Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone.

The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses

all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-6)

 

Every Thanksgiving I read this passage of scripture. It is a reminder to me that I have so very much to be thankful for: faith, family, friends, food, shelter, meaningful work, the earth on which to live, air to breathe. I once asked the question during a sermon message, “What would you now be missing if everything you had failed to thank God for disappeared?” It’s a reasonable question. We take way too much for granted, sometimes with a sense that we are entitled to our blessings, not graced by them.

 

Friends, look around you. The world is a challenging place for some of us, maybe for many of us. But in the United States we have so much more than most people in the rest of the world. Although there are seven billion people in the world, “if there were only 100 people: 50 are female,50 are male. 26 are children and 8 are aged 65 or older. 60 are Asian, 15 African, 14 are from the Americas, and 11 individuals are from Europe. 5 of us speak English, and 5 speak Spanish. Arabic, Hindi, Bengali, and Portuguese all have 3 fluent speakers each. 12 speak Chinese, whilst 62 speak other languages. 83 are literate, 77 have shelter, 87 have access to safe water, 15 are undernourished and 21 are overweight. 33 of us would be Christians, 22 Muslims, 14 Hindus, 7 Buddhists. 12 people would practice other religions and 12 would not be involved in any religion ( https://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/the-world-there-were-only-100-people.html) .”

 

There is a clear message for us in these statistics. And yet, the world is not about statistics. The world is about people. Our God calls us to love God and love our neighbor. I don’t know about you but I am not happy that 23 of the 100 people do not have shelter or that 13 of the 100 do not have access to clean water. I am not happy that 15 of the 100 are undernourished. These are not acceptable numbers for me. In my thanksgiving for what I have, I also need to be cognizant of my responsibility to those who have less, so much less. Our neighbors need us. They need us to advocate for clean air and water. They need us to support efforts for good, free public education and accessible health care. They need us to support low income and affordable housing, jobs that pay a living wage.

 

If you have a chance this holiday season, this Thanksgiving, make a plan with your family or friends about how you will make the world a little better, a little brighter, for those who have so much less than they need to survive or thrive. And while you are at it, be thankful, truly thankful, for all the blessings you have been given. Happy Thanksgiving! – Blessings, Bonnie

Deadline to register is fast approaching...

Cultivating Generous Congregations...How Do You Inspire Generosity

January 24-25, 2020

Church of the Good Shepherd, 35 W. Phila. Ave., Boyertown

Cost: $350 per church team

(4-5 members per church)

Deadline to register will be December 5, 2019.

Click Here for full flyer

Advent Retreat: ADVENT HEALING: GOD'S CONSTANT RENEWAL OF LIFE

The Spiritual Renewal Partners of the UCC PNEC are inviting you

November 30

9AM to 3PM

St. John's UCC, 139 N. Fourth St.

Emmaus, PA 18049

Please bring a Bible, a journal or notebook, pencil or pen. Beverages will be provided. Please bring your lunch, plus a snack to share for our breaks or a baked item for dessert if you wish. Beverages will be provided. There is no fee for this retreat, but a basket will be provided for a good will offering for the use of the room.

 

Please click for flyer to register, or send the information requested on the flyer by replying to this email. Please list the person(s) attending, church name, your address and phone number ASAP or before November 25..

Does YOUR church need a Coach??

Rev. Christian Creyer writes about Chestnut Hill Church-UCC and their Coaching Experience:

If you are questioning whether a coach would be helpful to you as a Pastor or you as a member of a congregation, stop questioning and just follow the prompting of the Spirit to engage in this relationship. We have had a coach walk beside us at Chestnut Hill Church for a little over a year now as part of the Vitality Days program and we could not have asked for a better experience. Our coach helps us to think about things in a different way and guides us to make the decisions into which we think the Spirit is leading us. This relationship has helped us to focus our attention and look toward the future instead of where we are and what may be going wrong so that we can actually see what the Spirit has been doing in us all along. Don’t hesitate, if the Spirit is prompting, listen and engage a coach today.

 

Would you like more information about Coaching?? – check out the Conference Website ! 

Disaster Ministries

UCC extends care to children displaced by Dorian

Betzi Yungclas, Benji Benzschawel deployed to FL

A Go-Bag is a critical tool in being prepared for a natural disaster and thus able to help others.

Ways to support disaster recovery:

UCC Preparedness Webinars

More Resources

Ready PA Monthly November 2019