Important This Week

• Mark your calendar for upcoming training dates and events
• Annual year-end church reporting began last week
• Continuing education and MID opportunities through PA Academy of Ministry and PATHWAYS

Save the dates for 2024:

As you're looking ahead at the coming year, planning church activities and personal schedules, please keep in mind these dates for Pennsylvania Southeast Conference events. Follow weekly eNews and "Next Week in PSEC" emails for more information. Please remember that authorized ministers who are not Exempt, must have six hours of Boundary Training and three hours of Diversity Training every three years (PSEC Boundary Training Policy) and regular continuing education (PSEC Continuing Education Policy).

January

• Jan. 16-18: Women's Clergy Retreat
• Jan. 22: View on your own Diversity Training (Register)
• Jan. 24: Advanced Boundary Training: Boundaries for Part-time Pastors (Register)
• Jan. 31-Feb. 1: Basic Boundary Training with Lehigh Presbytery (Register)

February

• Feb. 1: Confronting Conflict workshop for pastors
• Feb. 7: Church Administrators/Secretaries Community of Practice (Register)
• Feb. 13: Book study begins on The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness (Register)

March

• March 28: Reaffirmation of Ordination Vows

April

• April 6: Lay Leadership Convocation
• April 17: Retiree event
• April 24: Church Administrators annual luncheon

May

• May 7-8: Basic Boundary Training with Lehigh Presbytery (Register)
• May 7-9: Clergy Convocation (Register)
• May 16: Advanced Boundary Training: When confidences can be broken/mandatory reporting

June

• June 7-9: PA Conferences Spring Meeting

Annual year-end church reporting began last week

Last week, emails were sent to church offices and pastors with information on year-end reporting. If you should have received that information and didn’t, please contact the Conference Registrar, Brea Rarick, at brea@psec.org or 484-949-8774 ext. 311. Also, for information on this year’s reporting visit psec.org/reporting.

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. 

UCC webinar: Primary Season: Prioritizing Climate Solutions

Recent headlines have highlighted a "waning enthusiasm" among voters who have helped propel environmental justice champions into office in previous elections. A decline in enthusiasm has been noted among Black, Hispanic, and young voters. Among voters concerned about the climate crisis, dissatisfaction and anger have arisen as fossil fuel projects in Alaska and Appalachia move forward. In this webinar, we will focus on what can be done to create the momentum needed for champions of climate justice to be elected into office. We will look at how climate solutions can be prioritized in the primaries, so policies in accord with environmental justice values can be advanced. Our featured guests include speakers from the League of Conservation Voters, the Black Voters Matter Fund, and the Green New Deal Network. Even if you cannot make the webinar at its scheduled time on Jan. 10 at 1:00p, still sign-up, and we will send you a link to a recording of it. Register now!

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.

Diversity Training view on your own option this month

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.

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.

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.

Generosity Extravaganza event: Tools for Today

The PSEC Generosity Mission Team would like to call your attention to an upcoming event offered by our ELCA partners in the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod on Saturday, Jan. 20. There were several attendees from PSEC at last year's event, and everyone found it to be worthwhile. The deadline to register for this year's event is Jan. 10. Click here to register and for more information. We also ask you to watch for details on PSEC's Generosity educational opportunities to be offered in 2024!

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

PSEC 2023 Giving Cut-Off

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.

MLK Day of Service:

Lutheran Disaster Response

The Southeaster Pennsylvania Synod and United Lutheran Seminary are coming together on Monday, Jan. 15 for an MLK Day of Service, assembling and collecting disaster kits and hygiene kits. Click here for more information.

MLK Day of Service - Care Packages for Homeless Vets

The WC Atkinson Memorial Community Service Center in Coatesville is looking for churches and individuals to partner with them to donate/collect and/or prepare Care Packages for Homeless Veterans. The Activity will be coordinated by the Minority Nurse Educators of Chester County. The distribution of the Care Packages will be coordinated through the VAMC Office of Volunteer Services. The packages will be prepared on Monday, Jan. 15 at the WC Atkinson Memorial Community Service Center, 822 East Chestnut Street, Coatesville. Click here to register and for more information.

Disaster response continues in Berks; seeking paid help

PSEC is partnering with our ecumenical partners in responding to summer flooding in Berks County. Volunteers supported the Multi Agency Resource Center in July, helped call survivors, and played a critical role at the mobile outreach center.

Funding has been found to help with materials for repairs. The UCC is providing 2 Partners in Service to manage volunteers and construction supervision. St. Paul's UCC, Amityville, is helping to manage a grant from the national UCC as well.

To help survivors navigate the available resources, high quality disaster case management is necessary. The Lutheran Disaster Response program has received funding to provide management services. Therefore, they are seeking to recruit three part time paid contract case managers. It is projected that these positions will last 6 months to a year. Please read the Position Description and consider applying for one of these positions. Being fluent in both Spanish and English is helpful. If you want to learn more, contact Julia Frank, Director of Community Outreach, Lutheran Congregational Services, 215-430-1299 or jfrank@libertylutheran.org.

CPE semi-intensive opening at Phoebe beginning in March

Phoebe Ministries will be holding a spring semi-intensive CPE unit beginning in March. The dates of the unit are March 11 to June 28. For more info, click here.

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