braver angels
Braver Angels is a national volunteer organization founded in 2016 with the objective of bridging partisan divide. Braver Angels workshops, discussions and debates are hosted on-line and in-person in venues across the country. Braver Angels is equally balanced between conservatives and progressives at every level of leadership.
Rt. Rev. Mark Beckwith, chair of Braver Angels’ Faith Network, NH Bishop Rob Hirschfeld, and St. Andrew’s Rector Jay MacLeod agreed on the strong connection between Braver Angels’ objective and our baptismal vow to “strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.”
Six parishioners volunteered to work with Rev. Jay McLeod to set and manage our Braver Angels program agenda. Our launch event on Palm Sunday, 2022 reviewed the challenges of polarization and the work needed to bridge the divide in our personal lives, local communities and the wider world. Eight in-person workshops were held in 2022 and 2023, including Skills For Bridging the Divide, Depolarizing Within, Families and Politics, Being Blue in a Red Environment, and Being Red in a Blue Environment.
St. Andrew’s Braver Angels team also collaborates with:
Team Members: Jeannie Sperry and Paul Catsos, Moderators; Woody Canaday, Organizer;
David Balford, Jennifer Giles, Peter Ruth.
For more information contact Woody Canaday at wcanaday@braverangels.org
Rt. Rev. Mark Beckwith, chair of Braver Angels’ Faith Network, NH Bishop Rob Hirschfeld, and St. Andrew’s Rector Jay MacLeod agreed on the strong connection between Braver Angels’ objective and our baptismal vow to “strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.”
Six parishioners volunteered to work with Rev. Jay McLeod to set and manage our Braver Angels program agenda. Our launch event on Palm Sunday, 2022 reviewed the challenges of polarization and the work needed to bridge the divide in our personal lives, local communities and the wider world. Eight in-person workshops were held in 2022 and 2023, including Skills For Bridging the Divide, Depolarizing Within, Families and Politics, Being Blue in a Red Environment, and Being Red in a Blue Environment.
St. Andrew’s Braver Angels team also collaborates with:
- Braver Politics. Former NH state representatives have conducted workshops at the NH Statehouse, together with a founder of Braver Angels. A current representative who attended asked our moderators to lead a workshop on depolarization techniques for citizens in his town.
- The NH Braver Angels Alliance, which hosts respectful online discussions of controversial topics open to all NH residents. Paul Catsos is co-chair.
- A network of Episcopal churches offering Braver Angels events, called together by Mark Beckwith to share ideas and best practices.
- The national Braver Angels organization. Jeannie Sperry presented at the 2023 convention in Gettysburg, PA, where St. Andrew’s was well-known for our promotion of in-person workshops.
Team Members: Jeannie Sperry and Paul Catsos, Moderators; Woody Canaday, Organizer;
David Balford, Jennifer Giles, Peter Ruth.
For more information contact Woody Canaday at wcanaday@braverangels.org