Important This Week

• Register for Annual Meeting
• UCC Earth Summit set for next week
• Register for New Church Development workshops
• Register for Keystone town halls
• New 'Crisis in Gaza' resource

Town Hall Discussions start this week

on potential Conference merger

There are three upcoming opportunities to attend a Town Hall Discussion on the Keystone Study Group. These will provide a chance to share questions and observations. Please make sure you have viewed the Keystone page on our PSEC website prior to joining the meeting. Each of the Town Halls will share the same information.

Click the date below to register for the one you would like to join:

• April 11 at 7:00p - Facilitated by Associate Conference Minister Rev. Cean James
• April 16 at 2:00p - Facilitated by PSEC Vice-moderator and member of the Keystone Working Group Rev. Melissa Burkhart
• May 2 at 2:00p - Facilitated by Associate Conference Minister Rev. Kevin McLemore

'Crisis in Gaza' resource available from the UCC

In this time of unprecedented crisis in Gaza and Palestine when we are inundated with so much information, many of us are seeking for trustable, faith-based and prophetic resources to help us navigate this moment. People are really hungry for ways to understand what faithful solidarity and witness might look like.

The UCC PIN (Palestine/Israel Network) has created a new resource called “Crisis in Gaza." UCC PIN was created as a result of a UCC General Synod resolution. This body speaks to, but not for the UCC.

“Crisis in Gaza” can be used in a variety of ways and settings. It has background, history, and is available four ways: by pdf, Powerpoint, Youtube, and as an MP4 video. Click here to download the resource.

Training program for churches with older buildings

Partners for Sacred Places is offering a New Dollars/New Partners training program to congregations with older buildings. This program, over the course of several months, builds the capacity of churches to maintain and raise capital funds for their buildings. The program will include two virtual training sessions and one full-day session in Philadelphia. Click here for a flyer. A free orientation will be online April 10 at 6:30p. The link for that session is https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82651019951.

From the Addiction & Recovery Taskforce: Drug Take Back Day

The 26th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is Saturday, April 27, 2024. There will be local sites available in your local area. You can find locations online or call your local police station or drug store. Keep unused prescription out of the hands of our youth and others. 

Webinar: Addressing the Plastics Crisis

Plastic surrounds our food, makes up our technology, and is a standard element in our household items. Unfortunately, it is also overflowing from our landfills, floating in our waters, and polluting our soil. More and more, we can even find it in our own bodies and those of other living creatures. In preparation for Earth Sunday, a new resource -- "Plastic Jesus: Real Faith in a Synthetic World" -- has been produced to help congregations think more deeply about the ways that plastics impact our lives and God's creation. Join us for a webinar April 10 at 1:00p to hear from Derrick Weston, the lead author of the resource. Register now!

From the Spiritual Exploration Project: April events

In the midst of the Christian Holy Week, I am reminded that the celebration of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday and the Jewish Passover are both occasions that mark renewal. They celebrate the opportunity to begin again in another form of existence, to change our perspective on our life's journey, and to recognize that we are constantly in a state of becoming. Our Spiritual Exploration Project in April will offer new ways of looking at that which could have meaning in our lives.

Join the Spiritual Exploration Project this month for:

• Astrology: Uses and Abuses with Dianne Seaman Poitier. Contemplative Spirituality will be held Thursday, April 11 at 10:30a at St. John's UCC in Kutztown.
• The Brothers Karamazov: A Judicial Error. The conclusion of the Book Discussion Group will be Thursday, April 11 at 9:30a at St. John's UCC in Kutztown.
• The Practical Wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita with Swamini Shraddhananda Saraswati. Soul Cafe will be held Tuesday, April 16 at 9:30a at West Lawn United Methodist Church.
• The Immoral Bible: Reading the Bible with Ethics in Mind with Dr. Greg Carey. Spirit on Tap will be held Tuesday, April 16 at 7:00p at the DoubleTree Hotel in Reading.

For more information, click here to see the April Spiritual Exploration Project monthly email. You can also get more information from the PSEC events calendar.

UCC Earth Summit featuring Bill McKibben and Activists

The UCC's second annual Earth Summit will feature celebrated author and activist Bill McKibben delivering the keynote lecture with the title, "Energy from Heaven or Energy from Hell?" Additionally, a panel of award-winning activists will speak about the struggle against the pollution of one of the world's largest plastics producers. The 2.5-hour summit will also feature the announcement of the Dollie Burwell Prophetic Action Award winner, and a celebration of the UCC's newest Creation Justice Churches. Even if you cannot make the event on April 20 at 1:00p, register, and a recording will be sent to you.

Navigating Interfaith Relations in the Midst of Global Conflict

Global Ministries is hosting a webinar titled 'Navigating Interfaith Relations in the Midst of Global Conflict' on April 10 at 11:30. This workshop is in response to many conversations they’ve had with local church leaders about the challenges they’re facing in their communities in this regard, especially since the war on Gaza began. The panel will include local UCC church leaders. Click here to register. 

Register now: Annual Meeting in State College

For the first time, all four UCC Pennsylvania conferences will gather for a shared Meeting, June 7-9, 2024, at The Penn Stater in State College, PA. We will examine the exciting possibilities of our four Conferences uniting as one. We will share worship, workshops, and meals. Each conference will also meet Saturday morning to conduct their own separate business meeting.

Below is a letter from the four PA UCC Conference Ministers about the meeting:

The planning committee for the Keystone State UCC Conference Summer Meeting has been working diligently to prepare for our June 7-9 meeting. The Keystone Working Group in collaboration with the Conference Ministers have been seeking grants and additional funding to assist with the costs of the meeting.

We want you to know that YOUR attendance is vitally important to us. We need you to help us plan for the future of our conferences. Our General Minister and President, the Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson will be with us on Saturday and Sunday, and we hope you will be with us to meet her and worship with her on Sunday.

The costs for this meeting will be significantly higher than our usual conference meetings. For one thing, this is a 3-day meeting and incorporates the extensive use of technology and the Penn Stater multiple room assignments for our gathering. We do not want the cost of the event to prevent anyone from attending.

Therefore, we are increasing our scholarship funds to cover ½ the cost of the registration. The registration materials (which are available here) include some links for additional hotel locations, should you choose to utilize them.

Also, we want you to know that our meetings as a Keystone Conference will likely be shorter and less costly.

Please make plans to join us in State College in June and celebrate the work we are doing together, because we believe “Together We Are Stronger.”

New Church Development Series from Central Atlantic Conf.

The Central Atlantic Conference UCC, is holding a "New Chruch Development Series", including a workshop from PSEC Associate Conference Minister for Congregational Development.

Thought about starting a new congregation? Does the idea of starting a new congregation intrigue you, even a little? Would you like to learn more? Do you want to reach out to people who have felt excluded from churches in the past because of their race, ethnicity, or language, sexual orientation, age, preference for a different worship style, 'nones' and 'dones,' or those who describe themselves as 'spiritual but not religious'?

The CAC New Church Development Committee of the Central Atlantic Conference (UCC) has created an opportunity for you this spring. The opportunity is co-sponsored by the Christian Church – Capital Area (Disciples of Christ). On three Thursday evenings you can attend a quick course in new church development and get many of your questions answered. The events will be held on Zoom from 7-8:30p with an opportunity for Q and A afterward. They are free and open to all interested clergy and laity.

• April 18 – “How and Why to Start a New Congregation” - Rev. Cean James, Senior Pastor of Salt & Light Church (PCUSA & UCC) and the Associate Conference Minister for Congregational Development, Pennsylvania Southeast Conference, UCC. 
• May 16 – “How to Fund a New Congregation” - Rev. Dr. Aaron Wade, Minister for Congregational Leadership Development, Granting and Scholarships in the UCC National Offices and Founding Pastor of the Community Church of Washington, DC. 
• June 6 – “Stories from the Front Lines: A Panel of Recent Church Planters” - Pastors of recent successful new UCC congregations or established congregations that recently affiliated with the UCC will share their stories and discuss what worked and what didn't. 

To RSVP to attend one – or all three of the workshops – please click here.

Rev. Patrick Morris installation at Zion Blue Mountain UCC

Click the invitation below to download a PDF to share.

Join PNEC for Faith Formation Leadership Retreat in May

A Faith Formation Leadership Retreat will be held May 3-5 at Spruce Lake Retreat Center in Canadensis. Cost is $195 and includes all programming and three meals on Saturday and Sunday breakfast. Click here for an event flyer. To register, email pattyr@pnec.org or you can register here. Any questions, contact Rev. Janet Newett at pastorjanetn@gmail.com.

Treat your church admins: Register for annual luncheon

Secretaries, assistants, and church administrators are invited to the annual PSEC Admin Luncheon on May 1. We will check in, fellowship over lunch, and enjoy a presentation by Conference Minister Rev. Bill Worley on creating your own job description, self-evaluations, and more. Click here for information and to register. We hope churches will pay the $22 cost of the event. 

Understanding the Hopes of Our Donors to Create Change

On April 24 at 7:30p, Rev. Andrew Warner, Generosity Outreach Officer for the UCC, will lead an online workshop on "A Good Pitch: Understanding the Hopes of Our Donors to Create Change".

Once a upon a time, donors gave out of a sense of obligation and loyalty. Today, most donors care about the impact they make in the world. How do we understand the motivations of our donors? What kind of change do they want to make in the world? Andrew Warner will talk about five basic ways donors look to create change. We will discuss ways to discuss your congregation's impact on your community. For more info and to register, click here.

This email is brought to you by your generous gifts to OCWM (Our Church's Wider Mission)! Thank you!