March 2024

Updates & Announcements

Solar Saints Initiative Meets Major Landmark

After almost three years, the Solar Saints Initiative achieved one of the major goals of its "LED Light Bulb Swap-Out Campaign"—to remove 1,000 energy-inefficient and toxic incandescent and CFL light bulbs from parishes throughout the state and replace them with highly efficient LED light bulbs. The accomplishment was achieved through the consistent and generous support of the diocese’s Earth Care Commission.

On March 8, with an LED bulb swap-out visit to the Church of the Epiphany in Newport, the Solar Saints Initiative met its 1,000-bulb objective! To date, Solar Saints has visited 23 parishes in the state and helped these parishes lower their annual energy usage by 9,200 kilowatt hours (kWhs). The cost of the replacement bulbs to date has been $3,256.83 with a projected annual savings to participant parishes of $1,743.31. This represents a payback period of just 1.87 years ($3,256.83/$1,743.31=1.87).

This reduction in energy usage is equivalent to avoiding the emission of 14,169 pounds of CO2 into the atmosphere, or using 723 gallons of gasoline or 7,199 pounds of coal.

The Solar Saints Initiative is working to visit the few applicant parishes that remain unfinished. If you missed responding to the initial application request and would still like to participate in this program, please contact Doug Smithwood.

Stories From Around the Diocese

Have Your Say 2024

Episcopal youth from New Hampshire and Maine gathered at the Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center March 8-10 for the second-annual "Have Your Say" retreat. The weekend gave teens and tweens an opportunity to be together, talk about God and the Church, experience personal growth, and share thoughts with diocesan leadership. They were joined by Bishop Rob, Episcopal Diocese of Maine Director of Faith Formation Emily Keniston, the Rev. Sara D’Angio White of Saint David's Kennebunk, and Mary Beth Nolt and Amber Burks of St. Alban's Episcopal Church in Cape Elizabeth. See the full photo album on our Facebook page!

Celebrating a Decade of Shared Ministry

Last month, Laconia churches, St. James Episcopal and Good Shepherd Lutheran, celebrated 10 years of sharing a building and working together to glorify God. The occasion was marked by a luncheon and spotlighted in the Laconia Daily Sun.

Upcoming Events

Stations of the Cross in Manchester

March 29

All are invited to join in a Stations of the Cross liturgy, walking along the Merrimack River in the center of Manchester. This year's stations will prayerfully recall Jesus' ordeal, connecting it to issues of ecological degradation, colonialism, poverty, and signs of hope and justice in today's community. A collaboration between St. Andrew's Church, SpiritBound Digital Mission NH, and Deacon Christopher Potter, the walk will be about 2 1/4 miles and begin at St. Andrew's, 102 Main St., Manchester, at noon on Good Friday, March 29. Learn more here.

Save the Date for "The Philadelphia Eleven"

Sunday, April 28, 2 p.m.

The diocese will host a free, in-person screening of the compelling new documentary "The Philadelphia Eleven," which tells the story of the dramatic breakthrough of the so-called stained glass ceiling in 1974 that gave hope to Christian women everywhere. At a church in Philadelphia, a group of 11 women were ordained to the Episcopal priesthood in violation of the constitution and canons of the Episcopal Church—which at the time stated that only men were eligible for ordination. We hope you'll join us on Sunday, April 28 at 2 p.m. at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church , 34 Main St., Hopkinton. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion.

Resources

Good Friday Offering - More Important Than Ever

Since 1922, the Good Friday offering has been an effective way for Episcopalians to express their support for the ministries of the three dioceses of the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East. When Presiding Bishop Michael Curry met with the Rev. Canon Faiz Basheer Jerjes of St. George’s Anglican Episcopal Church in Baghdad—the only Anglican church in Iraq, last spring, Fr. Faiz asked one thing of our church: “Please don’t forget us.”

This year, our support is more vital than ever. "I assured him that we would not forget—and I need your help to honor that pledge, not only to him, but to the whole Anglican Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East, which we have supported through the Good Friday Offering for over a century, through conflict, pandemic, and humanitarian disasters," writes Curry. Read the rest of his letter, learn about places impacted by our donations—such as Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City—and find resources for congregations to promote the importance of the Good Friday offering on the Episcopal Church website.

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