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Important This Week
- Join a PSEC conference call on Wednesday morning on COVID-19 support, responses, and resources
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Coronavirus and PSEC: What you need to know
Pennsylvania Southeast Conference staff and leaders are continuing to work hard to serve PSEC churches, clergy, and leaders during this time. Several emails have gone out recently. Here's a recap on those and where to find more information:
- A Zoom call will be held tomorrow, Wednesday, March 18, at 10:00a for pastors and lay leaders to check in on how the virus is impacting your ministry, what creative responses you've found to deal with changes, and what the conference can provide to help you at this time. The link to participate is available in the email link above or here.
- All Conference-sponsored events are canceled until April 1, at which point we will re-evaluate.
- PSEC staff are working remotely. We are available through email and if you call the office and leave a voicemail, will receive it and reply. Thank you for your patience.
- An email will go out Friday morning with a list of churches that are livestreaming or otherwise digitally worshiping. If you would like to add your church to that list, please reply to this email with the church name, time, and link.
- COVID-19 updates from the CDC
- A guide from Justice and Local Church Ministries of the UCC on how to hold digital worship
- A Congregational Planning Checklist for a Pandemic from the Lutheran Disaster Response
- A FAQ webpage from the UCC on copyright laws for churches regarding music, images, and writings. If your church is going to livestream make sure you're following these guidelines
This week's UCC "Keeping You Posted" email has many stories and resources about the Coronavirus.
Click here
to:
- Read what the national officers wrote about COVID-19
- Find out about a UCC church in Nebraska whose pastor tested positive for coronavirus
- Learn about virtual worship options churches are using
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Free online streaming licenses offered during pandemic
OneLicense is offering free licenses to churches in light of the coronavirus, so that they can legally stream their music. Here is the
link to the website
. For information on churches and copyright law,
click here
.
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Deadline this week: spiritual life workshops for lay leaders
A course on Spiritual Life will meet at Trinity UCC, Telford on Saturday mornings from 9:00-11:00 as follows:
- March 28 - Spiritual growth through congregational worship
- April 25 - Spiritual growth through personal disciplines
- May 16 - Spiritual growth through small groups.
This course is designed for church leaders but is open to anyone who feels challenged to deepen their spiritual life. The course will be led by Dr. Charles Maxfield, an ordained UCC minister with experience in lay ministry training. He will be assisted by Constance Lezenby, a spiritual director recognized by her Friends’ Meeting as a traveling minister. Cost is $25 per congregation. Registration, including names of participants, with phone and e-mail, are required by March 20.
Click here
for more info including how to register.
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Pension Board offices close due to COVID-19 precautions
The Pension Board released a statement yesterday that their physical offices are closing, but staff are working from home. The announcement also provided resources and helpful information for members. If you haven't already, please
read that email
carefully. Additionally, the Pension Board sent another email assuring continued annuity payments during the office closure.
Read that here
.
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WISE Conference rescheduled due to coronavirus
The following message from the UCC Mental Health Network Executive Committee chair, Rev. Alan Johnson, relates to an event set in Penn Northeast Conference and advertised in eNews:
“I wanted you to know that at our UCC MHN Executive Committee call today we decided to postpone the WISE PNE on May 16. Because of the extent to which the coronavirus has impacted everyone and every organization, we chose to err on the side of care for everyone. We know that we have already put much energy into the planning, yet we wanted to make sure that people knew we were also keeping their health needs ahead of our plans.”
We will share more info when available.
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Registration for Spring Meeting open; sign up and learn more
This year's PSEC Annual Spring Meeting will be held June 4-6 at The Inn at Reading. You
must pre-register
for the event before May 3. No registrations can be accepted after that date.
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Lehigh County Conference of Churches hiring director
Lehigh County Conference of Churches is looking for a Executive Director. For the job description and how to apply,
click here
.
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PNEC installing Conference Minister Rev. Dr. Bonnie Bates
You are invited to the installation of Rev. Dr. Bonnie Bates as the fourth Conference Minister of the Penn Northeast Conference on Saturday, April 4 at 2:00p at UCC Greenawalds, 2325 Albright Ave., Allentown. There will be a reception following the service. Clergy will process; wear your favorite stole.
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Changes made to the PA Child Protective Services Law
Effective Dec. 31, 2019, the PA legislature amended the Child Protective Services Law to prohibit the employment of an individual who works with children on a provisional basis (without all certifications being obtained). All certifications must be obtained prior to employment. There are waivers for certain facilities; not churches.
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UCC launches campaign to plant 50,000 trees for Earth Day
Over the course of 50 days in 2013, the United Church of Christ planted over 141,000 trees as part of Mission 4/1 Earth. In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22nd, this year we are seeking to
plant over 50,000 trees in ten days from April 17 to 26.
In expanding the scope of our collaborative efforts in 2020, the UCC’s
Ministry of Environmental Justice
has partnered with Interfaith Power and Light to make this tree planting campaign part of their
Faith Climate Action Week
. To participate, churches and their members can plant their own trees or they can have trees planted on their behalf. The UCC has provided four options for organizations that can do the work for you. Additionally, worship resources are provided for congregations to celebrate the planting of trees.
Learn more about the different possibilities and resources available.
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Global Ministries planning Holy Land tour for clergy, MIDs
Disciples of Christ/UCC Global Ministries is planning a "Palestine/Israel Pilgrimage: An Alternative Holy Land Tour for Clergy & Seminarians" from Sept. 30 to Oct. 11. For more information,
click here
.
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Pastoral Colloquy 2020 set with German, UCC pastors
Pastors from Pennsylvania Southeast, Penn Central, Southern, and Wisconsin conferences as well as
Evangelische Kirche Berlin-Brandenburg-schlesische Oberlausitz and Evangelische Kirche im Rheinland will gather July 26-31 for a week of learning, discussion, and fellowship at Elizabethtown College. For more information and to register,
click here
.
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Church Openings
- Allegheny UCC (Sunday supply)
- St. John Hill UCC, Boyertown (full-time settled)
- St. John's UCC, Orwigsburg (full-time settled)
- St. John's UCC, Pottstown (part-time interim)
- St. Luke's UCC, Ottsville (part-time settled or designated)
- St. Mark's UCC, Reading (10 hrs/ week)
- St. Paul's UCC, Kutztown (full-time settled)
- St. Paul's UCC, Pottstown (part-time settled)
- Salem Hetzel's UCC (shared ministry; full-time interim)
- Trinity UCC, Rehrersburg (part-time settled)
- Wyomissing UCC (part-time settled)
If you’re interested in a position, contact Rev.Dr. Susan Minasian:
minasian@psec.org
or 484-949-8774 ext. 302.
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Classified Ads
Submit Classified Ads
here
View a complete list of Classified Ads
here
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Educational Opportunities
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Church Events
Submit Church Events
here
View a complete list of Church Events
here
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Missed a week? Read past eNews here:
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PSEC is the link that connects our church’s various and diverse ministries both locally and globally. Together, we provide our local churches, pastors and congregations with the training and inspiration they need to carry out our church’s wider mission. We are stronger together; therefore, we embrace diversity, and above all, we spread God’s love!
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