The Jaffrey Civic Center’s ‘Stories to Share’ series continues Friday, Dec. 2, at 5 p.m. Jaffrey resident and retired Bishop Mark Beckwith will be the speaker.
A graduate of Amherst College and Yale Divinity School, Beckwith was ordained in the Episcopal Church in 1979 and served in parishes in Connecticut, New Jersey and Massachusetts. He was appointed Bishop of Newark, New Jersey, and served in that capacity for 12 years until his retirement in 2018. During that time, he helped reorganize the Coalition of Religious Leaders of New Jersey and served as president. In the wake of gang violence in Newark, he helped found the Newark Interfaith Coalition for Hope and Peace.
Currently, Beckwith serves as the bishop liaison for Bishops United Against Gun Violence, a network of 100 bishops he co-founded after the Newtown, Conn., killings in 2012. He is also the co-founder of Faith Leaders for Ending Gun Violence, a national ecumenical group of religious leaders, and he has served on the leadership team for Braver Angels, a national movement that seeks to depolarize America.
Beckwith will discuss his recently published book “Seeing the Unseen: Beyond Prejudices, Paradigms and Party Lines.” He will also share his own story of how he developed his current world outlook and will offer his thoughts on how Americans may be able to find common ground.
“Stories to Share” organizer Joseph Steinfield will serve as moderator for the talk. The program is free, but to help support this event and others like it, donations are accepted. The program will be available as an in-person event at the Jaffrey Civic Center as well as via YouTube live. To register for in-person attendance, go to bit.ly/3fZFYH7. To participate virtually the evening of the event, go to youtube.com/channel/UCvvRObxjqvVsgZ8iOP1UOEw/live.
In the event of inclement or potentially inclement weather, decisions will be made 24 hours in advance of the event and posted on the website and on social media.