Message to the Conference | CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty | |
Greetings Penn Central members and friends,
"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.
St. Teresa of Ávila
In less than two weeks, the southeastern United States has faced two disasters — Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The United Church of Christ continues its longstanding commitment to stand with the affected communities for the full duration of their recovery.
In the time since the storms made landfall, the United Church of Christ Global HOPE team has been in regular communication with conference staff of the Southeast, Southern, and Florida conferences, ecumenical partners in disaster recovery, and response coordination calls with the national network of voluntary organizations active in disasters (VOAD). As the full impact of the storms continues to become realized, the Global HOPE team is helping to connect victims of the storm’s devastation with immediate resources as well as preparing to support long-term recovery efforts.
As we continue to pray for and support those who have experienced unimaginable loss, we invite you to support the recovery efforts in the following ways:
1. The best way to help people recover is with a monetary donation. The United Church of Christ has established the Hurricane Helene Recovery Appeal and the Hurricanes 2024 Appeal. Your support for these appeals will ensure that communities are supported and accompanied for years as they rebuild. You can donate through your local church, with your gifts going through the Conference to the Appeal. Gifts can be made through PCC here. Under “Directed Gifts” choose “Disaster Relief” and notate “Hurricane Relief”. And you can always mail a check to the PCC offices with the same notation.
2. Crisis Cleanup phone banking: One of the greatest needs in the aftermath of a catastrophic disaster is situational awareness and information gathering. Crisis Cleanup is looking for volunteers to help input cases into their dashboard. This dashboard is used by response organizations to efficiently coordinate and deploy immediate resources. If you are interested in this remote volunteer opportunity, please sign up here.
3. Hygiene and Cleanup Bucket assembly: One of the biggest requests is the need for cleanup buckets. If your congregation is interested in assembling cleanup buckets, you can receive a matching grant through the Global HOPE office. For more information on cleanup buckets and drop-off locations, click here. Mission Central in Mechanicsburg also collects and distributes cleanup buckets, you can learn more about their program here.
4. Volunteer Opportunities. Recovering from the hurricanes will be a long-term process and volunteer help will be needed for months to come. If you want to volunteer, please do not self-deploy. Please contact PCC’s Disaster Relief team chairs Bill and Ellen Matten at beathomemd@comcast.net to learn more.
Please take time to prayerfully consider how you can help our neighbors in their time of need.
Blessings,
Penn Central Conference
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Printable eNews are available. Pastors and secretaries, please feel free to share with your congregation members that don't get this weekly email. Download and print this PDF with the weekly message to the conference, prayers for Penn Central and brief list of events. | |
Scheduling Notes
Sunday October 20 - St. Johns Tylersville UCC, Loganton - Rev. Dr. Nora Foust preaching
Sunday October 27 - First Reformed UCC, Sunbury - Rev. Dr. Nora Foust preaching
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Prayers for Penn Central Conference
Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. Ephesians 6:18 (NLT)
This week, we pray for each other as we continue to live into God's calling...
Maytown Reformed UCC, Maytown
St. James UCC, Littletown
St. Paul's UCC, McConnelsburg
St. John's UCC, McEwensville
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October is Clergy Appreciation Month
Penn Central Conference appreciates all of our clergy and thank them for their ministry in central Pennsylvania! We encourage our congregations to show their appreciation for their clergy year round, but especially this month. There are many ways to do that - sending a card or a note, taking time to pray for them, giving them a thoughtful gift, and volunteering to assist in their ministry work are only a few.
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Special Fall Meeting
November 9, 2024, 9:30AM - 12:30PM
The special fall meeting of the Penn Central Conference of the United Church of Christ will be held on Saturday, November 9, 2024, at 9:30 am EST. The meeting will be held in the sanctuary of St. Thomas United Church of Christ, 6490 Linglestown Rd., Harrisburg, PA 17112, and remote participation will be available via ZOOM. Associations within Penn Central Conference will also be hosting remote gatherings at official sites to allow participation in the meeting via ZOOM.
There are three items of business on the agenda for this meeting.
1. Presentation and approval of the proposed 2025 Penn Central Conference budget
2. Presentation and consideration for recognition of the STAR (Small Town and Rural Churches) Coalition as a self-created group within the United Church of Christ
3. Consideration and voting on a motion to create the Keystone Conference out of the four present Conferences of Penn Central, Penn Northeast, Penn West, and Pennsylvania Southeast.
Read the full call to meeting here.
Register here.
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Register now for Keystone Study Group Town Halls
Due to the complex nature of the possible merger, town hall meetings on the subject have been broken into three topics:
1. Timeline, Staffing, Finance
2. Timeline, PA UCC Mission Focus
3. Timeline, Associations.
There are four opportunities to attend a webinar on each of the above topics. They will be hosted by different conferences, but you can attend any. The schedule is below; click the date and time to register. You can also find this information on our website on the Keystone Study Group page under Resources.
If you missed the first two Town Halls, the ones hosted by PCC are available to watch on our YouTube channel.
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Rock and Roll With It
Hartman Center Winter Youth Retreat
We will be returning to Hartman Center Campground as guests.
5725 Old US Highway 322, Milroy, PA 17063
January 17-19, 2025
Grades 6 through College Grad (or age 22)
Meals and Lodging included
$100 until December 2, 2024
$150 after December 2, 2024
Use coupon code PCC2025 if you would like to use a Penn Central Conference Outdoor Ministries scholarship of 50% off your registration fees.
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Innovation Grant Applications Being Accepted
In 2018, Penn Central Conference established an Innovation Grant program to assist churches. As originally planned, the window for applying for a grant is from July 1 through October 31 each year. Funding is from the Strengthen The Church offering and the proceeds of the Conference investments which amounts to approximately $25,000 per year and is supplemented as needed from other sources.
The Grant Application can be found here or is available on the Conference website under the Resources tab at the top of the page. The drop down list reveals Documents and Forms and clicking on that enables you to scroll down to the Finance section, then select PCC Innovation Grant Form.
This same application is for use by Lebanon Association churches and groups to apply for a St. John’s, Lebanon grant. These grants are funded through the investment proceeds of monies that were received from the sale of the Building of St. John’s, Lebanon which amounts to approximately $5,000 per year.
If you need or want any further information, contact the Conference Treasurer, Mike Price, at treasurer@pccucc.org or Paul Keller, Office Manager at pkeller@pccucc.org.
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2025 Meck and Moss Award Nominations
Nominations accepted through November 30
Nominations are now being accepted for the 2025 Meck and Moss Awards. The Meck and Moss Awards are awarded annually to Lancaster Theological Seminary alumni, of any denomination, who demonstrate commitment to the excellence of ministry. The Alumni Council’s Awards and Recognition Committee will select award recipients.
The Meck Award honors the memory of Allan S. Meck, who graduated from the Seminary in 1911 and served as president from 1947 to 1957. The Meck Award is presented for distinguished service in the practice of pastoral ministry.
The Moss Award honors Robert V. Moss Jr. ’45, who graduated form the Seminary in 1945 and served as president from 1957 to 1969. The Moss Award is presented for distinguished service in the practice of specialized ministry (i.e., chaplain, administrator, educator, judicatory staff, etc.).
Learn more about the selection criteria here. Submit a nomination by November 30th here.
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On Sunday, November 3rd at 3:00 pm. St. Luke's UCC in Lititz will be hosting acclaimed writer and comedian Claire Berger, who is asking out loud the question you’ve been silently pondering for years, “How Much Is Enough?” Claire wrote this book and launched live events to start a long overdue conversation. Her innovative mashup of memoir and self help genres invites you to join her in the search of Enough in all aspects of our lives. Health, money, family, success, food and sex are just a smattering of the topics up for discussion in a touching, highly relatable, often hilarious conversation that features thought-provoking questions and creative prompts for deeper personal reflection. You will leave with a renewed appreciation for all that they are and all that they have, which is often more than enough. Please call (717) 626-7100 or email church@stlukesucc.com to let us know how many chairs will be enough.
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Association Events
October 20 - Harrisburg Association Fall Meeting - Hummelstown UCC - 2:00PM
October 20 - Lebanon Association Fall Meeting - Zion Gosherts UCC, Lebanon - 3:00PM
October 26 - Central Association Fall Meeting - 9:00AM
November 3 - Mercersburg Association Fall Meeting - St. John's UCC, Chambersburg - 3:00PM
November 9 - Gettysburg Association Fall Meeting - 9 AM registration, continental breakfast, and brief Association Meeting; 9:30 AM - PCCUCC meeting live streamed; 11:30 Vote on the formation of the Keystone Conference; short meeting with the PCCUCC immediately following the result of the vote.)
November 10 - York Association Annual Meeting - 2:00PM
| Educational Opportunities | Registration is important for planning purposes, even for virtual events, so please let us know if you need to cancel your registration so we have the most accurate numbers. | |
Boundary Training in 2024
Via Zoom - 10:00AM and 6:00PM
These boundary trainings are a repeat of topics covered in the first half of 2024.
Undercurrents and Riptides Online - November 19, 2024
In this session, we will discuss the hidden (and obvious) dangers of ministry in an online world. From Social Media to AI to Pornography, the internet can pull us in many directions and not all of them are good for us. Register here.
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From PSEC
Advanced Boundary Training: Pastoring While Experiencing Your Own Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Challenges
October 23 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm via zoom
In this three-hour Advanced Boundary Training on ZOOM, the issues around pastoring to others while experiencing your own challenges will be explored. When clergy are experiencing a crisis themselves, how can they remain pastorally effective while also tending to their own needs? How much should one share with your congregation about your own physical, emotional, and spiritual challenges? How does one set up healthy boundaries with a congregation, while also acknowledging their desire to care for you? These issues and others will be discussed in this training with a mixture of teaching, discussion, and case studies.
Registration: https://advbdry1023.eventbrite.com
| Retired Minister Boundary Awareness Training – will take place on Wednesday, November 13, from 1:30 – 4:30pm ET. Registration is here; this three-hour training may meet Association or Conference requirements for boundary training for retired clergy | |
From New York Conference
This fall, we're offering monthly opportunities to take Refresher Boundary Awareness Training via Zoom:
Tuesday, October 22, from 10 am - 4 pm
Tuesday, November 12, from 9am – 3 pm
Thursday, December 12, from 8 am - 2 pm
Glad to have folks from around the UCC. We can give partial scholarships if needed (email mpurnine@uccny.org before registering). For more information:
https://www.shelbygiving.com/App/Form/66f26fe1-8247-4fe4-a60f-11ef73be0bd0
| Church Futures Commission | |
Discover What Coaching Could Do For You: Free Initial Coaching Session for all Penn Central Clergy & Consistory/Council Presidents
The Penn Central Church Futures Commission invites you to experience the clarifying, empowering, and strategic benefits of coaching. Unlike a mentor or a consultant, coaches aren’t there to tell you what to think, feel, believe, or do. Coaches’ deep listening and intuitive questions support clients in their identified growth, problem solving, and strategy implementation, while evoking new awareness. One of the greatest benefits of coaching is that it provides an intentional partner who is there to confidentially support, encourage, and strengthen you in your ministry. The best way to understand what coaching is, is to experience it yourself. Therefore, the Church Futures Commission is providing free initial coaching sessions for all Penn Central clergy and Consistory/Council Presidents. For those wanting to pursue additional coaching, the next three sessions, scheduled over a four-month period, will be available at a 50% discount. Click here to access the Church Futures webpage, where you can learn about our two professionally trained coaches and to schedule your initial session with one of them.
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The 3-month Jubilee program is for adults who are interested in weaving social justice into the fabric of their faith while learning effective tools to build a more just, compassionate world. This online program provides a foundational introduction to boost your knowledge, skills and confidence in working for change. Justice Jubilee begins in October and space is limited - apply today.
Scholarships are available thanks to the UCC's FaithINFO team.
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2024 Financial Ministries Webinars
4th Wednesdays of the Month – 7:30pm Eastern (6:30 Central)
October 23 – End the Year Strong: Making the Most of Year End Giving
https://UCC.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcsdemqrz8qGNJJOs_gDoFH2nxcItmlhUGD
November and December can be the strongest months for giving in charities. How can we make the most of this generous time in our culture? The conversation will lift up ideas and messages to promote giving to congregations.
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From our friends and partners | |
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Parish Resource Center
Secure Your Church’s Information
November 12, 2024 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Learn how congregations can protect the information entrusted to them, and proactively educate congregants to identify scams and protect themselves. Don’t let the hard work you’ve done building a community of trust be turned against you. This workshop is ideal for pastors, church administrators, lay leaders, and others who are entrusted with sensitive information and the policies around handling it. Register here.
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Continuing Education Opportunities with Eden Theological Seminary this Fall! Check out these opportunities and know that Rev. Betsy Bruaw (mission theology global community) and Rev. Dr. Nora Foust (justice-seekers and peacemakers) will be facilitating two of the cohorts. These are for anyone and continuing education credit is available. Most content is asynchronous but there is a monthly synchronous zoom with your facilitator. Each cohort is $250 and grant funded financial assistance is available, just ask Nora. Contact Betsy or Nora if you have questions or check out the website for all the fall options (including UCC History and Polity) and more information.
The Pennsylvania Academy of Ministry has fall courses available in theology with Dr. Eric Seibert. Courses are 6-weeks and include synchronous zooms each week. Courses are $325. Contact program director Dr. Darryl Stephens at stephensd@moravian.edu for more information.
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Pennsylvania Academy of Ministry
Explore Our Crossroads Lay Leadership Programs
Our introductory course, Compass, begins October 17 and takes participants through two different paths. First, it is a discernment process to help the participant identify their gifts, passion, and style. Through reading, journaling, and a valuable small group process, participants are encouraged to explore, articulate, and hone their personal sense of call as a lay person in the church and in the community.
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PATHWAYS Theological Education, Inc.
Are you looking for Continuing Education Units in theological education or pastoral care or leadership training? Insightful and open-minded, PATHWAYS inclusivity invites conversation with the text and among the learners in a broad variety of courses. The Ministerial Preparation program can fulfill the requirements for authorized ministry but any of the PATHWAYS’ courses will fulfill your need to ponder your faith, to discern your gifts and call, or to build your faith community leadership skills. (https://www.pathwaystheological.org/)
The new term begins October 16 with the following 6-week courses :
Understanding the Bible, Intro to New Testament, Old Testament Hermeneutics, Intro to Storytelling, Preaching, & Proclamation, Writing about Faith & Religion for the Public, Variety of Beliefs within Christianity, and Ecological Theology.
The next UCC History and Polity course begins January 8, 2025.
Go to the website to see the full schedule of Fall courses.
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Current Openings - UCC National Setting
Philanthropy
Generosity Officer, Great Lakes Region Close Date: Open until filled
Office of the Associate General Ministers
Associate General Minister, Love of Church Close Date: November 30, 2024
Associate General Minister and Co-Executive for Global Ministries, Love of Neighbor Close Date: November 30, 2024
Office of General Counsel
Paralegal Close Date: October 30, 2024
Global HOPE – Humanitarian: Opportunities, Partnerships, Empowerment.
Minister for Refugee and Migration Services Close Date: October 30, 2024
Center for Analytics, Research & Development, and Data (CARDD)
Research Analyst Close Date: October 30, 2024
Cornerstone Fund
Investment Services Manager Close Date: October 30, 2024
Commercial Loan Underwriting Specialist Close Date: October 30, 2024
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Directory
Rev. Dr. Carrie Call, Ph.D.
Conference Minister
email: ccall@pccucc.org
Phone: 717-433-3196
Rev. Dr. Nora Driver Foust
Associate Conference Minister
email: nfoust@pccucc.org
Phone: 717-652-1560 x3
Rev. Dwight Hein
Facilitator for Clergy Care
email: dhein@pccucc.org
Phone: 717-433-6306
C. Paul Keller
Office Manager
email: pkeller@pccucc.org
Phone: 717-652-1560 x3
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