A Message From Bishop Rob

Lambeth Update

Dear Friends in Christ,

If you are following the reports of the Lambeth Conference now underway in Canterbury, England, you may be concerned or confused by the controversy surrounding the “Lambeth Calls” document that the gathered bishops are asked to vote on. A draft of these “Calls” was issued late last week, just prior to our arrival at the Conference. In them was a “Call on Human Dignity” in which the writer — as yet unidentified and unknown — inserted a statement that Christian marriage is between a man and a woman, renouncing any endorsement of marriage between persons of the same gender. The inclusion of that statement came as a complete surprise to the committee that drafted the Call.

After several days of vigorous responses to the draft of the “Call on Human Dignity” from many bishops from all over the Communion — not only from those in The Episcopal Church — the Call’s language has been revised to say, more accurately, that the bishops of the Anglican Communion are not in agreement in these matters, but we are committed to walking together in witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Many bishops are also considering the value of voting, up or down, yea or nay, on our support of this or any of the Calls. Voting is the practice of a legislative body such as a General Convention or Congress. Historically, the Lambeth Conference has not been a legislative body, rather its statements are meant to inform the wider church, including the Church in the Diocese of New Hampshire, what its bishops are thinking about any number of topics. That is all.

I write my dear diocese of New Hampshire to inform you of what I know is happening here. But more importantly, I want to assure you with no hesitation in my heart or mind, that the Gospel of Jesus is for all of God’s children. Our commitment to marriage equality and the full inclusion of all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer and questioning persons in our church is unwavering.

The Calls document that was distributed last week was not a setback to the work of full inclusion, neither in New Hampshire nor in The Episcopal Church. We have traveled so far, borne so many personal and costly sacrifices, to change the course of this commitment now. I consider it a deep and humbling honor to be here, among several wonderful LBGTQIA+ bishop colleagues, especially since in 2008 my predecessor and your bishop, the Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson, was the solitary disinvited-to-Lambeth bishop who could only walk and bear powerful witness to what you and he had done to make God real in New Hampshire and throughout the world.

Despite media reports, I do not see widespread and deep discord among the bishops at Lambeth. Yes, the conference has just begun, but what I see is prayer, fellowship, and a desire to be friends in Christ, even among those who disagree. I see a passion to continue with God’s mission to heal a world imperiled by war, catastrophic ecological collapse, wounding gaps in wealth and privilege, and the need to repair relationships broken by civil, religious, and economic violence. Jesus was often confronted by those who sought to trap him in controversies. Even the Cross could not hinder his mission to include all humankind on the journey to the Kingdom of God. Nothing ensnared him, not even death. That’s the Easter power with which I seek to be his disciple, and your bishop, while I’m so honored to be here in Canterbury.

With love in Christ Jesus,

The Right Reverend A. Robert Hirschfeld

Bishop of New Hampshire

Interested in serving on a diocesan committee or commission?

The heart and health of the Episcopal Church of New Hampshire depends on broad engagement at the diocesan level from both clergy and lay congregants like you. These opportunities are filled in two ways: through appointment by the Bishop to serve on commissions and committees and through elections, which are held during the Annual Diocesan Convention.

If you are interested in being a nominee for any of the following elected positions, which will be voted on during the Annual Diocesan Convention on November 4, 2022, please click here to find the nomination form due by August 15:

·         Treasurer (1 lay or clergy for 1 year)

·         Secretary (1 lay or clergy for 1 year)

·         Registrar (1 lay or clergy for 1 year)

·         Standing Committee (1 clergy and 1 lay person for 3 years, through 2025)

·         Diocesan Council Finance Committee (1 member-at-large for 3 years, through 2025)

·         Deputy to the 2024 General Convention (4 clergy and 4 lay persons; 4 clergy and 4 lay alternates)

·         Deputy to Provincial Synod (1 clergy and 1 lay; 2 alternates – 1 clergy and 1 lay)

If you are interested in being considered for volunteer opportunities on committees and commissions, please email Executive Assistant to the Bishop Shelli Gay with your ministry interests and experience. To learn more about committees and commissions, click here.

Meet the General Convention 2022 Deputies: The Rev. Jason Wells

As we prepare for the Episcopal Church’s 80th General Convention, being held July 7 - 14 in Baltimore, Maryland, we invite you to get to know the Deputies who will be representing The Episcopal Church of New Hampshire.

Last but certainly not least is The Rev. Jason Wells.

How many years have you attended General Convention (as deputy or otherwise)?

I have been to General Convention as a deputy in 2012 and 2015. In 2015, I served on the committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations where we affirmed relationships with our United Methodist and Latter-Day Saints neighbors and engaged in dialogue about how to relate to the Anglican Church of North America as it had then established itself as a new denomination. In 2012, I was not assigned to a committee but followed closely the Evangelism Committee.

Why do you enjoy being a deputy to General Convention?

I enjoy being a part of the larger Episcopal Church at work and how it comes back to us in New Hampshire. Being a deputy means prayerfully reflecting on our deepest convictions as Episcopalians and asking God how we live this faith in our denomination at all levels. It is a joy to see the individual, parish, diocesan and denominational levels of our church working in concert for the sake of God’s glory.

What committees, if any, are you sitting on this year?

This year, I serve on the Dispatch of Business Committee. This group works in between other committees to make sure that Convention work happens smoothly. For example, if a resolution is moved from one committee to another or multiple similar resolutions are merged into one, then Dispatch of Business is at work.

What are you looking forward to the most in Baltimore?

As a member of the Dispatch of Business committee, we will have a big job to do in keeping everything moving due to the priority of safety in a pandemic. I look forward to seeing The Episcopal Church rise to the occasion and offer creative ways for Convention to happen so that the mission of our local churches thrives.

Meet the General Convention 2022 Deputies: The Rev. Sue Poulin

As we prepare for the Episcopal Church’s 80th General Convention, being held July 7 - 14 in Baltimore, Maryland, we invite you to get to know the Deputies who will be representing The Episcopal Church of New Hampshire.

Next up, we have The Rev. Sue Poulin.

How many years have you attended General Convention (as deputy or otherwise)?

I attended General Convention in Austin, Texas, in 2018, as a delegate. In 2022, I will attend General Convention in Baltimore as an alternate.

Why do you enjoy being a deputy to General Convention?

General Convention is a time in the church when I continue to learn the many different ways the larger church works. We are a body of so many different voices, beliefs, and ways of being. One of our gifts is our belief in a middle way, the via media. That can also force us to listen and learn from others that we do not come in contact with on a daily basis. I also find it very important to remember that our faith, our belief in God, is what brings us together, and is the reason for our gathering. I am humbled, grateful, and sometimes frustrated to be part of a church that works so hard to listen to God’s wisdom as we move forward.

What committees, if any, are you sitting on this year?

I do not sit on any committee. I have been assigned to follow 13-Committees and Commissions; 15-Ministry; and 12-Prayer Book, Liturgy, and Music.

What are you looking forward to the most in Baltimore?

General Convention 2022, in Baltimore, is going to be a very interesting adventure. Many of the “fun” things that are often part of this gathering have been canceled due to concerns about Covid-19. But at the core of the work that is always done at General Convention is worship. There will not be singing, but there will be worship each day. We have all learned in the last two years that God can be worshiped in many ways we did not think possible. I am looking forward to worshiping, spending time with and supporting my colleagues, and continuing to deepen my knowledge of this church I love.

Meet the General Convention 2022 Deputies: Margaret Porter

As we prepare for the Episcopal Church’s 80th General Convention, being held July 7 - 14 in Baltimore, Maryland, we invite you to get to know the Deputies who will be representing The Episcopal Church of New Hampshire.

Next up, we have Margaret Porter.

How many years have you attended General Convention (as deputy or otherwise)?

My first General Convention as a deputy was 2009 in Anaheim, Califoria. Then Indianapolis, Salt Lake City; Austin, TX; and next Baltimore, MD which means this will be my fifth convention and I've served as a deputy for 13 consecutive years.

Why do you enjoy being a deputy to General Convention?

A deputy has the opportunity and privilege of seeing the Church in action, and participating in the legislative process that puts substance into our beliefs. General Convention displays the church in all its diversity--ethnicity, demographics, geography, outlook, and opinions, and manifests that we are truly an international and highly dedicated portion of the faithful, proclaiming Christ's message of love and salvation through our votes, our witness, our worship, and our communications.

What committees, if any, are you sitting on this year?

I am chairing the Committee on Privilege and Courtesy--for the third time! Our charge is to compose and present courtesy resolutions for the House of Deputies.

What are you looking forward to the most in Baltimore?

The gathering of the faithful, the completion of the tasks begun remotely, in very unusual pandemic circumstances. Reflecting on and determining what impact and inspiration the acts of Convention will have on our own Diocese of New Hampshire. Attending hearings on resolutions, as schedule permits. And enjoying the fellowship of the New Hampshire deputies, being with each other each day in the House of Deputies and at meeting time when we share our experiences, report on our activities, and offer insights on pending legislation. Also, the worship is incredible--hearing gifted preachers, attending communion with a vast body of saints, hearing our familiar liturgy presented in languages other than English.

Meet the General Convention 2022 Deputies: Bobbi Beavers

As we prepare for the Episcopal Church’s 80th General Convention, being held July 7 - 14 in Baltimore, Maryland, we invite you to get to know the Deputies who will be representing The Episcopal Church of New Hampshire.

Next up, we have Bobbi Beavers.

How many years have you attended General Convention (as deputy or otherwise)?

This will be my first General Convention.

Why do you enjoy being a deputy to General Convention?

I am learning so much about the most important problems and issues the church is working to study and find/implement solutions that honor our baptismal covenant.

What committees, if any, are you sitting on this year?

I am observing LC09-Racial Justice and Reconciliation and LC20-Environmental Stewardship and Care of Creation.

What are you looking forward to the most in Baltimore?

Meeting fellow Episcopalians from all over the world and learning how the governance of The Episcopal Church works, along with daily worship. Although I am totally new to The Episcopal Church governance at this level, I was a State Representative in the Maine Legislature from 2010 to 2016.

I am lucky to be traveling from Manchester with my current and former rectors from St. Thomas' in Dover, the Revs. Sue Poulin and Gail Avery.

Meet the General Convention 2022 Deputies: The Rev. Gail Avery

As we prepare for the Episcopal Church’s 80th General Convention, being held July 7 - 14 in Baltimore, Maryland, we invite you to get to know the Deputies who will be representing The Episcopal Church of New Hampshire.

Next up, we have The Rev. Gail Avery

How many years have you attended General Convention (as deputy or otherwise)?

I am serving my 2nd term as your Deputy to General Convention and have attended three previous conventions starting in 2009 because I love our church and have a deepening love of what our church is becoming.

Why do you enjoy being a deputy to General Convention?

From the onset, I've been immersed in ministries that have crossed cultural, religious, and economic barriers--expanding the boundaries of parish reach and giving voice to the most vulnerable in our midst. As a priest, I am provided multiple opportunities to incorporate locally what we commit to at General Convention, such as advocating for the repeal of the death penalty; more just immigration laws; raising our state's minimum wage; the reduction of gun violence; and closing the opportunity gap.

What committees, if any, are you sitting on this year?

Not all deputies are assigned to committees, which is the case for most of the New Hampshire delegation. Deputies not assigned to specific committees have been asked to remain informed on the progress of one or two legislative committees and then report back to the deputation on the important work being done.

I've been following Legislative Committee #4 on Governance and Structure. I'm also serving as your deputation chair, convening monthly meetings for the New Hampshire delegation and passing along any pertinent information from the General Convention Office. In April, the Rev. Gay Jennings, President of the House of Deputies, joined our meeting for a Q&A.

The 80th General Convention deputation is the youngest and most racially diverse in recent years and there has been a concerted effort to reflect our growing diversity. As a result, 36 percent of committee officers are people of color, 35 percent are 40 years of age or younger, and 70 percent of our 232 deputies who are of color are serving on committees.

What are you looking forward to the most in Baltimore?

Our deputation works tirelessly--convening each morning with various legislative committees before the legislative sessions begin. It's an honor to serve our Diocese in this capacity again. I remain committed to innovating the role church can play worldwide and look forward to broadening our church's polity and priorities and call to be reconcilers and repairers of the breach.

Meet the General Convention 2022 Deputies: The Rev. Kate Atkinson

As we prepare for the Episcopal Church’s 80th General Convention, being held July 7 - 14 in Baltimore, Maryland, we invite you to get to know the Deputies who will be representing The Episcopal Church of New Hampshire.

Next up, we have The Rev. Kate Atkinson.

How many years have you attended General Convention (as deputy or otherwise)?

I attended the 2015 and 2018 conventions, and I am second clergy alternate for this year’s. That means that, unless one of our clergy deputies has to drop out, I will not be attending this year – because only first alternates are permitted to attend under the COVID restrictions.

Why do you enjoy being a deputy to General Convention?

We can all fall into the trap of limiting our vision to the boundaries of our own diocese – even our own parish – and General Convention provides a wonderful opportunity to break out of that mindset and discover the breadth and depth of our multinational, multicultural, endlessly diverse Episcopal Church. I enjoy meeting fellow Episcopalians whose life and faith experiences differ from my own; I am always inspired by new (to me) approaches to ministry and worship; and I invariably come away from legislative sessions, committee meetings, social events, even worship gatherings, with greater ecclesiastical knowledge, a fuller understanding of the workings of our Church, and the reassurance that we are never alone – in either our struggles or our joys!

What committees, if any, are you sitting on this year?

Alternates are not assigned to legislative committees, but, at the last Convention, I served on the committee dealing with Title IV and Safeguarding. Title IV is The Episcopal Church Canon which addresses “ecclesiastical discipline:” a process of determining accountability, reconciliation, and pastoral response in matters of alleged clergy misconduct. Safeguarding addressed the wider issues of ensuring safety in church communities.

What are you looking forward to the most in Baltimore?

Since it’s unlikely that I will join the New Hampshire deputation, what I look forward to most is a positive experience for my colleagues, a safe and COVID-free stay in Baltimore, and a smooth and successful transition from the traditional Convention format.

Meet the General Convention 2022 Deputies: Sarah Ambrogi

As we prepare for the Episcopal Church’s 80th General Convention, being held July 7 - 14 in Baltimore, Maryland, we invite you to get to know the Deputies who will be representing The Episcopal Church of New Hampshire.

Next up, we have Sarah Ambrogi.

How many years have you attended General Convention (as deputy or otherwise)?

I first attended as a deputy to General Convention 78 in Salt Lake City in 2015, and then I attended General Convention 79 in Austin in 2018. This year (General Convention 80 - Baltimore) will be my third general convention.

Why do you enjoy being a deputy to General Convention?

It is very exciting to see the whole church at work. There is so much happening - wonderful worship, important issues being discussed, and many wonderful and interesting people to meet.

What committees, if any, are you sitting on this year?

I am serving as the Secretary of Committee 16 - Churchwide Leadership. Our committee is working on resolutions dealing with several important issues, including most notably a resolution calling for a unified churchwide family leave policy. This resolution came out of work done by an interim task force I served on during this past triennium.

What are you looking forward to the most in Baltimore?

There is a lot of uncertainty right now about what this convention (deferred from last year) will look like - it is likely to be much shorter than planned, and to be quite a bit less social than prior conventions. The idea seems to be to winnow the convention business down to critical resolutions and elections. Nevertheless, I am looking forward to working with the rest of our deputation and making the most of our time together.

Meet the General Convention 2022 Deputies: Benge Ambrogi

As we prepare for the Episcopal Church’s 80th General Convention, being held July 7 - 14 in Baltimore, Maryland, we invite you to get to know the Deputies who will be representing The Episcopal Church of New Hampshire.

First up, let’s meet Benge Ambrogi.

How many years have you attended General Convention (as deputy or otherwise)?

This will be my second General Convention.  My first was GC 79 in 2018 in Austin Texas.

Why do you enjoy being a deputy to General Convention?

In many ways the decisions the wider church impact our ministry here in New Hampshire.  I think it is important for those impacted, particularly diocesan leadership, to be a part of that decision making process.  I also enjoy meeting people from all across the church who are working to help this institution thrive.

What committees, if any, are you sitting on this year?

I am not sitting on any committees for this General Convention.  At GC 79, I was a member of Committee 10, Congregational and Diocesan Vitality.  I also served on the Task Force to Assist the Office of Pastoral Development, an interim body that was looking at improvements in the Episcopal election and transition process.

What are you looking forward to the most in Baltimore?

 I’m looking forward to studying in depth the resolutions that directly impact our worship, learning, and service in the Episcopal Church of New Hampshire.  I’m looking forward to seeing how the early virtual start to General Convention has changed and hopefully improved the quality and quantity of resolutions being considered on the floors of the two houses.  I’m looking forward to advocating for a more compact GC in the future, both in time and in size. 

Holy Curiosity: A Message From the Bishops of Northern New England

May 14, 2022

Dear Episcopalians of New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine,

Today we celebrated a new milestone! Episcopalians from across Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine met on Zoom today for Maine’s Spring Training event, and during the program, the three of us had the opportunity to reflect and answer questions about the collaboration we are pursuing. We also had the opportunity to share some news.

In a spirit of trust in each other and in God’s future for the church in Northern New England, we announced today that we have decided to name one another as assisting bishops in one another’s dioceses, beginning in September.
This means that:

• Bishop Rob will name Bishop Shannon and Bishop Brown as assisting bishops in New Hampshire

• Bishop Shannon will name Bishop Rob and Bishop Brown as assisting bishops in Vermont

• Bishop Brown will name Bishop Shannon and Bishop Rob as assisting bishops in Maine

Assisting bishops serve at the invitation of the ecclesiastical authority—in this case, bishops inviting other bishops. The role of an assisting bishop is to preach and teach and provide sacramental rites (Canon III.12.5), but not to exercise governance authority. Through preaching, teaching, and presiding, we look forward to exercising our ministry in ways that will allow us to get to know each other’s dioceses, learn more about the Episcopal Church across our region, and discern how we might learn to collaborate with one another for the sake of God’s mission.

As you know, the three of us have been meeting together for quite some time. As we have talked about ways that we could collaborate in ministry, it has stirred in us a holy curiosity to understand and imagine who we are in God’s eyes. As we imagine together, we are creating space to practice creativity with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, learning and exploring where we might give up control and try new things. We believe that serving as assisting bishops in one another’s dioceses will feed that holy curiosity and creativity, and we are eager to begin this new chapter in our ministries.

We are also grateful to the members of our standing committees who graciously and eagerly affirmed this new arrangement when they met together online for fellowship and conversation in early April. This new arrangement will not change our full-time ministry with the dioceses where we serve as bishop diocesan, and it will be budget-neutral for all three dioceses.

We are excited to explore together where the Holy Spirit may guide us, and we look forward to continued conversations and collegiality across our three dioceses.

Faithfully in Christ,

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

The Rt. Rev. Thomas J. Brown, Bishop of Maine

The Rt. Rev. Dr. Shannon MacVean-Brown, Bishop of Vermont

Anglican Digest Article by Fr. Whittaker

Congratulations to the Rev. Brendan Whittaker, formerly of St. Paul's Lancaster and St. Mark's Groveton, now retired, whose piece, “The ‘Sign’ of Stiff Asters” appeared in the Spring Issue of the Anglican Digest! You can read the full piece by clicking on the image below (see p. 43).

Bishop Rob's Report from the Spring Meeting of the House of Bishops

133 bishops and bishops-elect at Camp Allen in Navasota, Texas. Photo courtesy of The Episcopal Church.

For the first time since meeting in Minneapolis in the fall of 2019, the House of Bishops came together this past week at Camp Allen outside of Houston, Texas. Though the many months of gathering electronically during the COVID-19 pandemic had made me even more of a homebody that I already was, I found this meet to be especially renewing. I return to New Hampshire with a refreshed sense of our purpose and mission as a servant of our God and Savior Jesus Christ for the sake of a world that finds itself in turmoil.

 There are a number of highlights that are worthy of reporting to my beloved Church in New Hampshire:

 First, with the guidance of Episcopal priest and mystic, Cynthia Bourgeault, we began our time together with some theological and spiritual re-grounding. We reacquainted ourselves and contemplated our relationship, both personally and as a body, to the God who has chosen to be with humanity. Not as a God of manipulation who sought protection from risks and changes of the human condition, but as one who in Christ, “emptied himself and took the form of a human, choosing out of freedom to allow himself to suffer death, even death on a cross.” That great self-emptying — the free divine choice to be honest, humble, and hospitable — is the path by which we can fully share the life of God and find a hopefulness that is strong and resilient. By now, that way of thinking about our life in God as Christians in New Hampshire won’t be a surprise, as it’s been the theme I have tried to restate continually since becoming your bishop. 

 Second, we were honest about what we are experiencing as a church and a people. We discussed openly the “existential threats” to our church. We named them: the decline in church membership, the lack of adequately trained ordained and lay leadership to fill vacancies and guide congregations through this period of tremendous change, and the marginalization of most of the mainline denominations away from a place of prominence and privilege in the halls of society’s power, even as many of us still cling to notions of a post-WWII heyday when many of our parish buildings were constructed and filled and Sunday Schools were burgeoning. We face all these internal church stresses within the context of our society’s deepening political divisions, the strenuous national racial reckoning, and the worsening global climate crisis. 

 Third, we heard from our bishop in Europe who, in addition to describing the wave of war refugees pouring into Western Europe, emphasized that we cannot be naïve about the threats to world democracies posed by the capricious and isolated dictator in Moscow who seems ever more bent on a path of widening mayhem that could lead us all into a time of international tribulation. In Putin we have a man in Moscow who is counting on the fact that the US is so divided, and the cohesion of our society so compromised, that we would not know how to respond to his longed-for aggressions.

 Tribulation and trial are not new realities for us followers of Jesus. Stresses and storms decline, and even death is no match for a faith that follows a God who chose to enter humankind in a land occupied by a despotic empire, and to suffer death, even death on a cross, so that God’s glorious life could be shared with all.  It always seems like a new truth, but the Last Supper, Gethsamene, Golgotha and the Empty Tomb, are all events that all happened at once, simultaneously in the mind of God and in our divine liturgies of Holy Week. 

 These may seem like ever-darkening times — and they may in fact be — but I am so struck by the depth of fellowship we share in the Spirit of God alive in our church; from the House of Bishops to the smallest gathering of faithful disciples in New Hampshire. I witnessed a pledge from one of the more conservative of our bishops to accompany a cherished friend in Christ — a newly consecrated black and gay bishop — when we gather as bishops at the Lambeth Conference later this summer. We were unanimous in our support of three Pastoral Letters (learn more here) concerning our continue prayers and efforts to resolve the violence and injustices in Palestine and Israel, to support families of LGBTQ+ citizens and fellow Christians who are targets of demeaning legislative actions in many states (including New Hampshire), and repudiating the war in Ukraine and pledging to support efforts for peace, diplomacy and care for refugees, especially those who are most vulnerable.  

 In a poem written in the eve of WWII, W.H. Auden wrote: We must learn to love each other or die.

 Believe it or not, and I hope you do believe it, how we love — or do not love — our neighbor has cosmic effects. Reconciliation is always local: one by one. This is our purpose as followers of Jesus. Though we may weep in the nighttime, joy comes in the morning. (Psalm 30)

 May our Joy this Easter be seen in your neighborhood and around the world!

 Yours in Evergreening Hope,

+Rob

The Rev. Dr. Nancy Vogele profiled in Dartmouth News

The Rev. Dr. Nancy Vogele, priest in the diocese of New Hampshire and the new Dartmouth College chaplain and director of the William Jewett Tucker Center for Spiritual and Ethical Living, was profiled recently by Dartmouth news. Click below to read the story and watch the video profile.

Christ Church Exeter Renews Ties with Cuba

Christ Church Exeter’s companion church in Cardenas, Cuba.

On March 14, the Rev. Mark Pendleton, Rector of Christ Church in Exeter, will travel to Cuba for a brief five-day mission of reconnection and resupplying of much-need medicine and water system spare parts.  His wife Leslie, and Mike Hays, an Exeter parishioner, will join him. Though limited by the Cuban government as to how much they can bring into the country, a successful donation campaign by parishioners has supplied them with over-flowing suitcases.  Christ Church has donated and installed many water filtration systems, assisted by various grants from the Diocese.

Rev. Mark Pendleton and Bishop Rob in Cuba in 2019.  

Cuba has been extremely isolated over the last two years due to COVID and the added sanctions put into place by U.S. administrations. Cuba was readmitted into The Episcopal Church as our last General Convention, but communications, travel and financial transactions remain difficult. Rev. Pendleton serves on the board of the Friends of Episcopal Church in Cuba a registered non-profit corporation now registered in New Hampshire.   

This trip will be the first church delegation to the island since the beginning of the pandemic. 

In the News: Afghan refugee family's new home in Portsmouth prepared with love by volunteers

Photo courtesy of Deb Cram/Seacoastonline and Fosters.com

Published in the Portsmouth Herald and Seacoastonline, this article provides an update on the family of Afghan refugees resettling in Portsmouth at the Christ Episcopal Church rectory. Read the full article HERE.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Resources

There are a number of events throughout the state and resources available for the observation of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Sunday, January 16 

7pm: “What Stories are we telling ourselves and our kids about race?”  on Zoom
Hosted by the Dover Area Religious Leaders Association (DARLA).  Join them for their 2022 Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., with speakers, music, & discussion groups. Zoom link: Meeting ID: 829 5703 5202 Passcode: 366792 

Monday, January 17 

Day of Service

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service is an invitation to act on Dr. King’s call for social justice and equity. MLK Day is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities. Making time to volunteer for MLK Day of Service is a great way to engage with your community while honoring the legacy of Dr. King. Whether you plan on cleaning up a public space, mentoring a young person, or assisting those who are food insecure, what you do makes a world of difference. Visit AmeriCorps.gov/MLKDay for more information, including:

• How to add your MLK Day volunteer opportunity to the AmeriCorps search tool.
• How to find in-person and virtual volunteer opportunities on MLK Day.
• Tools, resources, and informational webinars for participating and planning MLK Day service projects in your community.

And follow the digital conversation on MLK Day and the days leading up to it on AmeriCorps’ Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

10am: Keene Human Rights Committee Event: Building the Beloved Community on Zoom.
Join with meeting code: 86264716731

11am: Invisibility: An Art Conversation and Visual Response on Zoom
Inspired by the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., the Currier Museum of Art will present a live program over Zoom about invisibility and related issues of love and hate. We’ll begin with a conversation about paintings by Norman Lewis and Glenn Ligon and conclude with a collaborative visual response. No art experience is necessary. We encourage adults and children to attend together. Registration is required. Please register here.

1:30pm to 3pm: Martin Luther King Celebration 2022 on Zoom and on Manchester Public Television (MPTS) channel
All are welcome to join the 40th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Community Celebration hosted by MLK Coalition, including AFSC. Free to the public. Special Guest: Tj Wheeler is a jazz, blues, and roots-related concert festival musician and educator. Musical sections by the Manchester High School West Jazz Band. Shared reading from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s sermon “Loving your Enemies” delivered at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church (November 17, 1957). We are proud to welcome back the Greater Manchester Area Choir with Director James McKim. The Martin Luther King Coalition is comprised of organizations that are committed to the teachings, beliefs, and principles of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Click here for the Zoom link.

5pm: Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr., "POWER TO HEAL" in person at The Park Theatre and livestreamed on MLK Celebration Jaffrey - Rindge Facebook page

America remains a country deeply divided by issues of race and racism, and New Hampshire is not excepted. The Monadnock Region and other New Hampshire areas are seeing a surge of interest in the hidden history of residents of African heritage. Scholarly research and citizen archivist initiatives are revealing forgotten Black New Hampshirites and trying to understand their stories. At the same time, legal actions are being taken to define how race and racism may be discussed. Keynote speaker Professor James Waller, Cohen Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Keene State College, will address these timely and contentious issues in a talk titled “Power to Heal: Hope for America’s Deeply Divided Society.” Dr. Waller is an internationally recognized teacher and scholar in the field of conflict studies and resolution and an award-winning author. The talk will challenge each of us to recommit to Martin Luther King Jr.’s call to build a beloved community.

The event will feature music by Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District choruses and a special appearance by the dynamic Hutchinson Family Ensemble of Hancock. In a new initiative this year, the Jaffrey-Rindge MLK Committee and MilliporeSigma will announce new MLK student scholarships for graduating high school seniors. If you’re attending in person, reserve your free tickets here.

7pm: Peace & Justice Conversations: On the Road to Reparations: The Struggle for Equity and Inclusion in the Granite State on Zoom

Hosted by NH Peace Action. Please join them for a special Peace & Justice Conversation program honoring Martin Luther King Jr. with special guest Brenda Lett, who has been a leader in racial justice and reparations work for several decades. The conversation will commemorate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Brenda’s work with the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America (N’COBRA), which is the premiere mass-based coalition of organizations and individuals organized for the sole purpose of obtaining reparations for African descendants in the United States. We will also discuss what racial equity looks like in a state that resisted celebrating Dr. King’s work for many years and how the Triads of Evil – Racism, Militarism and Extreme consumerism – divert resources and lives away from lasting racial and economic progress. To learn more and for the Zoom link, click here.

Wednesday, January 19

7pm: The Jaffrey-Rindge MLK Committee presents: Dan Billin, Abolitionists of Noyes Academy - a live, virtual event
More at MLK Celebration Jaffrey - Rindge - Home | Facebook. If you have questions, please contact them by email.

Bishop Rob's Reflection on the 20th Anniversary of 9/11

September 11, 2021 marks the 20th anniversary of a day that cannot be forgotten in American history. 

That horrible day has become unlike any other day in our shared history. The neat lines that demarcate days on the calendar dissolve, and the meaning of 9/11 now spill into an era that I believe we are still wrestling to understand fully. It was a day of senseless violence committed against citizens in this nation who were simply going about their business and lives, working, running errands, visiting loved ones, growing families, and enjoying the freedom that comes from believing they were safe.

It was also a day of countless acts of courage, compassion, and self-less giving for the sake of others. Hundreds of women and men, first responders, police officers, paramedics, and fire-fighters, threw themselves into harm’s way to save lives — only to have their own lives snuffed out by collapsing towers, falling debris, and then later the inhalation of air filled with toxins.  

For a brief period afterward, we experienced a kind of solidarity that we have not since known. We had the empathy and support from peoples around the globe. It seemed that they felt that the deadly assaults were as assaults on the hopes of all humanity. But clearly that center of compassionate solidarity did not hold for long.

It’s hard not to notice how, since 9/11, our outward concern for our neighbors seems to have eroded. Our respect for institutions that sought to guide us, as flawed as they are, has collapsed in many places. We are less kind, more toxic, more callous toward people whose views or backgrounds differ from us. I wonder if the root of this unkindness is fear, fear that we are vulnerable to other acts of violence, fear of defenselessness, fear of weakness, fear of how being in an authentic relationship with those unlike us might change us.

At the heart of our Christian faith is the cross, the place where God chose to be weak in order to unmask the futility of the violent. On the Cross, Jesus Christ chose, quite literally, to open his sacred heart to the evil of this world so that when he rose from the dead, he would make weak all the powers and principalities of this world, those of empire, and even of religious self-righteousness who seek to condemn the children of God. God chose to be tread upon, freely deciding to set aside any privilege, power, worldly claim to use force so that human kind itself, in Jesus Christ, could instead rise out of the tomb. Once risen, Jesus then breathes peace, not revenge, on those who denied and abandoned him at his most needed hour.

For Christians it’s the Cross of Jesus that is an anchor of hope for turbulent times. The 13th century Franciscan theologian Bonaventure, writing in a time racked by political unrest and religious violence, said that the Cross is the medicine of the world. By that he meant to invite us to look not to the counterfeit and corrosive power of human violence, revenge, and hatred for our purpose and identity in this life, but to the life-giving presence of God, gloriously shown by Christ’s self-offering on the cross, for our strength, hope and inspiration in our dealings with one another — even as we seek justice for the victims of cruelty and brutality.

On this 20th anniversary of that horrible day, a day that has tragically become an era, I believe it is in the humility of Jesus that we will ever have hope of freeing this world from the fears that result in cruelty. With God’s help and God’s graces may we seek to bring healing to this beautiful and hurting world.

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

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.