River Valley Covenant Cluster Meetting Notes

Meeting Notes 5/19/11

2011-06-08T08:49:00.001-07:00

RVCC Meeting

May 19, 2011

Christ Church UCC, Ft. Thomas

Present: Keith Haithcock, Steve Hecky, Henry Marksbury, Dave Schwab, Rudy Gruenke, and Stuart Blersch.

ALL RVCC CHOIRS INVITED to participate in a performance of Rutter's Requiem on September 11 at St. John's Newport. Rehearsal: Saturday, September 10 at 10:00 a.m. at St. John's. Participants will need to get their own scores.

LITURGIST TRAINING WORKSHOP Wednesday, Sept. 14, 10:00 a.m. till 12:00 noon, at St. John's in Newport. All pastors, as well as lay people who read liturgy or the bible in services, are invited.

COMMUNITY-WIDE GRIEF SUPPORT GROUP meets on the second Thursday of the month from 10:30 a.m. until 12:00 noon, followed by lunch.

WORK JUSTICE will be the focus of an RVCC workshop on Saturday, October 15, from 8:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Location tba. For anyone who cares about work justice, fairness, the economy, and what Jesus would do for workers in today's world.

DAVID GREENSHAW, President of Eden Theological Seminary, will be at Christ Church, Ft. Thomas, August 27 and 28 to speak on the state of theological education today.

LENTEN SERVICE at St. John, Bellevue, was very successful, attended by members of 8 RVCC congregations.

Respectfully submitted,

Stuart Blersch, sec'y

Meeting Notes 3/17/11

2011-06-08T08:45:00.001-07:00

RVCC Meeting

March 17, 2011

St. John's UCC, Newport

Present: Pam deFusco, Keith Haithcock, Steve Heckey, Lesley Jones, Henry Marksbury, Doug Slagle, Sarah Melcher, and Stuart Blersch.

RVCC LENTEN SERVICE: Wednesday, April 13 (the Wednesday before Holy Week).

YOUTH GROUP: touring Plum St. Temple April 20.

Ruth Brandon led a discussion on the Culture of Call, including ideas for Clergy Day.

Respectfully submitted,

Stuart Blersch

Meeting notes Feb. 17, 2011

2011-02-23T12:07:00.001-08:00

RVCC Meeting

February 17, 2011

The Gathering, UCC

Present: Pam deFusco, Keith Haithcock, Steve Heckey, Doug Slagle, Dave Schwab, Andrew Bierkan, Lollie Kasulones, Lesley Jones, Gil Fauber, and Stuart Blersch.

Pam deFusco called the meeting to order and offered an opening prayer.

EMPLOYMENT ISSUES: Guests Carolyn Reisinger and Tom Choquette, of Interfaith Worker Justice of Cincinnati, made a presentation and led a discussion about issues of unemployment and underemployment. Their aims are to increase awareness of these issues within our congregations, and to help us connect with programs that help the unemployed and underemployed. The discussion touched on many aspects of the problem, such as public education, public transportation, racial discrimination, homelessness, existing job training programs, etc.

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS THE PEREPETIC PASTOR RUTH?: Pam announced that Ruth Brandon would like to attend one of our upcoming meetings to discuss ordination. Possibly our March meeting.

LENTEN UNITY SERVICE: Keith distributed flyers for the Wednesday, April 13 service at St. John, Bellevue. Sarah Melcher, Theology Dept. Chair at Xavier U., will speak, with music provided by Brad Caldwell and Alan Imberg. Schedule: 6:30 light supper, 7:15 service. Offerings will go to the RVCC's youth program.

E-MAIL: Stuart circulated the RVCC e-mail list for updating. To send e-mail to everyone on the list, go to rivervalleycovenantcluster.org/emailrvcc/ and write the message on the provided form. Click SEND, and voila!

UPCOMING MEETINGS: third Thursday of the month, from 11:00 a.m.-12:00 noon

March 17: St. John's, Newport
April: no meeting (given up for Lent)
May 19: Christ Church, Ft. Thomas
June 16, St. Mark, Latonia

ACTING DEANS:

Stuart March-April
Dave Schwab May and June (or Kay Yoiung? TBA)

Doug offered the closing prayer, then we all stayed to enjoy a chili lunch.

Respectfully submitted,

Stuart Blersch, sec'y

January 20, 2011, meeting notes

2011-01-20T10:03:00.001-08:00

RVCC Meeting

January 20, 2011

Washington UCC

Present: Pam deFusco, Washington UCC workers Dugan Meyer (Public Allies) and Steve Thomas (VISTA), Keith Haithcock, Steve Heckey, Doug Slagle, Kay Young, and Stuart Blersch.

We enjoyed a delicious brunch prepared by Washington UCC volunteers.

GOOD NEWS: We began by sharing good news from each congregation:

Salem, many new families with young children;
the Gathering, growing attendance and pledging, and a continuing book group meeting bi-monthly;
Washington, a very successful Martin Luther King Birthday service with Truth and Destiny, UCC;
St. John's, Newport, and St. John, Bellevue, contuing success with the youth program (see below).

CITY OF GOD: We discussed the City of God conference in Washington DC in June. Pam, Keith, and Steve have all been; Kay and Doug expressed interest in going this year.

LENTEN SERVICE: We set the service for Wednesday, April 13, at St. John, Bellevue. Keith will be the host pastor. 6:30 supper, 7:15 service. Doug tentatively offered the Gathering's choir.

YOUTH GROUP: Keith and Steve reported that St. Paul in Alexandria has joined the RVCC Youth Group, now totalling six participating churches. About 25-30 youths are participating, from grades 6-12, and meeting weekly at various churches for supper and discussion.

UPCOMING MEETINGS: third Thursday of the month, from 11:00 a.m.-12:00 noon

Feb 17: The Gathering, Over-the-Rhine
March 17: Christ Church, Ft. Thomas
April: no meeting
May 19: St. John's, Newport
June 16, St. Mark, Latonia

ACTING DEANS:

Pam Jan-Feb
Stuart March-April
Dave Schwab May and June (or Kay Yoiung? TBA)

Respectfully submitted,

Stuart Blersch, sec'y

November 18, 2010

2010-12-13T09:16:00.001-08:00

RVCC Meeting

November 18, 2010

St. John UCC, Bellevue

Present: Pam deFusco, Keith Haithcock, Rudy Gruenke, Steve Heckey, Lollie Kasulones, David Schwab, Doug Slagle, Kay Young, and Stuart Blersch.

Pam will represent us at Sonka.

Stuart will continue as secretary.

MEETINGS: third Thursday of the month, from 11:00 a.m.-12:00 noon

Jan 20: St. Paul, Fort Thomas
Feb 17: The Gathering, Over-the-Rhine
March 17: Christ Church, Ft. Thomas
April: no meeting
May 19: St. John's, Newport
June 16, St. Mark, Latonia

ACTING DEANS:

Pam Jan-Feb
Stuart March-April
Dave Schwab May and June

RVCC THANKSGIVING SERVICE: Kay Young handed out the written service for the event on Sunday, Nov 21, at Faith UCC, Anderson, with dinner at 5:00 p.m., and the service around 6:00 p.m. We volunteered to read various parts of the service.

YOUTH GROUP: Truth and Destiny has joined the group, which brings the number of congregations participating to seven.

WORLD AIDS DAY: Keith announced the service at St. John, Bellevue. The pastor from Truth and Destiny will preach.

Respectfully submitted,

Stuart Blersch

August 18, 2010, meeting notes

2010-09-09T07:15:00.001-07:00

RVCC Meeting

August 19, 2010

St. John UCC, Bellevue

Present: Pam deFusco, Keith Haithcock, Bill Hamilton, Steve Heckey, Lollie Kasulones (new pastor at Salem), Alleyne Kess, and Stuart Blersch.

OFFICERS: we decided to rotate the Dean position in 2-month shifts:

Steve Sept-Oct
Keith Nov-Dec
Pam Jan-Feb
Stuart March-April
Others TBA

Pam will represent us at Sonka.

Stuart will continue as secretary.

We will close the checking account and do without a treasurer.

MEETINGS: We agreed to meet on third Thursdays from 7-8:15 p.m.

Sept 16: St. John's, Newport
Oct 21: Salem
Nov 18: St. John, Bellevue
Dec 16: Washington
Jan 20: St. Paul, Fort Thomas
Feb 17: The Gathering
March-August TBA

CROP WALK: Sunday, Oct 3, starting at 1:30 p.m., starting at St. John's, Newport. Last year this event raised $9000.

RVCC THANKSGIVING SERVICE: Sunday, Nov 21, at Faith UCC, Anderson. Dinner at 5:00 p.m., service at 6:00 p.m.

RVCC LENTEN SERVICE: Wednesday, April 13 (the Wednesday before Holy Week).

CONFIRMATION: Steve Heckey and Keith Haithcock gave the details of this joint program.

Respectfully submitted,

Stuart Blersch

8/19/10 Minutes

2010-08-27T07:19:00.001-07:00

RVCC Meeting

August 19, 2010

St. John UCC, Bellevue

Present: Pam deFusco, Keith Haithcock, Bill Hamilton, Steve Heckey, Lollie Kasulones (new pastor at Salem), Alleyne Kess, and Stuart Blersch.

OFFICERS: we decided to rotate the Dean position in 2-month shifts:

Steve Sept-Oct
Keith Nov-Dec
Pam Jan-Feb
Stuart March-April
Others TBA

Pam will represent us at Sonka.

Stuart will continue as secretary.

We will close the checking account and do without a treasurer.

MEETINGS: We agreed to meet on third Thursdays from 7-8:15 p.m.

Sept 16: St. John's, Newport
Oct 21: Salem
Nov 18: St. John, Bellevue
Dec 16: Washington
Jan 20: St. Paul, Fort Thomas
Feb 17: The Gathering
March-August TBA

CROP WALK: Sunday, Oct 3, starting at 1:30 p.m., starting at St. John's, Newport. Last year this event raised $9000.

RVCC THANKSGIVING SERVICE: Sunday, Nov 21, at Faith UCC, Anderson. Dinner at 5:00 p.m., service at 6:00 p.m.

RVCC LENTEN SERVICE: Wednesday, April 13 (the Wednesday before Holy Week).

CONFIRMATION: Steve Heckey and Keith Haithcock gave the details of this joint program.

Respectfully submitted,

Stuart Blersch

Minutes from 1/6/10

2010-01-27T07:44:00.001-08:00

River Valley Covenant Cluster Meeting
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
The Gathering UCC

The meeting began at 11:00 a.m. Present: Keith Haithcock, Rudy Gruenke, Dave Schwab, Jim Hill, and Stuart Blersch.

Good News:
• Dave reported that over 300 people attended Christmas Eve services at Christ UCC, the most in 10 years.
• Jim has been leading services at Riverview Community, formerly owned by United Church Homes.
• Rudy reported that renovations are complete at Pilgrim Chapel, including a ramp and lift for the handicapped. 80 people attended service the Sunday before Christmas.
• Keith reported that the new parking lot at St. John is done and the new accessible entrance will be done in 2 months. Christmas Eve attendance was 133.
• Stuart reported that Terry Hacker, associate pastor at Truth and Destiny Church, which ministers to the LGBT African-American community, led services at the Gathering last Sunday.

Book for Lent:
• We picked Jane Fisler Hoffman's "Covenant" as our cluster's book for this spring.
• The plan is to invite all RVCC congregations to hold weekly book discussion group meetings the first four weeks of Lent.
• We will conclude with an all-cluster service built around the book on Wednesday, March 24.
• Congregations can schedule their own group meetings or join with another church or two for joint meetings.
• Keith will divide the book into 4 parts, one for each book discussion group meeting.

Next meeting: Wednesday, February 3, at St. John UCC, Bellevue.

Respectfully submitted,
Stuart Blersch, sec'y

notes from September 2, 2009

2009-10-05T09:13:00.001-07:00

River Valley Covenant Cluster Meeting
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
St. Paul's UCC, Newport

The meeting began at 11:00 a.m. Present: Kay Young, Rudi Gruenke, Cherie Hambleton, Steve Hecky, Fred Hoeweler, Cynthia Priem, David Schwab, and Stuart Blersch.

Co-dean Kay Young began the meeting with a prayer.

Upcoming events:

• Mark Young's installation as pastor of Immanuel UCC, St. Bernard, Sunday, Sept 13 at 3 p.m.

• Cynthia Priem's ordination, Sunday, Sept 27, St. Paul UCC, Fort Thomas. Supper 5:30 p.m., ordination 7 p.m. Email Cynthia if you plan to attend: oep@juno.com

• Churchapolooza, a Day for Missions, Sunday, October 4, 4-7:30 p.m., at First UCC, College Hill. Featuring music groups from area congregations and a pulled pork dinner. $9 for adults.

• Crop Walk,Oct.11, beginning at 2 p.m. Meet at the Peace Bell, 4th and York in Newport. The walk will cross the Purple People Bridge and return to Kentucky via the Taylor-Southgate Bridge. Proceeds benefit the Free Store Foodbank. Email Linda Kemp-Baird for info on participating: lindakb@fuse.net

• RVCC Thanksgiving service, Sunday, November 22, at Philippus UCC in Over-the-Rhine. Potluck supper 5:30 p.m., service 7 p.m. Kay Young volunteered to lead the service, which will focus on giving thanks, rather than the history of the holiday. The event will be open to all. We will not have communion. Cherie will email event info to each of us, and we can then make our own flyers.

Good news from our congregations:

• Faith UCC: Kay Young led highly successful classes on two books, "The Great Emergence: How Christianity is Changing and Why" and "1959" by Fred Kaplan—both highly recommended.

• St Peter & St. Paul UCC: Jim Hill led a blessing of the animals service.

• Philippus UCC: The church hosted a neighborhood supper that included breast cancer screenings. They ran out of hamburgers. Cherie is leading a bible study group on Mondays from 11-2. The focus is the book of Acts.

• The Gathering UCC: Pastor Steve van Kuiken has accepted a call in Tucson. Ruth Brandon will meet with the congregation to inform them about the UCC search process.

• St. John's UCC: The church will participate in a joint confirmation program with Bellevue, Latonia, and Ft. Thomas (Christ UCC).

• Salem UCC: The church's Gabriel's Corner was a site for Fringe Festival plays; they are planning ADA accessible restrooms, and they sponsored an anti-violence art program.

• St. Paul UCC: The church is preparing for Cynthia's ordination, their first such service in the congregation's history.

• Pilgrim Chapel UCC: The church is growing, and they are installing an elevator.

• Christ Church UCC: David Schwab, Interim Pastor, will lead the congregation through this time of transition (2 years). The congregation is enthusiastic about its future possibilities.

Next meeting: Wednesday, October 7, Salem UCC, 1425 Sycamore St., Over-the-Rhine.

Respectfully submitted,
Stuart Blersch, sec'y

Notes from May 5, 2009

2009-06-24T08:30:00.000-07:00

River Valley Covenant Cluster Meeting
Wednesday, May 5, 2009
Philippus UCC, Over-the-Rhine

The meeting began at 11:00 a.m. Present: Pam DeFusco, Cherie Hableton, Keith Haithcock, Steve Hecky, Cynthia Priem, Bala'zs Szücs, and Stuart Blersch.

Pam began the meeting with an excerpt from Jesus' Plan for a New World. Next we each reported on something good that has happened in our congregations.

Crop Walk: Keith reviewed tentative plans for the October 3 event. The steering committee will decide how to distribute the 25% of the take that will be earmarked for local needs.

Washington UCC Work Day: we discussed possible activities to augment or replace the traditional annual RVCC Doing Something Beautiful event. Suggestions included:

• having several Camp Washington street feeds during the year and/or

• focusing on a specific project, such as renovating a house in CW, that volunteers from the cluster could volunteer for and work on over an extended period of time.

Cherie told us about her faith journey, which began in Cayahoga Falls ("Coga Falls") Ohio, and has now brought her to Philippus Church. Her Husband Paul Burden is also an ordained minister.

The meeting adjourned at noon.

The next meeting will be Wednesday, July 1, at the Gathering UCC in Over-the-Rhine.

Respectfully submitted,
Stuart Blersch, sec'y

April 1 meeting notes

2009-04-29T08:09:00.000-07:00

River Valley Covenant Cluster Meeting
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
St. John UCC, Bellevue

The meeting began at 11:00 a.m. Present: Keith Haithcock, Rudy Gruenke, Steve Hecky, Jim Hill, Linda Kemp-Baird, Cynthia Priem, Kay Young, Mark Young, and Stuart Blersch.

We began with a prayer from The Living Book of Daily Prayer, published by Pilgrim Press.

Crop Walk: Keith announced that this ecumenical event is scheduled for Saturday, October 3, as a benefit for Church World Service. 25% of the take will be used locally, and 75% globally. The approximately 3-mile route includes 3 bridges: Roebling, Purple People, and Taylor-Southgate.

We discussed the potential conflict with our annual fall workday at Washington UCC. One suggestion was to identify one specific project, such as renovating a house, with a set number of volunteers. We will discuss options with Pam at the May meeting.

Mark, Steve, and Linda agreed to work with Keith to plan the Crop Walk.

Keith announced that the Lenten get-togethers have been very successful and should be expanded next year.

The meeting adjourned at noon.

After the meeting we went to lunch with Mark Young, who is leaving our cluster to become pastor at Immanuel UCC in St. Bernard.

Next meeting: Wednesday, May , 2009, at Philippus UCC, in Over-the-Rhine. Our discussion topic: how do we conduct our Sunday services?

Respectfully submitted,
Stuart Blersch, sec'y

March 4 meeting notes

2009-03-25T07:53:00.000-07:00

River Valley Covenant Cluster Meeting
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
St. Paul UCC, Fort Thomas

The meeting began at 11:00 a.m. Present: Andrew Birken, Pam DeFusco, Keith Haithcock, Rudy Gruenke, Gil fauber, Steve Hecky, Linda Kemp-Baird, Cynthia Priem, Henry Marksbury, Mark Young, and Stuart Blersch.

Andrew Birken is now the interim pastor at St. Paul UCC in Alexandria.

We welcomed our guest, Ruth Brandon, who led the meeting. We began by reading the parable of the sheep, as rewritten by a child in Harlem. We continued with the theme of outreach by role playing situations involving people who don't have religious backgrounds but who make contact with our church. We discussed ways of reaching these people.

Ruth handed out a rubric, "Contrasting Theological Paradigms," which compares the "establishment church" with the "mission church." The Center for Parish Development created the rubric.

Steve commented that the most difficult diversity issue is to be found within our own congregations: the status quo members vs. the more progressive members.

The meeting adjourned at noon.

Next meeting: Wednesday, April 1, 2009, at St. John UCC, Bellevue. Our discussion topic: how do we conduct our Sunday services?

After the meeting we will go to lunch with Mark Young, who is leaving our cluster to become pastor at Immanuel UCC in St. Bernard.

Respectfully submitted,
Stuart Blersch, sec'y

February minutes

2009-02-17T09:01:00.000-08:00

River Valley Covenant Cluster Meeting
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Faith UCC, Anderson Township

The meeting began at 11:00 a.m. Present: Pam DeFusco, Keith Haithcock, Rudy Gruenke, Kay Young, Steve Hecky, Cynthia Priem, and Stuart Blersch.

We began the meeting with each member briefly answering this question: What are you doing here? Some of the responses: to open minds and hearts; to find a base community with a liberation theology; to be part of an inclusive congregation; to do God's work; to find and experience the joy of faith; to partner with other churches in an ecumenical spirit.

We agreed to continue meeting at 11:00 a.m. on the first Wednesday of the month. The yearly schedule is listed on the RVCC website.

Mark Young has left Christ UCC in Ft. Thomas and will be pastor at Immanuel UCC in St. Bernard.

We discussed church fundraising. In addition to a well-planned stewardship campaign, suggestions included challenging the congregation to tithe for one month; have a double tithe Sunday for one Sunday alone; having a dinner plus a movie or entertainment and charging admission; using the church's space to generate income; cutting down on heat bills by having committees meet on the same day of the week; and getting grants to fund programs such as a homework club.

Our discussion topic for April: how do we conduct our Sunday services?

Next Meeting: Wednesday, March 4, 11:00 a.m. at St. Paul UCC in Ft. Thomas. Ruth Brandon will attend.

Respectfully submitted,
Stuart Blersch, sec'y

January minutes

2009-01-28T11:14:00.000-08:00

River Valley Covenant Cluster Meetineeg
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Immanuel UCC, Bromley, Kentucky

The meeting began at 11:00 a.m. Present: Pam DeFusco, Rudy Gruenke, Keith Haithcock, Bill Hamilton, Steve Heckey, Jim Hill, Jim Korpik, and Stuart Blersch.

We opened the meeting with Ann Weems' poem, "I Celebrate the Church of Jesus Christ," in honor of Jim Korpik's many years of service to the UCC. We stated our individual wishes for his future in retirement.

Pam expressed our concern at the loss of Steve Heckey's father.

Keith reported that the Crop Walk is slowly mobilizing.

St. John's in Newport, St. John in Bellevue, and St. Mark in Latonia are planning a combined confirmation class, meeting at 6 p.m. for 13 weeks beginning Wednesday, September 16, 2009, and ending January 6, 2010. The class will meet at St. John's in Newport. It is hoped that this confirmation class will form a core for a RVCC youth fellowship group.

Sherry Hamilton is the new pastor at Philippus UCC.

We decided to change our regular meeting time to 9:00-10:00 a.m. on the first Wednesday of the month.

We agreed on the following meeting locations for 2009:
• February: Faith UCC, Anderson Twp.
• March: St. Paul UCC, Ft. Thomas
• April: St. John UCC, Bellevue
• May: Philippus UCC, Over-the-Rhine
• June: The Gathering UCC, Over-the-Rhine
• July: no meeting
• August: Christ UCC, Ft. Thomas
• September: St. John's UCC, Newport
• October: Salem UCC, Over-the-Rhine
• November: St. Paul, Alexandria
• December: Washington UCC, Camp Washington

The meeting adjourned at 12:30 p.m.

Next meeting: Wednesday, February 4, 9:00-10:00 a.m. at Faith UCC, in Anderson Township.

Respectfully submitted,
Stuart Blersch, sec'y

December minutes

2009-01-28T11:11:00.000-08:00

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

The meeting began at 11:00 a.m. Present: Ben Darby, Pam DeFusco, Jim Hill, Steve Heckey, Jim Korpik, Cynthia Priem, and Stuart Blersch.

Washington UCC served a delicious Advent brunch, complete with hand-picked local blackberries.

Steve reported that Leonard Pitts would cost us $5,000, so we will need a plan B for an event to initiate a conversation on race.

The UCC Mission Priority Board has a smaller budget this year, but Washington UCC is still a major beneficiary.

We discussed whether our cluster should be more involved in the annual Churchapalooza, which is a Cluster 2 event.

Pam will attend the ACT meeting Saturday.

A Hungarian Reform pastor will be in residence at Washington UCC for 6 months.

Next Meeting: Wednesday, Jan. 7, at Immanuel UCC in Bromley, Ky. This will be Jim Korpik's last RVVC meeting as pastor of St. Paul UCC, Alexandria.

Respectfully submitted,
Stuart Blersch, sec'y

November minutes

2009-01-28T10:52:00.000-08:00

River Valley Covenant Cluster Meeting
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
St. John UCC, Bellevue

The meeting began at 11:00 a.m. Present: Gil Fauber, Jim Hill, Rudy Gruenke, Keith Haithcock, Bill Hamilton, Steve Heckey, Jim Korpik, Cynthia Priem, Doug Slagle, Kay Young, and Stuart Blersch.

We welcomed Keith back from his sabbatical.

Upcoming denominational meetings: Bill Hamilton offered St. Paul UCC in Fort Thomas for the Dean's meeting in February. Jim Korpik will attend the ACT meeting December 6 at Immanuel UCC in St. Bernard.

Thanks: Pam sent her thanks to those who participated in the successful work day at Washington UCC.

More thanks: Stuart thanked Steve Heckey and St. Pauls' Newport for sponsoring the "Reinventing the Urban Church" workshop in October.

Sacred Conversation on Race: Steve is waiting to hear from Leonard Pitts for a cluster event in January or February. Kay said that she has a plan B. We discussed the possibility of planning an event at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.

Crop Walk: The consensus was to participate in the fall 2008 event, but making sure it doesn't conflict with our Washington UCC work day.

Listen up! Keith encouraged us to get involved with UCC's "God is Still Speaking" programs.

Confirmation plans: Kay, Steve, and Keith will meet to plan activities for confirmation classes.

The meeting adjourned at noon.

Next meeting: Advent Brunch, Wednesday, December 4, 11:00 a.m. at Washington UCC, 2950 Sidney Ave. in Camp Washington.

Respectfully submitted,
Stuart Blersch, sec'y

October 1 minutes

2008-10-30T08:40:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-05T11:50:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-02T10:43:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-15T08:03:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-09T12:13:00.001-07:00

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

2008-03-11T18:23:00.000-07:00

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

2008-02-20T08:48:00.000-08:00

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