Rabbi Jon Spira-Savett, Temple Beth Abraham, Nashua

CONCORD — Upwards of 50 clergymen and women from across the state are planning to gather on the steps of the State House on Jan. 18 as part of a Granite State Organizing Project inter-faith initiative, which organizers say is aimed at addressing what they refer to as New Hampshire’s “moral crisis.”

Two Nashua-based faith leaders will play prominent roles in the event, which begins at 11 a.m. on the front steps of the State House.

The Rev. Allison Palm of Nashua’s Unitarian Universalist Church will officiate at the gathering, and Rabbi Jon Spira-Savett, longtime leader of Temple Beth Abraham in Nashua, is among the scheduled speakers.

The gathering was originally scheduled for today, but was moved to Jan. 18 due to the extreme cold weather forecast for the next couple of days. Organizers added that the “uncertainty about COVID-19,” and how much space would be available if the gathering was moved indoors, also contributed to the decision to postpone.

Named “GSOP Clergy Caucus: A Moral Voice for New Hampshire,” the program’s speakers, in addition to the Rev. Palm and Rabbi Spira-Savett, include the Rev. Sara M. Holland, pastor at Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ; the Rev. Jon Hopkins, of Concordia Lutheran Church in Concord; and the Rev. Heidi Carrington-Heath, from the New Hampshire Council of Churches.

The Rev. Allison Palm, pastor of Nashua Unitarian Universalist Church

The large group of faith leaders “are coming together to address the moral crisis in our state, especially with regard to housing and racial justice,” organizers said in a statement. Represented will be “leaders from (New Hampshire’s) far north, west, and south.”

The Clergy Caucus, organizers said, represents faith leaders from across the state “who are committed to social justice” through their work with the GSOP, the state’s largest faith-based grass-roots community organization.

The GSOP is comprised of many faith communities, labor unions, community groups and individuals “who care deeply that justice and equity are available to all.

Its members seek to strengthen various communities of Granite Staters by “empowering them to find their voice and effect change.

“The work is rooted in accepting, respecting, and valuing each other,” organizers said.

As part of the Jan. 18 event, clergy present plan to lobby legislative leaders, and are expecting to do so “in February and beyond.”

Their primary focus in the first part of 2022 is bringing attention to the “continuing housing inequity in the state,” organizers added.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.