NEXT Steps introduces participants to theological, philosophical, and psychological concepts of vocation and aging. It is a gathering for adults contemplating or entering retirement, and for those who are recently retired. All program activities are designed to stimulate your individual self-discovery as you develop a personal plan for your new and meaningful chapter of life. NEXT Steps participants follow a 16-week process of self-discovery through readings, presentations, small group discussions, and discernment. All classes will meet via ZOOM. By the end of the program, participants will have developed a vision and a plan for their next phase of life; their elderhood.
For more information and to register
Learn About the Ruth Parker Center for Abundant Aging
*Welcome to Oasis Registrants
*Scholarships available for all United Church of Christ clergy with standing or surviving spouses or partners. These scholarships are made available to clergy of the UCC Illinois South Conference and UCC Missouri Mid-South Conference through Deaconess Nurse Ministries and to UCC clergy and surviving spouses or partners nationally through the United church Board for Ministerial Assistance (UCBMA), the philanthropic arm of the Pension Boards.
Cohort Leaders:
Rev. Beth Long-Higgins is VP of Engagement and director of the Ruth Frost Parker Center for Abundant Aging at United Church Homes. She currently serves on the board of directors of the UCC Council for Health and Human Service Ministries and is a member of the American Society on Aging, where she sits on the Ageism and Culture Advisory Council and the Religion, Spirituality, and Aging Collaborative. Prior to her call with United Church Homes, she served as co-pastor with her spouse, Dave, for 25 years in two United Church of Christ congregations in Ohio and Kentucky.
Rev. Steve Lawler, founding director of the Walker Leadership Institute at Eden Theological Seminary, works to extend the Institute’s mission of leadership for the common good. Ordained in the Episcopal church, he served from 2001 to 2019 as the pastor of St. Stephens & The Vine, a parish and community collaboration hub in Ferguson, Missouri. From 1990 to 2016, he was faculty and program coordinator for the University College of Washington University, teaching courses in leadership, organization development, and systems thinking.
Jill Schantz, coordinator of NEXT Steps, served as Director of LIFE Programs and International Student support from 2012 until May of 2023. She has been the director of NEXT Steps since 2021. A graduate of Eden seminary’s Master of Theological Studies program, she has directed programs focusing on Children, Civil Rights and Social Action, Economic Empowerment, Education, Environment, Human Rights, Poverty Alleviation, Social Services including as director of the American Youth Foundation’s Summer Women’s Leadership Seminars. She has served as director of Christian Education and the Hunger Outreach Program for Pilgrim UCC in St. Louis.
“I didn’t know what to expect, but it was beyond my expectations really. It was fabulous.”
“I’ve worked in the same field for four decades. There’s a certain mindset and way of looking at the world – this is the first time I’ve had conversations with adults who have no clue about my field. It really helped expand my thinking and looking at the world going forward. Isn’t that exciting?!”
“It took me down a path that I never would have considered before.”
“What I learned is that the earlier you start to think about this new phase, the more options you have available to you. It’s not too early to start thinking about this.”
“I’m really pleased at how things came together for me. I’m not sure how that happened. Between the leadership and the class, things began to gel for me and it became clearer and clearer what I wanted to do.”
