Barb Powell
CHHSM is inviting proposals for workshops for the 2027 Annual Gathering, to be held March 16-18, 2027, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, Houston-Greenway Plaza. Moving forward with courage and hope is the emphasis of the gathering, based on its theme, “To the Stars through Difficulties.” The theme recalls not only Houston’s nickname—Space City— but the human…
Sometimes, a pause is the best prescription. The UCC’s Education for Faithful Action Ministries (EFA) team leaders recently took the opportunity to take a breath, reflect, and renew their commitments to their work and each other, thanks to a one-day staff retreat led by CHHSM. Held June 29, 2026, team members gathered with CHHSM’s the…
What began in Spring 2023 with a 10-gallon fishtank with removable screen top and lots of willpower in Fairhaven Senior Services’ lobby is now a year-round process, and all to save the monarch butterflies. Tena Engels—Fairhaven’s Monarch Queen, receptionist, and unit clerk—is the driving force behind the effort. Engels had been quietly nurturing caterpillars, giving…
Hoyleton Youth and Family Services in Fairview Heights, Ill.,is pleased to announce the addition of three accomplished leaders to its executive team, reinforcing the organization’s commitment to delivering exceptional care, strengthening operations, and advancing its mission of helping children, families, and communities thrive. Amy Hanson has joined Hoyleton as director of child welfare, Joseph (Joe)…
Thanks to the vision of its president and CEO, the Rev. Dr. Jamesetta Ferguson—plus the planning and hard work of many organizations and community members and the belief of church members—the newest project of MOLO Village CDC in Louisville, Ky., is under construction. The Village TOO! includes the renovation of St. Peter’s UCC, located adjacent…
Reprinted with permission from the blog of the Beatitudes Campus in Phoenix. Many coming-out conversations take years of buildup and minutes to unravel. Beatitudes Campus resident Clair had hers at 89, and it was over quickly in a hug. Then known as Charlie, Clair told Leona, her wife of 56 years, that she was transgender.…
When Karen Coburn—part of the Fairhaven Senior Services community in Whitewater, Wis.—saw family friend Kristine Zaballos’ new pollinator garden in the front yard of her home in 2024, she knew she had to bring the idea to Fairhaven. So she asked Zaballos to help. “Seeing Kristine’s front yard garden … immediately communicated that she hoped to spread…
The first retreat of CHHSM’s Nollau Leadership Institute’s class of 2027 met May 18-21, 2026, at Bellwether Farm in Wakeman, Ohio. Participants arrived with feelings of anticipation and not quite knowing what to expect. By week’s end, classmates departed for home filled with wonder and hope. “Walking into the Nollau retreat, I was not sure…
In Hawai‘i, a kupuna is an honored elder or ancestor and “kupuna spirit” represents the profound wisdom, guidance, and living energy of Hawai‘ian elders. At the Arcadia Family of Companies in Honolulu, kupuna spirit was on display March 30-April 2, 2026, as residents masterminded a three-day fundraiser to benefit the Kona Low Flood Relief Fund. Volunteers wholeheartedly stepped forward, demonstrating how…
For participants at this year’s ecumenical The Gathering: Many Gifts, One Spirit, the event was a three-day, spirit-filled opportunity to form bonds and partnerships with colleagues from other health and human service ministries. Held March 24-26, 2026, in Indianapolis, The Gathering drew almost 500 people from Mennonite, Methodist, Presbyterian, Quaker, and United Church of Christ…
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