Barb Powell

Celebrate CHHSM on the UCC’s Health and Human Service Sunday, Jan. 27

By Barb Powell | January 14, 2019

In 1858, UCC forebear the Rev. Louis Edward Nollau appealed to his congregation — today St. Peter’s UCC in Ferguson, Mo. — for money to build a home to support young children orphaned by a cholera epidemic. Today, as Every Child’s Hope, that home still serves the changing needs of children. The call to serve…

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Auld Lang Syne

By Barb Powell | January 11, 2019
Michael J. Readinger

I was thinking about Auld Lang Syne, so I read all the lyrics for the first time in my life. While there are a few parts of the song that are more celebratory than nostalgic, I really feel connected to the parts about being present with each other in the past. The song makes me…

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Register Now for CHHSM Diakonal Ministers Retreat

By Barb Powell | January 11, 2019

CHHSM announced today (Jan. 10) that the second annual Diakonal Ministers Reunion Retreat will be held March 4, 2019, at the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago. The reunion is a one-day event prior to the opening of CHHSM’s Annual Gathering. The retreat is designed to reconnect past participants of the Transformational Leadership Program, the Faith Based…

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United Caring Services Flies Lifesaving Flag of Dignity for People Who are Homeless

By Barb Powell | January 10, 2019

The white flag was out again last night (Jan. 9). In Evansville, Ind., the white flag flying outside the day shelter at United Caring Services indicates that the shelter will provide respite from the winter weather for the night. Begun in 2010, United Caring Services’ White Flag program fills a much-needed gap in caring for…

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United Church of Christ’s Servant Leaders to Look ‘Toward Tomorrow’ at CHHSM Annual Gathering

By Barb Powell | January 8, 2019

In today’s changing landscape, UCC health and human service ministries often find that their work is complicated, regardless of the size of the organization or the populations served. As a response, the Council for Health and Human Service Ministries’ Annual Gathering in March will focus on the ways in which such ministries can learn and…

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Legacy of Leadership Team is Ministry of Caring at the UCC-Related Arcadia Communities in Honolulu

By Barb Powell | December 24, 2018

When Emmet White, president and CEO of the UCC-related Arcadia Family of Companies in Honolulu, and Norman Chong, Arcadia’s CFO, joined the CHHSM-member ministry, Arcadia was a single retirement community. As the two retire Dec. 31, their legacy is the growth of that single community into a family of seven companies providing care and services…

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Michigan CHHSM Agencies Team Up for Special Christmas Giving Project

By Barb Powell | December 12, 2018

As far back as anyone can remember, UCC-related Pilgrim Manor — a United Church Homes older adult community in Grand Rapids, Mich. — has run a special giving tree project each December. But choosing nearby United Church Outreach Ministry (UCOM) as the beneficiary has given the project special meaning to both partners. “The partnership with…

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UCC-related St. Andrew’s Charitable Foundation Programs Help Older Adults Thrive

By Barb Powell | December 12, 2018

Gertrude spent 30 years working as a credit manager and saved for her retirement. She never thought she’d need financial or physical assistance. Gertrude moved from her home to CHHSM member St. Andrew’s Tower Grove Manor — an older adult community in St. Louis — 15 years ago and enjoyed the people and activities. But…

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UCC’s Hoyleton Family and Youth Services Workshops Help Youth Make Wise Life Choices and Avoid Substance Abuse

By Barb Powell | December 6, 2018

This past September, 6th-grade students in various Southern Illinois schools discovered a different sort of curriculum on their class schedules, thanks to UCC-related Hoyleton Youth and Family Services: a life skills curriculum geared toward substance abuse prevention. The in-school partnership between Fairview Heights-based CHHSM ministry and the schools allows Hoyleton’s substance abuse Prevention Specialists to…

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Baltimore Residents Spend New Year’s Day Running to Benefit UCC-Related Earl’s Place

By Barb Powell | November 28, 2018

What do you do on New Year’s Day? While many people are comfortably at home watching parades and football, some 700-to-800 Baltimore residents turn out for the Resolution Run, an annual benefit for UCC-related Earl’s Place, part of United Ministries, Inc. The run has been a fixture in Baltimore since 2006 and has raised more…

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