Council for Health and Human Service Ministries

Strengthening the Ties that Bind: CHHSM Affinity Groups Foster Innovative Connections

By Barb Powell | June 11, 2018

One hallmark of the UCC’s Council for Health and Human Service Ministries is the extent to which its members offer support to, with, and for one another — both professionally and personally. And CHHSM’s established Affinity Groups provide the vehicle for this relationship-building among member ministries. “Affinity Groups meet either quarterly or semiannually,” says Mary…

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Writers at Large: Phoebe Ministries Residents Find Community through Written Word

By CHHSM-Member Ministry Contribution | June 11, 2018

When Ronnie Backenstoe sat down to write her autobiography, she said to herself, “What did I get myself into? I’ve never written a thing in my life!” Eight “good” chapters and more than 300 pages later, Backenstoe was ready to publish. “I got writing and I didn’t know when to stop!” she laughs. “The more…

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Arcadia Residents Showcase Egguery Creations

By CHHSM-Member Ministry Contribution | June 8, 2018

What better way to get into the spring season than by showcasing the art form called “Egguery”! Residents of Arcadia continue to impress people with their hobbies and skill sets, and egguery is the latest showcase of their diverse talents. On display in Arcadia’s lobby is an assortment of different decorated eggs, from ostrich, duck,…

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Nollau Institute Participants Find Perspectives Changed Through Classmates

By Barb Powell | June 8, 2018

With the first of three retreats completed, CHHSM’s 2018-2019 Nollau Institute participants are well on their way to discerning what servant leadership means to them in their lives and careers. Already, this year’s class has come away with new insights and several surprises. For Linda Dailey, executive director of United Church Homes’ Glenwood Retirement Community…

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‘In Their Own Words’ — a Labor of Love for UCC’s Retirement Housing Foundation that Keeps Giving

By Barb Powell | June 6, 2018

“I now have a home, not just an apartment.” That phrase sums up Frankie Corrella’s experience at Anciano Tower, a UCC Retirement Housing Foundation community in Montrose, Colo. Corrella’s reflections comprise one of many offered by residents, volunteers and staff from RHF communities across the country in the publication In Their Own Words. Though published…

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CHHSM’s Rev. Jerry Paul Scholar Program Focuses on Opportunities for Health and Human Service Career Paths for Seminarians

By Barb Powell | June 6, 2018

More than 20 years ago, The UCC’s Council for Health and Human Service Ministries quietly started a scholarship program to foster seminarians’ interest in faith-based health and human service ministries. Today, that program — now known as the Rev. Jerry Paul Scholar Program — continues to thrive, and has helped form career choices for many…

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For Older Adults and their Teenage Volunteers at United Church of Christ-related Harmar Place, Art Feeds the Soul

By Barb Powell | May 31, 2018

A blank canvas. The necessary painting implements. Two souls — one younger, one older — working together on something new. An exciting program at UCC-related Harmar Place in Marietta, Ohio, is paving the way for older adults with dementia to express themselves in creative ways. Opening Minds through Art began at Harmar Place — a…

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Amid Homelessness, Two Find United Church Homes’ Brownstone Terrace

By CHHSM-Member Ministry Contribution | May 22, 2018

Caroline Smothers and Sandy Crane have been down similar roads in life, but only one led them both to United Church Homes. Caroline and Sandy both experienced homelessness before moving to Brownstone Terrace, a United Church Homes affordable housing community in Marion, Ohio. Sandy slept overnight in parks for three months, while Caroline bounced from…

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Creating a Movement

By Michael Readinger | May 14, 2018
Michael J. Readinger

There is a season, turn, turn, turn. — Pete Seeger It looks like summer is finally here in the Midwest. May days will soon lead to June, July and August. As I am writing this, we have an upper 80-degree day with sunny skies! For some odd reason, Peter Seeger’s lyrics from The Byrds’ 1965…

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CHHSM Consultants Network Brings Affordable Services to Member Ministries

By CHHSM Staff | May 10, 2018

The United Church of Christ’s Neighborhood Houses had a dilemma: how to redefine its identity  and messaging so that the community would understand its outreach work. The solution? Partnering with orgstory, a member of the CHHSM Consultants Network. “Orgstory helped Neighborhood Houses transition to its new identity as Unleashing Potential, changes that included rethinking how…

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