From the President

As I travel and talk with CHHSM leaders across the country, I am regularly reminded that, despite our diversity, we all believe that the values and spiritual strength of our faith are the central motivation and sustaining power of our ministries. And yet, I also hear about the challenges we all face in integrating work and our faith in sustainable ways that help organizations thrive.

Each year, the CHHSM Awards program seeks to recognize people, programs and practices in our ministries that make healing and service ministry come alive through faith. The 2007 Awards will be given at the Annual Meeting, March 1-4 in Louisville; the nomination materials are now available on the web site and will be mailed in early October.

It's nice to win awards, and good for the morale and public relations efforts of our ministries. However, we believe that CHHSM awards are more than simply token recognitions of hard and faithful work. By thoughtfully and prayerfully considering each year's nominations, the Awards Committee is working to provide us all with examples and ideas about how we can best continue to weave together our faith and our everyday work in ways that allow our ministries, and our own souls, to grow.

Please give serious consideration to nominating those from your ministry who provide us all with examples of outstanding, inspiring commitment to the healing and service ministry of the church. The Awards program has several new guidelines this year, including a provision that a minimum of three nominations from different CHHSM member ministries must be received in an award category for the nominees in that category to be considered. Otherwise, the award will not be presented in 2007. Other new features of the program include a plan to present the awards at various times throughout the 2007 Annual Meeting and a reiteration of the long-standing policy that Awards Committee members agree not to vote on nominees from the ministry at which the Committee member is employed.

The CHHSM Member Services Committee is engaged in further evaluation of the Awards program in order to increase its value and encourage broader participation from the membership. If you have ideas or suggestions for the Awards program in future years, please talk with Bill Johnson, Vice President for Member Services; if you have questions about the 2007 Awards and the nominations due on December 1, 2006, please call Lorraine Cogan at 216-736-2150 or email her at coganl@chhsm.org.

Bryan W. Sickbert
President/CEO

Earlier Columns

• August 2006
• June 2006 - 2007 Annual Meeting Keynote Speaker Announcement
• May 2006
• April 2006
• February 2006
• January 2006
• December 2005 - Silver Jubilee of Kirchengemeinschaft