One of the things I have learned over this year, is that most conversations in the church and perhaps elsewhere, are never based on one point of view or one set of facts. Congregations are filled with people along the continuum of politics, religion, theology and how to do church. We are not always focused on BEing the church as much as DOing church. Since I live alone, during this pandemic,  I do more reading now than ever before. I sit and meditate on what I am learning on a deeper level without the distractions I had before the pandemic. I also meditate upon the things I hear each day and one subject has not stopped; When are we going back to in-person worship?

The question about returning to in-person worship hasn’t stopped being raised since the first week we all went into “lock-down”. It is a question that hasn’t gone away. I keep wondering what our communities would be like if Christians could let go of the need to control life as they want it and rest into the presence of God and be awake to how God is calling us in the NOW to being church. That got me thinking of what is operating underneath the push, the distractions, the angst. While I am sure there are many reasons operating here, there are two I’d like to share with you. One is entrapment and the other consumption.

I’ll start with the entrapment. We think we know each other but we really don’t. Who we reveal to each other is not all of who we are. I became aware of how so many of my friends were celebrating the initial weeks of “lock-down”. My introverted friends said, “I was made for this!” Then I started noticing other voices. I started to hear about people who live in households where there is neglect, abuse, and violence. This pandemic hit them in so many ways that have been life threatening. Those people are in our churches. Being confined to the house and living daily through the amazing gifts of technology is experienced as entrapment. “Home” is a prison and a place of pain. Church is their weekly escape. They may not tell you the truth about their circumstances, but we can ask them privately if there is something else going on. There are resources and services available. So, I hope pastors and lay leaders are equipping themselves with how they can support these people.

There are also those who are lonely and of an age or ability that prevents them from using any technology resources that would enrich their lives. For some it is a lack of financial resources and for others learning challenges that make zooms and emails impossible. In this situation I hope lay people embrace what it means to reach out and not make this “the job” of the pastor alone. This is a covenantal promise we make to each other when we join a community of faith. So, I hope we are all doing our part in the communities of faith we are connected to.

Now, for the consumption possibility. I have started being more intentional about reading works by Armenian scholars, theologians, poets and writers. I have spent so much time reading the voices of others and thought it was time I dive deeper into the voices and wisdom of my own cultural group. One of the books I have been reading is, TIME FOR HOPE: Practices for Living in Today’s World by the Rev. Dr. Flora A. Keshgegian who is an Armenian-American scholar, theologian, and Episcopal priest. One of the paragraphs that caught my attention addresses this idea of consumption. It reads, “In this world of late capitalism, religion itself has become a commodity. Religion is something we consume. We assess our participation in religious practices and communities by how satisfied we are. Combined with the individualism of capitalist ideology, we are becoming more and more self-centered and narcissistic. Our culture breeds narcissism with personal satisfaction as its chief value. Satisfaction, in turn, is measured by production and consumption. If we personally are not “getting anything out of” our religious practices, we look elsewhere.”

When Christians have conversations about returning to in-person worship and the push is to get back in the building, it sounds more like the voices of our culture than the voices of the Gospel.  I understand the desire and need for in person community. Our tradition is not one that is done in silos but in community. There is also another dynamic at play. There are congregations of all denominations that have never stopped worshipping in person and others who are now returning out of COVID fatigue. For some the return is out of boredom for people who are more energized and find meaning being in person. There are also others who resist being adaptable and have never allowed themselves to prayerfully accept this season and discern how God is speaking to them through it. Unfortunately, the church has become a product of the culture of consumption.  We are citizens of the United States of North America and we bring all of what that means to the conversations around the tables…even the ‘tables’ at church.

There is no place in the bible where Jesus intentionally put people in danger. He called us to BE the church. Our call is to worship, learn and serve in the world.  When you have conversations about returning to in-person worship, I hope and pray that you will do so with the language of our faith and the statements of faith the church is founded upon. Let the voice of the Gospel be the guiding principle instead of the values of a capitalist culture that sacrifices trusting in God’s time because of consumptive needs.

In the service of Baptism there is a question to the congregation, and it is this, “Do you, who witness and celebrate this sacrament, promise your love, support, and care to the one about to be baptized, as they live and grow in Christ? The response is, “We promise our love, support and care.” At Confirmation the congregations says, “We promise you our continuing friendship and prayers as we share the hopes and labors of the church of Jesus Christ. By the power of the Holy Spirit may we continue to grow together in God’s knowledge and love and be witnesses of our risen Savior.”

May it be so.

If your church has not yet completed year-end reporting for the United Church of Christ, you have until tomorrow at midnight to take action. Find information about the reporting by visiting psec.org/reporting. Contact Brea at the Conference Office with any questions: brea@psec.org, 484-949-8774 ext. 311.

Join us in a formal address from Rev. Antal as well as some dialogue moderated by Rev. Brooks Berndt about what we can do together to ensure God’s creation thrives in 2021 and beyond. Click here to register.

Nearly fifty years later, the pathways, thankfully, are considerably widened for women in ministry in the UCC. And there continues to be a call to lift up pioneers and innovators in our midst, women who lead in extraordinary ways and who make possible other women’s ministries. From now until March 15, we invite your nominations of trailblazers (UCC clergywomen who honor Antoinette Brown’s vision of women in leadership in church and society) as well as catalysts (collectives, projects, congregations, or organizations that serve as provocative spaces that advance women in ministry). Honorees will be celebrated at our online General Synod 33 in July 2021. Click here to download the nomination form.

The 2021 CWS Kit Booklet explains all of the details of the Church World Service kit ministry. To view that, click here. For a list of drop-off locations in PSEC, click here.

Secretary of Homeland Security announced last week the release of funding notices for eight different types of preparedness grants. $1.87 billion will be available. For more info on the grants, click here to read the press release.

The Humanitarian Disaster Institute is hosting a Spiritual Care Summit online on March 11. Learn more about this event and other disaster spiritual care news.

The Cultivating Generous Congregations Seminar for pastors and lay leaders offers an opportunity to explore faithful, practical, and tested ways to promoting generosity in our congregations. The seminar draws on current research, seeks guidance from the wisdom of scripture, and discusses the best practices in church-based fundraising. Class sessions held May 19, May 26, June 2, June 9, June 16, and June 23, 2021 from 6:30 – 8:00pm EST. Between class sessions, the instructors provide materials to help you analyze the culture of your own congregation and learn how to create change. Register today: The CGC Seminar is $150 per participant. Register here by April 30, 2021: cvent.me/7yV37Q.

The Addiction and Recovery Task Force has posted lists of Dos and Don’ts for Congregations at the PSEC website. here are a few that can get a congregation started to be part of the solution:

Please see the information on the website for more ideas on Dos. There is much that our congregations can do to support our brothers and sisters struggling with addiction.

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.

The matching grants will be given on a first-come, first-served basis, until the team’s budget of $1,000 is met. Please apply by April 1 at psec.org/green.

Check out the list of possible activities in the climate justice link on our web site, psec.org/green.

Questions: Karl Jones (kjones275@comcast.net), Marian Shearer (uccrev77@gmail.com), Liz Brunton (lizbrunton2462@gmail.com).

The Zachariah Walker Racial Justice Initiative team, in promoting racial justice, is offering banners and yard signs free to churches and individuals.

For those who are able, we are suggesting a love offering of $70 per banner (image of the 4’x10’ Vinyl Banner with grommets below) and $7 per yard sign (image of the 18’’x24’’ Yard sign above right). The love offerings will go to further our efforts in this sacred ministry of racial equity and justice. To order, please email Anne Cormier at annecormier@comcast.net. Include in the subject box “banner” or “yard sign”.

The First United Church of Christ Mission Fund through the Berks Community Foundation supports activities for children in need, activities and programs for seniors, initiatives that address hunger, ministry, and more. Applications are due March 15. For more information, visit the Community Foundation website. In 2020, the fund awarded awarded 12 grants totaling $36,925.

Each Monday at 11:00a, authorized ministers and church leaders are invited to check in with Conference Minister Rev. Bill Worley on a Zoom call, share experiences in this season of COVID, ask for advice, and be in community. We encourage you to join this opportunity for theological and practical reflection and discussion. Click here to join the call on Monday.

Penn Northeast Conference is hosting an Advanced Boundary Training in May on "Social Media and Boundaries for Ministry." The Zoom training cost is $25; registration limited to 22 participants. Click here for more information and to register.

For example, a Choir Director or Minister of Music may not be fulfilling their current description of directing the choir or holding practices, but is searching archives for recorded anthems, finding music CDs for virtual services, and coordinating recordings for worship. We are looking for updated job descriptions that reflect our current situation and the anticipated future. If your church has job descriptions that include these virtual components, please send them to Rev. Trudy Irving at pastortrudy@stpaulsucc.net.

The 2021 One Great Hour of Sharing offering is set to be taken on March 14. For information on how the pandemic effected the 2020 OGHS, special resources for this year's offering, and more, click here.

An Advanced Boundary Training on Family/ Church Boundaries will be held March 11 from 9:00a-12:00p. Sometimes pastors and their families feel like they live in a glass house, a spouse and/or children feel imposed upon, or the lines of being part of the same community as the church make it challenging for the pastor’s family. This training will offer ways for clergy family to maintain boundaries. We will look at a couple of cases and then use the collective wisdom of the group to consider healthy ways to navigate those situations with faithfulness and good boundaries. Click here to register. The fee is $20.

Dr. Ruth Westheimer, world-renowned sex therapist who pioneered discussing human sexuality on radio and television, will present a live Q&A session on March 18 at the Phoebe Institute on Aging’s FREE Virtual Conference on “Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll: Baby Boomers and Aging”. For more info and to register, click here.

James Baldwin said, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” The Zachariah Walker Racial Justice Initiative of the PSEC invites you and your congregation to be intentional about the ongoing work of racial equity and justice. To this end, we invite you to view the link below of a presentation given by Earl James, on things we can do to be anti-racist congregations. Earl James is the retired coordinator of the Black and African American Council of the Reformed Church in America and coordinator of multi-cultural initiatives. Click here to view the presentation.

We ask you to please post this on your webpage and other social media platforms. The more people we have engaged in this holy conversation and sacred work, the sooner we can realize God’s deep shalom.

On March 10 from 7-8:30p, there will be a "Faith In Action" online webinar on Christian and Gun Violence Prevention. Gun violence incidents of firearm suicide, domestic violence, and unintentional shootings by minors leave a wake of survivors and victims. How do Christians respond? The panelists explore how Christian faith and individual beliefs may catalyze gun violence prevention advocacy work. This webinar welcomes you to reflect on your own faith and its role in the work to end gun violence. Click here for an event flyer. Click here to register.

The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security, State Police Criminal Intelligence Center, Western PA All-Hazards Fusion Center and the Delaware Valley Intelligence Center are collaborating with the Faith-Based Information Sharing and Analysis Organization to enhance security and information-sharing among faith-based and non-profit organizations and the law enforcement community. This workshop series will help participants learn how to detect, prepare, and respond to hostile incidents in and around places of worship, community centers, faith-based schools, and camp programs, among other facilities.

This workshop is free. For dates, more info, and to register, click here.

PSEC has an opportunity to purchase a block of cybersecurity training videos. This is a 3 year, once per year, training commitment that will take place from the comfort of your own computer at your own convenience. The training will take less than an hour of your time each year for 3 years. In this time, cybersecurity is incredibly important as those who would cause harm to our computers, our private information, our friends who may not have the savvy to understand the difference between a safe email and a phishing email, are getting more sophisticated in their tactics when trying to infiltrate our computers and when spoofing our own email addresses. If you don't know what a phishing email is, what spoofing means, what ransomware and malware are, what a trojan horse is or a worm is, what spear phishing is or what clickjacking is, you might want to consider signing up for this training. Again, it is a 3 year, one hour per year training on the internet. If you are interested, let your intent known to Tammie Wisniewski at tammie@psec.org. The cost is $66 per person for all 3 years and must be paid upfront when we would purchase the course. More information will follow on that piece. Please email your interest asap to Tammie so we can discern if there is a need for this cybersecurity support in the Conference.

The Evangelical and Reformed Historical Society looks forward to partnering with you in celebrating the continuing legacy of our historic E and R churches throughout PSEC on Sunday, June 13. Additional details are forthcoming. In the meantime, you can always visit us at erhistoricalsociety.org and follow us on Facebook @erhistoricalsoc and Instagram @erhistoricalsociety.

"Introduction to Worship Leadership and Liturgical Practices" will be taught by Rev. Dr. Marty Kuchma, equipping worship leaders to plan, prepare, and practice congregational worship, rites, and rituals. Particular attention paid to baptisms, weddings, and funerals/memorial services. Students will be asked to articulate their own self-understanding of the pastoral role in relation to these practices. The class will be six-weeks online, meeting via Zoom on the following dates: April 10, 17, 24, May 1, and 15 from 10:00a–noon and May 6 from 6:00p–8:00p. The cost is $325. Register here by March 30.

If your church isn't currently worshipping or you are not able or comfortable attending services, we have compiled a list of churches in PSEC that are holding digital/ virtual worship experiences. Share this with others that might not have another option for worship. Click here for an updated list.

March 16: Mission Central and Connecting to Local Mission Possibilities

“Mission Central is about ‘Connecting God’s Resources with Human Need.’ This is accomplished by following three areas of focus…Mission Outreach, Mission Education and Disaster Response.” Mission Central – located in Harrisburg – partners with over 180 different organizations and they provide resources to groups who are doing humanitarian work locally, across the country and around the world. Stephanie will talk with us about connecting with Mission Central as well as how to tap into mission opportunities and organizations in our various counties.