A First Call and a Frank Conversation

After graduating seminary, I began the arduous process of finding my first call as pastor.  I finally identified a congregation of serious interest.  Their profile provided a name of a local pastor who was supporting them in their search.  His name was Howard and had served as a senior pastor in this city for over thirty years.  As we got acquainted, Howard shared the opportunities and particular challenges of this congregation.  Lovely people. Interested in mission and youth.  An older group, eager for a new pastor.  Their previous pastor had retired after twenty-seven years of service there.  Howard knew of some personal and congregational issues over that pastor’s long tenure.  He didn’t sugar coat what he knew.

We discussed the challenges of following a long tenured pastor.  There would be high expectations for new ideas.  And probably a low tolerance for change.  Many patterns that had been set would need to be evaluated and possibly improved.  Probably there will be conflicts.  It would be all new to me, of course. I should mention that I was 26 years old.

Finally, after a frank conversation, I asked, “Howard, you know this situation.  Would you recommend that a newly minted pastor take this church as his first call?”  After a few seconds of silence, Howard replied, “No, I wouldn’t.”  I took a breath.  I liked the people I met.  They seemed enthusiastic.  But now it was my turn to reflect. Before I replied, Howard then added, “But if you feel called to this congregation, I will support you every step of the way.”

The Gift of a Mentor

I didn’t know at the time that this simple offer would change my ministry and even my life.  As a highly respected and experienced pastor, Howard became my mentor.  We met regularly to discuss those challenges he outlined and many more.  Indeed, as a young pastor with a lot to learn, the most important lesson was this:  I needed mentoring more than I knew.

Howard had those qualities that a good mentor can offer.  He offered me the benefit of his experiences, his own bumps and bruises navigating parish ministry for over a generation in this town.  Although I had grown up in a similar city, this town was more conservative, traditional, and taciturn.  At times, I needed Howard’s experience to guide me out of inadvertent dips into hot water if not catastrophic missteps.

He also opened his personal life to me.  As a single person, I had few friends in the area.  Working as a pastor left little time to meet people.  I experienced loneliness that compounded the normal stresses of ministry.  Howard introduced me to his family and invited me to many dinners and coffee klatches where I could just be myself, share a glass of wine, and relax.  He invited me to attend the local symphony with him and his wife and introduced me to others in his circle of acquaintances, some closer in age.  I began to feel that loneliness dissipate as I put down new roots.

A Door into Senior Living Leadership

Finally, Howard saw something in me that I didn’t know was there.  He served on the board of our denominational senior living ministry in the area.  While living in our town, I served on a subsidiary board with Howard planning a whole new retirement community nearby.  But one day, the CEO called me to a meeting with Howard.  They had identified me as a possible candidate to take a staff position managing a recently built life care residential building on the main campus about an hour away.

I had been serving my church for over seven years by then.  In the meantime, I had married (another local pastor) and just had a newborn child.  Howard had recommended me for this job.  While not parish ministry directly, this job involved working with a lot of people, leading a staff, and joining an exciting form of ministerial work I had never known about.

I remember telling Howard and the CEO that I had no training, no business classes or other preparation.  The CEO said, “we will teach you the business.  We need your people skills in this setting.  And there will be more opportunities to grow and lead in the future with us.”  In fact, I worked for over 19 years in that organization.  Then I moved on to several other leadership roles in other nonprofits.  The culmination of my career came when I served as president and CEO of United Church Homes from 2011 to 2025.

Throughout it all, I carried the wisdom and confidence gained from my mentor, Howard.  Though I had other mentors over the years, Howard’s love and wisdom sustained my heart.  Later in life, Howard was admitted to the nursing center where I was the administrator responsible for overseeing his care.  Our friendship had lasted over twenty years.  I was with him when he breathed his last, accompanying him on the final leg of his earthly journey.  His wisdom lives on in me.

Wisdom Passed On

Today I serve as a volunteer mentor for a new generation progressing through the middle years of their careers in nonprofit senior living organizations.  I find myself channeling some of the wisdom I learned from Howard long ago—trust your heart, lead with integrity, listen and provide honest feedback, never give up.  With Howard’s tutelage, I have accumulated a lot more wisdom. Mentorship remains one of the quietest and most enduring gifts we offer in ministry, nonprofit leadership, and senior living. In a way, there’s a circle that has become complete, generation to generation.

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Learn more about the impact of cross-generational relationships at this year’s Abundant Aging Symposium: Intergenerational Connections on October 16.

Visit https://www.unitedchurchhomes.org/blog/2026-abundant-aging-symposium/ for more information and to register!

The Symposium on Intergenerational Connection will bring together thought leaders, practitioners, advocates, and community members for a day of learning, inspiration, and networking focused on strengthening relationships across generations.

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Laura Farrell Appointed to LeadingAge Ohio Board of Directors

COLUMBUS, OH (Aug. 31, 2026) United Church Homes is proud to announce that Laura Farrell, Vice President of Healthcare Operations, has been appointed to the LeadingAge Ohio Board of Directors, recognizing her longstanding commitment to excellence in aging services and healthcare leadership.

Laura Farrell

Farrell’s appointment follows her receipt of the 2025 LeadingAge Ohio Visionary Leadership Award of Honor, a prestigious recognition celebrating her dedication, passion, and transformative leadership in serving older adults and advancing quality care across the continuum of aging services.

LeadingAge Ohio is a nonprofit trade association representing more than 400 long-term care, senior housing, hospice, healthcare, and aging services organizations across the state. The association’s mission is to advance solutions for exceptional care and successful living while advocating for policies, innovation, and resources that empower older Ohioans to live fully as they age.

As Vice President of Healthcare Operations at United Church Homes and Administrator at The Trinity Community at Beavercreek, Farrell has established a reputation for fostering excellence in clinical care, empowering team members and championing resident-centered services. Her leadership has played a significant role in enhancing quality outcomes while ensuring compassionate, mission-driven care for residents and their families.

“Laura’s appointment to the LeadingAge Ohio Board is a tremendous honor and a testament to the impact she has made both within our organization and throughout the aging services profession,” said Kenneth Young, President and CEO of United Church Homes. “Her vision, expertise and commitment to older adults make her exceptionally well-suited to help guide the future of aging services in Ohio.”

Farrell will collaborate with fellow leaders from across Ohio to help shape strategic priorities, advocate for aging services providers, and strengthen the quality of care and services available to older adults throughout the state.

“I am honored to serve on the LeadingAge Ohio Board of Directors,” said Farrell. “Throughout my career, I have been passionate about ensuring older adults receive exceptional care and support. I look forward to working alongside fellow board members to advance innovative solutions and strengthen the future of aging services.”

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For more than a century, United Church Homes has been dedicated to transforming the lives of older adults with quality housing and compassionate care. Now recognized as the 19th largest multisite nonprofit senior living organization in the U.S., according to the 2025 LeadingAge Ziegler 200 ranking, UCH proudly serves nearly 7,000 residents across more than 90 vibrant communities in 15 states and two Native American nations. Driven by a mission to redefine aging, UCH creates a culture of community, wholeness and peace for those it has the honor to serve. United Church Homes continues to lead the way in shaping the future of senior living. 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Parkvue Community Earns Prestigious CMS Five-Star Overall Quality Rating

Only skilled nursing community in Sandusky to achieve the nation’s highest quality designation

SANDUSKY, OH (Aug. 10, 2026) — The Parkvue Community, a United Church Homes senior living community, has earned a 5-Star Overall Quality Rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), placing it among the highest-performing skilled nursing providers in Ohio and across the nation.

The distinction is awarded through CMS’ nationally recognized Five-Star Quality Rating System, which evaluates nursing homes based on three key areas: health inspections, staffing, and quality measures. Facilities receiving an Overall Five-Star rating are considered to provide “much above average” quality of care. Already recognized with a 5-Star Quality Measures rating, The Parkvue Community recently saw its resident survey rating improve to 4 stars, a key factor in achieving the highest possible Overall 5-Star designation from CMS. For families searching for skilled nursing care, the recognition is both meaningful and rare.

Of Ohio’s 911 CMS-rated nursing homes, only 210 currently hold the coveted Overall Five-Star Rating—just 22% of all rated, statewide. Meanwhile, Ohio nursing homes average just 2.9 stars overall. The Parkvue Community is also the only skilled nursing community in Sandusky to earn the highest overall CMS designation, underscoring its leadership in quality care throughout the region.

“This recognition reflects the incredible commitment our team demonstrates every single day,” said Christopher “Jedd” Rawlins, Regional Director of Healthcare Services, The Parkvue Community. “Every employee plays a role in creating an environment where residents receive exceptional clinical care while being treated with dignity, compassion and respect. We are honored to receive this distinction because it represents the trust our residents and their families place in us.”

Located on a scenic 26-acre campus near the Lake Erie shoreline, The Parkvue Community has served older adults in the Sandusky area for generations. Operated by United Church Homes, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit providers of senior living and health care services, the community offers a full continuum of care designed to meet changing needs throughout retirement.

In addition to its award-winning skilled nursing neighborhood, The Parkvue Community offers:

• Independent Living
• Assisted Living
• Memory Care
• Fast Track Rehabilitation
• Skilled Nursing

Residents also enjoy a vibrant campus featuring restaurant-style dining, walking trails, an indoor aquatic center, fitness center, library, activity and craft spaces, a full calendar of social and wellness programming, and faith-inspired support through an on-site chapel and full-time chaplain.

“The Five-Star Overall Quality Rating reinforces our commitment to providing exceptional care and creating opportunities for older adults to live with purpose, dignity and peace of mind,” said Rawlins. “Families deserve confidence when choosing care for someone they love, and we are proud to be a trusted resource for the Sandusky community.”

The CMS Five-Star Quality Rating System is updated regularly to help individuals and families compare nursing homes nationwide and make informed decisions about care. For a search for providers in your area, visit: www.medicare.gov/care-compare/

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For more than a century, United Church Homes has been dedicated to transforming the lives of older adults with quality housing and compassionate care. Now recognized as the 19th largest multisite nonprofit senior living organization in the U.S., according to the 2025 LeadingAge Ziegler 200 ranking, UCH proudly serves nearly 7,000 residents across more than 90 vibrant communities in 15 states and two Native American nations. Driven by a mission to redefine aging, UCH creates a culture of community, wholeness and peace for those it has the honor to serve. As a founding member of Radiant Alliance, United Church Homes continues to lead the way in shaping the future of senior living. 

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We often assume that being generous only means giving something big: money, time, energy, sacrifice. We donate to our chosen philanthropies, mine being Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the Trevor Project. Or we volunteer our time to projects that matter. Generosity can take effort because it often asks us to give part of ourselves, our attention, patience, comfort, resources, or time. But what if generosity could be simple? Abundant living is not only about having more to give; it is about living with a heart willing to share love and kindness in everyday moments. We may not all have tangible/valuable items to offer, but we all have the capacity to be kind.

Generosity Is More Than a Transaction

Generosity is not limited to grand gestures; it can be choosing to notice when a friend isn’t doing well and offering to be there for them. Generosity can be encouragement, enthusiasm, forgiving yourself and others, and having a sense of care with you as you walk about daily life. It can be going over to include the person who seems to be on the sidelines by themselves. Making sure everyone in the group has a chance to be active in a conversation. Or showing patience to an individual who you may not always agree with.

When Generosity Takes Effort

In that way generosity is not always simple; it can be inconvenient and uncomfortable. We may be having a difficult day ourselves and do not always carry the capacity to be enthusiastically kind. We have our own difficulties and situations that others do not know about. Generous living asks us to slow down, be patient, let go of our pride, and choose compassion even when we are tired. The effort doesn’t make our generosity any less true; it can make it more meaningful because it reflects intention.

Scarcity Mindset vs. Abundant Living

When considering to be generous, we often have “scarcity thinking”. This is the fear that our kindness given will be wasted, our time will run out, or the act of giving will not be satisfying and leave us feeling empty. We combat this with the root of Abundant Living: trusting that love grows when it is shared and that kindness creates connection rather than exhaustion. Generosity trains us to notice, and be grateful for, what we do have (compassion, presence, words, and opportunities) and offer it freely.

Why Generosity Enriches the Giver and Receiver

Generosity enriches both the person who receives it and the person who offers it. When we choose to give encouragement, patience, attention, or kindness, we create moments where another person feels seen and valued. That matters. A simple act can interrupt someone’s loneliness, soften a hard day, or remind them that they are not moving through life unnoticed. At the same time, generosity changes something in us. It draws us out of our own worries and helps us live with more gratitude, compassion, and purpose.

Love and kindness also have a ripple effect. When one person chooses to be generous in a small way, that care can move through friendships, families, workplaces, and communities. The receiver may pass that same kindness on to someone else, and the giver often discovers that life feels fuller when it is lived with an open heart. This is one of the beautiful paradoxes of abundance: when we give from the heart, we are not left with less. Instead, we often gain deeper connection, more meaning, and a stronger awareness of the good already around us.

Practical Ways to Practice Everyday Generosity

Give your attention: listen without immediately trying to fix or respond.

Give encouragement: text someone a kind word, write a note, or speak appreciation out loud.

Give patience: choose grace in moments of frustration.

Give presence: show up for someone who needs support.

Give kindness to strangers: smile, hold the door, offer help, or make someone’s day easier.

Give love consistently: look for small daily opportunities to reflect care.

Common Barriers to Generosity

Feeling too busy, tired, or emotionally stretched.

Believing generosity has to be impressive to matter.

Fear that effort will go unnoticed or unappreciated.

Comparison, resentment, or the belief that we do not have enough to offer.

Forgetting that even simple kindness can be a meaningful gift.

Live The Open-Hearted Life

Generosity can be costly, but it can also be beautifully simple. It may ask us to give our time, patience, attention, or comfort, but it can also begin with one kind word, one thoughtful message, one moment of grace, or one choice to include someone who feels unseen. Abundant living is not always about having more than enough in a material sense. It is about believing that love and kindness are worth sharing, even in ordinary moments.

Living open-heartedly means looking for small opportunities to give a meaningful part of ourselves. This week, that might look like listening more closely, encouraging someone who feels discouraged, offering help without being asked, or choosing patience when frustration would be easier. Generosity does not have to be grand to be meaningful. Sometimes the simplest act of love is the very thing that reminds someone else, and reminds us, that there is still goodness to share.

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Within its own context, there is wisdom there. Generosity can loosen our grip on what we have, turn our attention toward another person’s need, and remind us that abundance is meant to be shared.

But there is another side of generosity that receives far less attention.

Sometimes, the more difficult spiritual practice is not giving.

Sometimes, it is learning to receive with grace.

I learned something about that when I was in culinary school.

I was working hard on my education and, let’s be honest, I was a poor college kid working his way toward becoming a big, famous chef. Most Sundays, I would drive more than fifty miles to attend church with a family I had known for years.

I considered their children siblings. I considered Bob and Constance another set of parents. They loved me dearly, and I loved them.

Constance was the queen of the house, the very picture of grace and love. Bob was the pastor of the church. Together, I thought of them as my spiritual parents.

Bob—“the Alabama Slamma”—was a big, burly chiropractor and a charismatic preacher, truly a man whose voice could move mountains. Not only did they love me well, they cared for me when I came to visit. After worship, they would always take me along wherever they went for lunch.

Then came the familiar rhythm of the afternoon: worship, lunch, conversation, laughter, and a few hours of respite in their company before I began the hour-long drive back to college.

One Sunday, just before I got into my car, Bob swiftly handed me a folded $100 bill and said simply:

“For gas.”

I tried several times to give it back.

“No, it’s fine.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“You’ve already done so much.”

Bob laughed his big, burly belly laugh. Then his eyes became serious—loving, but serious.

“I know you need it,” he said. “So just say thank you, and accept it with a smile.”

Then he pulled me into one of his engulfing bear hugs.

I said thank you with a big smile.

And that was that.

That moment has stayed with me because Bob understood something I was still learning: sometimes receiving is an act of trust. Sometimes the most gracious thing we can do is stop resisting love when it is offered.

Many of us are far more comfortable being the helper than being helped. We know how to bring the meal, write the check, offer the ride, watch the children, make the phone call, or show up when someone is struggling. Giving allows us to feel useful, capable, and generous.

Receiving can feel different.

Receiving asks us to admit that we have a need. It may require us to surrender some control, allow another person to see our vulnerability, or accept that we cannot do everything on our own.

Perhaps that is one reason the story of the Good Samaritan continues to challenge us.

We usually tell the story by focusing on the extraordinary generosity of the Samaritan. A man is attacked, robbed, beaten, and left beside the road. Others pass him by, but the Samaritan stops. He tends the man’s wounds, lifts him onto his own animal, carries him to safety, and pays for his care.

The Samaritan becomes the example of what it means to love one’s neighbor.

And rightly so.

But there is another part of the story worth noticing: the wounded man receives the Samaritan’s help.

Jesus does not identify the injured traveler’s ethnicity, though his original hearers may have imagined someone from their own community. What matters is that the person who comes near is a Samaritan—someone whom many in Jesus’ audience had been taught to regard with suspicion, contempt, or hostility.

The wounded man is placed in the care of someone he might never have chosen.

Had they met under ordinary circumstances, social and religious division might have kept them apart. Yet on the roadside, the wounded traveler’s healing depends upon receiving compassion from the very person he may have been conditioned to distrust.

The story asks us not only, “Will you become a neighbor to someone in need?”

It may also ask, “Will you allow an unexpected person to become a neighbor to you?”

Of course, the wounded man may have been too injured to object. The text says he was left half-dead. But that vulnerability makes the story even more powerful. He could not preserve his independence. He could not control who helped him, dictate the terms of his care, or repay the kindness immediately.

He simply had to be carried.

That may be one of the hardest experiences for any of us.

When someone offers to help, our instinct is often to say:

“Oh, I don’t need that.”

“You really don’t have to.”

“Thank you, but no thank you.”

“I can manage.”

Sometimes declining is appropriate. Healthy boundaries matter, and not every offer must be accepted. But sometimes our refusal is not about discernment. It is about discomfort.

We do not want to feel indebted. We do not want to appear incapable. We do not want to inconvenience anyone. We may have spent a lifetime believing that our value lies in what we can accomplish, provide, or carry for others.

Yet when we automatically refuse sincere generosity, we may unintentionally close the door on someone else’s opportunity to love.

Perhaps the Spirit has stirred that person to act. Perhaps they have been given the time, resources, compassion, or ability to meet a need. Perhaps offering help is part of their own growth, healing, or calling.

Receiving graciously does not mean believing that we are entitled to another person’s generosity. It means recognizing a gift for what it is and allowing ourselves to say, sincerely and simply:

“Thank you. I receive this with gratitude.”

What gracious receiving looks like may change throughout our lives.

In one season, it may mean accepting an unexpected financial gift without immediately insisting that it be repaid.

In another, it may mean allowing someone to watch our children simply because they want to give us an evening of rest.

It may mean letting a church, neighborhood, or social community surround us during illness, grief, unemployment, divorce, or another difficult transition.

It may mean accepting the gift of respite, Sabbath, or sabbatical when our bodies and spirits have carried too much for too long.

And as we grow older, it may mean allowing someone to help with a daily task that has become more difficult—even before we are fully ready to admit that it has become difficult.

A ride to an appointment.

Help carrying groceries.

A hand with yardwork.

Someone accompanying us through complicated paperwork.

A meal delivered to the door.

A steady arm offered on uncertain ground.

These moments can challenge our sense of independence. But receiving help does not make us less valuable, less capable, or less fully ourselves.

It makes us human.

Community is not built only when strong people help those in need. True community is built when all of us are free to move between giving and receiving—sometimes offering strength, sometimes admitting need, and always recognizing that no one is meant to travel alone.

A gracious receiver gives something, too.

They give another person the opportunity to serve.

They give trust.

They give honest access to their life.

They give the community permission to become what it claims to be: a place where burdens are shared, gifts are exchanged, and love moves in more than one direction.

Perhaps generosity is not a straight line from the person who has to the person who needs. Perhaps it is a circle in which each of us, over a lifetime, takes our turn giving, receiving, carrying, and being carried.

As we journey through life, new opportunities to receive will continue to find us. The invitation is not to surrender our agency or accept every offer placed before us. It is to remain open—to recognize when grace has arrived through another person and to welcome it without shame.

Maybe being a gracious receiver is not the opposite of generosity.

Maybe it is one of generosity’s most sacred forms.

And perhaps learning to receive with openness, gratitude, and trust is part of what it means to age abundantly.

Questions for Reflection

When has receiving help been more difficult for you than giving it?

What feelings arise when someone offers you care, time, money, or practical assistance?

Have you ever declined a gift because receiving it made you feel vulnerable?

Who has been an unexpected “neighbor” to you?

What might you need to receive graciously in this season of your life?

The post The Other Side of Generosity appeared first on United Church Homes.

And yet, something about her giving felt uneasy. The dinners seemed to come with expectations. The gifts were items no one needed but everyone felt obliged to accept. Her help to family was not exactly private; it seemed important that others know what she had done. Over time, it became clearer that Lorraine’s giving was not simply about meeting another person’s need. It was more about being seen as generous, gaining influence, and maintaining a certain kind of power.

When others declined her gifts or questioned the pattern, Lorraine felt offended. After all, she was “just being generous.” But generosity with strings attached is something else. True generosity seeks the good of the receiver. It does not require gratitude, obligation, admiration, or control in return.

We often link generosity to monetary engagement. But generosity doesn’t have to be limited to the sharing of wealth. This is a connection that lies in the etymology of the word going back to the 16^th century when it was linked to being of noble or aristocratic birth. (https://generosityresearch.nd.edu/more-about-the-initiative/what-is-generosity/) Even into the 18^th century, “generosity” had evolved to being kind in the giving of money and things to others.  Generosity eventually did not depend on the family one was born into but became a quality to which anyone could ascribe.

But “generosity” as something we can all work on is far older than the origins of the English word suggest. In the first letter to Timothy 6:17-19, Paul, presumably the author, is writing to Timothy to encourage him in ministry. From Peterson’s version of the biblical text:

“Tell them (the rich—those who have more than what they need) to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage—to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous.”

Generosity is the opposite of holding our earthly treasures for ourselves. It is not about a closed hand clinging to things to possess, but an open hand letting go of those things. It is about doing good, helping others, meeting the needs of the larger community and being extravagantly generous.

When I think of generous people I have known there are several who come to mind. My grandma Ruth had a generous spirit although she had little worldly possessions or wealth. One of the stories from her childhood occurred during the time that her father served a local congregation where the parsonage was connected to the church. One Sunday she noticed money on the kitchen table, and she generously used it to buy ice cream for her friends. She soon found out that that had been the offering from the Sunday School and it was not hers to give. She learned that you can’t be generous with things that are not yours to give. But she did continue throughout her life to stay connected to friends and neighbors and be attuned to how she could offer what she had to support others and spread joy.

Although our own happiness or joy may not be the primary reason, these can be a significant factor in our generosity. I know more than one person who has decided to be generous with their money later in life rather than waiting for their savings to be distributed after their death.  They take great joy in seeing how their monetary gifts to others, whether that be to grandchildren or organizations, can help to meet needs that exist now. Their generosity is not to call attention to themselves. Their generosity provides them the opportunity to meet needs that exist now and see the relief and joy that their gifts provide.

In the gospel of Mark (4:24-25) Jesus is teaching from a boat in the Sea of Galilee. It is relatively early on in his ministry. After the parable about the seeds being planted in the different soil, he talks about generosity. “Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.” Today we would probably say that the dopamine “hit” that comes from the good feeling when we give and help others’ helps to fuel generosity and the next release of dopamine! But generosity often does lead to more giving, being more generous.

There are all kinds of reasons why people are generous. Some are self-promoting. Others are more altruistic. The generosity that is a part of one’s spirit is the ability to give from what we have to help meet the needs of others. It is connected to the desire to contribute to the community. And it doesn’t have to be monetary or transactional.

Whether we are giving from the financial resources at our disposal or from the time and attention that we share with others, generosity is a quality of character that anyone can adopt for their own lives. And when we do, we can relish the extravagant joy that reinforces our desire to contribute to the greater good around us again and again.

May we all find ways to be generous of spirit, giving in the ways that we can, to meet the needs in the communities around us. May we experience the joy of giving. And may we be mindful of those who are generous around us as they contribute as they are able with the gifts they can give. May we all be extravagantly generous!

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When United Church Homes’ Center for Abundant Aging hosts its annual symposium this fall, participants will reflect on, and celebrate, more than ten years of education, advocacy and tremendous growth.

Rev. Beth Long-Higgins

When the Center was founded, the plan was simple: to host an annual event for individuals whose work centered around supporting older adults. It was an opportunity for professionals to share positive ideas, perspectives and experiences to enhance engagement and quality of care.

Over the years, the Center and its signature event have evolved.

For many participants, the annual symposium is a day of reflection on their own aging and an opportunity to engage with others to reflect not just professionally, but also personally and intellectually. For some, it serves as a day-long retreat.

“I’m very proud of the events and the caliber of speakers we’ve been fortunate to host,” said Rev. Beth Long-Higgins, UCH vice president of engagement. “The Center has grown in ways I never expected. It’s gratifying to see the results of our ongoing efforts to battle ageism.”

“Using UCH’s platform to advocate for seniors is part of our mission,” said President and Chief Executive Officer, Ken Young. “It’s been fascinating to watch the Center grow and to see its impact in our own communities and beyond.”

Today, The Center for Abundant Aging offers a rich menu of resources – the Abundant Aging podcast, Another Day Older downloadable curriculum, a blog that explores the experience of aging through the lens of faith, and courses and online conversations that celebrate the spiritual life of older adults.

Last year, nearly 2,000 individuals participated in online or in-person educational programs.

“One of the Center’s newer initiatives is the Caregiver Support Group,” Rev. Long-Higgins said, “Rev. (Darla) Metz has helped develop trauma-informed care training programs for staff and established a mental health team. We’ve also developed curriculum for training programs on spiritual well-being.”

Cynthia Dougherty.

At the heart of the Center’s work is exploring how attitude and ideas shape the way one ages. The benefits of having positive thoughts about aging include better memory and balance, living up to more than seven-plus years longer than those with negative thoughts and increased quality and satisfaction with life.

Cynthia Dougherty, who has been a member of the Center’s Advisory Committee from the beginning, sees the relationship as mutually beneficial. In her work at The Ohio State University Medical School, she brings her experiences working with seniors – and with the Center – in talking with medical students and doctors about ageism in healthcare.

“My involvement with the Center and members of the Advisory Committee has been a very positive experience,” Cynthia said. “There’s such positive energy and joy in the work we do together. I love everything about the people I’ve had the opportunity to work with and always look forward to our meetings.”

Ken Young and Rev. Beth Long-Higgins with Elizibeth “Like” Lokon, 2025 Winner of the Contributions to Abundant Aging award.

“I feel good about the conversations we have and the work we’re doing,” she continued. “It’s great to engage and learn with like minded people – I’ve learned so much from them.”

Dougherty is excited about the theme of the Center’s symposium this fall:

Engaging Generations: Connecting Lives So All Can Thrive.

Dougherty and Rev. Long-Higgins are both thrilled with the positive feedback received on the experiences of those who participate in the Center’s many programs. Words like hope, value, inspiring, uplifting, affirming and encouraging characterize their experiences. They anticipate equally positive responses to the 2026 event which will do all that and more, including a celebration of the Center and all it has accomplished in a decade.

Dr. Susan McFadden encourages participants to get up and move around.

SAVE THE DATE

ELEVENTH ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM

ENGAGING GENERATIONS

Connecting Lives So All Can Thrive

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2026

9:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET

In Person and Online Quest Conference Center

9200 Worthington Rd, Westerville, Ohio

9:00 a.m. ET – In-person pre-event connections

9:45 to 3:30 p.m. ET – Presentations

Check out our website below for updates and details in the coming months!

2026 Abundant Aging Symposium – United Church Homes

REGISTRATION WILL BE AVAILABLE IN AUGUST 2026

Read more from this year’s issue of Spirit Magazine, or explore our past issues;

Spirit Magazine – Read Here

The post A Decade of Abundant Aging appeared first on United Church Homes.

I don’t think generosity is giving when it’s easy.

I think generosity begins when it costs us something.

If giving money doesn’t change my budget, was it generosity or convenience? If volunteering fits perfectly into my schedule, was it sacrifice or simply participation? If I only serve when my family benefits, my child is involved, or the outcome somehow comes back to me, am I being generous or just investing?

Those are uncomfortable questions.

If I’m honest, I’ve been very generous when generosity was easy.

I’ve donated here and there. Supported fundraisers. Volunteered for organizations my son was involved in. Given my time where I knew the return on investment would eventually make its way back to my interests.

But giving when it inconveniences me?

Giving when I’m tired?

Giving when I don’t particularly want to?

Giving financially when it means saying no to something I wanted for myself?

That feels different.

That feels costly.

And perhaps that is exactly where generosity begins.

Scripture paints a very different picture of generosity than our culture does. We tend to celebrate generosity when it is comfortable and manageable. God seems far more interested in generosity that requires trust.

Jesus sat in the temple and watched wealthy people give large sums of money that they would never miss. Then came a widow who quietly dropped in two small coins — all she had to live on.

Jesus wasn’t impressed by the size of the gift.

He was moved by the size of the sacrifice.

The widow gave not from her abundance but from her poverty (Mark 12:41-44).

The Good Samaritan did not simply stop to check on the wounded man and wish him well. He interrupted his plans, used his own supplies, put the stranger on his own animal, took him to an inn, paid for his care, and promised to cover whatever additional expenses might come later (Luke 10:25-37).

Compassion cost him time.

It cost him money.

It cost him convenience.

A little boy handed over his lunch to Jesus — not his leftovers, not what he didn’t need, but the entirety of what he had brought for himself. Five loaves and two fish became enough to feed thousands because someone was willing to release what little he had into God’s hands (John 6:1-14).

Boaz intentionally instructed his workers to leave grain behind for Ruth to gather (Ruth 2). This wasn’t accidental generosity. It was purposeful generosity that reduced his own harvest in order to protect someone vulnerable.

Again and again, Scripture reminds us that generosity often costs the giver something.

Perhaps that is the point.

King David once said, “I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing” (2 Samuel 24:24).

That verse lingers with me.

Because if generosity costs me nothing, perhaps I have not yet reached generosity at all.

The truth is, I am not naturally gifted at this kind of giving.

I like budgets.

I like plans.

I like margins.

I like knowing there is enough.

And yet following Christ consistently calls us beyond comfort and into trust.

Thankfully, I am married to someone who understands this far better than I do.

My husband has an uncanny ability to just respond immediately. He pushes me beyond my comfort zone. More than once, he has reminded me that generosity in the Kingdom of God rarely makes sense on paper.

And honestly, that is exactly what I need.

Because the Gospel itself is a story of costly generosity.

God did not give us what was convenient.

He gave what was precious.

“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all…” (Romans 8:32).

The cross was not convenient.

Grace was not cheap.

Love cost something.

Maybe generosity was never meant to be measured by how much we give, but by how much trust is required to give it.

Perhaps generosity lives in the places where our comfort ends and our faith begins.

I am still learning that lesson.

But I suspect abundant living may have something to do with open hands.

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PORT CLINTON, OH (July 9, 2026)— United Church Homes is pleased to announce that The Parkvue Community on Catawba Island has received a $2,000 grant award from the Ottawa County Community Foundation (OCCF) to support enhancements to the assisted living outdoor deck, a popular gathering space for residents and their families.

The Ottawa County Community Foundation is a public charitable organization created by the citizens of Ottawa County to enrich the quality of life for individuals and families throughout the region. Through grants supporting education, health and social services, economic development, natural resources and the arts, OCCF invests in projects that strengthen local communities and improve quality of life.

The grant will help fund tables and chairs for the outdoor gathering space at The Parkvue Community on Catawba Island.

“We are grateful to the Ottawa County Community Foundation for recognizing the importance of creating spaces that foster connection and engagement for older adults,” said Paul Shaw, Administrator of The Parkvue Community on Catawba Island. “This outdoors space plays a vital role in the daily lives of our residents, providing opportunities for conversation, friendship and meaningful interactions with family members and fellow residents.”

The assisted living neighborhood serves older adults from Port Clinton, Catawba Island and Marblehead. As a smaller assisted living community, residents often depend on shared spaces that naturally encourage social interaction and engagement throughout the day.

Over the past decade, philanthropic support totaling approximately $27,200 has helped transform the outdoor deck into one of the community’s most valued amenities. Previous investments funded the construction of the deck, installation of a retractable awning and the purchase of initial outdoor furnishings. The new grant award will build upon those improvements and further enhance the resident experience.

Research has consistently shown that social isolation can negatively impact older adults, contributing to depression, cognitive decline and other adverse health outcomes. Accessible outdoor spaces provide important opportunities for residents to gather, enjoy fresh air and maintain meaningful social connections.

“The generosity of community partners like the Ottawa County Community Foundation helps us create environments where older adults can thrive,” said Gloria Hurwitz, vice president of advancement. “These enhancements will support daily engagement, strengthen resident relationships and help ensure this community remains a welcoming and vibrant place to call home.”

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For more than a century, United Church Homes has been dedicated to transforming the lives of older adults with quality housing and compassionate care. Now recognized as the 19th largest multisite nonprofit senior living organization in the U.S., according to the 2025 LeadingAge Ziegler 200 ranking, UCH proudly serves nearly 7,000 residents across more than 90 vibrant communities in 15 states and two Native American nations. Driven by a mission to redefine aging, UCH creates a culture of community, wholeness and peace for those it has the honor to serve.

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Our first introduction to community is family, perhaps neighborhood friends and classmates at school. These are simple relationships, as a child, maintaining them is easy. Of course, our relationship with family may change over time and we may no longer talk to our childhood friends, but these early relationships allow us to how to engage with others.

For me, that early understanding of community came naturally. I’ve always been an extroverted person who enjoys being around people. As a child, I didn’t struggle to make friends at the park or when I went away to summer camp. Though as I got older it became harder to maintain those relationships and I was hurt when I wasn’t included in certain spaces. It was disheartening because I was friendly and eager to find a place where I belonged, yet it was difficult to form those lasting connections. I was often told that I would find my people with time. Eventually, I came to understand that community isn’t always constant.

“Community isn’t built once and kept. It arrives in seasons.”

That idea has stayed with me because community rarely grows in just one way. Community can find you like a weed, unexpected and in odd places. Or it can grow like a tree, over time. It can bloom and the leaves can fall; we can lose our community. But then another season comes and we’re given the opportunity to grow with each other again.

For me, the next season of community came through the activities and spaces I chose to be part of. In my teenage years, I was more involved with after-school activities. Everything from sports, theater, and student government to working at the grocery store. In being very active in certain spaces, I spent a lot of time with people that enjoyed the things that I enjoyed and I met the people who became my circle. I found friends who I could laugh with for hours, who understood me and who challenged me. With time, I was able to make those lasting connections.

As I’ve grown older, I’ve stepped into more spaces, each different from the one before and all coming with their own experiences. In college, I joined Delta Phi Epsilon Sorority (Go Deephs!), which gave me a safe space to grow academically, socially, professionally, and personally while also engaging in philanthropy with the greater community.

Each of these experiences taught me not only how meaningful community can be, but also how important it is to make others feel welcomed within it. Because of my early experiences, I now find deep satisfaction in helping foster inclusive spaces where others can feel safe, welcomed, and seen. I strive to foster abundant community that allows space for learning, introspection, vulnerability, connection, and creativity. Giving others the time and opportunity to be themselves in a place they know will welcome them with open arms. I know what it feels like to want connection and not always know where to find it, which is why creating room for others matters so much to me.

Soon, I’ll have the opportunity to volunteer with youth in my community, and in many ways, it feels like giving back to the younger version of myself who craved community. I’ll have the opportunity to mentor and guide while creating a safe space for fun and creativity for these youth. It is a reminder that community is not only something we receive; it is something we help build for others.

“Build community by being community.”

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