Candice's Comments

2012 is off to a great start at Capitol Hill Christian Church. Leadership has been installed, the church board has met, and committees are forming to do vital and faithful ministry.

Our ministry focus in 2012 emphasizes the spirit of giving. Committees and fellowship groups of the church are urged to do their work and planning this year with the spirit of giving in mind. We will focus on what God has done for us in Christ Jesus and how we can respond to God’s great gift of Jesus by sharing with others. We have been gifted with so much and thus we have so much to share.

So many things are already being done. We have a faithful ministry of third Sunday Food Pantry collections. We have a dedicated group of sewers and quilters who meet each Tuesday to make quilts and lap throws to comfort others. We have dedicated elders, diaconate members, committee chairs, and staff, who faithfully carry out their work. We have servant leaders who learn of a need, like a lawn mown or a ramp built, and respond. We have servant leaders who provide food for funeral dinners, transport others to the doctor, host the hospitality table on Sundays, and visit those in nursing homes and hospitals. We will continue to bless these giving ministries in 2012 and seek to expand them into greater ministries in the name of Jesus Christ.

And we also want to explore what new thing God is calling each of us as individuals and us as a congregation to do in this new church year. How can we expand our ministry in the community and reach out to the neighborhood? Who would welcome an invitation to worship and serve at Capitol Hill? How can our ministry of prayer and care be extended? What new doors and windows will God open in 2012 as we seek to become a more giving church?

In worship, we read Shel Silverstein’s book The Giving Tree. It is the story of a tree and a little boy. It is a parable for all ages about the gift of giving and accepting love. Like the tree in this story, God gives and gives and gives. God’s giving is without limits. God is happy when we use the gifts God gives us. We are gifted to give.

Blessings,

Candice