As both a New Hampshire State Representative and a long-time member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church — where I have also had the honor of serving on the Vestry — I have been saddened by the recent pushback from some within our congregation regarding St. Paul’s participation in the Sanctuary movement. That criticism is not only misplaced, it contradicts both our Christian teachings and our shared American story.
Sanctuary is one of the oldest expressions of faith-based compassion. Long before modern immigration laws existed, churches provided refuge to the persecuted, the hunted and the displaced. Scripture calls us again and again to welcome the stranger, love our neighbor and stand with the vulnerable. This is not a marginal suggestion or an optional act of charity — it is a commandment, a central tenet, of the Gospel. When we open our doors to immigrants seeking safety and dignity, we are not engaging in lawlessness, we are living out the ministry Christ entrusted to us.
Opponents of sanctuary efforts often reduce this work to slogans about “harboring criminals.” But the overwhelming majority of those seeking protection are families fleeing violence, political oppression or economic catastrophe — people whose only “crime” is the hope for a life free of fear. To equate desperation with criminality is to deny their humanity and ignore the very conditions that drive migration.
Here in New Hampshire, sanctuary communities do not obstruct law enforcement. They monitor ICE activity to ensure transparency, accountability and due process — principles conservatives once championed. They support detainees who have committed no crime other than lacking a document. And they offer moral accompaniment, filling the gaps where our policies fall short of our values.
As a legislator, I have seen how rhetoric can distort reality. As a parishioner at St. Paul’s, I have witnessed the quiet courage of people determined to live their faith with integrity. And as an American, I understand that nearly all of us — whether our ancestors arrived on the Mayflower, through Ellis Island or in more recent decades — trace our roots to immigrants seeking safety and opportunity.
We should be proud that St. Paul’s is reclaiming the sacred meaning of sanctuary. Our church is not choosing politics over faith. It is choosing compassion over fear, justice over indifference and humanity over convenience.
That is not radical. That is Christian. And it is the very best of New Hampshire.
David Preece is a state representative and the executive director of the Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission. He lives in Manchester.