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Important This Week
- From the Conference Minister on gun violence, the lectionary text, and a General Synod resolution
- Shop AmazonSmile to benefit PSEC
- Check out the PSEC Summer Reading List
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From the Conference Minister: Gun violence in America
Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
Luke 12:51-53
This is one of those Sundays when the Gospel reading might lead you to turn to one of the other lectionary texts. I would encourage you otherwise.
The meaning of Jesus’ words divided people from the moment he spoke them. Everything we do and say moves us either closer to, or further way, from the Christ light. The effect of the moving creates division — in ourselves, our families, communities and, of course, our politics. Some translations render Jesus bringing a “sword”, so we know how clean the division is that separates the movement to and from his light.
We have evolved from people of the sword into people of the gun. I am not suggesting that Jesus “brought a gun” but it seems to me that our gun culture has rendered us so violently divided as to be unrecognizable as the nation that once thought itself to be a “city on the hill and a light to the nations”.
In 1995, General Synod 20 passed the resolution: “Guns and Violence;” calling on UCC members to engage in reflection to better understand the roots of violence in our culture. This June, the 32nd General Synod
“called upon the Congress of the United States to conduct formal hearings to discover systemic and proximate causes of civilian violence in America, and to receive testimony as to changes in American society that may be undertaken to alleviate the effects of violence on the American people.”
(
A Call for Congressional Hearings on Violence in America
).
I am a gun owner. Have been all my life. From hunting to target shooting to military service, guns have been part of my family for as long as anyone can remember. I carry the memories of my grandfather and his father in the firearms they passed to me. Along with them I carry the expectations and ethics for their careful use.
Americans have added to the firearms of our forefathers hand-held and shoulder fired weapons of mass destruction. But we have abandoned the ethic or the expectation for their careful use in a culture that is driven entirely by irrational fear and racial division. There is a reasonableness to our relationship with guns that no longer exists to protect a right without commensurate responsibility. Our days grow more deadly and we move further away from the Christ light.
Some ministry colleagues are calling for an all-out ban on guns. Others advocate for common sense gun laws. I believe that anyone who wants to own a gun needs to be part of the militia (National Guard or Federal Armed Services) where thorough background checks accompany proper training and service to the community. The solution will need to be as radical as the problem (see for instance Jesus).
There is so much more to say about the gospel text, Americans' gun culture and our current political climate that will not fit here. My hope and prayer is that all of our congregations are creating opportunities for conversation and action which diminish division and move people toward the Light of which our world is in separate need.
May it be so with God’s blessings,
Bill
Rev. William Worley
Conference Minister
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Read this sermon on trip to Germany representing PSEC
High School German Teacher, Ashley Dawn Snyder spoke last month at St. John's Hain's UCC, sharing her trip to Germany representing the Pennsylvania Southeast Conference UCC and what it did to her faith and resolve to live this life being led by God. Driven by compassion, we can all make a difference. Take a few moments to read the sermon "
You Will Never Walk Alone
."
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Shop AmazonSmile to benefit the Conference
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AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon that gives customers the same selection of products and the same prices, but the foundation donates a percentage -- usually 0.5% -- of eligible purchases to the charitable organization selected by the customer. If you haven't attached your Amazon account to PSEC, please consider doing so now!
Support PSEC Here
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Church Building & Loan Fund can help your congregation
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The UCC Church Building & Loan Fund has been helping churches transform their communities for over 160 years. The Regional Mission Interpreter can help your congregation:
- Dream and explore your future through a guided Visioning Process
- Fulfill your mission and raise funds with a guided Capital Campaign
- Grow generous givers with a guided Stewardship Campaign
- Ensure your resources match your mission Repurposing Consultation
- Provide loans for purchasing land and /or structure, construction, and other capital projects
To learn about these services, contact your Regional Mission Interpreter, Jill White,
whitej@ucc.org
or 216-736-3820.
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PS
EC summer reading list:
"A Companion to the Mercersburg Theology: Evangelical Catholicism in the Mid-Nineteenth Century"
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Don’t hang up! I am sure some of you already began checking out when you read the title. On the other hand, there may also be a contingent among you that has already read or is planning to read this new book by William B. Evans, just released in 2019. I found out about this book at the Mercersburg Convocation at Lancaster Theological Seminary in June.
I decided to submit this book for PSEC’s Summer Reading List because I have been involved in several conversations recently about United Church of Christ clergy and lay leaders who relocate to eastern Pennsylvania from other parts of the country or, for whatever reason, are unfamiliar with this 19th century theological movement that had a substantial impact on the historical German Reformed congregations in PSEC. I can relate to this scenario as a lifelong Lutheran who only joined the United Church of Christ in midlife and has been playing catch-up.
From Introduction through Epilogue, William B. Evans’ book is 139 pages. As one of the titles in the Cascade Companions series, it lives up to the series’ mission of providing “brief, yet compelling” introductions to Christian heritage topics. Evans includes questions at the end of each chapter. Tip: I found it helpful to read the questions first, as an orientation to the chapter. There is also an extensive bibliography of primary and secondary sources for further exploration.
Admittedly, this book is not your typical lighter-fare beach or lakefront read, but overall, you will not find a more concise, thorough and up-to-date review of the key people and concepts of Mercersburg Theology.
Ms. Caroline Dunleavy
Salem UCC, Doylestown
Check out all of the recommended books at
psec.org/booklist
.
Have a book to recommend for other clergy and lay leaders? Send an email to
brea@psec.org
with a 100-200 word description of the book and why you're recommending it and we'll add it to the PSEC summer reading list and share your recommendation in eNews.
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Register for September Diversity Awareness Training
In 2017, the PSEC Church and Ministry Council made Diversity Awareness Training mandatory for all authorized ministers. Clergy must take at least one three-hour training every three years. If you are an authorized minister who did not complete the training, you should sign up for the training on
Thursday, Sept. 26
from 10a-1p at Armenian Martyrs' Congregational Church, Havertown.
Click here
for more information and to register.
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Your contributions to UCC Disaster Ministries at work
In January-June 2019, UCC Disaster Ministries funded disaster recovery work that touched survivors of hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, cyclones, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions in 10 U.S. states and territories and nine other countries. Among them, survivors of:
- Hurricane Harvey in Texas
- Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and displaced to Pennsylvania
- Hurricane Florence in North Carolina
- Floods and tornadoes in California, Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Pennsylvania and Oklahoma
- Cyclones Idai and Kenneth in Mozambique
- Flash flooding in Papua, Indonesia
- Volcanic eruptions in Vanuatu
- Tornadoes in Cuba
- Dam collapse and mudslides in Brazil
- Flooding in Sumadija and West Serbia
- Heavy rain and wind in Tanzania
- Earthquake in Central Luzon, Philippines
- Drought in Pakistan
- Cyclone Fani in India
In January through June, UCC Disaster Ministries also disbursed $9,500 for UCC matching grants of $250 each to 38 congregations assembling CWS Emergency Cleanup Buckets and other Kits.
Click here to apply for your grant!
UCC Disaster Ministries continues to recruit volunteer mission teams to disaster recovery work sites in Beaumont, Texas; Volusia County, Fla.; the Florida Panhandle, and Puerto Rico.
Schedule your work team now!
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August PA Emergency newsletter available now
The
August ReadyPA Monthly
contains info about back to school safety and info from the PA State Meteorologist regarding Back to School Weather Safety. The Action Sheets are on School Bus Safety and the 30 Days/30 Ways Program (remember September is Preparedness Month).
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Register now for Pathways courses for clergy, laity
Pathways Theological Education program is registering for several courses for clergy or laity including:
UCC History and Polity;
Ecological Theology; Opioid Crisis - A Christian Solution; Faith Formation and Spiritual Practices for Children, Youth, and Adults; an Overview of Homosexuality and the Bible; and more. Online courses range in price from $99-$595, lasting 4-6 weeks. Go to
pathwaystheological.org
.
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Webinar on the Youth Climate Movement as a Moral Force
On Fridays throughout the world this past year, students walked out of classrooms to compel action in addressing the climate crisis. This has grown to a movement of millions in over 160 countries and at least 2000 locations. Youth are calling upon adults to join them for a week of action in September. This month’s
Creation Justice Webinar
will feature Jamie Margolin, the 17-year-old who has been at the forefront of the youth climate movement in the US. She led the call for last year's youth climate march, and is a co-founder of the youth organization Zero Hour. The webinar will be Aug. 15 at 1:00p, but a recording will be sent out to all who register.
Register now!
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Mary Schaller Blaufuss leaves UCC national staff for Eden
"The UCC is saying farewell to a valued member of the national staff who has done much to create relationships and programs around volunteerism, leadership and sustainable development, refugee ministry and disaster response. Rev. Mary Schaller Blaufuss, team leader of Humanitarian and Development Ministries, has resigned her position to accept a new role at Eden Theological Seminary."
Click here
to read more. Mary and her husband, Kurt, both served churches in PSEC.
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Educational Opportunities
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Missed a week? Read past eNews here:
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