--- title: Abundant Aging - Center for Abundant Aging | Rev. John Gantt description: Now retired, previously Rev. John Gantt served as called and interim pastor of congregations in Ohio, Northern Kentucky and Indiana. As a member of the Council for Health and Human Service Ministries of the UCC, he served as executive director of Crossroad, formerly Fort Wayne Children’s Home in Indiana, as interim executive of Back Bay Mission, Biloxi, MS, and as interim Director of Client Services, Back Bay Mission. On three occasions, he served as interim Conference Minister in Central Pacific Conference (Oregon and southern Idaho), Indiana Kentucky Conference, and Ohio (Heartland) Conference. He currently serves as interim pastor of St John UCC, Cumberland, Indiana. He was ordained in Marion, Ohio in 1960, two blocks from the current location of United Church Homes, Inc. --- [![Center for Abundant Aging](https://www.unitedchurchhomes.org/wp-content/uploads/uch-logo-200x84.png "Center for Abundant Aging")](https://www.unitedchurchhomes.org/parker-center) [Back to United Church Homes](https://www.unitedchurchhomes.org/) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. - [Educational Opportunities](https://www.unitedchurchhomes.org/parker-center/educational-opportunities/) - [Overview](https://www.unitedchurchhomes.org/parker-center/educational-opportunities/) - [Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE)](https://www.unitedchurchhomes.org/parker-center/educational-opportunities/clinical-pastoral-education-cpe/) - [Quellhorst Endowment Fund](https://www.unitedchurchhomes.org/parker-center/educational-opportunities/quellhorst-scholars/) - [High School Community Service Opportunities](https://www.unitedchurchhomes.org/parker-center/educational-opportunities/high-school-community-service-opportunities/) - [Internships-Undergraduate and Graduate](https://www.unitedchurchhomes.org/parker-center/educational-opportunities/internships-undergraduate-and-graduate/) - [Research Opportunities](https://www.unitedchurchhomes.org/parker-center/educational-opportunities/research-opportunities/) - Engagement with Congregations - [Resources for Worship and Reflection](https://www.unitedchurchhomes.org/parker-center/resources-for-worship-and-reflection/) - [Age-Friendly Congregations](https://www.unitedchurchhomes.org/parker-center/age-friendly-congregations/) - [Church Resources](https://www.unitedchurchhomes.org/parker-center/church-resources/) - [About the Center](https://www.unitedchurchhomes.org/parker-center/about-the-center/) - [Overview](https://www.unitedchurchhomes.org/parker-center/about-the-center/) - [Meet Rev. Beth Long-Higgins](https://www.unitedchurchhomes.org/parker-center/meet-rev-beth-long-higgins/) - [Advisory Committee](https://www.unitedchurchhomes.org/parker-center/advisory-committee/) - [Press Releases](https://www.abundantaging.org/category/press-releases/) - [Contact the Center](https://www.unitedchurchhomes.org/parker-center/contact/) # About Rev. John Gantt Now retired, previously Rev. John Gantt served as called and interim pastor of congregations in Ohio, Northern Kentucky and Indiana. As a member of the Council for Health and Human Service Ministries of the UCC, he served as executive director of Crossroad, formerly Fort Wayne Children’s Home in Indiana, as interim executive of Back Bay Mission, Biloxi, MS, and as interim Director of Client Services, Back Bay Mission. On three occasions, he served as interim Conference Minister in Central Pacific Conference (Oregon and southern Idaho), Indiana Kentucky Conference, and Ohio (Heartland) Conference. He currently serves as interim pastor of St John UCC, Cumberland, Indiana. He was ordained in Marion, Ohio in 1960, two blocks from the current location of United Church Homes, Inc. ## Recent Blog Posts ### Muse and Musician Celebrate Gratitude By Rev. John Gantt  •  June 26, 2025 Editor’s Note: As we say thank you to Rev. Gantt as he concludes his volunteer service on the United Church Homes’ Blog Team for the past five years, we felt like this.. [Read More](https://blog.unitedchurchhomes.org/muse-and-musician-1) ### Opportunity in Aging By Rev. John Gantt  •  June 19, 2025 For many of us United Church Homes’ blog readers, I suspect Juneteenth is a relatively strange word. It was only four years ago that then President Joe Biden signed.. [Read More](https://blog.unitedchurchhomes.org/opportunity-in-aging) ### Four Seas By Rev. John Gantt  •  February 13, 2025 I depended on Wikipedia for this information. I suppose if I were younger, I would have consulted ChatGPT or a similar artificial intelligence medium. [Read More](https://blog.unitedchurchhomes.org/four-seas-1) ### ThanksLiving By Rev. John Gantt  •  November 21, 2024 Imagine my chagrin. In my high school days (oh my – that was over 70 years ago!) I thought I invented a word. [Read More](https://blog.unitedchurchhomes.org/thanksliving) ### WHEN I UNBELONGED: Personal Stories About Not Fitting In By Rev. John Gantt  •  October 24, 2024 Words from one of our blog writers define unbelonging as times when one feels left out, judged, or totally different. My story may illustrate how that works. [Read More](https://blog.unitedchurchhomes.org/when-i-unbelonged-personal-stories-about-not-fitting-in) ### Opportunities that Come with Age By Rev. John Gantt  •  August 08, 2024 Retirement and aging are doorways to abundant opportunities. [Read More](https://blog.unitedchurchhomes.org/opportunities-that-come-with-age) ### Summers In the Neighborhood By Rev. John Gantt  •  June 27, 2024 The basketball hoop was bolted above our garage doors. It wasn’t exactly straight but it was the only one on our street. I also had the only basketball. [Read More](https://blog.unitedchurchhomes.org/summers-in-the-neighborhood) ### The Reality of Mortality By Rev. John Gantt  •  April 25, 2024 Eighty-one-year-old John Nettles has said: “It's so good to get up in the morning and see a donkey - they're just unbelievably beautiful and funny. My donkey Hector.. [Read More](https://blog.unitedchurchhomes.org/the-reality-of-mortality) ### Being CareFULL By Rev. John Gantt  •  March 14, 2024 Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter once observed that “There are only four kinds of people in this world: those who have been caregivers, those who are currently.. [Read More](https://blog.unitedchurchhomes.org/being-carefull) [\< Previous](https://blog.unitedchurchhomes.org/author/rev-john-gantt/page/0) [1](https://blog.unitedchurchhomes.org) [2](https://blog.unitedchurchhomes.org/author/rev-john-gantt/page/2) [3](https://blog.unitedchurchhomes.org/author/rev-john-gantt/page/3) [4](https://blog.unitedchurchhomes.org/author/rev-john-gantt/page/4) [Next \>](https://blog.unitedchurchhomes.org/author/rev-john-gantt/page/2) [![Ruth Frost Parker Center for Abundant Aging](https://www.unitedchurchhomes.org/wp-content/uploads/UCH_RFPCAA_Horiz_4c-1-1.png "Ruth Frost Parker Center for Abundant Aging")](https://www.unitedchurchhomes.org/the-center-for-abundant-aging/) #### Educational Opportunities - [Overview](https://www.unitedchurchhomes.org/parker-center/educational-opportunities/) - [Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE)](https://www.unitedchurchhomes.org/parker-center/educational-opportunities/clinical-pastoral-education-cpe/) - [Quellhorst Endowment Fund](https://www.unitedchurchhomes.org/parker-center/educational-opportunities/quellhorst-scholars/) - [High School Community Service Opportunities](https://www.unitedchurchhomes.org/parker-center/educational-opportunities/high-school-community-service-opportunities/) - [Internship-Undergraduate and Graduate](https://www.unitedchurchhomes.org/parker-center/educational-opportunities/internships-undergraduate-and-graduate/) - [Research Opportunities](https://www.unitedchurchhomes.org/parker-center/educational-opportunities/research-opportunities/) #### Engagement with Congregations - [Resources for Worship and Reflection](https://www.unitedchurchhomes.org/parker-center/resources-for-worship-and-reflection/) - [Age-Friendly Congregations](https://www.unitedchurchhomes.org/parker-center/age-friendly-congregations/) - [Church Resources](https://www.unitedchurchhomes.org/parker-center/church-resources/) #### About the Center - [Overview](https://www.unitedchurchhomes.org/parker-center/about-the-center/) - [Meet Rev. Beth Long-Higgins](https://www.unitedchurchhomes.org/parker-center/meet-rev-beth-long-higgins/) - [Advisory Committee](https://www.unitedchurchhomes.org/parker-center/advisory-committee/) - [Press Releases](https://www.abundantaging.org/category/press-releases/) Standards of Conduct [United Church Homes, Inc. (UCH) complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate, exclude or treat people different because of race, color, creed, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, age, disability, genetic information or ancestry. Spanish: Chinese: German: Arabic: Pennsylvanian Dutch: Russian: French: Vietnamese: Korean: Italian: Japanese: Dutch: Ukrainian: Romanian: Albanian: Korean: Bengali: Polish: Tagalong.](https://www.unitedchurchhomes.org/wp-content/themes/uch-theme/assets/pdf/UCH-Discrimination-Policy.pdf) © 2026 United Church Homes, Inc. All Rights Reserved.