Capitol Hill Christian Church Staff

Congregational Staff
Rev. Craig Robertson, Pastor

Rev. Craig Robertson
Pastor

Stephanie Collins
Secretary

Jessica Hove
Child Care

Deb Carpenter
Custodian

Something to think about . . .

According to a study done by Harvard University, it is learned that the Covid Pandemic is over, but another epidemic was started before the pandemic. It continued and worsened during the pandemic and has continued to stay bad after the Covid-19 pandemic is over.

According to Harvard: Loneliness in America: How the pandemic has deepened an epidemic of loneliness and what we can do about it.

Here are some of their findings:

1. In our recent national survey of American adults, 36% of respondents reported serious loneliness, feeling lonely “frequently” or “almost all the time or all the time” in the four weeks prior to the survey. This included 61% of young people aged 18-25 and 51% of mothers with young children.

2. 43% of young adults reported increases in loneliness since the outbreak of the pandemic. About half of lonely young adults in our survey reported that no one in the past few weeks had “taken more than just a few minutes” to ask how they are doing in a way that made them feel like the person “genuinely cared.”

3. Young adults suffer high rates of both loneliness and anxiety and depression. According to a recent CDC survey, 63% of this age group are suffering significant symptoms of anxiety or depression.

Harvard gives three recommendations to help deal with this loneliness. What is interesting is that none of these recommendations talk about being connected to God, Jesus, Holy Spirit or church. They recommend public education campaigns, build not just our physical but our social infrastructure at every level of government, and in our communities and work to restore our commitments to each other and the common good to renew a founding promise of this country. These are secular recommendations.

I have some recommendations for us as Christians and us as a church. I believe the pandemic made us forget why we are ministers, Christians, churches, and faith communities. The pandemic forced us to disconnect from each other despite the growth of social media. Phone calls, FaceTime, or Zoom helped, but when we hang up, we are still left with ourselves, alone.

I believe it is our business moving forward post pandemic as ministers, Christians, churches, and faith communities to start up again what Jesus came to do with his ministry. He sacrificed himself for our sins and was resurrected to give God’s gift of eternal life.

He came into this world to give us a permanent relationship with God and to care for each other. In other words, go back to reconnecting/loving God with all of who we are and love our neighbors as we love ourselves. We are called to restart the eyes of our faith and see there are people around us who are not connected to God and to each other.

We gathered to celebrate our country’s birthday on July fourth. May we realize there are some lonely people out there looking for a relationship with God and with you. May we respond with the love Jesus taught us.

Let’s continue our vision and mission sharing God’s love, hope, and joy with the world

Something to think about and do . . .

Love you all,

Rev. Craig

Phineas Pope
Pianist

Sheryl Miller

Disciples of Christ History

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) began in the early 1800s in the United States. Seeking to move beyond denominational disagreements, the founders envisioned a united church modeled on the New Testament.
Disciple congregations today share these characteristics:
  * Each congregation is self-governing and calls its own pastor.
  * Worship services may be formal or informal, and include lay women and men in leadership.
  * Open discussion of issues is encouraged. Diversity of opinion is common.
  * We are growing in racial and ethnic diversity.

Disciples affirm that Jesus Christ is the son of the Living God, and offers saving grace to all. Disciples also believe that all persons are children of God.

Disciples practices and beliefs include:
Open Communion - The Lord's Supper, or Communion, is celebrated in weekly worship. It is open to all who believe in Jesus Christ.

Freedom of Belief - Disciples are called together around one essential of faith: belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Persons are free to follow their consciences guided by the Bible, the Holy Spirit, study and prayer, and are expected to extend that freedom to others.

Baptism by Immersion - In baptism the old self-centered life is set aside, and a new life of trust in God begins. Although Disciples practice baptism by immersion, other baptism traditions are honored.

Belief in the Oneness of the Church - All Christians are called to be one in Christ and to seek opportunities for common witness and service.

The Ministry of Believers - Both ministers and lay persons lead in worship, service, and spiritual growth.

The symbol of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a red chalice, emblazoned with a white
St. Andrew's cross. The chalice symbolizes the central place of communion in worship. The X-shaped cross of the disciple Andrew is a reminder of the ministry of each person and the importance of evangelism.

Spreading GOD’s
Love…
Hope…
Joy…
with YOU!

Capitol Hill Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) * 3322 E. 25th Street * Des Moines, IA 50317