5/16/2016
From the Rt. Rev. A. Robert Hirschfeld, Bishop, Episcopal Church of New Hampshire:
Great News! We are launching Assisi House, in Concord, NH, a program modeled on Episcopal Service Corps (the first in Northern New England). Grace Episcopal, East Concord, is our partner in this project. Applications are being accepted NOW.Since its founding at the first Pentecost, the Church has found creative ways to flourish in challenging, and even hostile, times. Every successful movement toward spiritual renewal and flourishing has involved establishing new communities of prayer and service.
Our New Hampshire program offers a yearlong internship to young adults, ages 21-29, with housing in a communal setting. The internship will be at a NH nonprofit (some examples of placement sites could include working on refugee resettlement, addiction and drug policy and advocacy, early childhood education, senior home visits).
The interns will receive a small, monthly stipend, in addition to having their living expenses covered, in exchange for 32 hours a week of service. The remaining weekday hours will be for group work such as training and spiritual reflection. Interns do not need to be Episcopalians, however.
The Episcopal Service Corps model, and Assisi House here in New Hampshire, is the latest in a line of communal expression, dating back at least as far as Saints Benedict and Scholastica, that we pray will lead not only to the soul-strengthening of young people, but also to the Church and society.
If you know of young people, including graduating students or gap year seekers, who would benefit from this program or desire this kind of service-learning opportunity, please refer them to our website and application: http://www.escnh.org.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Laura Simoes, Assisi House Program Director, at 603-224-1914. You can learn more about our model, the national Episcopal Service Corps organization, at their website: http://episcopalservicecorps.org.
Yours in Christ,
+Rob
The Rt. Rev. A. Robert Hirschfeld, Bishop, Episcopal Church of NH