Important This Week

• Rev. Raymond Jachowski installation at Parkside UCC this Sunday
• All Saints Special Offering this weekend
• UCC accepting applications for regional Generosity Officers
• Register for PSEC Fall Meeting

From the Associate Conference Minister for Search and Call:

Ringed by this cloud of witnesses divine,

we feebly struggle, they in glory shine;

Yet in your love our faithful lives entwine.

Alleluia! Alleluia!

We need the glory light of the saints. And their faith. Their courage, too.

The list of saints that built our local churches and guided the lives of their members through terrible times will never be sainted by an Association, Conference or the United Church of Christ. That is not our custom (though there are more than a few people around our Conference who deserve consideration). But they were people who helped their sons and daughters and neighbors have faith in the good news when the news was, as it is in our day, so bad.

The Feast of All Saints asks us to look to, and beyond, the long list of canonized saints; to hunt for holiness among our own, “a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue” (Rev 7:9).

And when we do, we find holiness close at hand. The Church itself, for all its flaws, sins and struggles, is nonetheless a rich harvest of God to feed the souls of the people who meet there. That’s worth celebrating because a church without such saints, without a worthy harvest, would serve no purpose at all. And that purpose is served by the holiness that is in you.

Today, All Sant’s Day, we affirm our common bond with all Christians of all times: women and men, rich and poor, all ethnicities and races, from all times and places, joined together as one Body not because of who we are, what we have, or what we’ve done, but because God in Christ calls us holy and sets us apart to be witnesses to God’s grace and goodness.

May God adding a blessing to your witness,

Pastor Bill

Rev. Bill Worley

Conference Minister

Apply for Global H.O.P.E. Kit matching

Community UCC, Reading, compiled Emergency Cleanup Kits for Church World Service, having received a $250 matching grant to help with the costs earlier this year. Find information on how to compile kits, apply for grants, and where to take kits by clicking here.

PSEC All Saints Special Offering materials available

All Saints Sunday is the first Sunday in November. We celebrate long ago saints and those known to us as saints. Some of the PSEC pastors who retired years ago are in need of special assistance. Because their retirement income is low, the churches of the PSEC supplement the cost of their health benefits. We remember these saints as we receive the All Saints offering. 2022 resources for that are available here. 

Information on Tax Exempt Status for UCC churches

This week, the UCC legal counsel compiled a resource regarding the Tax Exempt Status for local churches in the United Church of Christ. Group Exemption, Proving Your Church’s Tax-Exempt Status, and Your Church’s EIN: What Local Churches Need to Know is a thorough, easy-to-understand resource explaining different facets of exempt status.

Pennsylvania Southeast Conference staff will continue to help churches answer questions regarding this and providing churches with letters when needed.

Webinar: Planning for transition to retirement

If you are an actively-contributing Pension Boards member, 45 years of age or older, you may be interested in their upcoming Financial Wellness Seminar entitled, “Planning for the Transition to Retirement.” Whether you are planning to retire soon or are in the middle of your career, clergy or lay, this seminar is designed to help you prepare for the decisions you’ll need to make prior to retirement. 

We invite you to join us for this important session with our Pension Counselors on Wednesday, Nov. 2 from 12:00p to 4:00p. Register here by Nov. 1.

UCC accepting applications for Generosity Officers

The United Church of Christ, National Setting has an opening for four Generosity Officers to be deployed throughout the U.S. by region. The Generosity Officers will assist the Director of Philanthropy, the Development Strategist, OPTIC team, and volunteers in carrying out the major gift program/planned giving program of the national setting of the UCC. Each will hold primary responsibility for the solicitation of individual gifts of $10k or more for the UCC. These positions will be charged to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward 75-100 prospects and donors, concentrating on one of the identified Regions of the UCC, partnering with other staff and conference offices and local churches as appropriate. This position will require both electronic and direct face-to-face solicitation and stewardship, with an expectation of travel. 

Generosity Officer (Middle Atlantic): Penn NE, Penn SE, Penn Central, Penn West, Central Atlantic – Apply here

The United Church of Christ National celebrates diversity and an inclusive environment for all employees. We are committed to a workforce that is representative, at all job levels, of the broad spectrum of our diverse society. We endeavor to recruit employees from backgrounds that vary by race, color, national origin, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, marital status, genetic information, past, present or future service in the uniformed services, religion, or any other legally protected characteristic under applicable federal, state or local law. We are proud to be a multicultural, multiracial, open and affirming, accessible to all, equal opportunity employer.

Theology with a Twist: Ministry that Ran Away with the Circus

On Tuesday, Nov. 1, attend Theology with a Twist at the Kutztown Tavern for "The Ministry that Ran Away with the Circus." Sister Dorothy Fabritze (MSC) shares about her unique, 20-year-long, ministry with Ringling Brothers Circus, Roberts Brother Circus, and Circus Vargas (just to name a few). Using pictures, stories, and humor she will reflect on the meaning of relating to others with peace, joy, and compassion.

Theology with a Twist is meets at 7:00p the First Tuesday of the month at the Kutztown Tavern, 272 Main St Kutztown, in the upstairs room. For more info go to our Facebook page or call 610.926.3907. 

Rev. Raymond Jachowski Installation at Parkside UCC

Click the invitation below to download a PDF to share.

Lay Leadership Support Group November meeting set

A Lay Leadership Support Group has been formed for Consistory Presidents as well as those serving on Consistory. We will be gathering once a month on Zoom – so please join us!

We have found it to be a great place to form new friendships, to gain support, and to be educated on a variety of topics concerning our churches. The discussions are centered around sharing valuable information about what our churches are doing or maybe could be doing.

Our next meeting will be online November 19. Registration is free. Click here for more information and to register.

Climate Ambassador Training

How do we link our faith to the climate crisis? How do we effectively talk about climate change with others? What opportunities do we have to make a difference in our local churches and communities? These questions and more will be addressed in the Blessed Tomorrow Ambassadors Training Program that is being offered by the UCC and ecoAmerica. This free, virtual, interactive training will take place Nov. 5 from 11:00a to 3:00p. Featured presenters include Rev. Carol Devine, Rev. Dr. Brooks Berndt, Rev. Emma Brewer-Wallin, Rev. Michael Malcom, and Andrew Wells-Bean. Training participants will receive a free copy of Berndt’s book, Cathedral on Fire: A Church Handbook for the Climate Crisis. Learn more and register here!

UCC webinar: Centering Africa at the UN Climate Conference

In November, leaders from the world’s nations will be convening at COP27, the UN Climate Change Conference in Egypt. While this summit has been described as "the African COP," activists from the continent have asserted that they are already being shut out. In this webinar, we will center the climate concerns and issues faced by Africa, the continent that bears the least responsibility for the climate crisis yet is most vulnerable to its destructive impacts. The webinar will be Nov. 9 at 1:00. Register for this webinar to learn more!

From the Addiction & Recovery Taskforce: The power to heal

Jesus was a healer. He went to the most needy and outcast and healed them out of love. Jesus knew the place in which he lived, he knew the needs of the people and he knew how to bring healing to them.

Pastors and congregations are embedded in communities. Do we really know our community? Do we know the needs of the people? Do we know how to serve them with the same love that Jesus had for the needy and outcast?

One of the principles of Harm Reduction is that it demands that interventions that are offered must reflect the specific needs of individuals and their community. Do we know our communities well enough to know what the most meaningful interventions might be? Do we even know what interventions there are?

Please register here for the Harm Reduction workshop on November 10 from 3:30 to 6:30.

PSEC 2022 Fall Meeting

Sunday, November 13  ~  3:00-5:00p

Salt & Light Community Church, Philadelphia

The PSEC 2022 Fall Meeting will be a hybrid meeting. This means you may attend in person or attend via a Zoom link. Both options will allow you to vote and participate in the meeting. The meeting will take place at Salt & Light Community Church at 5736 Chester Avenue, Philadelphia.

• Click here to register
• Read the Call to Fall Meeting
• Fall Meeting webpage (includes agenda, standing rules, election report, and more)

Conference Planning Team Seeking Additional Members

The PSEC Planning Team is the group that facilitates the PSEC Spring Annual and Fall Meetings. The committee is looking for new members who can bring creative ideas and new energy to meet the needs of our conference members. The committee meets via Zoom once a month. If you feel called to serve in this ministry, please reach out to Susan Creswell at the PSEC office at susan@psec.org or 484-949-8774 x 312.

Addiction and Recovery Taskforce hybrid event Nov. 10

Join the Addiction & Recovery Taskforce on Nov. 10 either online or in Fort Washington for "Resurrecting Hope: Harm Reduction and Healing Centered Engagement to End Overdose." Click here for more information and to register.

Preview a draft of the UCC Manual on the Local Church

At the 32nd General Synod, the church was charged with convening a working group to produce a Manual on the Local Church. The Manual on Church Working Group has worked diligently over the past two and a half years towards these ends. Though there is additional work forthcoming, we share with you the first resources of this collective work. Click here to view drafts of the: Definition of a Local Church; Marks of Faithful and Vital Local Churches; Congregational Code for Local Churches; Church Accountability Procedures; and Local Standing in the UCC for new or affiliating Faith Churches.

Upcoming PA Academy of Ministry Classes

Jews and the American Civil Rights Movement, Jan. 11-Feb. 15. Wednesdays, 7-8:30p via Zoom. Instructor, Rabbi Jack Paskoff. Ideal for lay and clergy leaders.

Church History To the Reformation, Jan. 10-Feb. 14. Weeknights via Zoom. Instructor, the Rev. Matt Deal. Ideal for lay and clergy leaders.

Click here for more information and registration.

Let's reach the finish line! Help with storm recovery in Philly

Rebuilding continues following Tropical Storm Isaias in the Eastwick neighborhood of Philadelphia. Volunteers and Contractors needed!

Since Tropical Storm Isaias brought devastating flooding to the Eastwick neighborhood of Philadelphia in August 2020, the Eastwick Unmet Needs Roundtable identified 50 families who needed help with rebuilding of homes and replacement of heating and cooling systems.

The Eastwick Unmet Needs Roundtable is a partnership of community organizations like Eastwick United CDC, Eastwick Friends and Neighbors Coalition, as well as disaster recovery non-profits like The Salvation Army, UCC Disaster Ministries, Lutheran Disaster Response, The Elevated Studio, The Eastern PA Conference of the United Methodist Church. Government partners include Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management, Philadelphia Office of Sustainability, Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation, and Pennsylvania Emergency Management.

Volunteers have contributed 4,000 hours to date. Contractors have installed 26 air handlers and 6 hot water heaters as well as repaired electric and plumbing in several homes.

Help us complete the remaining 15 cases by the end of the calendar year. Volunteers, skilled in general construction/ carpentry, as well as those willing to learn, are needed. We also are looking for licensed and insured contractors. Full funding is available for all materials and contractor labor.

Opportunities:

• Volunteer on Saturday November 12, 2022!
• Indicate your interest in volunteering on other days that become available. 
• Insured and Licensed Contractors: Please contact us for opportunities related to general construction.

Contact: Volunteer Coordinator, Sharon Sgriccia, isaiasrecoveryvolunteers@gmail.com

Long term recovery from disasters takes many years and is a very slow and difficult process for survivors. We hold in our hearts those just beginning to recover from Hurricanes Fiona and Ian. Please consider this opportunity closer to home as a way of standing in solidarity with all disaster survivors in all places.