Energy. Passion. Storytelling. If you missed CHHSM’s annual meeting in Kansas City last month, that’s what you missed. For three days, the leadership of CHHSM organizations, both staff and board, met for education, fellowship and inspiration. Out of it came renewed commitment to the missions we serve as outreach ministries of the United Church of Christ.
Our meeting was formatted in alignment with our new strategic plan, which is all about following the energies of the members. And doesn’t that make great sense? There is no need to create grand plans and sound the rallying cry for support of them- not when members across the wide spectrum of human services represented within CHHSM are already engaged in life-changing work. CHHSM’s role becomes more about focusing that energy and excitement, about creating community where the sum of what we do together becomes greater than the total of all the parts.
Our time in Kansas City was about life itself, the lives we lead personally and the lives of our institutions. One of our keynote speakers, the Rev. Dr. Gary Gunderson, encouraged us to remember that we are called to lay down our lives in such a way that allows God’s imagination to flow. Perhaps laying down our lives does not mean we must die in the service of others, but that we must actually live a life of energy, passion, and commitment.
There are many ways that energy is flowing in CHHSM’s members and at CHHSM itself, and we hope you are a part it. Check out the website www.chhsm.org to see if anything sparks (pun intended) your interest. Better yet, start a dialogue about what drives your sense of call and vocation, what gets your blood stirring. Chances are, there are many others with like motivations and concerns. Let’s all get together and see what grows!
In the meantime, check out the annual meeting video on the website. You’ll feel the pulse of the meeting and understand the power of following the energy.
Peggy Mullan
President and CEO, Beatitudes Campus
