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Important This Week
- Watch PSEC Fall Meeting
- Help refugees on #GivingTuesday
- Advocate for your neighbors facing homelessness
- Join Zoom call on Shared Ministry models
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From the Conference Minister: 'Thank you'
My message this week is simply ‘thank you’. Thank you to my colleagues in every ministry setting who have been sources of patient grace, difficult decision making, and persistent faith. Thank you for every sermon preached, for every prayer said, for every hand held or every moment of social distancing that has simultaneously kept people safe and in the presence of the holy. Thank you for finding creative ways for the people of your community and your congregation to be together while we've had to stay apart. Thank you for the ways that you have learned new ways to lead new forms of worship whether virtually, in person or both. Thank you for inspiring generosity when the presence of fear and scarcity tempts us to hold onto more and give less.
Thank you to the members and friends of our congregations and faith communities who have looked out for each other, prayed for each other, followed the spiritual and biblical lead of your pastor or chaplain, and loved him/her/them for their service and their sacrifice. Thank you for loving their family and for being kind to them and to each other in a world where kindness now seems almost heroic. Thank you all for your commitment to unity in diversity where people who don't look like each other, think like each other or act like each other still come together to love each other by Jesus’s example, and by his command, ‘that we all may be one.’
I pray that Thursday's Thanksgiving celebration will bless you and the people you love in ways great and small and that Sunday’s beginning of our Advent season will draw us closer to the Christ light that shines in even in the darkest of our days. May you be safe and well in the care and keeping of the Holy Spirit.
Pastor Bill
Rev. Bill Worley
Conference Minister
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Did you miss the PSEC Fall Meeting? Watch it online now
The video recording of the Nov. 15 PSEC Fall Meeting is now available online at youtu.be/_MKUbwnRILc.
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At the start of the meeting, participants were invited to share a word about how they were feeling. At the end, Rev. Becky Hoover shared this word cloud she had created with those words. Click here to download the word cloud.
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Give to the UCC for Giving Tuesday to support refugees
The United Church of Christ will be demonstrating our love of neighbor through our commitment to refugee resettlement. Your donation to our #GivingTuesday campaign will be used to address the plight of refugees and asylum seekers here in the U.S. and globally.
Did you know?
- The global refugee population has increased by 50 percent over the past five years.
- There are 26 million refugees globally.
- In 2020, the U.S. limited the number of refugees to our country to 18,000, down from 30,000 in 2019. This is the lowest number since the passage of the Refugee Act of 1980.
Through your #GivingTuesday donation, you welcome resettled refugees and asylum seekers to our cities, neighborhoods, and churches. Working with our partners:
- You furnish homes with blankets and cookware
- You accompany families to doctor’s appointments and school enrollment – sometimes for the first time
- You share the joy that comes from landing employment or welcoming a baby in a new country.
In turn, resettled refugees enrich our communities with their talents, ideas and unlimited contributions. This Giving Tuesday, our goal is $75,000. (A $10,000 matching gift has already been pledged.) Text UCCGT to 41444 or donate here.
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CARD blog focuses on COVID and churches, loneliness
In last week's UCC CARD (Center for Analytics, Research and Data) blog, the topic was "The Coming Loneliness," addressing isolation and mental health during COVID. Read that here.
"If I choose to [lead public] worship, and someone gets sick or dies, can I live with that decision?” ... "I felt completely unsafe." ... "Have I thought about resigning or retiring? Everyday.” This week's blog "'I Didn't Sign on for This' and Other Things Ministers Say during Covid-19" share information on how pastors are feeling right now. Click here to read that.
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Advocate for your neighbors facing homelessness
PA state lawmakers are negotiating on the second half of a stop-gap budget for fiscal year 2020-21. An estimated $1.3 billion in federal CARES Act funding meant to address needs created by COVID-19 remain unspent in PA. That funding should be targeted at helping those who are struggling to meet life's basic necessities. In addition, the federal eviction moratorium expires on Dec. 31.
Your voice is needed now to speak up for the most vulnerable Pennsylvanians –particularly the thousands facing homelessness this winter. Here is a sample message you can use to guide your advocacy.
Although PA has an opportunity to act now in the short term, the problem of a potential evictions crisis is a national one that requires Congress to act. Today, we are called to prevent a needless disaster within the disaster of COVID. Homelessness exposes adults and children to greater risk of disease, hunger, and violence, including sexual assault and trafficking. Thank you for your advocacy!
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Resources available for churches from the government
If you are seeking resources for your church from DHS Center for Faith and Opportunity Initiatives, visit: dhs.gov/faith.
Insider threats pose significant risk to the safety and security of America’s churches. The FEMA Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has produced a new resource titled, Insider Threat Mitigation Guide. This guide is designed to help churches protect themselves and their employees from unnecessary physical and cyber risks.
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Webinar on digital strategies for reaching new communities
On Wednesday, Dec. 9 at 4:00p, the UCC and the Lake Institute on Faith & Giving will host a webinar on Digital Strategies for Reaching New Communities. To register and for more information, click here.
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Broken link in last week's eNews; Check your COVID risk
In last week's eNews, Conference Minister Rev. Bill Worley referenced a resource from Georgia Tech University that can be used to find the probability that at least one COVID-positive person will be at an event. The link was broken. You can find that resource at covid19risk.biosci.gatech.edu.
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During COVID economic crisis, consider poverty study
For many, the holiday season is usually a time filled with joy and shared with loved ones. But the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a different and harsh reality, especially for communities hit particularly hard by the health and economic crisis.
The PA Center on Budget & Policy Priorities reports that more than 4 in 10 children live in households that are struggling to pay usual household expenses such as food, rent or mortgage, car payments, medical expenses, or student loans. At the same time some critical components of the help approved by the federal government through the CARES Act — such as expanded unemployment insurance coverage and grants for state and local governments — are set to expire at the end of the year, putting even more families at risk of hunger, homelessness, and other hardships and deepening our economic problems.
One way that congregations can help their members understand poverty in the midst of COVID is to host an Advent or Lenten study. One of the best resources available is the Pennsylvania Council of Churches’ Commission on Public Witness’ “Statement Concerning Poverty” and the free 4-session guide written to encourage your congregation to study, to read, to consider, and to answer that call for Christians to “discern what God wants and to act as God’s agents in the world to overcome poverty.” You can access the statement and study guide here. You can access important information on many advocacy issues through the United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministry here.
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Next Computer-Side Chat on Shared Ministry models |
The December Computer Side Chat will be a conversation about Shared Ministries. We have several congregations in our Conference and throughout the denomination that have made a shift from a full-time pastor to a part time pastor. Sometimes those congregations partner with another congregation who made the same shift. The pastor is then full-time serving two congregations.
For a variety of reasons congregations that reach a certain number of members are hesitant to consider merging with another congregation. One of the solutions I have seen is that of SHARING ministry with another congregation. Sometimes it is only sharing one pastor who serves two congregations and sometimes it is an actual sharing of not only a pastor but a sharing of ministry while maintaining two locations.
If you are interested and your congregation is considering this possibility or if you are just curious in the conversation, please join me on Dec. 8 at 7:00p for an hour of conversation about Shared Ministries. The link to join that call is here. If you need info to phone in, email brea@psec.org.
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Churches commit to change;
PSEC 50-50-50 Challenge
The PSEC Climate Justice Working Group has started the 50-50-50 Green Church Initiative, challenging 50 PSEC churches to make a commitment to do something to mitigate climate change in the coming months. Churches can hold a special service, share educational materials, take on a project of recycling or composting, or many other things. One is example is here:
Reformed Church of the Ascension, Norristown: Ascension has been steadily changing out their bulbs to LED, hoping to complete the task in 2021. In 2020, we replaced our aging boiler with a higher efficiency model, including updating several thermostats. We installed motion sensors in the bathrooms to ensure lights extinguish. Our newsletter and Sunday bulletins are offered online. And Dwayne and Liz will be testifying in support of RGGI in December. Liz attended and volunteered to be a Climate Ambassador for the UCC to educate congregations about climate change and our roles in helping reverse it.
For a list of all churches that have made a commitment, more suggestions for actions your congregation can take, and a form you can use for your church to accept the challenge, visit psec.org/green.
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Share survey with people experiencing food insecurity
Anti-hunger partners across PA want to hear from people in our communities who are struggling to afford the basics, including having enough food for their families. We want to learn more about:
- What those individuals have to say
- Whether they know about the nutrition programs that can help
- If they are aware of these programs but are having a tough time accessing them, what are the barriers?
To gather this information, we have developed this survey. Please share the survey widely and encourage people to fill it out! We can more effectively help if we have their input. Many thanks!
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National Native American Heritage Month |
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November is designated as National Native American Heritage Month. As we honor the indigenous people of this land in all of their beautiful diversity, may we also be mindful of the ongoing injustices they continue to suffer.
Below are links to view short videos. You are encouraged to share them with your congregations.
Indigenous communities are some of the poorest communities in the United States. Conditions have been described as comparable to “Third World”. Here are just a few statistics from a report on Pine Ridge Oglala Lakota County. Native Americans living on Pine Ridge have the lowest life expectancy rate and suffer extremely high unemployment rates, reaching as high as 89%. The officially reported poverty rate for Native Americans living on Pine Ridge is 53.75% (pre-pandemic). In a report from Pine Ridge Oglala Lakota County ranked 59-out-of-60 counties in South Dakota for overall health outcomes in 2017. Statistics produced by the Oglala Sioux Tribe paint a bleak picture about the health of the reservation:
- Tuberculosis: 800% higher than America as a whole
- Infant mortality: 300% higher than America as a whole
- Teen suicide: 150% higher than America as a whole
- Approximately 85% of Lakota families are affected by alcoholism
- Approximately 58% of grandparents of Lakota families are raising their grandchildren
- Approximately 50% of adults over the age of 40 have diabetes
The public witness of the UCC General Synod around the Doctrine of Discovery and other areas of concern for Native American communities provides the grounding for the policy advocacy work the UCC does in Washington, DC, and at the state and local level, to right historic injustices still experienced by Native Americans across the spectrum of public policy decisions, including issues of economic justice, religious liberty, education, civil rights, criminal justice, environmental justice and cultural expression.
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UCC Medicare Update
The new UCC Medicare Advantage Plan w/ Rx will replace the current UCC Medicare Supplement Plan with Rx, administered by Humana, on Jan. 1. The Pension Boards and Humana hosted informational webinars about the new plan. Several hundred current plan participants joined the webinars. If you were unable to participate or wish to review the information presented, a recording is now available. Click here to view the presentation. Humana Benefit Kit packets to current participants in the current UCC Medicare Plan have been sent out, and you may have already received yours in the mail. You may also view the Humana Benefit Kit here.
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Monday Meetings with the Conference Minister continue
Each Monday at 11:00a, authorized ministers and church leaders are invited to check in with Conference Minister Rev. Bill Worley on a Zoom call, share experiences in this season of COVID, ask for advice, and be in community. We encourage you to join this opportunity for theological and practical reflection and discussion. Click here to join the call on Monday.
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Advent Candle Lighting Liturgy from Zachariah Walker team
On behalf of the Zachariah Walker Racial Justice Initiative Team, we’d like to thank Rev. Rebecca Hoover for creating this wonderful Advent Candle lighting liturgy for congregations this Advent season. To download or view the liturgy, check out the "Liturgical Offerings" section of the Zachariah Walker Racial Justice Initiative webpage: psec.org/zachariah-walker.
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Coronavirus resources available for churches, pastors
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Updated list available: PSEC churches online this fall
If your church isn't currently worshipping or you are not able or comfortable attending services, we have compiled a list of churches in PSEC that are holding digital/ virtual worship experiences. Share this with others that might not have another option for worship. Click here for an updated list.
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Sign on to the PSEC Anti-Racism Statement
The PSEC Zachariah Walker Racial Justice Initiative (Zachariah Walker RJI) task force, named for the man who was brutally lynched on August 13, 1911 in Coatesville, Pa., is committed to expanding our consciousness and conversations around racial justice issues with the hope of nurturing anti-racism efforts in our congregations and communities. The task force invites congregations and individuals to a deeper awakening of the impact systemic racism and white supremacy have on white American Christian faith and culture. To that end, we issue the following statement on anti-racism.
PSEC Anti-Racism Statement
The Pennsylvania Southeast Conference of the United Church of Christ commits itself to the proclamation of the Gospel and the furthering of the mission of Jesus Christ. As disciples of Jesus, we are all called to follow the mandate to love one another completely, regardless of race, creed, gender, culture or difference. This is our mission: to speak the truth with love to powers and principalities, confronting bigotry and bias wherever we go.
We acknowledge the role that white Christians have played in both denying and, at the same time supporting, racist structures and attitudes, and we humbly beg forgiveness for our conforming to the evil of racism. We understand that bias can be an unconscious and unintentional failure, as well as a chosen worldview. We are reminded by the Scriptures that diversity and inclusion are necessary components of a mature, radically welcoming faith. We accept that each one of us has our own story to tell, our own history to own, and our own confession around racism for which we must atone.
Over the centuries, we have seen the pain and suffering brought about by systemic racism, and we commit ourselves to being proactively anti-racist in our work, our worship, and our communities. While we mourn the tragic losses created by a system rooted in white supremacy and nurtured by a system of white privilege, we commit ourselves to doing the work of Jesus to overcome hatred and oppression in our faith communities. We commit ourselves to opposing racism wherever it appears, whether it be institutional, economic, faith-based, or social.
Finally, we promise to be allies to all who are oppressed by these systems, committing ourselves to listen to the words of those who have been harmed by racism. We will stand in support of all who face oppressive situations, working together to dismantle the structures of this sin. We do this as servants of the risen Christ, who was Himself a poor person of color, oppressed by an invading nationalistic power, who was murdered for standing with others just like Him.
Add your name to the PSEC Anti-Racism Statement:
It is our hope that, as we circulate this statement during Advent, it promotes both reflection and discussion. During this time, individuals and congregations are invited to add your signature to ours. The letter with signatures will be released to the media on Jan. 15, the start of the weekend of MLK Day.
In order to add your name to ours, email Anne Cormier (annecormier@comcast.net). Please put “PSEC Anti-Racism Statement” as the subject of the email, and in the body of the email include your name, your church’s name and town.
Together, let us begin this Advent season with courage in our hearts and pray that Christ gives us the ability to understand this as a white problem that mars the soul of Christianity and our nation.
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Church Openings
- Allegheny UCC (Sunday supply)
- Bern Reformed UCC, Leesport (three-quarter time settled)
- Calvary UCC, Barto, and Pennsburg UCC (full-time designated-term)
- Christ Delong UCC, Bowers and St. Peter's UCC, Topton (3/4-time interim)
- St. James UCC, Limerick (3/4-time, interim)
- St. John's UCC, Pottstown (part-time interim)
- St. John's UCC, Schuylkill Haven
- Salem Hetzel's UCC (shared ministry; full-time interim)
- Wyomissing UCC (part-time settled)
- Zwingli UCC (full-time associate)
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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