Important This Week

Happenings of the National Church

There are several happenings at the National Church with which we should all be aware.

First, we are in the middle of the Three Great Loves campaign. Information and stories to inspire you can be found here: http://3greatloves.uccpages.org/. The Office of General Minister and President with the support of General Synod also initiated a four-million-dollar campaign to extend the reach of those three great loves through improvements to our technological capacity and the development of leadership skills.

Second, the charitable arm of the UCC Pension Board, the United Church Board for Ministerial Assistance (UCBMA), is taking steps to address the needs of current and retired clergy and lay church workers through a twenty-million-dollar campaign called “Generations of Service: Faith and Financing Action.” It will fund three key areas: Strengthen direct assistance programs ($10 million); sustain the Next Generation Leadership Initiative (NGLI) and Credo programs ($7.5 million); improve the financial wellness of UCC authorized ministers ($2.5 million).

Finally, new UCC Giving Protocols were established in a resolution of the last General Synod. The protocols (among other things) give offices of the National Church the flexibility to fund the ministries of the United Church of Christ by direct appeal to individuals and congregations. The specifics of these Protocols are still being worked out by those responsible for their implementation. While Our Church’s Wider Mission (OCWM) remains a significant vehicle for supporting the ministries of the National Church, it will be only one of several means by which the UCC accomplishes its mission.

The PSEC Budget and Finance Team has been apprised of these developments and is working to educate others — specifically the Conference Consistory as it discerns and decides how we might participate in each capital campaign and what (if any) changes we must anticipate because of the new Giving Protocols. My deeper concern is the mission of the United Church of Christ and the identity from which that mission springs. The changes to our funding methods are evidence of fundamental changes to both. I will share my perspective on those changes in next week’s eNews.

Until then, may God bless and keep you,

Bill

Rev. William P. Worley, Conference Minister

PSEC 2018 Giving

PSEC has closed its books for 2017. The 2018 Remittal Form is available on our website. You can access it by visiting psec.org/remittal or by going to psec.org , clicking the Resources tab at the top of the page, and typing "remittal" into the "Search PSEC Resources" box.

Year-end Reporting

This month, emails were sent to churches and pastors with information on year-end reporting. If you should have gotten that information and didn’t, please contact the Conference Registrar, Brea Rarick, at brea@psec.org or 484-949-8774 ext. 311.

Also, you may visit psec.org/reporting for more information on this year’s reporting.

Healthcare: Education & Action

event scheduled for Feb. 10

Worship, hear speakers, share your healthcare experiences, be educated on the healthcare system and learn what your congregation can do to organize around healthcare issues. The event will be sponsored by the Joint Conference Vision and Development Team, POWER, and the PSEC Justice and Witness Team. It is open to all churches in Penn Northeast and Pennsylvania Southeast conferences.

"Healthcare: Education and Action: is schedule for Feb. 10 from 9:00a-12:00p at Reformed Church of the Ascension, Norristown. There is no need to register, but for more information, you may call:

If the event is canceled for snow, it will be announced on the  JCVDT Facebook page

Valentine's Day Match Up

Partner with a church in the PNEC to help build relationships between people, churches and conferences. Share your mission, your hopes, your struggles and walk together in faith. Some ideas for your partnership, share a write up or video of your church with your partner so they can share it in their newsletter, in their bulletin, in worship, on their website. Pray for each other in worship. Do the Joint Conference Vision and Development Lenten Devotional and share your insights. Do a joint mission project. Visit each other’s churches. Be creative and have fun with it! Click here to complete the form to join. Forms are due by Feb. 4.

Lenten Devotional:

'What is Covenant?'

Lent is fast approaching and the Joint Conference Vision and Development Team invite you to join us in using this Lenten Devotional on “What is Covenant?” written by Rev. Dr. Bonnie Bates, PNE Conference Minister. We invite you to use the devotional with your congregation and then share your insights with us each week. The JCVDT will compile your responses and share them following Lent. The devotional is available here .

PNEC Annual Youth Retreat

The Penn Northeast Conference will be holding its Annual Youth Retreat on May 4-6 at Spruce Lake. PSEC youth in grades 7-12 are invited to join! The retreat cost is $130/person. Registration and a deposit are due by Feb. 12. For more information and the registration form, click here .

Rev. Meagan McLeod awarded Adese Fellowship for 2018

Congratulations to Rev. Meagan McLeod who has been accepted into the Adese Fellowship! The Adese Fellowship is an ecumenical program that engages participants in theological reflection and business development as they create enterprises that help their communities follow the way of Jesus and live into God’s economy. Through the 12-month, all-expenses-paid program, Meagan will combat poverty among minority single mothers with Healing Streams Center. For more information on Meagan’s plans and the other 2018 fellows, click here . For more information on the fellowship, click here .

Save the Date:

PSEC Spring Meeting 2018

Spring Meeting will be held the weekend of June 1-3 at West Chester University. The theme is "Be Reconciled." For more information, keep watching upcoming eNews emails and the conference website.

Discipleship Workshops coming to three location

Much emphasis is given today to churches reaching new people, and rightfully so. The real area of untapped potential in any congregation and community are not the people outside the church, but the people sitting in your pews every Sunday (or every other Sunday). The worship is designed to equip pastors and lay leaders with modern tools for doing an ancient work: making disciples out of those who are in our care.

Facilitated by Rev. Cean James, Associate Conference Minister for Congregational Development, there are three opportunities to attend this workshop, each from 10:00a-12:00p. The workshops are free, but registration is required. Click the links below to register and for more information. Event flyer .

PSEC Events

Jan. 18: PSEC Book Club with Harry Serio at Trinity UCC, Pottstown

Jan. 18: Biblical Game of Thrones at Trinity UCC, Telford

Jan. 21: Installation for Rev. Alisha Tatem (not UCC) as associate chaplain for Phoebe Berks and Spirit Alive program at 2:30p in the Phoebe Berks Chapel.

Jan. 28: John Abel Ordination and Installation at Immanuel, Shillington.

May 1-3: Clergy Convocation in Lancaster

June 1-3: PSEC Annual Spring Meeting in West Chester.

View more events on the PSEC Calendar

Classified Ads

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Educational Opportunities

Jan. 22: Contemplative Spirituality in Temple

Jan. 23: Spirit on Tap: God and Tyranny with Dr. Stephen Ohnsman in Reading

Jan. 30-Feb.1: Penn Central Conference Clergy Convocation in Lancaster

Upcoming Church Events

Jan. 20: A Taste of Falkner Swamp UCC Crockpot Cook-Off in Falkner Swamp

Jan. 21: World Class Jazz with the Eric Mintel Quartet in Souderton

Submit your Local Church Events here

View a complete list of Church Events here