Stone Soup is a popular European folktale. A stranger shows up in a small village. The stranger is hungry. So are the villagers, but there seems to be nothing to eat. The stranger starts the hospitality by setting out a giant pot and politely asking for a large stone. He claims to have a delicious soup recipe. As the villagers watch, he builds a fire, fills the pot with water, and drops in the stone. He stirs it with delight and anticipation. After tasting it, the stranger announces that it’s good but would be much better if only there were a little carrot to add. Eventually, a villager produces a hidden stash of a few carrots. The stranger savors a taste and announces that it would be even more delicious with a little onion or some meat. A villager returns with the ingredients.
Over and over again, the traveler declares the soup good and wagers that it could be even better if …. Over and over again, the villagers bring out what seem like meager offerings on their own. Together, however, they create an enormous, nourishing soup that feeds them all. Starting with just a stone. The recipe for delicious soup isn’t a list of ingredients. It’s an invitation to imagine and help.
At Capitol Hill UMC, we have a fierce conviction that everyone has gifts to share. We also have a fierce conviction that what we do with our time and our money is a clear reflection of what we value, and has a profound impact on who we become. The story of God’s work at CHUMC, and every aspect of our mission, is supported by every one of us through our gifts of time, talent, money, prayer, witness, and creativity. And it is your generosity, beloved people of CHUMC, who underpin everything we do.
Our Mission is to be the heart of God in the neighborhood.
We are an Anti-racist and Reconciling UMC.