Important This Week

• Registrations open for: anti-racism book study and forgiveness book study.
• Next week: View on your own Diversity Training and Advanced Boundary Training for Part-time Pastors
• 2023 PSEC giving cut-off on Monday

From the Conference Minister:

Martin Luther King Day has come and gone but his legacy lives well beyond the Mondays that are set aside to remember and reflect. Now, more than ever, we need prophets like Martin Luther King. “There are two ways of being a prophet,” wrote Richard Rohr. “One is to tell the enslaved that they can be free. It is the difficult path of Moses. The second is to tell those who think they’re free that they are in fact enslaved. This is the even more difficult path of Jesus.”

We labor under the belief that we are free from racism and all the other “isms” that keep us, all of us, cloaked in slavery and locked in denial. Dr. King pointed us to that reality for the liberation of many and the lethal consternation of others. He shared dreams and visions of a better, more just world such that what had been cloaked, crooked, and confused suddenly became obvious. In so doing, he led people and nations to epiphanies large and small. And he still does.

Dr. King had a visionary's gift for discerning the right direction and turning the nation towards it, blending faith with action. He never ceased to see the better side in those who disagreed with him. He opposed force with love. "Just keep loving them, and they can't stand it for too long” was and is great guidance for leaders of conflicted countries and congregations.

Resolving any challenge moves people on the problem itself, to a focus on transforming the relationships that hold the problem in place. That is the difficult path of Jesus, and it is the one we, the disciples of Christ, are called to follow. The world is crying out for that kind of relational, transformational witness. It’s our call to make sure they have it.

With the Peace of Christ,

Bill

Rev. Bill Worley

Conference Minister

Sign up for book study with the

Zachariah Walker Racial Justice Initiative

The PSEC Zachariah Walker Racial Justice Initiative is offering a six-week book study on Faithful Antiracism: Moving Past Talk to Systemic Change, by Christina Barland Edmondson and Chad Brennan. This book speaks directly to Christians who may feel ill-equipped to recognize and respond to racism. The authors use research analysis, theology, history, and social-political ethics to create interventions that challenge and resist racism in our institutions and everyday lives. There are two different time slots available for this exciting six-week book study:

• Thursdays from 7:00-8:00p, Feb. 1-March 7 (hosted by Rev. Ann Therese Ortiz and Liz Brunton)
• Tuesdays from 2:00-3:00p, Feb. 6-March 12 (hosted by Rev. Geneva Butz and Rev. Stephen Ohnsman)

Anyone is welcome to participate. Contact Liz Brunton at lizbrunton2462@gmail.com to sign up. Make sure you indicate which day (Thursdays or Tuesdays) you would like to sign up for. The deadline to sign up will be Monday, Jan. 29.

PSEC 2023 Giving

Cut-Off on Monday

Books of the PSEC will close Jan. 22. All OCWM contributions for 2023 must be in our office by that date or they will be counted towards 2024 contributions. Please mail your contributions as soon as possible due to possible mail delays.

'Where Have All the Clergy Gone?' with Rev. Dr. Carrie Call

On Jan. 24, at 10:00a and 6:00p, Rev. Dr. Carrie Call (Penn West Conference UCC Conference Minister) will lead "Where Have All the Clergy Gone?". We know the church is changing. One of the most obvious shifts is the availability of clergy for our churches. What has happened and how did we get here? Join us for a Zoom presentation that will cover the trend in clergy numbers in the UCC and what affects them. We will discuss what might come next and what we can do to help our local churches. Click here to register.

Weekly virtual Lenten study from PA conferences

The Penn West, Penn Central, Penn Northeast, and Pennsylvania Southeast conferences of the United Church of Christ invite you to join in this virtual Lenten opportunity! Meeting each Wednesday in Lent at 7:00p, this Bible Study explores the foundations of our identity as Christians and members of the UCC as we explore what the future may hold. Each week is unique so if you cannot attend every date you can still participate in as many as you are able. If you have questions, or you would like to participate in this study, email pattyr@pnec.org to receive the link.

Topics will be:

• Feb. 21: Unity and Foundation
• Feb. 28: United Church of Christ
• March 6: Lent in Context
• March 13: The Priesthood of All Believers
• March 20: Communion

Basic Boundary Training in January, other opportunities

Next year the Lehigh Presbytery will host Basic Boundary Training for the regional agreement PSEC is part of. The trainings will be "Not-Your-Average Boundaries Training", tailored to focus on strategies to foster clergy emotional resiliency and well-being. The trainings will be split over two days and held on Zoom. Cost is $65. The trainings will be held Jan. 31 and Feb. 1; May 7 and 8; and Oct. 15 and 16. For more information, click here for a flyer with registration link. Spots are open to 40 people per class, so register soon.

Diversity Training view on your own option next week

FOR Pennsylvania Southeast Conference pastors ONLY!

Diversity - what is it, how does it increase the vitality of our communities and congregations and our commitment to Christ? Revs. Kevin McLemore and Cean James led a Diversity Awareness Training for pastors in November. This training is required for all PSEC clergy at least every three years.

We are offering an opportunity to watch that November training and answer questions for three hours of Diversity Training credit. The video link and questions will be sent to those who sign up on Jan. 22. All answers must be submitted back within 7 days, no later than Jan. 29. To register, click here.

Advanced training: Boundaries for Part-time Pastors

Through a mixture of presentations, case studies, and discussion, Rev. Kevin McLemore will lead a training Jan. 24 on the particular boundaries for pastors who are serving a congregation on a part-time basis. Issues around time management and time limitations, keeping to the tasks outlined in a call agreement, and how to set those boundaries earlier (and sometimes later) in the ministry, will be discussed. Whether you are currently serving on a part-time basis or think you may do so at some point in the future, this workshop will be a useful resource for managing the challenges of serving a congregation in a part-time capacity. For information and to register, click here.

Next Theology with a Twist: Faith Formation and Families

The next Theology with a Twist will be held Tuesday, Feb. 6 at 7:00p on the topic "Faith Formation and Families." The evening will include discussion on faith formation, programs that work and don't work, and how the church tends to be one step behind what families want and need in their faith lives. The panel includes Marjorie Hughes, Kimberly Berenotto, and Sara Hertzog. For more information, click here.

From the Addiction & Recovery Taskforce: Where to Start

“There is only one absolutely necessary starting point! The experience of “powerlessness” is where we all must begin.”

Richard Rohr, Breathing Underwater, p.xvii

Book Study on Simon Wiesenthal's The Sunflower

Tuesday evenings in February, PSEC will hold an online book study for clergy and laypersons on the book The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness by Simon Wiesenthal. Participation is free and will constitute 3.75 hours of continuing education for clergy. Click here for more information and to register.

Church Admins CoP

All Admins Welcome

Join with other "Assistants and Secretaries of the PSEC Conference for our "Community of Practice". On Feb. 7 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. 7. Register for free, by clicking here.

Opportunities from PATHWAYS Theological Education

Are you looking for an open-minded, online theological course where your doubts and questions are welcome? Do you want to know more about Jesus speaking for justice and the poor? Are you exploring authorized ministry? Do you want a theological education by which you can begin, finish, or supplement a suite of courses already completed? PATHWAYS Theological Education has a complete educational program for those seeking to be authorized ministers. If you are theologically curious - individual courses, continuing education, and certificates are available. Check out our offerings.

Registration open now for

2024 Clergy Convocation

Registration is now open for Clergy Convocation, May 7-9 in Lancaster. Open to UCC clergy in Pennsylvania, our time together will focus on rest, renewal, connection and healing. Healing in our ministries and our world often begins with healing within. We know how important it is for clergy to have time away from their ministry settings and to find support. There will be time dedicated for worship, reflection, gathering of affinity groups, and free time. Click here for more information, a tentative agenda, and registration.

Register now: 2024 UCC Clergywomen Event

Registration is now open for the 2024 UCC Clergywomen Leadership Event. “Weaving our Tapestry” takes place April 16-18 in Charleston, SC, with the 2023 Antoinette Brown Awardees as the keynote presenters. This event is open to all authorized UCC Clergywomen.

Upcoming events from the

PA Academy of Ministry

The Pennsylvania Academy of Ministry at Lancaster Theological Seminary announces the upcoming dates:

PAM Open House, Jan. 23, 7pm via Zoom. Hosted by Rev. Dr. Darryl Stephens. Bring your questions and meet folks! 

Introduction to Preaching. Jan. 30-March 5. Tuesdays, 7-8:30pm via Zoom. Instructor Rev. Dr. Ronnette Comfort-Butler. For lay and clergy, any level. 2.5 CEUs.

Preaching and Worship through the Year. April 9-May 14. Tuesdays, 7-8:30pm via Zoom. Instructor Rev. Dr. Ronnette Comfort-Butler. Lectionary planning, sermon series, music and arts, special services, and more. 2.5 CEUs. 

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