On Saturday, the NH Council of Churches had an exhibition table at the annual Diocesan Convention of the Episcopal Church of New Hampshire. Hundreds were in attendance for worship, music, preaching and the business of ministry. We re-introduced the Council of Churches to lots of people, promoted our event with Shane Claiborne and made lots of networking connections, with the help of board member Knute Ogren.
A few highlights from the day:
God seems to say that unless we are upside down, unless we see our navigation as falling upward, to borrow the term of the spiritual writer Richard Rohr, we aren’t really following the way of Jesus. Unless we see ourselves rejoicing in being upside down, we should reconsider whether we are indeed participating at all in the Jesus movement.
- Retirement announcements for Rev. Hannah Anderson and Judith Esmay, two loved and valued leaders-of-leaders in the Church.
- A bold resolution on racial reconciliation:
[We] encourage all parishes and missions to take up the Presiding Officer’s invitation as described in “Becoming Beloved Community: The Episcopal Church’s Long-Term Commitment to Racial Healing, Reconciliation and Justice” by entering into the Holy Season of Lent with an openness to listen, to wait, to pray, and to open our ears so our eyes can fulfill our baptismal vow of promoting justice, peace and love.
Be it further resolved that we commit to learning about the history of slavery as it took place in New Hampshire and to becoming more familiar with the stories of our Black countrymen and women through a partnership with The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, encouraging the sharing of these stories within and outside our communities of faith.
