Important This Week

• Registration deadline this week for the Women's Clergy Retreat
• Sign up for Basic Boundary Training on Saturday, Jan. 14
• Addiction/recovery book study starting next week

Registration open for Saturday Basic Boundary Training

PSEC is hosting three opportunities for Basic Boundary Training in 2023:



• Saturday, Jan. 14 in Quakertown
• Tuesday, May 2 in Norristown
• Thursday, Sept. 14 in Schuylkill Haven

Click here for more information and to register for the January training. Registration will open for the other trainings closer to the events.

Details on 3-hour Advanced Boundary Trainings will be announced at a later date.

Register now for the

Women's Clergy Retreat

Attention all Authorized women clergy! Jan. 24-26, the Clergy Women's Retreat is back after COVID-19!  It will be held again at Mariawald Retreat Center in Reading. We have invited our women clergy friends from Penn Northeast to join us this year so we are hoping to fill the center! We would like to get as many people registered as soon as possible so the committee knows how many to plan for. Who doesn't need 42 hours or so of unplugging and resting after Advent and Christmas season? Join us and let us know by registering now! If funding is an issue, please reach out to Rev. Bill Worley. The deadline to register will be Jan. 9.

We are asking everyone to be vaccinated and to get a negative Covid test within 48 hours of the retreat.

Climate Justice Team offering Green Grants for 2023

Would your church like some seed money to kick-start a new season of climate-saving activities? The Climate Justice team of PSEC invites applications for grants of up to $250, to be matched by the churches themselves. Please apply by April 1 at psec.org/green.

• Could you use $100 for seeds and soil for your community garden? 
• $100 to buy the books on climate activism and theology you’ve been meaning for your study group to read? 
• $200 toward the $400 needed to replace every light bulb? 
• $250 to add to your $250 for a $500 jump-start on replacing a drafty window? 
• $250 toward the $500 for food, books and activities for your environmental summer outdoor school for the neighborhood? 
• A couple of hundred in sight so you can go to an individual donor and ask them to match it?

Questions: Marian Shearer (uccrev77@gmail.com), Liz Brunton (lizbrunton2462@gmail.com).

Mileage reimbursement

rates for 2023

Beginning on Jan. 1, 2023, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car (also vans, pickups or panel trucks) will be:

• 65.5 cents per mile driven for business use, up 3 cents from the midyear increase setting the rate for the second half of 2022.
• 14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations; the rate is set by statute and remains unchanged from 2022.

Theology with a Twist: The Changing Christian Landscape

The religious environment of the US is changing rapidly and dramatically. In part, because of accelerating ideological polarization, secularism, and religious indifference. Join Dr. Lee Barrett, professor of Systematic Theology at Lancaster Seminary, on Jan. 3 at 7:00p to explore the ways in which new styles of being the church may be necessary to grapple with our shifting cultural context. For more information, click here.

From the Addiction & Recovery Taskforce:

New Year's Resolution

At the New Year we often resolve to be better in some way. This year please consider joining us for an opportunity to really transform your approach to life as a Christian in the world. Please join us for Richard Rohr’s life-giving guide to a fuller life by registering for the Addiction and Recovery Taskforce book study starting in January. For more information and to register, click here.

UCC stewardship webinar

On Jan. 25, the UCC will host "3 Best Practices: Set a New Year's Resolution for Increasing Giving". Click here to register. Lee Gagen will discuss the three practices most likely to increase giving in a local congregation: teaching about generosity, pastoral leadership, and online giving options. The webinar will examine why these practices matter and discuss how to implement them in a congregation.

Addiction team hosting study on Richard Rohr book

Starting Jan. 10, the Addiction and Recovery Taskforce will host a book study on Breathing Under Water by Richard Rohr. The book is written within the framework of the 12 steps for those experiencing addiction. The number of sessions will be determined by the group. If you're interested in learning more about spiritual healing, click here to register.

Stewardship event: Generosity and Vitality in the NOW Normal

On Saturday, Jan. 21, the Southeastern PA and Northeastern PA Synods of the ELCA will host "Generosity and Vitality in the NOW Normal - a Stewardship Extravaganza." This in-person event will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lansdale. For more information, including workshop descriptions, registration link, and an event flyer, click here.

Save the date: UCC gathering for rural/small town churches

The Coalition for UCC Rural Ministries presents Nourishing the Seeds of Faith (Isaiah 55:10-11), a virtual national gathering of rural/small town churches and ministries in the UCC on Feb. 9-11. Registration will open in January. This event is hosted by Faith education, Innovation & Formation (Faith INFO), Justice and Local Church Ministry of the UCC. For more information contact Rev. Roberto Ochoa – ochoar@ucc.org.

Transportation to General Synod Summer 2023

Every two years, General Synod brings together thousands of faithful members of the United Church of Christ for formal church witness, inspirational worship, and fellowship with friends (new and old).

In 2023, General Synod 34 will take place in Indianapolis, IN from June 30 – July 4. The PSEC delegation is contemplating taking a bus to and from Indianapolis. Travel dates would be June 29 and July 5

If you are planning to attend General Synod and would be interested in traveling on the PSEC bus, please reach out to Susan Creswell at the PSEC office at susan@psec.org or 484-949-8774 x 312.

PSEC 2022 Giving Cut-Off

Books of the PSEC will close Jan. 16. All OCWM contributions for 2022 must be in our office by that date or they will be counted towards 2023 contributions. Please mail your contributions as soon as possible due to possible mail delays.

"When Does Closure Become an Option Workshop"

Since 2014, one PSEC congregation has closed, on average, every six months. This isn’t often talked about — partly because that news is filled with feelings of profound loss and grief. It’s the source of uncomfortable shame — that somehow church members failed to do all they could to maintain their sacred space. It provokes questions about the power and/or presence of God. Taken together, these things make it difficult to say what sometimes needs to be said: “It’s time for our church to close.” 

A workshop will be held Feb. 4 in Limerick to create a safe space where difficult questions can be asked and information shared with congregations facing decline and potential closure. You will receive resources and hear about church closure experiences. Click here for more information and to register.

Lay Leaders Support Group sets January meeting

A Lay Leadership Support Group exists for Consistory Presidents and those serving on Consistory. We gather once a month on Zoom – so please join us! We have found it to be a great place to form new friendships, to gain support, and to be educated on a variety of topics concerning our churches. The discussions are centered around sharing valuable information about what our churches are doing or maybe could be doing. For more info and free registration for the Jan. 14 meeting, click here.