From the President
“The Parting Glass” is a traditional folk song that was, and still is, popular in Ireland and Scotland. When a gathering of friends would come to an end, the song would be sung. The “Parting Glass” was the final hospitality that would be given to a departing guest, something to fortify them for the journey.…
In this issue of Diakonie, the CHHSM Board and Staff are pleased to present “Ministry in Action,” the 2017 Annual Report of the Council for Health and Human Service Ministries, United Church of Christ. I hope that you will read it with care so that you can enjoy the stories of the hands and feet…
Every June and November, I attend a full week of back to back Board meetings for CHHSM and then the National Benevolent Association (Christian Church, Disciples of Christ). Two weeks ago, I was with the CHHSM Board and Staff in Cleveland from Monday through Wednesday. On Thursday, I went to St. Louis to meet with…
There is a season, turn, turn, turn. — Pete Seeger It looks like summer is finally here in the Midwest. May days will soon lead to June, July and August. As I am writing this, we have an upper 80-degree day with sunny skies! For some odd reason, Peter Seeger’s lyrics from The Byrds’ 1965…
We are an Easter people. And Alleluia is our cry. — St. Augustine Life is so beautiful. The glories of every sunrise, every sunset, every full moon, every starlit sky. The joy of all those children, neighbors, the Earth, our pets, our friends, the sense of accomplishment or congratulations for a job well done, that…
The CHHSM Annual Gathering has come and gone. But, for those of us who attended last week in St. Louis, the voices we heard will stick with us for quite a while. So many voices, from so many places, across so many miles, in more than one language. All coming together. As. One. Voice. Before…
It has been a couple of years since the United Church of Christ migrated away from the branding and marketing language that included Extravagant Welcome. But, as we finalize our preparations for the CHHSM Annual Gathering in St. Louis from March 1-3, 2018, it is clear that this language still applies whenever we gather as…
Micah 6:8 tells us that we are required “to do justice, love kindness and to walk humble.” I have had the pleasure of having positions in my career that I considered to be a ministry: a ministry of touching people’s lives. My own life experiences, along with my work in the nonprofit sector, keep me…
Welcome to 2018 Friends! As we enter the new year, I thought it would be nice to share the current state of affairs in the CHHSM world. This may be the first time you have heard some of this and some of this may be familiar, but it is worth telling you what has occurred…
By Sandy Sorensen, Director, Washington Office, United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries; CHHSM Board Member Healing and public policy advocacy go hand-in-hand. That may seem to be a surprising combination to many people, but after years of working as a faith-based public policy advocate for the UCC, I have found it to be…
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