New Hampshire Faith Leaders Launch NHIPL

For Immediate Release
March 12, 2020
Contact: Rob Werner, rob_werner@lcv.org

Concord, NH – New Hampshire faith leaders gathered in Concord on Thursday, March 12^th to launch the New Hampshire affiliate of Interfaith Power and Light. 

Interfaith Power and Lightconducts education and advocacy campaigns to engage faith communities in areligious response to the existential crisis of global climate change.  The New Hampshire affiliate joins 39 otherstate affiliates representing 20,000 congregations across the nation that workto support energy stewardship and a moral voice to climate action policies.

Faith leaders calledattention to the urgent need for the moral imperatives of caring for our commonhome and for voters to ensure that elected officials support climate changeaction policies and environmental protection.

Susan Fuller, the founderof NH Interfaith Power and Light, called attention to the upcoming 2020 FaithClimate Action Week during the 50^th anniversary of Earth Day, “NewHampshire Interfaith Power and Light will collaborate with congregations acrossour state from April 17^th to 26^th state to deliversermons focused on climate change impacts and care for creation.”

Rev. Jason Wells,Executive Director of the NH Council of Churches, stated that, “InterfaithPower and Light helps us practice what we preach.  Across New Hampshire’s diverse faithspectrum, people have a spiritual and religious commitment to care for God’screation.”

Fr. Richard Roberge,Pastor of Christ the King Parish in Concord, pointed to the lessons found inPope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si, Care for our Common Home.  “Think globally, act locally – we can nolonger live for just ourselves, we all have a responsibility to care forcreation and our common home of Earth.”

Rev. CarlosJauhola-Striaght, pastor at South Church and Concord representing the UnitedChurch of Christ, urged “NH voters to go to the polls with climate changeaction and care for the environment top of mind and to practice a love ofcreation.”

New Hampshire InterfaithPower and Light will organize the Climate Faith, Hope, and Justice conferencein Concord on May 31^st, highlighting climate change impacts andsolutions, including practical tools that congregations can use to increaseenergy efficiency programs and deploy renewable energy systems.