The Council for Health and Human Service Ministries (CHHSM) Board of Directors Chair Hugh Meyers has announced that the board unanimously elected Michael J. Readinger, current CHHSM vice president, to serve as the next president and CEO of CHHSM. Readinger will succeed the Rev. Bryan Sickbert, who retires at the end of this year after […]
Four years ago, Frank Waddell faced homelessness. Waddell, 37, had just completed substance abuse treatment, but he didn’t have a home or support network until he found Earl’s Place, a transitional housing project of CHHSM ministry United Ministries in Baltimore, Maryland. “I needed the structure and support,” says Waddell, who moved into permanent housing in […]
CHHSM convened more than a dozen members Sept. 26 to discuss the current situation in Ferguson, Missouri, where Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old black man, was shot by a white police officer in early August. The incident, which triggered continuing rioting and protests, prompted CHHSM to explore ways members could work together to serve ongoing health and […]
Contributed by the Rev. Kenneth Daniel, president and CEO, United Church Homes The CHHSM CEO search committee narrowed its focus to a select group of seven highly qualified candidates. All seven were interviewed during a two-day meeting held Aug. 19-20. The candidates represented a diverse cross-section of the UCC including race, gender and sexual orientation. Both lay and […]
Rich and Mary Miller have experienced a lot as participants in Passport to Travel, but one of their most memorable visits includes the Biltmore Estate. Residents of Cedar Community in West Bend, Wisconsin, the Millers spent two days at Biltmore during their second trip to Abernethy Laurels in Newton, North Carolina. All in all, they’ve made six […]
The name of the game is “Good, Bad and Ugly,” and improv comedian Tom Farley needed three volunteers at one of Orion Family Services’ adolescent group homes. “The audience asks for advice from their peers,” says Farley, who creates interactive, comedic therapy sessions for the CHHSM ministry, which offers a variety of youth and community programs, […]
By Bryan Sickbert It is likely presumptuous, even risky, for a privileged white man to enter into the conversation regarding the events in Ferguson, Missouri. But the fact that many of our CHHSM colleagues in the St. Louis community are acutely experiencing the symptoms of our nation’s chronic racial disease makes silence a cowardly option. […]
Alex Anklan felt called to complete his clinical pastoral education (CPE) unit at United Church Homes’ Trinity Community in Beavercreek, Ohio, from the moment he walked through the door. “This is a community where people live,” says Anklan, a student who attends Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio. “I can develop relationships with residents throughout […]
Contributed by the Rev. Kenneth Daniel, president and CEO, United Church Homes The committee of CHHSM member executives, board members, and the UCC national setting continues to meet with its consultant, Cynthia Barth from Diversified Search. The committee continues to seek nominations and applications from qualified and interested candidates. Currently candidates are undergoing initial screening interviews […]
By Bryan Sickbert Max De Pree has said that “volunteers are at the heart of our society and become the grace notes in our American song.” Musically, grace notes are embellishments to the underlying melody which are not essential to the musical line, but add nuance that draws out beauty and meaning from the theme. […]
