UPDATED: Huffington Post carries “And Here’s To You Bishop Robinson”
As the Rt Rev. Gene Robinson retires the Diocese of New Hampshire will honor him with a gift to the Chaplaincy at the New Hampshire Prison for Women where he often ministered.
“It is usual to give a retiring clergy person or Bishop a sum of combined contributions when they retire as a gift to honor their hard work and to enjoy in their next phase of life.
People whose lives have been touched or who have admired the contributions of the ministry of the Bishop or who simply want to thank him for his services to the Diocese and the larger church can make contributions to this “purse” (an old-fashioned term used from the days when a draw-string-bag of coins was given to the retiree to help pay for resettlement after retirement.)
In the case of the retirement of Bishop Robinson, his preference is to have gifts to his “retirement purse” be given to the Diocese of New Hampshire to set up an endowment fund for the funding of continued work in the chaplaincy program at The New Hampshire Prison for Women in which Bishop Robinson did ministry while Bishop of New Hampshire.
The future of this prison ministry is always tenuous, with fewer and fewer denominations contributing to it. This endowment fund would enable the prison chaplaincy to proceed in the future on a more secure footing. As Bishop Robinson says:
“Nothing would please and honor me more than making this ministry possible through an endowment which would secure its future in New Hampshire.”
If you wish to join this effort in thanksgiving for +Gene’s life and work you can contribute at the Diocesan Paypal account.