October 1 minutes

River Valley Covenant Cluster Meetineeg
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
St. John's UCC, Newport

The meeting came to order at 11:00 a.m. Present: Ben Darby, Pam DeFusco, Rudy Gruenke, Steve Heckey, Linda Kemp-Baird, Henry Marksberry, Cynthia Priem, Doug Slagle, Kay Young, and Stuart Blersch.

Opening: Pam began by reading our new mission statement aloud. Kay read a statement about hope, and members shared their individual hopes during the nation's current financial crisis. Pam introduced Ben Darby, a new volunteer at Washington UCC. Stuart introduced Doug Slagle from The Gathering.

Discussion: Pam circulated copies of a letter from SONKA Minister Ruth Brandon, encouraging us to begin a sacred conversation on race.

• Steve suggested bringing in a speaker like columnist Leonard Pitts or Walter Brueggemann to lead an evening RVCC event focusing on race.

• Kay suggested some people from our area who might also participate. She also spoke about her church's involvement in an Islamic-Jewish youth group, which now has 25 participants. She also has a video on the subject prepared by Linda and Mark Johnson [not sure of these names] that we could show in our individual congregations. Linda Johnson [?] could attend and speak.

• We discussed expanding the event to include religion, since religion, particularly Islam, and race overlap. The concensus was to start with an event focusing specifically on race, and if it is successful, going forward with religion.

• We decided that Friday, January 23, would be an ideal date for the event. (The World Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is January 18-25)

• Assignments: Steve will check the availability of Pitts and Brueggemann. Pam will look into possible grants for funding.

Housekeeping: Cynthia mentioned that the listings of ministers on our website and our email list need updating. Stuart will check with Chris Comte.

Upcoming events:

• Urban Church Workshop: October 3-4 at St. John's UCC in Newport. (Steve has sent out brochures.)

• St. Mark UCC, Latonia, celebrating its centennial October 3-4.

• The Mission Priority Board's Church-a-palooza at 1st UCC, College Hill, October 10-12.

• Washington UCC workday ("Doing Something Beautiful for God"): Saturday, October 18. Keith updated the brochure and sent electronic versions to all RVCC churches for distribution.

• Final Friday art exhibit at the Gathering in Over-the-Rhine, October 31.

The meeting adjourned at 11:50 a.m. (!)

Next meeting: Wednesday, November 4, 11:00 a.m. until noon, at St. John UCC, 520 Fairfield Ave., Bellevue, Kentucky 41073

Respectfully submitted,
Stuart Blersch, sec'y

RVCC minutes for July and September

River Valley Covenant Cluster Meeting
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Washington UCC, Camp Washington

The meeting came to order at 11:00 a.m. Present: Pam DeFusco, Keith Haithcock, Steve Heckey, Linda Kemp-Baird, Jim Korpik, Cynthia Priem, Kay Young, Mark Young, and Stuart Blersch.

Sharing of good news:
• Jim Kopeck announced his forthcoming retirement from St. Paul's UCC in Alexandria, after 22 years there.
• Cynthia Priem introduced herself as the supply minister at Immanuel UCC in Bromley.
• Kay Young reported that demolition is underway for extensive renovations at Faith UCC.
• Keith Haithcock said that he will be on sabbatical in October.
• Steve Heckey, back from his 3-month sabbatical, talked about the upcoming Urban Church Workshop at St. John's in Newport (see details below).
• Linda Kemp-Baird announced that St. Mark UCC will celebrate its centennial in October.
• Stuart Blersch reported on the monthly Final Friday art exhibits at the Gathering on Main St. in Over-the-Rhine.
• Mark Young is back from his sabbatical.
• Pam DeFusco talked about the upcoming workday at Washington UCC (see below).

Urban Church Workshop: October 3-4 at St. John's UCC in Newport. Friday evening will be designed for ministers and lay leaders, Saturday for everyone interested. Steve Heckey will be giving us further information.

Washington UCC workday: Pam listed some of the projects waiting for us at Washington UCC on Saturday, October 18:
• Taking down a banner in the sanctuary and cleaning stardust out of the piano
• Deep cleaning the Spirit Center, Kitchen, and Guest House
• Assembling a bookshelf
• Cooking for the day's street feast
Keith will revise last year's brochure and send out a MSWord version for us to print and distribute to our congregations.

Church budgets: We discussed different congregations' financial contributions to OCWM and to local missions such as Washington UCC, and participation in UCC's Five for Five. Keith mentioned that coin banks, available from UCC, work well for specific mission collections.

RVCC's gift to Kenya: We have used $600 of the cluster's money to buy a communion set for Pesby Teachers College in Rubate, Kenya. They were delighted to receive it. We now have $250 left in our fund. We decided to wait until we have a specific RVCC project before we try to raise more money for this fund.

Crop Walk: Keith will look into this fall 2009 event.

High Point Property: Jim Korpik said that we have heard nothing from SONKA about our recommendation that the property be sold. Meanwhile, he and Keith will take down the UCC sign.

The meeting adjourned at noon.

Next meeting: Wednesday, October 1, 11:00 a.m. until noon, at St. John's UCC, 415 Park Avenue, Newport, Kentucky.

Respectfully submitted,
Stuart Blersch, secy.

RVCC minutes from July 2

River Valley Covenant Cluster Meeting
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Washington UCC, Camp Washington

The meeting came to order at 11:00 a.m. Present: Pam DeFusco, Keith Haithcock, Linda Kemp-Baird, Jim Korpik, and Stuart Blersch.

Mission Statement: We adopted Kay Young's draft, as revised by Keith Haithcock, with the items in a different order. Here's the final, approved version:

The River Valley Covenant Cluster's mission is
• To meet together for learning, worship, and service;
• To provide mutual support for congregations, laity, and clergy;
• To care for the welfare of Washington United Church of Christ and the Mission Priority Board.

Washington UCC work day: We chose Saturday, October 18 for our annual day of service:
8-9 a.m.: breakfast and worship
9-noon: work in the church
Noon: Camp Washington community lunch
Noon-3 p.m.: work in the church
To focus on how a church can connect with its neighborhood, the day will also include a tour of Washington UCC's renovated houses in the neighborhood.

Urban Church Workshop: October 3-4 at St. John UCC

Next meeting: Wednesday, September 3, 11:00 a.m. until noon, at St. Mark UCC, 38th and Park, Covington, Kentucky.

Respectfully submitted
Stuart Blersch, secy.

May 7 RVCC minutes

River Valley Covenant Cluster Meeting
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Pilgrim Chapel, 1222 Ida St. Mt. Adams

The meeting came to order at 11:00 a.m. Present: Rudy Gruenke, Keith Haithcock, Bill Hamilton, Steve Heckey, Linda Kemp-Baird, Jim Korpik, and Stuart Blersch.

* High Point property: Jim passed out the letter to the Ohio Conference Board of Trustees that he drafted, with the help of Pam and Kay, presenting our thoughts concerning the High Point Property. After considerable discussion, we decided to add clear courses of action to the last paragraph:
o That the conference keep the property as a site for a new new church start; OR
o Sell the property, earmarking the money for a new church start in Boone County.
Either way, the building needs to be torn down and the UCC sign removed. Jim will revise the letter and email the final draft to cluster members for approval.

* Vision statement: We discussed a number of projects that cluster congregations might colaborate on, but we didn't decide on anything.

* Announcements: Steve said that he and Pam will be attending the Center for Urban Ministries conference in Washington DC, June 7-12, "Reinventing the Urban Church." One of the conference speakers, Dr. Peter Bellini, will come to St. John in Newport to lead two workshops on energizing and growing the life and ministry of urban congregations. The workshops will be May 30-31 and June 13-14. Talk to Steve if you would like to attend.

The meeting adjourned at noon.

Next meeting: Wednesday, June 4, 11:00 a.m. until noon, at St. Paul UCC, 1 Churchill Dr. in Ft. Thomas.

Respectfully submitted
Stuart Blersch, secy.

Notes from April 2 meeting

River Valley Covenant Cluster Meeting
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
The Gathering UCC, 1431 Main St., Over-the-Rhine

Co-Dean Kay Young called the meeting to order at 11:00 a.m. Also present: Pam DeFusco, Rudy Gruenke, Jim Hill, Jim Korpik, and Stuart Blersch.

Announcements:
* Kay Young announced a Sunday, May 4 Interfaith Youth Core event involving young Jews, Muslims, and Christians aged 13-18, tentatively set for the Plum Street Temple.

* Crystal Drag, who was picking up some items for Stand Up For Kids, told us about the local group of the nonprofit organization that helps homeless children and teenagers. They are using The Gathering as their local home base. Her email address: crystald@standupforkids.com

Old Business:
* Mission statement: to initiate our revising process, we decided to email everyone affiliated with the cluster, asking for ideas, with reply to all. Here's our current mission statement: http://rivervalleycovenantcluster.org/Vision.htm

* High Point property: Pam announced that during a cold snap, the High Point pipes froze and burst. The interior is now moldy, and it is clearly beyond the RVCC to tackle this project. Presently, the cell phone tower pays the mortgage. Since this part of northern Kentucky is growing rapidly, the UCC may want to hold on to this property for future use. Jim will draft a letter to the Association explaining our thoughts on the property. He will bring the draft to our May meeting for discussion and approval.

* How to open our meetings: Should we begin with a roundtable for sharing congregational issues? It would help us stay informed about each other's churches, which used to happen at monthly ministerium suppers for clergy and families. There also used to be retreats for pastors and Christian educators. Since such roundtables can take up the whole hour, we decided to take 3 minutes each at the beginning of the next meeting.

* Along the same line: Jim Hill mentioned that his church has joined with three others for a dart baseball game. A UCC corn hole league was suggested. Pam and Kay will brainstorm for a women's cluster retreat, "Spring Lantern" (whatever that means).

The meeting adjourned at noon.

Next meeting: Wednesday, May 7, at Pilgrim Chapel, 1222 Ida St. in Mt. Adams

Respectfully submitted
Stuart Blersch, secy.

Notes from the March 5 cluster meeting

River Valley Covenant Cluster Meeting
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Faith UCC, Anderson Township

Co-Dean Kay Young called the meeting to order at 11:00 a.m. Also present: Pam DeFusco, Rudy Gruenke, Keith Haithcock, Steve Heckey, Jim Hill, Linda Kemp-Baird, and Stuart Blersch.

Correction to February minutes: Kay Young volunteered to be Co-Dean with Pam.

All present were disappointed that Rudy has yet to cross the Red Sea and enter Cyberspace.

Steve was proud to announce the birth of his first grandson, Liam Thomas.

Keith reported that the military event on February 23, although modestly attended, was successful and worthwhile.

Pam distributed the RVCC vision statement adopted several years ago. Rather than revisit the document now, we agreed to do so at a future meeting set aside for this purpose.

Discussion:
* We picked up where we left off last time, about cluster meetings being a place for ministers to talk to each other about church-related issues. Today's primary focus was the meaning of christening and infant baptism, in particular for those who do not otherwise participate in the church. As a way of emphasizing the importance of this sacrament, some churches are placing the baptismal font in a more prominent location. We discussed working toward some RVCC standards for baptism, and agreed that we should aim at theological standards rather than specific rules.

* We would like to have a cluster confirmation program—to be discussed next month.

* Pam mentioned the possibility of a Synod meeting here in the future.

Next meeting: Wednesday, April 2, 2008, 11:00 a.m.-noon, at The Gathering, 1431 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati. We will continue our roundtable discussion.

Directions to The Gathering: http://thegathering-church.org/teaser.cfm?id=1

Respectfully submitted,

Stuart Blersch

River Valley Covenant Cluster Meeting,Wednesday, February 6, 2008,Christ Church UCC, Fort Thomas

Co-Dean Pam Defusco called the meeting to order at 11:00 a.m. Also present: Rudy Gruenke, Keith Haithcock, Steve Heckey, Jim Hill, Linda Kemp-Baird, Kay Young, and Stuart Blersch.

Pam mentioned that the cluster needs a secretary and another Co-Dean. Her prayers were answered when Stuart volunteered to be secretary, and Steve, Kay, and Linda offered to chair meetings when Pam is unavailable.

All present united to encourage Rudy to start using email. Rudy, if you’re reading this on line, congratulations!

Discussion centered on focusing the cluster’s role. Some of the points brought up:

* Our meetings provide an opportunity for cluster ministers to keep in touch with each other and discuss issues they share as congregational leaders.

* Meetings are also a place for ministers and lay representatives from cluster congregations to discuss issues and ideas relevant to the churches in our group.

* The cluster has the opportunity to plan cooperative projects that will help fulfill the mission of our combined congregations and at the same time encourage our congregations to see themselves as part of a greater UCC whole.

This discussion will be continued.

Hats off to Chris Comte for setting up our meetings for the coming year and keeping the RVCC website up to date! http://rivervalleycovenantcluster.org

Recommended reading:

* Paul Nixon’s I Refuse to Leave a Dying Church presents a number of turnaround stategies to save and revivify dwindling congregations.

* Diana Butler Bass’s Christianity for the Rest of Us: How the Neighborhood Church Is Transforming the Faith summarizes the findings of a three-year project funded by the Lilly Endowment to study thriving mainline protestant congregations and identify practices, from hospitality to worship to vigorous theological discussion, that make these churches vital.

Next cluster meeting: Wednesday, March 5, 11-12:00 noon, Faith UCC, 6886 Salem Rd., Anderson Township.

Respectfully submitted,

Stuart Blersch