, the fire of the Holy Spirit’s belly.  Paul wants to pass this joy, this gladness, this longing, this steadfastness, this reassurance to us, today… 

Really???  Don’t you sometimes just want to break out of his prison?  Or get off Noah’s salvific ark?  Or be like the Israelites who complained to Moses about being brought out to the desert just to starve? (They had a point).  Sometimes, I just want to quit/escape/give up/forget. I don’t think I’m alone in this feeling.  (Right?)

But today, Kathy, there’s no escaping for you. No escaping for any of us.  (Thank God).  Because here we are, accepting God’s invitation to renew our vows on the Ark of Only God Knows.  In the midst of sorrows, grief, lost and confusion, we find courage to make our claims of joy.  We can find this gift of Joy when God is our center, our touchstone, our hope, our source, our breath, our north star.

Thomas Merton, mystic monk once said, “If at the count of three God stopped loving us, we would cease to exist.” Everything would end… the world, you, me, time, space, cause and effect, the whole kit and caboodle… Gone.

Love… the love that is over and beyond all doors to existence, is what calls us here today.  Love is the underpinning of all we know.  We can try to deny it… sure.  But once you’ve heard Love, full of tender mercies and compassion, call your name, you can never shut it out.  Love is here to stay the course, through thick and thin. 

We need this Love to be able to make promises, to keep vows.  We are responding to the Call of Living that came into the depths of our being. God-initiated. In our surrendering, we are recognizing God’s beckoning and sweet invitation to unveil through the everyday- ness of our own lives, our unique translation of Love, awakening each one of us to the deepest nature of who we are, to discover the wild possibilities of our precious lives.   

Last week when the President addressed the nation, he shared with us that he writes on that back of his daily schedule, the new number of Covid deaths for that day, as a way to remember, to pray, to commit, and to let suffering shape his daily work, as a way to be united with fellow citizens of our nation in their grief. That card is tucked in the inside pocket of his suit jacket, next to his heart. I’m moved by that simple, yet profound gesture, and so now in the back of my Prayer Book, I am writing down the new number of Covid deaths as a ritual to enhance my own prayer life… 527,726, 531,001, 535,997, 536, 472, 537,649, 539,207

As I write down the numbers, day by day, I am moved by the exactness, the counting, the one in the midst of many, a life well lived, a life lost, a family’s grief.  In a strange way, writing down such a large number helps me see the stark power of an individual’s death. By writing down the “statistic,” I am moved beyond the statistic to deep connection.  I am praying.  And in this act of prayer, I feel joy rising up within me.  Paul’s kind of joy, not as the world creates, but as God gives.     

If we have any doubt about God appearing in the world not as we imagine, then all we have to do is see a young virgin, unwed, teenager called Mary, alone, minding her own business, caught up in her own insignificance, becoming the divine vessel to deliver the Word to the World.  In her “YES,” her womb will also become the tomb.  A womb, at first empty, not yet touched by God.  And then a tomb, also empty, because it has been touched by God.  God always fills-in our emptiness, sometimes in our wombs, other times in our tombs. 

Mary’s womb which becomes a tomb, which will then become our womb.  

Just as God never appears as we imagine, God also comes to us disguised as our own life. And in that life, Love resides.  We just get distracted and don’t see it.  Kathy, your greatest gifts are that you risk loving deeply and that you are Real.  

There’s a classic story about the great Rabbi Zusha, who was found agitated and upset as he lay on his deathbed. His students asked, “Rebbe, why are you so sad? After all the great things you have accomplished, your place in heaven is assured!”

“I’m afraid!” Zusha replied, “Because when I get to heaven, God won’t ask me ‘Why weren’t you more like Moses?’ or ‘Why weren’t you more like King David?’ God will ask ‘Zusha, why weren’t you more like Zusha?’

Kathy, you’re the real deal.  You’re comfortable in your own skin.  You understand in a deep and natural way, as poet John O’Donohue teaches us, that the soul does not reside in the body.  Rather the body resides in the soul and the soul shelters and mediates and holds the air, our minds, and our bodies.  “In this primal sense, the soul is imaginative.” (Anum Cara, p. 97). 

The only barrier to our soul’s imagination is our sense of readiness.

Kathy, you are committed to readiness in all things.  Mostly in your capacity to sit with sleeping tigers of fear that reside in the corners of all our hearts, and to not be afraid. You’ll wake them up if need be, knowing that it is prayer that will get us through the darkest night of our souls. 

Prayer gives us the power to touch God’s heart-strings, and Kathy you are there, helping us to ground ourselves in God’s love affair with us.  It is God who resides in our heart, and you are there as our guide, helping us to the Truth of who we are in God’s gift of our real Self, our own heart-strings, and in our own knowledge of joy.

We are the same, like Jesus, both wounded and resurrected, and we are side by side with each other in the wonderful mystery of the Body of Christ.  Woven together in our open and empty hands.  In the giving and in the receiving.  In the suffering.  In the joy.  

With Mary and her YES, we are reminded, day by day, to trust that our simple lives will show forth the glory of God. God, who often works through what is not said by people who are not named, will take the wombs of our suffering and our joy to create something… to let us come to something… to let us redeem something.

And you Kathy, by the grace of God, you will be part of this joy as Priest in God’s Church.  You are so called, and today, with God’s Yes, Your Yes, Our Yes, we lay our hands on you and make you priest.  Trusting as Paul did… that our souls know the geography of our destination, which will always take us on the path of Love. AMEN

Celebrating Three Recent Ordinations

The past several months have been a busy period! The church in New Hampshire is excited and encouraged to see many people discerning a call to holy orders — including the Rev. Kathy Boss, the Rev. Greg Baker, and the Rev. Deacon Chris Potter — who were recently ordained. Watch their ordinations on YouTube:

February 24, 2021, The Rev. Gregory Baker was ordained to the priesthood at Church of the Good Shepherd Nashua, where Greg is serving as curate. CLICK HERE to watch on YouTube.

March 19, 2021, The Rev. Deacon Christopher Potter was ordained to the diaconate at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church Manchester, where Chris is serving as deacon.  CLICK HERE to watch on YouTube.

March 20, 2021, The Rev. Katherine (Kathy) Boss was ordained to the priesthood at All Saint’s Littleton. Kathy is serving as chaplain at the White Mountain School in Bethlehem, NH, and as curate at All Saint’s Littleton. CLICK HERE to watch on YouTube.

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: Bishop Rob writes a “My Turn” Opinion Column in Concord Monitor

In the News: Bishop Rob writes a “My Turn” opinion column about New Hampshire education funding and proposed legislation in the Concord Monitor. Read it here.

https://www.concordmonitor.com/Voucher-bill-38781024

In the News: St. Andrew's New London Youth Group Creates Memorial for COVID Victims

Watch WMUR’s story about a Prayer Flag Memorial created by the Youth Group at St. Andrew’s New London. On February 6, 2021, the Youth Group at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in New London opened a Memorial Prayer Flag display to honor the over 1,000 lives lost to COVID-19 in N.H. The display is set up adjacent to the church’s prayer labyrinth, allowing visitors to contemplate and remember as they walk among the hundreds of flags — each one lovingly sewn and decorated as a memorial to those who have died, those who cared for them, and those who grieve.

A 2020 Christmas Message from Bishop Rob

Please click on the video below to view Bishop Rob's Christmas message. Bishop Rob and the diocesan staff of the Episcopal Church of New Hampshire wish you a safe, hopeful, and Merry Christmas!

A 2020 Christmas Message from Bishop Rob

National Parochial Report Numbers for NH Inaccurate

The Episcopal News Service recently published a story titled, “2019 parochial reports show continued decline and a ‘dire’ future for The Episcopal Church.” In its assessment, the article describes a steep decline in attendance in the Episcopal Church of New Hampshire.

The Church of New Hampshire has reviewed the report and found it is based on inaccurate numbers embedded in the parochial reports. In reality, Average Sunday Attendance (ASA) in New Hampshire was statistically flat between 2018 and 2019. In fact, ASA numbers modestly increased by 3 persons.

For the past few years — through 2018 — the Diocese of New Hampshire’s ASA totals included chapel services held at two Episcopal-affiliated schools in the state. In 2019, these schools did not submit their parochial report numbers: an oversight resulting in an apparent precipitous drop in ASA.

According to Benge Ambrogi, COO and Canon for Mission Resources, “Without school attendance included, New Hampshire’s ASA in 2018 was 3,020 and 3,023 in 2019, indicating not decline, but growth by 3 people. In the context of decline across the church nationally, attendance levels in the New Hampshire church is positive.” Ambrogi noted that chapel attendance at the two NH schools in question was unchanged between 2018 and 2019. 

The Rt. Rev. Robert Hirschfeld, Bishop of New Hampshire announced that, “Moving forward, we will be more careful about how to integrate chapel attendance at our church-affiliated schools in the parochial report to the wider church. In this way, future reports will consistently reflect a more accurate picture of the church’s reach in New Hampshire."

“As we all know, for many decades now, the Church has employed this metric to try to determine the state of our health and holiness as a community in Christ, even as a greater portion of the US work force must work on Sunday mornings,” added Bishop Hirschfeld. “We have always sought to use the same measurements as the rest of the Church, however, our attention has been on other signs of our resilience, vibrancy, and joy in bearing witness to the Resurrection. Having a positive ASA number by three persons does not obviously make a trend. That said, I hope it is a sign that our three-fold efforts to renew the faithful in their knowledge and love of Jesus, to reconcile the world to God in Christ, and to revive the Church are worth committing to with increased boldness, especially in these demanding times. We will continue to turn our attention to how God is doing a new thing among us.”

School for Ministry Launches 2020-2021 Academic School Year

While the ECNH School for Ministry’s first study weekend arrives at the end of September, the community has been gathering steadily all summer, including meeting weekly over Zoom for open office hours—questions, conversation, and community building—followed by Compline. 

Three students are beginning a 3-year preparation program towards priestly ordination; three others, who have advanced theological degrees and experience in ministry, will spend a year solidifying their readiness to serve as priests in in the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire.  The cohort’s courses for 2020-21 include the Iona Collaborative’s “Year of the Bible”; the first year of a three-year homiletics curriculum created in partnership with the Episcopal Preaching Foundation; “Episcopal Immersion” for the one-year group; and a rite-by-rite, season-by-season exploration of the Book of Common Prayer for all.

The broadcast of July’s ordination from Tilton offered a glimpse of the remarkable transformation underway to ready Trinity’s nave to be a working seminary chapel, a space for worship and for learning. We look forward to the day when public health protocols make it possible for us to gather there regularly. 

The Rev. Michael Greene, Rector of Church of the Good Shepherd, Nashua, has joined the SfM community as the principal mentor for our Episcopal Immersion students.

Ms. Karen Floyd Shepherd, who worships at St. Andrew’s New London and lives in Tilton, and who studied at Andover Newton Theological Seminary, is serving as the school’s librarian. 

Starting in October, Dean Kelly Sundberg Seaman will be part of  a small group of Iona leaders engaging in the Episcopal Church’s Sacred Ground program, a film- and readings-based dialogue series on race.

The Rev. Canon Gail Avery and Archdeacon Derek Scalia will trained by Iona faculty as diocesan facilitators for Called to Transformation, a program for Asset-Based Community Development training in congregations created by Episcopal Relief & Development and the Episcopal Church. 

Students and staff at the School for Ministry always welcome your prayers! More information about the School for Ministry can be found here.

Notes: Dr. Anthony Fauci Speaks with Bishops and Canons — Important “Best Practices” Reminders

Canon Gail Avery reported on the following discussion with the churches that Dr. Anthony Fauci had at a recent Bishops and Canons conference call. In light of the fact that 40-50% of those infected by COVID-19 are asymptomatic, and the United States has not flattened the curve as was hoped would happen by now, Dr. Fauci strongly advocates the following:

1. Three things are most effective: (1) universal wearing of masks; (2) physical distancing; (3) wash your hands regularly.

2. Outdoor gatherings are safer than indoor gatherings — avoid bars, concert halls, and arenas.

3. When experts say, “crowds,” it means congregating close together. Larger groups outdoors and spaced out properly are safer than small groups in close quarters. (10 foot spacing is better than 6 feet).

4. Singing is worse than speaking. Singing sprays out more particles — it has been tested by scientists. If you can, try not to sing.

5. Face shields: aerosolized particles can come underneath. A mask is preferable.

6. There is a misperception in the public sphere of “all or nothing,” of total shut-down or a total ignoring of precautions. But this is not an accurate perception of what is possible.

7. There is still a lot that can be done in a safe manner. Public health recommendations (and the science behind them) should be seen as a gateway for accomplishing a task and not an obstacle that locks us in.

8. Winter will be problematic. If you must gather indoors, do so with windows open and temperatures and humidity levels turned up higher (heat and humidity cause particles in the air to fall to the ground faster).

9. For dioceses that are in colder climates, begin having conversations now before it gets too cold to worship and meet together outdoors. What changes might need to be made to allow for any safe use of indoor space in the winter? Or, will you need to plan to go fully remote again?

10. Finally, Dr. Fauci commented that this will end. We won’t be like this forever. A vaccine will help. Don’t lose hope. The virus will determine the timeline and we must follow where the science leads us.

Gibson's Bookstore to Host Bishop Rob for an Online Book Event

Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord, NH is welcoming Bishop Rob to an online event to discuss his new book, With Sighs Too Deep for Words: Grace and Depression. The event will be held on Thursday, August 6th at 7:00 pm via Zoom. Registration is required and can be found here.

Bishop Rob’s book offers prayers and practical suggestions for spiritual and creative practices and resilience while living with depression, and serves as a companion for those who suffer so that they may know more deeply the resilient love of Jesus.

With Sighs Too Deep For Words is available at local independent NH booksellers including Gibson’s in Concord, the Bookery in Manchester, and Toadstools in Keene, Nashua, and Peterborough, as well as Church Publishing (www.churchpublishing.org/withsighstoodeepforwords), Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.

"With Sighs Too Deep For Words: Grace and Depression." A New Book By Bishop Rob

Bishop Rob has just published a new meditation and prayer companion for those who struggle with depression, With Sighs Too Deep For Words. 

The stigma around mental illness in our culture has had a damaging effect on those who suffer from its grip. As a priest and bishop, Bishop Rob has quietly been in treatment for depression for decades. In his book, he now shares his own experience publicly. The Bishop offers short meditations, prayers, and suggestions about how one can follow and call upon Jesus for strength and peace during times of emotional upheaval.

“My depression continues to teach me about God’s love and grace,” said Bishop Rob. “I wrote in the hope that my experience might resonate with others who bear similar pain and struggle. My intent is to offer some hope to those who experience depression, especially those who have swallowed the dangerous myth that mental illness is somehow a moral flaw, or a sign of God’s judgment, a myth that is tempting to believe—or at least it has been for me.”

The Bishop’s book, with its prayers and practical suggestions for spiritual and creative practices and resilience, can be a companion for those who suffer so that they may know more deeply the resilient love of Jesus.

With Sighs Too Deep For Words is available at local independent NH booksellers including Gibson’s in Concord, the Bookery in Manchester, and Toadstools in Keene, Nashua, and Peterborough, as well as Church Publishing (www.churchpublishing.org/withsighstoodeepforwords), Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.

Following the Good Shepherd on the Path Ahead: 3.0

As the state of New Hampshire announces its “Safer at Home Advisory” and continues on the path of re-opening for business, employment, and services, Bishop Rob shares this “3.0” document to provide continued guidance regarding how we may go about regathering in our churches.

There is much to be done. With guidance and protocols as currently defined, it is now the work of each congregations’ leadership to discern the way forward for their church.

Click here to read Following the Good Shepherd on the Path Ahead: 3.0

Survey From the Episcopal Church Regarding Sexual Misconduct

The Episcopal Church asks that parishioners complete a survey regarding sexual misconduct in the church. The survey is 100% anonymous and takes about 15 minutes to complete. Data received in the survey will help the church "engage in truth-telling, confession, and reconciliation regarding gender-based discrimination, harassment, and violence by those in power in The Episcopal Church." Please complete the survey by July 1, 2020. The survey can be found here.

N.E. Episcopal Bishops Respond with One Voice to President’s “Cynical” Photo-Op

 New England Episcopal bishops respond with one voice to President’s “cynical” photo-op by calling out “the abomination of continued oppression of and violence against people of color in this nation”

What President Trump did in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square on the evening of June 1 was disgraceful and morally repugnant.  Displaying a Bible from which he did not quote, using as a mere backdrop an Episcopal church where he did not pray, and – more callously – ordering law enforcement to clear, with force and tear gas, a path through demonstrators who had gathered in peace, President Trump distorted for his own purposes the cherished symbols of our faith to condone and stoke yet more violence.

His tactic was obvious.  Simply by holding aloft an unopened Bible he presumed to claim Christian endorsement and imply that of The Episcopal Church.  Far more disturbingly, he seemed to be affecting the authority of the God and Savior we worship and serve, in order to support his own authority and to wield enhanced use of military force in a perverted attempt to restore peace to our nation.

His actions did nothing to mend the torn social fabric of our nation. Instead, they were a blatant attempt to drive a wedge between the people of this nation, and even between people of faith.  No matter where we may stand on the partisan spectrum, we, as Christian leaders called to proclaim a God of love, find his actions repugnant.  Jesus taught us to love our enemies, to seek healing over division, and make peace in the midst of violence.

Our church may rightly feel outraged and insulted by having the symbols of our faith used as a set prop in a cynical political drama.  The real abomination before us, however, is the continued oppression of and violence against people of color in this nation.  Let us reserve and focus the energies of our indignation to serve our Lord Jesus Christ’s higher purpose: to extend love and mercy and justice for all, and especially for those whose life, liberty, and very humanity is threatened by the persistent sin of systemic racism and the contagion of white supremacy.

The Rt. Rev. Laura J. Ahrens, Bishop Suffragan, Connecticut
The Rt. Rev. Ian T. Douglas, Bishop Diocesan, Connecticut
The Rt. Rev. Thomas James Brown, Bishop Diocesan, Maine
The Rt. Rev. Alan M. Gates, Bishop Diocesan, Massachusetts
The Rt. Rev. Gayle E. Harris, Bishop Suffragan, Massachusetts
The Rt. Rev. A. Robert Hirschfeld, Bishop Diocesan, New Hampshire
The Rt. Rev. W. Nicholas Knisely, Bishop Diocesan, Rhode Island
The Rt. Rev. Shannon MacVean-Brown, Bishop Diocesan, Vermont
The Rt. Rev. Douglas J. Fisher, Bishop Diocesan, Western Massachusetts

Province I of The Episcopal Church comprises the seven Episcopal dioceses of New England.

Bishop Rob’s Letter Regarding Stay at Home 2.0: Places of Worship

On Friday May 29, Governor Chris Sununu shared a document, Stay at Home 2.0: Places of Worship, that ostensibly allows houses of worship to begin re-admitting worshippers to their sacred spaces for religious services only. I am grateful that the Governor takes seriously the particular complexities of risk and demand that we all face as we contemplate gathering again for religious services. The Governor’s order is informed by the advice of health professionals, immunologists, as well as members of various religious communities in New Hampshire.

Though Governor Sununu has stated that, effective immediately, houses of worship can re-open at 40% capacity, even a cursory read of the document will show how careful and deliberate our churches need to be in preparing for our return for in-person worship. There are at least 19 requirements, none of them trivial, that must be met before we can come back into our sanctuaries. They include sanitizing of hands and all touched surfaces, limiting the number of persons who can gather indoors, controlling traffic flow and space between persons who are not of the same household, restricting how communion might be distributed and how our holy objects can be venerated. There are strict guidelines for ushers, collections, exchanging the peace, and post-worship gatherings. We will also need to be especially careful about communal singing.

Along with many of our fellow denominations we will use at least the coming month (until at least July 1st) for each of our congregations to discern carefully whether and how we will apply the guidance offered by the Governor’s office and the most current information provided by the Center for Disease Control to our local church communities.

Again, I request that we take the month of June for our local vestries and Bishop’s committees to begin to make plans for their eventual and gradual re-introduction of in-person worship. Please be aware that given the tenacity of this pandemic, and the fact that people in New Hampshire are still being infected and are succumbing to Covid-19, this timeline may need to be extended.

In the coming days, we will begin to determine in more detail the practicality of limited outdoor services, including weddings and funerals.

The Governor’s document covers only religious services. Since we know the coronavirus does not discriminate among us, I also request that we put the same rigorous measures in place for any outside groups, including Twelve Step assemblies, until July 1. 

The risks of our gathering too soon and without establishing the necessary precautions far outweigh the benefits of our return from this “COVID-19 Exile.” Meanwhile, as the Governor’s order stresses, we will continue to provide on-line worship opportunities to encourage our people to stay safe at home.  

Be assured, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is still being heard and enacted, God’s holy realm is proclaimed and extended, and we continue to walk the Way of Love for our God and neighbor in this wilderness time together.

Faithfully Yours in Christ,

The. Rt. Rev. A. Robert Hirschfeld
Bishop of New Hampshire