Important This Week

• 2022 OCWM giving deadline this week
• Basic Boundary Training set for this Saturday
• Lay leader support group meetings this weekend on Zoom
• The deaths of Rev. Dr. Russ Mitman, Rev. Gary Hauze, Rev. Frank Lantz

From the Conference Minister:

1:38 When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, "What are you looking for?"        John 1:38a

Two months after being celebrated for a lifetime of ministerial achievement and bestowed the title “Conference Minister Emeritus”, Rev. Dr. Russ Mitman left us Saturday to join the saints. In addition to pastoring five local churches, Russ served for eighteen years as the Pennsylvania Southeast Conference Minister. His contributions to the life of the church were legion and will linger long into the future. I beg your prayers for his spirit, his wife Ruth, their children Kurt and Lucy, and their grandchildren. Services to celebrate his life are still being planned and we will share that information as soon as it become available.

In the meantime, I have been pondering something Russ said related to the “what are you looking for?” question that Jesus put to his disciples in this Sunday’s gospel lectionary text. It is the same question that pastors looking to grow congregations have asked of people both in and out side the church. We cannot escape asking it of ourselves.

Russ’ suggestion was that more than programs or gimmicks, more than slick social media campaigns or movements, people (the disciples among them) are looking for an experience of the transcendent. He said, “people are searching for a sense of the holy in an increasingly secularized world and looking for a church community that not only reaches out to them in an accepting and caring environment but also maintains a sense of intellectual honesty and theological integrity. The very nature of the United Church of Christ, with diversity as tradition and unity as our goal, offers an alternative mode for faith and practice that we unashamedly can hold out to people. And, when that kind of faith invitation is extended, the church grows."

With God’s help, may we make it so.

In the spirit of Christ and our departed brother Russ,

Pastor Bill 

Rev. Bill Worley

Conference Minister

Announcing the passing of Rev. Gary C. Hauze

Rev. Gary C. Hauze of Salisbury, North Carolina, passed away peacefully on Jan. 1 after several years of failing health. Among the ministry settings Rev. Hauze served were Falkner Swamp Reformed UCC in Gilbertsville and Salem UCC in Doylestown. Click here to read the full obituary.

Announcing the passing of Rev. W. Franklin Lantz

Rev. Wilbur Franklin Lantz died of natural causes on Dec. 16 at Lancaster Mennonite Home. Among the ministry settings Rev. Lantz served were St. Peter's UCC in Frackville, Christian Concern in Norristown., and St. Stephen's UCC in Reading. Click here to read the full obituary.

PSEC 2022 Giving Cut-Off

Books of the PSEC will close Jan. 16. All OCWM contributions for 2022 must be in our office by that date or they will be counted towards 2023 contributions. Please mail your contributions as soon as possible due to possible mail delays.

Basic Boundary Training scheduled for 2023

PSEC is hosting three opportunities for Basic Boundary Training in 2023:



• Saturday, Jan. 14 in Quakertown
• Tuesday, May 2 in Norristown
• Thursday, Sept. 14 in Schuylkill Haven

Click here for more information and to register for the January training. Registration will open for the other trainings closer to the events.

Details on 3-hour Advanced Boundary Trainings will be announced at a later date.

Lay Leaders Support Group sets January meeting

A Lay Leadership Support Group exists for Consistory Presidents and those serving on Consistory. We gather once a month on Zoom – so please join us! We have found it to be a great place to form new friendships, to gain support, and to be educated on a variety of topics concerning our churches. The discussions are centered around sharing valuable information about what our churches are doing or maybe could be doing. For more info and free registration for the Jan. 14 meeting, click here.

From the Addiction & Recovery Taskforce: Being Welcoming

Here are a few ideas that your congregation could adopt to make you more inviting to those with substance use disorders in 2023. Your church could offer space for AA or NA meetings. You could put out posters in the public openly welcoming the ones Jesus would sit with: those who struggle with addictions of all kinds. You could ask members of your congregation to share their stories or stories of their loved ones.

Please let us know if you begin one of these forms of hospitality. If you want coaching on any of these actions, we would be happy to help you. Please feel free to contact us at psec.ar.taskforce@gmail.com.

Church Admins CoP

All Admins Welcome

Join with other "Assistants and Secretaries of the PSEC Conference for our "Community of Practice". On Feb. 15 at noon, the Church Admins will fellowship over lunch (via Zoom this time) and take time to share resources and connect with one another. All admins welcome. If you haven't joined us in the past, you are more than welcome to join us on Feb. 15. Register free, by clicking here.

PBUCC: Quarterly financial market review next week

The Pension Boards is pleased to invite you to join our inaugural quarterly investment webinar series, entitled Investment Watch, beginning Jan. 19 at 3:00p. This webinar will include a discussion on the Pension Boards’ decision to keep the 2023 monthly payments unchanged for the Basic and Participating annuities, despite a recent drop in stock and bond market values. The Investment Team will also review the fourth quarter 2022 year-end performance, discuss current market activity, provide a market outlook, and review PBUCC’s investment approach. Members may register here for the Investment Watch webinar by Jan. 18.

PBUCC: Sign up for a Pre-Retirement Planning Seminar

If you are an actively-contributing Pension Boards member, 45 years of age or older, we invite you to join a Pensions Boards' Financial Wellness Seminar themed “Planning for the Transition to Retirement on Jan. 25 from 12:00-4:00p.

Whether you are planning to retire soon or are in the middle of your career, clergy or lay, this seminar is designed to help you transition to retirement. Register here by January 24, 2022.

In this session, we will discuss: 

• The retirement planning process and assessing if you are on track 
• Social Security planning including common questions 
• Decisions you'll need to make when starting your retirement benefits 
• Medicare and insurance considerations 
• Investing planning as you approach retirement  
• Common estate planning documents 
• Planning for a fulfilling life after retirement 

PA Academy of Ministry (PAM) New Class Dates

Jews and the American Civil Rights Movement, Feb. 8 and 15, March 1, 8, 15, and 22. Wednesdays, 7–8:30pm via Zoom. Instructor, Jack Paskoff. The American Jewish community played a meaningful role in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. This class opens a window into this complex and multi-faceted era in Black-Jewish relations. 2.5 CEUs. $325.

Church History 1, Beginnings to Reformation Rumblings, four Tuesdays and two Thursdays, Feb. 23 and 28, March 7, 14, 23, 28. 7–8:30pm via Zoom. Instructor, the Rev. Matt Deal. Exploring how the church sorted out key paradoxes from the first century up to the Reformation. 2.5 CEUs. $325.

Click here for information and registration.

Pension Boards accepting applications for NGLI

The Next Generation Leadership Initiative (NGLI) is a transformative leadership initiative for younger clergy, energizing and empowering younger UCC local church pastors to co-create vibrant congregations that change lives, engage their communities, and further God’s mission in the world.

The Pension Boards is currently accepting applications for our 14th cohort. Notice of intent to apply is February 1.

The ideal candidate is:

• 35 years of age or under by June 1, 2023*
• Served a total of five years or less as an authorized minister in a parish*
• Authorized for ministry in and on behalf of the UCC by an Association/Conference
• Hold a called position of 20 hours per week or more in a parish setting
• Committed to long-term ministry in local churches of the United Church of Christ

(*note, if a candidate meets the last three criteria, they are allowed to be a bit over in one of the first two. We will consider people up to age 40 and/or people with up to 10 years of parish ministry experience. However, if someone is over the ideal range in both of these categories, they are not eligible to apply.)

Those selected to participate in NGLI receive…

• Six years of advanced training, education, and field trips to hone pastoral leadership skills and gifts for service to the Church,
• Cohort of colleagues that encourages, challenges, and reflects together on the life of a pastor in these rapidly changing times,
• Financial incentive—a $6,000 seed contribution to the participant’s Annuity Plan account, which should have a value of approximately $45,000 at the end of a 35-year career.

Additional information about the application process and program components can be found here.

UCC webinar: What is a Sustainable Economy?

Our present economic system is a train barreling toward increasing environmental disaster, but what would a sustainable economy look like? To answer this question from a place of faith and values entails prioritizing matters of equity, justice, and the common good. To help us cast an alternative vision for our economy, this webinar will feature Edith Rasell who recently authored the book, “The Way of Abundance: Economic Justice in Scripture and Society.” The webinar will be on Wednesday, Jan. 11 at 1pm. Register for this webinar to learn more!

Global H.O.P.E. hiring part-time Communications Specialist

The Wider Church Ministries' Global H.O.P.E. Team is hiring a Communications Specialist for 16-18 hours per week. For more information, click here.

Register for CPE cohort beginning next month

PATHWAYS Theological Education, Inc., announces its first CPE cohort. This is a fully certified 24-week CPE program, available to participants around the country, combining online group work and supervision with onsite work in a community. The application process is extensive and our first cohort will be small; applicants do not need to be enrolled in or possess a Master’s degree but must be serious about fulfilling the requirements of the course. The application deadline is Jan. 17 for the course beginning February 13. For more information, visit click here.

Thank you from Phoebe Ministries

Phoebe Ministries expresses their gratitude to PSEC for the outpouring of contributions and support during the holiday season. For a letter of gratitude -- including more pictures and details of the contributions -- click here for a letter from the Regional Director of Pastoral Care and Education. This letter would make a great addition to a newsletter!

Climate Justice Team offering Green Grants for 2023

Would your church like some seed money to kick-start a new season of climate-saving activities? The Climate Justice team of PSEC invites applications for grants of up to $250, to be matched by the churches themselves. Please apply by April 1 at psec.org/green.

• Could you use $100 for seeds and soil for your community garden? 
• $100 to buy the books on climate activism and theology you’ve been meaning for your study group to read? 
• $200 toward the $400 needed to replace every light bulb? 
• $250 to add to your $250 for a $500 jump-start on replacing a drafty window? 
• $250 toward the $500 for food, books and activities for your environmental summer outdoor school for the neighborhood? 
• A couple of hundred in sight so you can go to an individual donor and ask them to match it?

Questions: Marian Shearer (uccrev77@gmail.com), Liz Brunton (lizbrunton2462@gmail.com).

Mileage reimbursement

rates for 2023

Beginning on Jan. 1, 2023, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car (also vans, pickups or panel trucks) will be:

• 65.5 cents per mile driven for business use, up 3 cents from the midyear increase setting the rate for the second half of 2022.
• 14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations; the rate is set by statute and remains unchanged from 2022.

Stewardship event: Generosity and Vitality in the NOW Normal

On Saturday, Jan. 21, the Southeastern PA and Northeastern PA Synods of the ELCA will host "Generosity and Vitality in the NOW Normal - a Stewardship Extravaganza." This in-person event will be held in Lansdale. For information, including workshop descriptions, registration link, and an event flyer, click here.

"When Does Closure Become an Option Workshop"

Since 2014, one PSEC congregation has closed, on average, every six months. This isn’t often talked about — partly because that news is filled with feelings of profound loss and grief. It’s the source of uncomfortable shame — that somehow church members failed to do all they could to maintain their sacred space. It provokes questions about the power and/or presence of God. Taken together, these things make it difficult to say what sometimes needs to be said: “It’s time for our church to close.” 

A workshop will be held Feb. 4 in Limerick to create a safe space where difficult questions can be asked and information shared with congregations facing decline and potential closure. You will receive resources and hear about church closure experiences. Click here for more information and to register.

UCC stewardship webinar

On Jan. 25, the UCC will host "3 Best Practices: Set a New Year's Resolution for Increasing Giving". Click here to register. Lee Gagen will discuss the three practices most likely to increase giving in a local congregation: teaching about generosity, pastoral leadership, and online giving options. The webinar will examine why these practices matter and discuss how to implement them in a congregation.

Transportation to General Synod Summer 2023

Every two years, General Synod brings together thousands of faithful members of the United Church of Christ for formal church witness, inspirational worship, and fellowship with friends (new and old).

In 2023, General Synod 34 will take place in Indianapolis, IN from June 30 – July 4. The PSEC delegation is contemplating taking a bus to and from Indianapolis. Travel dates would be June 29 and July 5

If you are planning to attend General Synod and would be interested in traveling on the PSEC bus, please reach out to Susan Creswell at the PSEC office at susan@psec.org or 484-949-8774 x 312.