For the greeting today, I extracted some information from the United Church of Christ website, www.ucc.org, about the celebration of Health and Human Services Sunday. Read and enjoy!
Today, we observe Health and Human Service Sunday in the United Church of Christ. Alongside many other congregations, we celebrate the UCC’s long, faithful heritage of advocating justice and extending care and compassion in Christ’s name, here in our congregation, across this nation, and around the world.
For hundreds of years, the UCC and its predecessor denominations courageously founded schools, hospitals and orphanages at times when such services were scarce and needs were great.
Today, more than 400 health care centers, affordable housing and retirement communities, homeless shelters, and service centers for children, youth, families and older adults, bear witness to the United Church of Christ’s continuing testament of mercy and kindness.
Today, we give thanks for these diverse ministries, and lift them in our collective prayers, as we celebrate the UCC’s Council for Health and Human Service Ministries and its many member institutions. Let us remember that they are not an “extension” of the church. They are the church in action! And their bold witness is ours!
The litany was composed by the Rev. William R. Johnson, former CHHSM Vice President for Member Relations, in 2008.
Copyright 2017 Council for Health and Human Service Ministries, United Church of Christ, 700 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115-1100. Permission granted to reproduce or adapt this material for use in services of worship or church education. All publishing rights reserved.