Our Faiths Demand We Show Up

The invocation at the Governor’s inauguration on January 5th indicated that those who are ministers of the Gospel should not protest, hold our elected leaders publicly accountable, or bear public witness in the halls of government.

We do not agree.

Our sacred text is clear about this. The People of God are a people of protest. Collectively, we represent NH Council of Churches, Granite State Organizing Project, Granite State Interfaith Action Fund, American Friends Service Committee NH, NH Voices of Faith, and NH Faith and Labor. We work with coalitions of thousands of people of faith including Christians, Jews, and people of many other faiths across NH.

Protest and public witness are a response to the reality that all is not well in our world. In New Hampshire we are in the midst of an affordable housing and homelessness crisis. Our public schools are under attack, and we are ranked last in the US for public school funding. New Hampshire continues to embrace an abject poverty minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. A moral economy that prioritizes the poor, and the vulnerable is overdue.

Clergy across the state of NH have been trying since last spring to meet with Governor Sununu to discuss our concerns face-to-face, but those requests have so far gone unanswered. Governor, we are here when you are ready to meet with us. Clergy and faith leaders across the state will continue to be present in Concord, and elsewhere. This is what our faiths require of us. 

In solidarity,

The Rev. Heidi Carrington Heath, Executive Director, NH Council of Churches The Rev. Allison Palm, President, NH Council of Churches The Rev. Jason Wells, VP Granite State Organizing Project, and Rector, Saint Matthew’s Episcopal in Goffstown The Rev. Dr. Gail Kinney, NH Faith and Labor, and NH Voices of Faith Maggie Fogarty, NH Program Director, American Friends Service Committee Granite State Interfaith Organizing Project