The Gathering Experience Leaves Participants Connected, Inspired, Thankful

For participants at this year’s ecumenical The Gathering: Many Gifts, One Spirit, the event was a three-day, spirit-filled opportunity to form bonds and partnerships with colleagues from other health and human service ministries. Held March 24-26, 2026, in Indianapolis, The Gathering drew almost 500 people from Mennonite, Methodist, Presbyterian, Quaker, and United Church of Christ agencies and their partner organizations.

The Gathering had something for everyone, from inspiring keynote speeches to a variety of workshops. There also were moments set aside for worship, and plenty of time for fellowship.

“I found The Gathering to be a meaningful and energizing experience,” said Michelle Just, president and CEO of Beatitudes Campus in Phoenix. “I appreciate the sense of community and shared purpose of our work. It was encouraging to hear the thoughtful conversations and innovation happening across the organizations. And, as always, I especially valued the opportunity to connect with colleagues and be reminded of the strength and heart behind this work.”

The keynotes began with Nikki Rineer of MHS Consulting on March 24, the Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson of the Children’s Defense Fund March 25, and Stan Phelps—global speaking fellow and author of numerous books including the popular Goldfish series—March 26. Lisa Carr, director of government relations for Service Coordination, Inc. (SCI) delivered opening remarks March 25.

Stephanie Franklin, senior vice president of transition services at UCAN in Chicago, found Wilson’s keynote particularly meaningful. 

“This year’s Gathering was inspirational, meeting generous hearts from everywhere aligned in creative learning and planning on navigating challenging times,” she said. “How do we support and engage our people and communities as we see every day that extravagant welcome is being threatened for those who need food security, affordable housing and healthcare?” she said. “Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson’s plea was clear for us not to cower, and to keep moving into difficult times on their behalf. He asked us to get better at counting and make sure that everyone is accounted for. He stated that help and hope go together, and that’s what I felt at the gathering. That’s the kind of math that I want to do as a servant leader!”  

Some 35 workshops were offered across several tracks: Association and Networking Events, Governance & Strategic Planning, Holistic Care & Community, Marketing & Fundraising, Operations and Financial Stewardship, and Workforce Excellence & Leadership. Thanks to CHHSM’s ecumenical partners, some of the workshops offered continuing education credits for eligible participants.

“This year’s workshops presented a unique opportunity to engage with an even larger audience, with similar yet different perspectives,” said Tyler Hoffman, workshop leader and associate vice president for information technology for the National Benevolent Association of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). “I appreciated attendees’ engagement around my content and the care the organizers placed into designing such a well rounded program.”

Another workshop leader was the Rev. Diane Weible, founder of Enkei Resolutions. “To be in the room with people from so many faith communities was inspiring. We shared various experiences and I left with tools, resources, and a reminder that we are so much better when we learn together,” she said.

Weible found the various worship experiences particularly poignant. “It was exciting to start one day singing, ‘Many Gifts, One Spirit,’ and then the next to learn about and then experience a time of silence in the Quaker tradition,” she said. “Each person and each faith community truly brought their own gifts to share and receive.”

Time also was set aside for each host denomination to hold sessions with its own members. Key for CHHSM was the celebration and consecration of this year’s Nollau Leadership Institute graduating class as diakonal ministers.

“The opportunity to gather with the other denominations helped to increase the scope and quality of the workshops—which I heard multiple times for others was a real asset,” said the Rev. Beth Long-Higgins, vice president of engagement at United Church Homes (UCH) and director of UCH’s Parker Center for Abundant Aging. “I also appreciated the opportunities for CHHSM to meet through the week to see our sisters and brothers with whom we have ongoing relationship. And of course, one of these opportunities which has to be a highlight for me was the service and celebration of the graduating Nollau cohort. To see the energy and relationships that they have developed from working together over the course of a year was contagious for the rest of us.”

During The Gathering, the Nollau cohort’s capstone projects were on display. The service of celebration and consecration took place March 25 at St. Peter’s UCC in Carmel, Ind., a suburb of Indianapolis. The Rev. Dr. Chad Abbott, conference minister of the UCC’s Indiana-Kentucky Conference, preached. 

The Rev. Dr. Bentley de Bardelaben-Phillips, UCC team leader for education and faithful action and part of this year’s Nollau class, found The Gathering “a powerful experience.”

“As members of this year’s Nollau cohort, we met and had our final day of classes the day before The Gathering,” de Bardelaben-Phillips said. “Even more so, during the evening of the first day of The Gathering, cohort members mingled with attendees and discussed our capstone projects, which were on display. We were consecrated as diakonal ministers the following evening. It was a sacred and holy experience. The Spirit of the Holy was definitely present.”

The Rev. Breona Hawkins, current CHHSM Scholar who also was part of the Nollau cohort, concurred. “My time at The Gathering was a beautiful reminder that God is truly a connector of all people,” she said. “I was reconnected with my cohort for our last retreat together, and it was a bittersweet moment. We have journeyed with one another for the past year. Together, we have learned and discovered so much about ourselves and about each other.”

Hawkins also felt the sense of moving forward during The Gathering. “I enjoyed learning about what other people from various social service organizations and denominations are doing to bring about God’s justice in the world. I met fellow theologically trained social workers and heard of all the inventive ways they are serving people and the larger church with both of their disciplines,” she added. “In some ways, the conference felt like God’s way of ushering me into a new season of life and work. As my time as the CHHSM Scholar wrapped up, I am truly thankful for my time with the program. Connecting … with CHHSM has changed me in ways that I believe will be a blessing to the church in years to come.”

The conference app was particularly helpful before, during, and after The Gathering. Besides typical logistics and agenda information and providing a format for attendees to network, the apps included session Q&A’s, polls, session-related documents, and photos.

Andrea Nafziger, director of marketing and communications at Hoyleton Youth & Family Services in Fairview Heights, Ill., experienced The Gathering as a past graduate of Nollau. “As a 2025 Nollau graduate, I arrived at this year’s Gathering feeling more connected to the work happening across the CHHSM community,” she said. “The opportunity to engage with a diverse group of faith-based leaders at this year’s event enriched my understanding and appreciation of how each organization contributes to our shared purpose.”

Overall, participants in The Gathering found the ability to engage with colleagues outside of their normal sphere of contact to be flush with new opportunities to learn and form partnerships. 

Reflecting on The Gathering, Weible was reminded of her own long ties to CHHSM. “The Council for Health and Human Service Ministries has always had a special place in my heart, [going back to] the time I was a confirmation student and visited one of the many CHHSM communities,” she said. “I remember being so proud to be part of the deeply meaningful witness of the United Church of Christ in that moment. This event expanded this already-abundant understanding of faithful witness as I was invited to embrace the traditions of siblings in the Mennonite, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Quaker traditions.” 

For attendees, The Gathering expanded the possibilities for future intersectional work. Chris Cox, president and CEO of Hoyleton Youth & Family Services, found that the ecumenical event deepened his own perspective.

“After more than three decades of attending The Gathering, this year offered a fresh opportunity to view our work through the lens of other faith-based leaders,” Cox said. “That shared experience strengthened my belief in the power of collaboration to better meet the needs of the people we serve in communities across the country. Learning how different organizations live out their missions was both inspiring and enlightening. Reflecting through multiple faith-based perspectives deepened my understanding of our own ministry and the impact we can have together.”

Jamar Doyle, president and CEO of CHHSM, summed up the future potential garnered from The Gathering.

“The Gathering was a unique experience for all,” Doyle said. “It provided a space for ecumenical partners in health and human service ministries to meet, learn, reflect, and network. I look forward to the many ways CHHSM can work with ecumenical partnership in the future to create a just, caring, equitable, compassionate world.”