The Concentric Circles of Communities

By Rev. Beth Long-Higgins, VP of Engagement and director of the Center for Abundant Aging  •  June 04, 2026

Community can be a geographic place, like a neighborhood, or group of people working toward a specific purpose or around specific interests. Community can also be seen as a network of people woven through our daily lives. Think of this network as concentric circles with the depth of relationships ranging from those who are emotionally close and intimate out to acquaintances we encounter along the was. No matter the emotional connections, I want to highlight a couple of things that help define..

Recent Blog Posts

Mobility Matters

By Rev. Beth Long-Higgins, VP of Engagement and director of the Center for Abundant Aging  •  July 18, 2019

Mobility matters. We may live in a mobile culture, but being mobile — navigating the space around us — is more fundamental. This navigation began from the time we..

Mentation, Brain Health

By Rev. Catherine Lawrence  •  July 11, 2019

Brain Health Mentation, or brain health, is the second blog in this series about What Matters Most for your healthcare. Inspired by an article from NextAvenue , What..

LISTEN UP: Hearing What Matters Most to Our Care As We Age

By Rev. Rebecca S. King  •  July 08, 2019

AGE FRIENDLY The population of the United States is aging. A 2017 study found that “within just a couple decades, older people are projected to outnumber children for..

The Light of Hope

By Rev. Catherine Lawrence  •  June 20, 2019

Many residents in our community seek to live fully each day by focusing their energy on the light of hope. Addressing the joys and challenges of aging while living..

Hope as a Journey

By Rev. Rebecca S. King  •  June 13, 2019

Assessing for Hope As a chaplain working with older adults in long-term care, part of my call is to complete spiritual assessments with residents. In obtaining their..

Birth of a New Community

By Rev. Al Irby  •  June 07, 2019

A Community's Birth Communities of people are fluid. We change houses or jobs, get a promotion at work or join a church. Years later, some may choose to move into a..

Community of Saints

By Rev. Catherine Lawrence  •  May 30, 2019

Our assisted living community celebrated the life of one of our beloved residents a few weeks ago. Preparing for worship, I thought about how a community of saints can..

What Does Age Have to Do with It?

By Rev. Dr. Kenneth Daniel  •  May 23, 2019

The Impact of Clergy Age on Churches When I was ordained back in 1981, I accepted the call to serve St. Andrew’s UCC, a small congregation in the old industrial city of..

Small Groups: Big Connections

By Rev. Rebecca S. King  •  May 16, 2019

Connecting Through Small Groups: A Story Last week, at the continuing care retirement community where I serve, the speaker for our senior class group that day called two..