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.