St. Barnabas Berlin, NH, recently received a grant from the Our Kids Commission of the Episcopal Church of New Hampshire in the amount of $3,500 in support of the Berlin Recreation Hockey Development Program.
In 2016, Bishop Rob Hirschfeld convened Our Kids Commission to lead the church in learning about, and addressing, the opportunity gap facing low-income and vulnerable children in New Hampshire. The Commission was charged “…to find and serve the Child Jesus in our communities by helping congregations move away from asking ‘how can we get more young people from our community in the doors of our church?’ to ‘how can we go out the doors of our church to serve the needs of young people in our communities?’”
When an article appeared in Berlin’s newspaper announcing the hockey program, it reported that the cost would be $200 per child, excluding equipment. This cost also meant that it excluded many children.
St. Barnabas recognized this program as an opportunity to join with many others in Berlin who care about their youth, including Terry Letarte, Director of the Berlin Recreation Department, Mike Chabot of Gorham Hardware and Sports Center, Tammy Fauteux, Principal of Hillside Elementary School, and many volunteer hockey coaches and parents who have been going out of their way to make sure that every child who wishes has the opportunity to get on the ice and be part of a team.
Funds from the Our Kids Commission grant have been used to purchase the equipment necessary to outfit the children — typically totaling upwards of $250 per child for used equipment. The hockey gear will stay in the program and be used again for many years. The remaining funds will go to the Berlin Recreation Department to offset the $200 per child registration fee for kids in need.
“This has been a great learning experience for our church community,” said the Rector of St. Barnabas, the Rev. Betsy Hess. “We need to act on our faith, for our own sake as well as those we serve. When we connect with others, we connect more closely with God. When a church, a city, a local business, and a school work together to support our youth, great things can happen.”