February 2008 Cleveland Reflections

 

Bill loves having a garage for our car. Mary loves her winter boots. The winter clothes we brought are suitable and we are grateful for that. The daily layers of clothing needed take time and planning! Appreciation of the sunshine whenever it decides to appear is an understatement.The rapid transit train is the best way for us to get to and from the office most days. It’s rated #1 in North America –which is a good thing.

Our volunteer placement is interesting and includes Tuesday morning worship with Wider Church Ministries staff and Wednesday morning worship for all in Amistad Chapel. The work assignment itself is a challenge to both of us but we are committed to doing our best and making a helpful contribution.

On President’s Day we toured the McKinley Presidential library and museum in Canton. Elon friends, Gail (Campbell) and Doug Allcock, who live in Mentor OH, met us for dinner last weekend and we had a fine ‘catch up’ visit after last seeing each other at Elon’s homecoming in 1997. This past weekend we visited Ohio’s Amish country and toured Behalt! a 360 degree mural at the Amish and Mennonite Heritage Center in Berlin, OH.

The Western Reserve area of Ohio has some interesting history that involves the state of Connecticut. And we now know that the scarlet red carnation is this state’s flower and the Buckeye is the state tree- and it also means other things to locals.

Our worship options are many in this city. We were glad to be invited to do a Partners in Service ‘moment for mission’ presentation at Parma UCC and are now attending a Lenten series on Wednesday nights at West Park UCC that includes a potluck supper.  About 30 of us are studying John 3:16 with a Max Lucado DVD and study guide led by laity.

Sometimes as we trudge through the snow and wind on Cleveland sidewalks we wonder aloud what we are doing here.  Kiddingly, we’ve asked our supervisor if Bermuda could be our next placement!  It can no longer be said that we are ‘fair-weather only’ volunteers!

Our residential hosts are caring folks and we are learning how to make this particular living arrangement work best for all.

We look forward to hearing from you!  Please write soon.

2/24/08

February 2008 Placement in Cleveland OHIO

Greetings from Cleveland! Yes, we’ve been ‘recruited’ to volunteer in Ohio for the next 9 months and are now getting acclimated to the winter weather, learning more every day about our volunteer role with United Church of Christ Wider Church Ministries, adjusting to a 10 mile commute while also becoming better acquainted with our host family. 

Our volunteer experience in the Asheville NC area concluded on Nov 30; the 3.5 month placement at Montreat Conference Center was well-spent but a bit too short so maybe we’ll return again someday.  December involved travel to be with our daughter’s family and then Christmas week in Hilton Head was spent with our son’s family.  January gave us time to catch up with our home community in the Elon area and get some medical appointments taken care of.  Also in January our annual national volunteer retreat was held in Charleston SC. 

It’s really hard to believe that this is our 6^th year and 6^th assignment of volunteer work. We continue to enjoy this journey while helping others, meeting new people and making friends along the way.    This assignment is quite different in that our volunteer residence accommodations are in a private home with a hospital chaplain, Wayne, and his wife, Jane. The house and neighborhood reminds us of Bill’s boyhood home in Metuchen NJ.  The home includes a cute little dog, Charley, and is in the West Park/Kamms Korner area about 10 miles from our volunteer work location at 700 Prospect Ave E. in downtown Cleveland.     

It is also very strange to be volunteering in a ‘semi-corporate’ setting.  There are about 150 UCC staff housed here.  We are on the 7^th floor, share an office with a window that looks over Jacobs Field (now Progressive Field) where the Boston Red Sox made history last fall.  Office hours are 8:30 to 4:30 M-F.  Our colleagues are persons with mission and church work related responsibilities all over the world.  It does seem odd that this particular volunteer work location reminds us of Bill’s 22 years at Travelers Insurance Co in Hartford. 

Our volunteer responsibilities are varied and challenging.  We are assisting our supervisor with the drafting of a policies and procedures manual for database management by interviewing users and preparing the document for approval.  We’ll be helping with a national conference on philanthropy in April and also doing some brainstorming to possibly expand a worldwide Child Sponsorship program.  We’ve never before had an assignment where we share an office and have the same job description and are developing ways to make this work out. 

As is our custom, we are visiting local churches and exploring the area.  We’ve already been to Arch Wood, Pilgrim and West Park churches, visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and discovered the West End Market.   

With our first full week of adjustment behind us we look forward to this Cleveland opportunity and adventure.  And we look forward to hearing from you.