Important This Week

• Save the date for Rev. Dr. Kim Stryjak at St. Peter's/Wilshire UCC on Dec. 10
• Register for PSEC Fall Meeting
• Second Keystone Project and Fall Meeting 'Town Hall Meeting' tomorrow
• Support PSEC on Giving Tuesday

PSEC 2023 Fall Meeting is this Sunday

Sunday, November 12  ~  3:00-5:00p

St. Paul's UCC, Amityville or Zoom

Fall Annual Meeting is this Sunday. We are well below quorum for registration and registration closes Thursday at midnight. Your attendance is hoped for, prayed for, and expected. The agenda includes OCWM 2023 report and approval of the 2024 Spending Plan and a presentation from the Keystone Study Group. Register by Thursday if you have not already.

The 2023 Fall Meeting will be held Nov. 12 as a hybrid meeting — join us online OR we would love to have you in person at St. Paul's UCC in Amityville. Come together with clergy and delegates for worship and to do the business of our conference.

Registration opens at 2:00p. Refreshments will be available as you visit tables hosted by some of the PSEC Committees. The meeting will be from 3:00-5:00p.

One more Town Hall on Keystone Project, Fall Meeting

Prior to Fall Meeting we are offering two opportunities to join Rev. Bill Worley and others in presentations about the work of the Keystone Study Group and the Fall meeting. There will be opportunities for questions. One was held last week, the other will be Nov. 8 at 2:00p. (Click the date to register.)

Rev. Dr. Kim Stryjak installation at St. Peter's Wilshire

Click the invitation below to download a PDF to share.

Tonight: Theology with a Twist: Can the Church Survive?

The next Theology with a Twist will be held Tuesday, Nov. 7 at 7:00p at the Kutztown Tavern. Join Dr. Jill Peters as we tackle the questions: What is the future of the local church? Who would miss us if we were gone? What about our current church culture has pushed us toward extinction? Dr. Peters is the Crossroads, Missional Leadership Developer at Moravian Seminary. Click here for more information.

Contemplative Spirituality

this week on Visio Divina

On Thursday, Nov. 9 at 10:30a, Contemplative Spirituality will be held at St. John's UCC in Kutztown. The topic will be Visio Divina: Praying with the Eyes of the Heart. To paraphrase one of the great yogis of our age, Berra, you can see a lot by looking. Visio Divina uses images to enter a mediative and prayer state that opens one to the still-speaking God. Images have been used in churches and homes for centuries to aid the worshipper in the contemplative of the Divine. For more information, click here.

From the Addiction & Recovery Taskforce:

Please help the Addiction and Recovery Clothes Drive

The Clothing Drive…. We all do our part and give what we have, but what does it mean? What’s the impact? The clothing drive is in full swing. Clothes are coming in and we all feel good about doing the business of God. That is, taking care of God’s people. Collected items will be delivered to ‘Operation in my Backyard’, a grass-roots organization which provides food & harm reduction services every Tuesday & Thursday to people in the Kensington section of Philadelphia, specifically at the intersection of Summerset & Ruth.

Let me tell you about who is receiving these blessings you are giving. A young teenager wearing clothes with holes chewed by rodents on the street. An elderly, mentally ill woman who is afraid to look you in the eye, because you will see her pain. A single Mother of four who cannot get a good enough job to buy herself clothes, so she clothes her kids and does without. An immigrant that doesn’t speak English, so no one will hire him or help him. Sex workers who struggle to find a warm place to rest. Addicted persons who do not know the love of God. This is the short list.

Please give generously, but also give your prayers and compassion. Thank you.

See the flyer below. Donations will be collected at Sunday's Fall Meeting in addition to church drop-off locations.

Webinar: From Greenwashing to Environmental Justice

The President of the upcoming UN Climate Conference is the CEO of the one of the world's largest oil producers and is currently working to aggressively expand his company’s production. In this webinar, panelists will provide a critical assessment of the greenwashing and corporate capture of this conference, and also cast an alternative vision and pathway forward. The world deserves and desperately needs a UN process dedicated to the advancement of all peoples, a core principle of the UN Charter. Even if you cannot make the webinar at its scheduled time on Nov. 8 at 1:00p, still sign-up, and we will send you a link to a recording of it. Register now!

Addiction & Recovery Taskforce holding Winter Clothing Drive

Note: more drop-off locations have been added since last week:

• Zwingli UCC, 350 Wile Ave., Souderton
• PSEC Fall Meeting, Nov. 12 in Amityville

Support OCWM in your Giving Tuesday generosity

Giving Tuesday restores some balance to the flurry of buying sprees around Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Our Conference is part of this Giving Tuesday movement! Using the "Giving Tuesday" button on the PSEC Donate page (https://secure.myvanco. com/L-ZJ53/home), you can support Our Church's Wider Mission. OCWM supports mission taskforces, disaster response, new ministries, search and call, pastor trainings, justice work, and so much more!

We hope you will share this opportunity with your congregation, and support PSEC on Giving Tuesday or donate early! Our goal is to receive 50 gifts; and the first $3,000 will be matched by a lead donor.

Apply now: Ministers'

Financial Vitality Initiative

UCC authorized ministers interested in joining the Ministers’ Financial Vitality Initiative for the 2024 cohort, follow this link to apply. Spaces are limited and requests will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis. MFVI is a three-year Faith and Finance program of the Pension Boards to Address Economic Challenges Facing Pastoral Leaders, which seeks to empower UCC ministers with financial tools and strategies to better manage their personal finances so they can serve their ministries more effectively. To learn more, read our Frequently Asked Questions.

You're invited to join a

PA UCC Virtual Choir

In 2020, during the Covid epidemic, the Penn Central Conference started a Virtual Choir, to provide choral music for remote services. In the years since this choir has continued and has provided wonderful music for services throughout the years. We would like to invite musicians throughout the state of Pennsylvania to join us for our 2023-2024 season. You won't need to leave home; and you won't need any special equipment.

The choir works remotely and sings 4-5 pieces per year. Setup is simple, and we walk you through the process. Our first piece this year will be a new Christmas Carol by John Rutter. We will be having a series of Zoom orientation sessions the week of Oct. 29-Nov. 4, and guide tracks will be available by Nov. 5, with recordings due back by Nov. 26. Singers in all voice parts are welcome, as are instrumentalists.

All churches are welcome to use the resulting choir performances, which are available on the Penn Central Conference's YouTube Channel, and are available for download.

For more information on joining the choir, or using the music, contact Julie Holm, bvfofmusic@gmail.com.

This email is brought to you by your generous gifts to OCWM (Our Church's Wider Mission)! Thank you!