“I thank the Pennsylvania Southeast Conference of the United Church of Christ, its members and friends, for the love, kindness, and support shown me these last 2 years. I ask forgiveness for the mistakes I have made. I am grateful for the moments when my leadership has been accepted. As I leave, I carry with me all that I have learned here.” I am truly grateful.

As you all move into this next chapter together, move forward with gratitude, love, courage, justice, peace and joy. When we are grateful, transitions into the future are not full of fear but of great anticipation of God’s movement into a new season. Remember, this journey is a spiritual practice every day.

Rev. Dr. Susan A. Minasian

Interim Associate Conference Ministry for Search and Call

NEW Associate Conference Minister for Search & Call

I hope you will join me in welcoming our new Associate Conference Minister for Search and Call Rev. Kevin McLemore (mclemore@psec.org). Kevin began his work with our Conference this week under the helpful turnover tutelage of Rev. Dr. Susan Minasian who is imparting to him all the hard-won wisdom she has gained being our effective and faithful interim ACM. The transition from local church life to Conference work is a daunting one and I have no doubt that Kevin would appreciate your words of encouragement and prayers of support which I know you will soon receive from him. I beg prayers for us all as we continue our shared ministry of equipping the saints for the building up of the body of Christ to the glory of God.

Rev. Bill Worley

Conference Minister

Mid-Atlantic Association of United Church Educators is inviting pastoral, faith formers, and ministry leaders to share in a time of healing and inspiration. The MA-AUCE Conference is being held as a hybrid event from March 28-30 at the Tuscarora Inn & Conference Center in Mt. Bethel. For more information, click here.

The Susquehanna Area Mission Council of the Penn Northeast Conference is inviting all churches in both PNEC and PSEC to share in its annual mission project. If your congregation is willing to participate in this offering supporting our common disaster relief ministry, please include this insert in your Sunday bulletin, along with information about how gifts should be made in your congregation. A short video explaining this Challenge can be found here. Donations received should be forwarded to your Conference office at the conclusion of the campaign, marked "High 5 for Disaster Relief". 

The Schuylkill Association has a ministry opportunity for a part-time chaplain at Locust Lake State Park near Tamaqua. If you are a Christian (Clergy or lay) who can function in an unstructured situation and who has a love of God, God’s creation, and God’s people, then this might be the opportunity for you. Click here for information.

The next gathering of the Contemplative Spirituality Group will be held on Thursday at 10:00a in Reading on the topic: "The Sacred Side of the Swastika." For more information, click here.

Participants will be sent a short reading or selection of scripture each week in preparation for the gathering. These roundtables can be fun as well as intense and the group strives to reflect together as a community of diverse theological backgrounds. Therefore, enrollment is limited and commitment to attend all sessions is important. Register now.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is hosting a two-hour security webinar to enhance awareness of an respond to an active shooter event on Feb. 23 at 1:00p. Click here for more info.

Speaking to reporters last week, a top official at the state Department of Drug and Alcohol programs said, we need to do better by older Pennsylvanians with substance use disorder. The official called adults aged 55 and older a vulnerable and overlooked demographic. Older adults are under-diagnosed when it comes to the disease of addiction because they tend to take more medication than other age groups and because SUD symptoms in older adults are similar to those of other medical conditions. Between 1999 and 2019 the United States saw a tenfold increase in the number of overdose deaths among residents age 55 or older, resulting in 79,893 overdose deaths among the older adult population over the same period. We have plenty of older adults in our PSEC congregations. Pastors should be speaking out saying “No matter what your age is, it’s never too late to reach out for help.” Contact the PSEC website or Task force for more information.

The Welcome Project PA, in partnership with Lakeside Global Institute and the Pennsylvania Southeast Conference, is pleased to offer professional trauma training modules for ministry leaders in their respective contexts on Saturday, Feb. 26 from 9:00a-2:00p. The purpose of this program is to assist professionals in their caring for people who have suffered various forms of trauma, to create an awareness of the causes and consequences of trauma, and how it affects our human relationships and social interactions. Finally, this program strives to enable those who have suffered/continue to suffer from trauma, a path forward to progress and a way out of destructive cycles. For more information click here. To register, click here.

Registration is now open for the 2022 Advanced Boundary Trainings from PSEC. Each training provides three credit hours of Boundary Training. Scheduled topics are:

Click here for a flyer on all of the trainings. To register for an event , click the topic.

Faith communities are often on the frontlines of responding to climate-related disasters. Because disasters often expose, widen, and exacerbate the gaps of pre-existing disparities, it is essential that communities of faith hold fast in their commitments to equity and justice. This webinar will equip churches with the awareness required to act in accordance with our values. Even if you can’t make the scheduled time of 1:00p on Feb. 9, still register, and you will get a recording.

The Pennsylvania Academy of Ministry is pleased to announce a new program, Financial Basics for Church Leaders. The program consists of four, six-week PAM classes and a half-day conference during 2022.

This program was created, in part, in response to the requested need for nuts and bolts classes for ministers, on topics such as how to read a budget. The four classes are:

PAM has obtained grant funding to subsidize the registration costs for participants. We are offering all four classes for the price of one. Along with the half-day conference on Multi-vocational Ministry on May 14, the entire program will cost only $350 per participant. Successful participants will earn 10.3 CEUs. The registration deadline for the first class is Feb. 17. More information.