Keynote Speakers Set for CHHSM 87th Annual Gathering in Boston/Cambridge

Jonathan A. King and the Rev. Dr. Calvon T. Jones.

Jonathan A King, Ph.D., of Massachusetts Peace Action and the Rev. Dr. Calvon T. Jones of Harvard Memorial Church will deliver the opening and closing keynote addresses, respectively, during the 2025 Annual Gathering of the UCC Council for Health and Human Service Ministries (CHHSM), to be held March 11-13, 2025, in Boston and Cambridge, Mass.

The theme of the Annual Gathering, “Into the Deep: Casting Nets of Justice,” based on the focus scripture, Luke 5:4 (NRSVue) — “When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water, and let down your nets for a catch.” It calls CHHSM leaders — whether in affordable housing, health care, or community service ministries — to take bold action and approach their work with courage, collaboration, and a dedication to creating a more just and compassionate world.

Keynote Addresses

King, professor emeritus of molecular biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), will be the opening keynote speaker. A recipient of the U.S. Antarctic Service Medal, former Guggenheim Fellow, and a recipient of the National Institutes of Health MERIT Award, he also is a recipient of MIT’s Martin Luther King Jr. Faculty Leadership Award.

But King’s heart also lies in his work for peace and justice. Currently, he serves as board co-chair of Massachusetts Peace Action (MAPA), where he also is chair of the Fund People Over Pentagon campaign and the Fund Healthcare Not Warfare working group. Additionally, he is vice chair of MAPA’s Nuclear Disarmament Working Group.

King’s work in the peace movement goes back decades. He was coauthor of the Science for Peace Resolution of the World Council of Churches, calling for continuing nuclear disarmament, and a leader of the national campaign of biomedical scientists to press the Senate to ratify the Biological Weapons Convention, which culminated in the treaty’s ratification by the U.S. Senate in 1989.

“We look forward to hearing about Dr. Jonathan King’s life’s work in peace and justice,” said Jamar Doyle, president and CEO of CHHSM. “His opening address will create an inspirational beginning of the Annual Gathering, as we contemplate how CHHSM organizations can find create solutions in their ministries.”

Bookending the Annual Gathering will be the closing keynote, delivered by the Rev. Dr. Calvon T. Jones, assistant minister and director of the Memorial Church of Harvard University in Cambridge. Prior to assuming his post at Harvard, Jones served as youth pastor of the historic Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. His ministry centers in the love of Christ, and striving to be a light of love, justice, peace, and hospitality. 

Jones graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Morehouse College in Atlanta, with a degree in religion (2015). He earned his M.Div. degree from Yale Divinity School (YDS) in New Haven, Conn. (2018), where he was a William Sloane Coffin Jr. Scholar — named for YDS’ former chaplain and the former senior minister of The Riverside Church in New York City — and a recipient of the William Hallam Tweedy Prize for exceptional promise for pastoral leadership. The Tweedy prize is named for Henry H. Tweedy, professor of practical theology at YDS from 1909 to 1937.

Jones recently earned his D. Min. degree in homiletics and proclamation from Duke Divinity School in Durham, N.C.

“Dr. Calvon Jones will bring his creativity, experience, and insights to the Annual Gathering,” Doyle said. “His energizing address will give us much to celebrate and much to contemplate.”

Workshop Deadline Extended

The Rev. Beth Long-Higgins of The Parker Center leads a workshop at a previous Annual Gathering.

At the request of applicants, the deadline for submitting workshop proposals has been extended to Oct. 29, 2024. Topics should explore the theme, “Into the Deep: Casting Nets of Justice,” and build professional skills. The focus can be any topic useful to CHHSM members: administration; advocacy; board development; spiritual care; children, youth and family services; finances and fund development; housing; staff development; marketing; programming; or older adult services and ministries.

Workshops should be 75 minutes in length. They should be interactive and allow time for a Q&A session. Deliverables of the workshop should be clear and should include a call to action if possible. Due to the limited number of workshop slots at the Annual Gathering, some submissions may not be chosen to lead a workshop. However, CHHSM may contact presenters not chosen to see if they are interested in providing content for other educational events or formats.

“What new approaches and successes in your work have come from ‘jumping into the deep’?” said Doyle. “Submit a proposal for a workshop on those successes — your experience could jumpstart new ideas for other attendees.”

Travel and Housing at the Annual Gathering

CHHSM has partnered with United Airlines through its United Meetings program for both the 2025 Annual Gathering in March and the UCC’s General Synod next summer.  Booking fees are waived for meeting reservations. 

The 2025 Annual Gathering pricing will be the same as last year: $550 for early registration (through Jan. 15, 2025), and $595 registration after that. Online registration will begin in mid-December. A limited number of scholarships will be available, especially for new attendees and smaller CHHSM ministries with limited budgets.

More information about flights and hotel reservations will be available on the registration site.

Worship, Nollau and More

The Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia A. Thompson

As in the past, The Annual Gathering will feature worship services. Opening worship, with the Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia A. Thompson, general minister and president of the UCC, preaching, will kick off the gathering.

In keeping with tradition, a special worship service will be held during the Annual Gathering, featuring the consecration of this year’s Nollau Leadership Institute class as Diakonal Ministers.

The service will take place at the historic Old South Church UCC in Boston. 

The consecration of the Nollau graduates always is a high point of the Annual Gatherings. The class will arrive in Boston a day early to participate in its final retreat on March 10.

Capstone projects, like this one from 2024 Nollau graduate Nikki Starr, will be displayed throughout the Annual Gathering.

Throughout the gathering, the Nollau class members’ final capstone projects will be on display and the Nollau participants will be available to answer questions and talk about their Nollau experiences.

In addition, Annual Gathering participants will enjoy CHHSM Affinity Group meetings, reflection time, and opportunities for social gatherings and fellowship.

CHHSM’s 87th Annual Gathering will help create new partnerships for collaboration in building an equitable, just, caring, and compassionate world. “Join us in Boston,” said Doyle, “to be inspired, enlightened and energized as, together, we explore the endless possibilities that intentional collaboration can create for our ministries.”

Learn more about the Annual Gathering and workshop submission process.

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