Lay Delegates, Authorized Ministers, PCC Board of Directors, and Visitors

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. The 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.

The motion to create the Keystone Conference may not be amended. All four (4) Conferences are required to vote on the same motion. All four Conferences must have a 2/3 (66.67%) affirmative vote in order for the motion to pass. If the motion is approved, it would come before the 35th General Synod of the United Church of Christ in July 2025. The vote on the motion to create the Keystone Conference is scheduled to occur at 11:30 am by each of the Conferences. The tallying of votes and the reporting of the vote within Penn Central Conference will be shared.

In addition to this letter, you will be receiving a packet of information that includes:

· The formal agenda for the fall Penn Central Conference meeting (available soon)

· Delegate registration instructions (register here)

· Voting instructions for in-person and virtual (ZOOM) participants (available soon)

· The proposed 2025 Penn Central Conference Budget (available soon)

· The resolution to create the STAR Coalition (available here)

· The formal motion calling for the creation of the Keystone Conference (available here)

Meetings of Penn Central Conference shall be governed following rules included in Section IX. MEETINGS of the Conference bylaws that were last amended on 6/12/21.

Section IX. MEETINGS follows:

IX. MEETINGS

1. The Annual Meeting of the Conference shall be held at such time and location as the Board of Directors shall determine. Special meetings may be called by the Board of Directors. Any meeting may be held by electronic or digital means provided all delegates are able to hear and engage in all discussion on motions in real time. Assistance for delegates with hearing or visual impairments will be provided upon request.

2. When the Conference meets, its voting membership shall be composed of the members of the Board of Directors, the authorized ministers holding standing in its Associations, and lay delegates selected by and representing the member churches, as set forth below.

3. Fifteen percent (15%) of persons qualified to vote shall constitute a quorum at meetings of the Conference.

4. Notice of the Annual and special meetings shall be sent to the pastor and an appropriate lay officer of each member church and to the other ministers holding standing in the Associations of the Conference at least 30 days prior to the meeting. Notice shall be given by the Secretary, as directed by the Board of Directors.

5. Each church shall be entitled to be represented by two (2) lay delegates.

6. In questions of parliamentary procedure, Roberts’ Rules of Order (most recent revision) shall be observed.

This is a critical time, and we face critical decisions in the life of the United Church of Christ in Pennsylvania. The vote on the motion to create the Keystone Conference is historic. No matter what the result of the vote is, feelings of grief, loss, and hope will be present, and it is our intent as a community of Christians to genuinely honor and respect these feelings in each other in a spirit of Christian love and care.

Thank you for “Being the Church”. Thank you for being the body of Christ in your community and making a difference as you serve as Jesus’ disciples. Thank you for registering and joining us for the special fall meeting of Penn Central Conference on November 9, 2024, at 9:30 am. We pray that it proves to be a meaningful time for all of us.

Sincerely,

Dale H. Mease

Secretary, Board of Directors

See official, signed letter here.