Healing a Broken World
During the 2022–23 program year, LCH continues on our journey of “year-round” stewardship under the theme “Healing a Broken World.” We’ve experienced loss and a sense of brokenness from all that has transpired over time. We find ourselves looking for a new way forward. The world may be a mess, but we do not despair. In faith we know that God has not—and will not—fail us. This strengthens us to move forward in the belief that God is with us and wants us to live abundantly, as we lend our hands to God’s work of healing this broken world.
- December: Introducing our Theme—Writing for the Stewardship Team, Phyllis Hörmann introduced our theme and explained why we chose “the image of a tea bowl that has been broken and repaired by a process the Japanese call kintsugi (gold joinery), where broken pottery is repaired by filling missing areas with lacquer mixed with gold, thus restoring it to a thing of greater beauty. This approach values the entire life of the object—including damage and repairs—and encourages people to treasure objects that have been broken. Similarly, each of us is precious to God, who heals, restores, and strengthens us when we are broken, and continues to use us to spread the love God has given us.” Read the entire article….
- January: Spiritual Health and Wellbeing—Phyllis Hörmann observed that “the attitude I bring to [mundane] tasks often impacts others” and went on to “invite everyone to think about this as we discern the ways the Spirit is acting through us in our daily lives.” Read the entire article….
- February: Renewing Community I—Pam Buckley wrote that “Many of us are still struggling with the isolation and darkness the pandemic thrust upon us.” She suggested that “We [renew community] by creating a welcoming environment filled with warmth, connection, gratitude, and wellbeing” and invited us to “take a moment to reach out to [people who have stopped coming to church in person] with a phone call or text or send a note.” Read the entire article….
- March: Renewing Community II— Phyllis Hörmann wrote about ways that 2022 was “a year of renewal, reconnection, and healing” for her and invited folks to reach out to members of the LCH community we have not seen recently. Read the entire article….
- April: Healing Creation I—Cindy Scheinert wrote of her hope that “the lessons, sermons, Earth Day celebration, and other activities [their group are planning during April and May] will make us more mindful of our connection to creation, more grateful for the bounty it provides, and more active in responsibly caring for it. After all, the Earth and all it holds—the water we drink, the air we breathe, the plants we eat, etc.—are a gift from God, and all living things owe their lives to that gift.” One activity is “to raise $800 to buy 20+ indigenous trees that will be planted on our island.” Read the entire article….
- May: Healing Creation II—Cindy Scheinert continued with theme of Healing Creation and shared “actions we can take to help heal creation.” Read the entire article….
- June: Working through Trauma I—Pr. Bree introduced the next “focus on trauma, both in ourselves and the world around us,” saying that “we carry these wounds and this pain in ways we may not even recognize, and yet, they affect our daily lives.” During June and July, the Stewardship Team will offer several strategies to “support you in your own journey of healing or…help us to support one another.” Read the entire article….
- July: Working through Trauma II—Willow Chang wrote about the ways that taking time for the arts can help us deal with the trauma in our lives, concluding that “If you make artistic expression a daily priority, in no time it can take root and blossom into natural creativity and bring you unending joy and inner healing!” Read the entire article….
- August: Growing into Financial Health I—Barbara Poole-Street observed that recent development—including covid—“have made the task of managing our finances more complicated for us all” and introduced a series of classes that will be offered in August and September to help members of the congregation grow into financial health. Read the entire article….
- September: Growing into Financial Health II—Bill Potter reviewed the three principles of generosity, stewardship, and abundance that underlay the Christian understanding of our relationship to wealth and enable us to grow in financial health. Read the entire article….
- October: Looking Back and Moving Forward in Gratitude—Cindy Scheinert looked back all the four different focuses of the past years and observed that “As this year nears a close, it is right to pause and give thanks for all that God has accomplished through us. But our work of healing is far from done…. As you think about your commitment to the church for the year ahead, we ask you to prayerfully reflect on the ways that God is using you to bring wholeness, to yourself and to others.” Read the entire article…. Commitment Materials
- November: Looking Back and Moving Forward in Gratitude II—As we finish our year with the theme “Healing a Broken World,” the Stewardship Team invited us to “to think about ways you might express your gratitude for God’s blessing throughout the past year” and make our commitments for 2024. Read the entire article….