Barb Powell

UCC-related Plymouth Harbor Residents are Rockin’ the Storybooks at Local Grade School

By Barb Powell | October 11, 2019

“A told B and B told C, ‘I’ll meet you at the top of the coconut tree.’ … Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Will there be enough room?” Last spring, snatches of story floated through the air of the Media Center at Bay Haven, a magnet school in Sarasota, Fla. Kindergarteners sat in rapt attention as…

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United Church Outreach Ministry Creates Opportunities for Neighbors Through Walking Program

By Barb Powell | October 11, 2019

Old and young, new neighbors or long-time residents — every Wednesday morning at 11 a.m., they don walking shoes and meet at United Church Outreach Ministry’s (UCOM) offices in Wyoming, Mich., for a jaunt around the neighborhood. The walking club was the brainchild of UCOM staff. When a weekly “Sit and Be Fit” class led…

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MIT’s Coughlin to Keynote Fourth Annual Ruth Frost Parker Center Symposium on Abundant Aging

By Barb Powell | September 26, 2019

Joseph F. Coughlin, Ph.D., founder and director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology AgeLab, will keynote the Ruth Frost Parker Center for Abundant Aging’s 2019 Annual Symposium. The event takes place Oct. 11 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Renaissance Columbus Westerville-Polaris Hotel. Registration/check-in opens at 8 a.m. Coughlin, who teaches in MIT’s…

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Cedar Community Resident a Star in West Bend, Wis., Community, Thanks to Her 57 Lady

By Barb Powell | September 12, 2019

If you happen to be out and about in West Bend, Wis., you’re likely to see a stunning 1957 Chevy in mint condition enroute to a nearby store. The owner? Grace Braeger, a resident of UCC-related Cedar Community. In fact, Braeger is the one and only owner of the slick black ’57 Chevy Bel Air.…

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Nollau To You Expands to Introduce ‘Serving Leadership’ to Larger Audience

By Barb Powell | September 12, 2019

Surprises are always at the forefront when UCC Council for Health and Human Service Ministries faculty lead Nollau To You seminars. Two recent versions of the one-day, serving leadership training sessions were no exception, particularly because both included new ways of bringing the event to UCC-related constituencies. From July 31 to Aug. 2, CHHSM held…

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For UCC-related St. John’s Community Care, Financial Realities Yield Difficult Choices, Renewed Direction for the Future

By Barb Powell | September 11, 2019

When UCC-related St. John’s Community Care started its Home Services Program 34 years ago, it filled an important niche — providing services to older adults in the community who had no means of getting the care they needed. But over time, communities change. For the Collinsville, Ill., CHHSM member, this meant competition with 19 other…

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CHHSM-Local Church Collaboration Helps Community Gain Understanding of Issues Faced by LGBTQ+ Older Adults

By Barb Powell | September 11, 2019

When CHHSM members team up with local UCC churches, extraordinary things can happen. A recent presentation of the critically-acclaimed film Gen Silent in Westlake, Ohio, highlights just how much a local community can benefit. The free showing Aug. 25 of the documentary about LGBTQ+ older adults deciding whether to go back into the closet to…

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Unique United Church Homes ‘Wishing Well’ Grant Program Provides Training, Needed Funding to its Affordable Housing Communities

By Barb Powell | September 10, 2019

An unusual program within CHHSM-member United Church Homes (UCH) is giving housing managers needed grant-writing experience while at the same time providing additional funding to their communities. At its Housing Donor Appreciation Dinner in July, United Church Homes awarded 10 “Wishing Well” grants to this year’s recipients. The United Church Homes Wishing Well grant program…

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The Rev. Elyse Berry Named CHHSM Associate for Advocacy and Leadership Development

By Barb Powell | September 3, 2019

The United Church of Christ’s Council for Health and Human Service Ministries has announced that the Rev. Elyse Berry, D. Min., has been hired to serve as associate for advocacy and leadership development. She begins her new role with CHHSM today (Sept. 3). Berry, who comes to CHHSM with more than 11 years of experience…

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CHHSM Scholar Experience Provides Valuable Insights that Help Discern Seminarians’ Call to Ministry

By Barb Powell | August 8, 2019

The UCC’s Council for Health and Human Service Ministries is searching for its next Rev. Jerry Paul Scholar. The CHHSM Scholar program is open to seminary students who want to learn more about ministry in a faith-based health and human service nonprofit organization. For Megan Culbertson Hoxhalli, who was a CHHSM Scholar from 2012 to…

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