CHHSM Annual Meeting Will Look to the Future

CHHSM members will visualize and prepare for the future at the 76th Annual Meeting at Cottonwoods Resort & Suites in Scottsdale, Ariz., Feb. 27 to March 1.

The meeting theme is “Behold! I am Doing a New Thing: Embracing the Future.” It’s based on Isaiah 43: 18-19: “Behold I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” In exploring the theme, CHHSM members will join the United Church of Christ and covenantal partners, along with past, present and future CHHSM leaders, to imagine where God is leading the healing and service ministry of the church.

The annual meeting will address several pressing topics facing today’s leaders, including workplace diversity and the future of financial development.

The Rev. Kristina Lizardy-Hajbi, director of the UCC’s Center for Analytics, Research and Data, will give a keynote presentation on intergenerational diversity on Feb. 28.

“CHHSM and its member organizations are living out God’s message of service and healing in a generational time that is unique to our modern history,” Lizardy-Hajbi says.

Four generations currently exist in the workplace simultaneously, she says, and more than one-third of adults ages 18-31 are living at home with their parents. Also, many baby boomers and even those in the silent generation, or individuals born from 1925 to 1942, are working well past retirement age.

“CHHSM recognizes that these dynamics of our present era require creative, adaptive leadership and a different set of skills, ideas and attitudes to nurture and sustain our organizations, those who labor within them and those generations who are served by them,” she says.

Lizardy-Hajbi will offer strategies for embracing differences in the workplace, encourage participants to reflect on intergenerational dynamics at play in their organizations and explore ways to build on those dynamics.

Her address will be followed by a moderated panel and an interactive workshop on the topic.

“As CHHSM seeks to carry forward the rich history and legacy of the UCC’s diakonal movement, a deeper understanding of who we are generationally will prepare us for this future that is present in the here and now,” Lizardy-Hajbi says.

On March 1, Nancy Beard, president of United Church Homes and Services Foundation, will give a keynote address on the future of financial development, followed by a moderated panel and workshop.

The deadline for registering for the CHHSM Annual Meeting is 5 p.m. Feb. 19. Hotel reservations must be made at Cottonwoods Resort & Suites by Jan. 27.