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Important This Week
- The Conference Office will be closed Friday, March 30 for Good Friday and Tuesday, April 3 - Wednesday, April 4 for a staff retreat.
- The deadline for early registration rates for Annual Meeting is Saturday.
- The conference minister weighs in on an ancient Easter story.
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Mary Magdalene and the egg
There is, in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, an ancient painting of Mary Magdalene holding an egg. Somehow, I made it from confirmation to Conference Ministry without learning the story of Mary and the egg. According to church tradition, Mary brought white boiled eggs to the tomb of Jesus on that first Easter morning. Why eggs? Perhaps as a fast food on the way to waiting for the tomb stone to be rolled aside. When she arrived at the site of the Resurrection, finding the stone already moved, she also found that the eggs in her basket had turned bright red.
After Jesus’ Ascension, Mary found herself in front of Emperor Tiberius Caesar in Rome – yep, carrying an egg. Holding the egg out to him, she declared, as many of us will this Sunday, “Christ is risen!” The emperor, mocking her, said that Jesus had no more risen than the egg in her hand. Immediately, the egg turned red. The Emperor, at Mary’s request, removed Pilate from his post in Jerusalem.
Two-thousand years of Christian tradition have given us amazing stories and myths. Some strain the capacity for sense or reason. Others have clearly co-opted stories of earlier faith traditions. And I am okay with that. There are fundamental truths about the nature of God that flow across time and space binding us with all people who seek the Holy and Divine. The entirety of the gospel strains our capacity for sense and reason. As, of course, it should. It’s not about us or what we did in the world. It’s about who God is and what God is doing in the world. Fortunately, God’s capacity for creativity, transformation, miracles and resurrection is infinite.
So, for this Holy Triduum I’ve decided to carry a white, hard boiled egg with me. It may or may not spontaneously change colors. But it will be a helpful reminder of the resurrected spirit God has instilled in me and in you -- the one constantly trying to break out into the world.
May it be so.
Bill
Rev. William P. Worley
Conference Minister, PSEC
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Resources: Opioid Epidemic Practical Toolkit
The PSEC website features a Resource library, with helpful materials for church leaders, pastors, volunteers, retirees... The most recent item posted was an "Opioid Epidemic Practical Toolkit." The Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnership, under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, released the resource, which provides a simple, but proven, list of actions churches can take to make a difference in their communities’ fight to end drug addition.
To browse the PSEC Resource Library, visit
psec.org/resources
and use the search bar on the right, select a "Resources Category" to browse, or scroll down to see what's been added recently.
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Register: UCC Clergywomen Leadership Event in Arizona
Register now for the 2018 UCC Clergywomen Leadership Event
, which will be May 1-3 at the Carefree Resort and Conference Center in Carefree, Arizona.
Sponsored by the
Antoinette Brown Society
, this event will feature keynote presentations by 2017 Antoinette Brown Awardees
the Rev. Day McCallister and the Rev. Loey Powell focused on the theme of “The Potency of Hope
.
”
P
articipants will explore the beauty of the Southwest, be inspired
in worship and plenary time
, share wisdom and learn from one another in workshops and affinity groups. There will also be unstructured time together (or apart!) at the newly renovated Carefree Resort. This event is open to all authorized clergywomen in the United Church of Christ; the schedule and registration information can be found
here
. Registration deadline is April 5.
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Havertown church's Pet Therapy featured by UCC
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St. James UCC, Havertown, has a thriving pet therapy program for elementary schoolers learning to read and a visitation program for seniors with intellectual disabilities. The program was lifted up by United Church of Christ News last week as an example of a "3 Great Loves" ministry. Read "Pennsylvania congregation's Pet Therapy program is perfect 3 Great Loves ministry" on the
PSEC website
.
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PSEC helps in Hurricane Maria long-term recovery in Philly
On Saturday, March 17, the Conference Consistory approved the Conference’s membership in the Greater Philadelphia Long Term Recovery Committee. The purpose of the GPLTRC is to help residents of Puerto Rico who’ve relocated to the Philadelphia area (whether temporarily or permanently) as a result of Hurricane Maria devastating the island in September 2017.
Many of these families and individuals face significant challenges, including but not limited to:
- adequate and affordable housing
- employment opportunities
- language translation
- help navigating the FEMA assistance process
- replacement of lost items
- emotional and spiritual support
To read more about the work of GPLTRC and how you can help,
click here.
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Registration now open for April Secretary Training event
Churches can treat their secretaries to a special lunch and training event on Administrative Professionals' Day, Wednesday April 25. Church admins are invited to this year's Secretary Training event, where we will fellowship over lunch, then spend the afternoon sharing ideas on setting boundaries, staying positive when others are negative, dealing with difficult/ demanding members, how to say "my plate is full" when others keep putting things on you, and sharing time-saving tips with one another. The training will be 11:30-3:30 at Church of the Good Shepherd, Boyertown. The cost is $15 and registration is now open;
click here to register
.
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Register for Annual Meeting
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Join us for Annual Meeting June 1-3 at West Chester University as we work to deepen our relationship with Jesus Christ and each other and to strengthen our gifts to ministry in service to God’s people. Friday, Conference Minister Bill Worley hosts a conversation, “Reconciling Past and Future”, for laity and clergy to both experience and engage the possibilities beyond attempting to “fix” the church to an orientation of God unfolding new possibilities before us.
Rev. John Dorhauer, General Minister & President, will preach Friday evening. Conference business will be handled Saturday morning followed by an afternoon of workshops, including one with Jeff Chu who will be the speaker for the Saturday evening program. There will be Celebration Worship Sunday morning with guest preacher, Rev. Dr. Bonnie Bates, followed by lunch and fellowship to end the meeting.
- Annual Meeting info, including an agenda and workshop descriptions are at psec.org/annualmtg18
- To register now and get early registration rates, click here.
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Register for PAM Church History or Pastoral Care class
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Pennsylvania Academy of Ministry will offer
Church History
on
April 7
from 9am to 4pm at First UCC in Schuylkill Haven but you can also attend via live broadcast. This class will focus on the history of the church beginning with the first century through the Crusades, Reformation and today. This is a basic class for our Licensing Prep curriculum and a refresher for clergy and laity of our roots in the Church.
Click here
for a registration form with the reading assignment for the class or you can register and pay online on the
PA Academy of Ministry website
. The deadline to register is March 30.
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PAM is offering its
Pastoral Care
class on
May 12
from 9:00-4:00pm at First UCC in Schuylkill Haven. This session will consider both the theological underpinnings and the practical application of pastoral care, including hospital visitation, grief counseling, and crisis care. This class is a required “advanced” course for Licensed preparation and a vital continuing education class for all parish ministers.
Click here
for a registration form with pre-class reading and writing assignments or register on the PAM website:
paacademyofministry.org
. The pre-class assignments will be on the student page under Pastoral Care.
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Upcoming Church Events
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here
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here
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Educational Opportunities
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Missed a week? Read past eNews here:
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