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Important This Week
- Bookkeeper/treasurer training is this weekend. Sign up now!
- 2020 UCC medical and dental rates are now available.
- PSEC layperson has been named to Manual on Church working group.
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From the Conference Minister: The Pharisee or the tax collector?
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He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt:
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“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
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The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
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I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’
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But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
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I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted."
Luke 18.
"For all who exalt themselves will be humbled..." I read this line and a few notable, national leaders leapt immediately to mind. Followed by a several sports figures. Then a couple mega church pastors. And within moments, I was praying with the Pharisee. "Thank God I am not like them."
And there is the genius of Jesus. He lures me into choosing between an arrogant, self-righteous Pharisee and a humble, broken tax collector. And, as soon as I make that choice (I would NOT be like the Pharisee) I become like the Pharisee I so just easily judged.
A wise teacher of mine once said, “There are things about yourself you really don’t like. Pay attention to the way you judge the people around you and you’ll know what they are.” Jesus says, "there is nothing about you that God does not love. Pay attention to that and you will not need to judge yourself or the people around you."
May it be so,
Pastor Bill
Rev. William Worley
Conference Minister
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2020 UCC Medical and Dental benefits rates available online
The Pension Boards have released the 2020 medical and dental insurance rates for clergy and lay employees. To view the PSEC rate chart or use the Pension Boards' interactive rate finder,
click here
.
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PSEC member put on Manual on Church working group
The Committee for the United Church of Christ Manual on Church Working Group has been formed. Twenty people were selected from a pool of 187 applicants to reflect the breadth and depth of diversity within the denomination. Beth Walker, a member of Old First UCC in Philadelphia, has been named to that Committee and will work with them over the next 4-5 years to create this guiding document for our church. Congregations and blessings, Beth! Our prayers for you and the committee are with you. (For a full listing of Committee members and more detail about their work, see this week’s upcoming United Church News).
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Free UCC webinar: Worker justice is climate justice
As the climate movement pushes our society toward becoming fossil free, how can we ensure that the transition happens in a way that is just and fair for workers? This question will be at the heart of the UCC’s next
Creation Justice Webinar
. The featured guests will be Michael Leon Guerrero from the Labor Network for Sustainability and Michael Williams from the BlueGreen Alliance. In a world that often falsely pits the well-being of workers against protection of the environment, they will help us see how matters of justice are interconnected rather than oppositional. The webinar will be on Nov. 14, but register even if you can’t make it.
Sign-up now!
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Carversville UCC holding monthly jazz vespers services
Carversville UCC has started holding jazz vespers services on the second Sunday of each month. For more information on the services -- including posters and bulletin inserts to share -- visit the
PSEC website
.
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Volunteer opportunity opens in West Virginia from 2016 floods
Hello from West Virginia VOAD. We have exciting news to share! WV VOAD has received a grant to repair and reconstruct 111 homes that were damaged in 2016 flooding. This work will continue over the next two to three years. Volunteers are working with WV VOAD site supervisors to complete projects. That’s where you come in! Please consider placing us on your mission schedule in the coming months. We will help you get set up with housing in the community where your team will be working. We are engaged in all phases of construction and will match your team up according to their skills. For a volunteer application packet or for more information, use the contact info below. We hope to hear from you soon! Volunteers like you are crucial to helping people get home!
Thanks, Melisa Morse
WV VOAD Housing Construction Liaison
(304) 553-0927 Office
(304) 785-9284 Cell
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Registration is open for the PSEC Fall Youth Event 2019
The PSEC 2019 Fall Youth Event will be Nov. 8-10 at South Mountain YMCA Camp
for youth in grades 7 thru 12. The theme is "Caring for Creation." The focus scripture is Psalm 24:1 "
The earth is the LORD’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it." The r
egistration fee ($90) includes meals, lodging, events, and activities. The
deadline is Nov. 1.
Click here
for info.
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Updated Health Insurance rules may affect churches
Under the Affordable Care Act, it is not legal for a company to reimburse an employee for health care insurance premiums. The IRS issued guidance on this in 2013 that was revised in 2015 to give some relief to smaller organizations (less than 50 employees) that engaged in this practice. That relief has now expired, and a company can incur a significant fine if it reimburses health care premiums to employees. UNLESS, there is only one employee (for instance, the pastor), that has health insurance provided, then you are exempt from the rules and can continue paying directly OR reimbursing the pastor/employee for out of pocket costs.
Specifically, this means that a congregation that reimburses the cost of a health insurance policy or pays the cost of such policy directly to the insurer for an employee/pastor, on either a tax-free or after-tax basis, regardless of whether the coverage was purchased through the health marketplace or through the private market, will incur significant penalties.
Employers may legally adjust the salaries of their employees to take into account a particular employee not participating in the group health plan, but it may not REQUIRE the employee to spend that adjustment on healthcare premiums, nor can it ask for proof of coverage as a condition of paying the extra salary.
If you have any additional suggestions or questions, please contact Tammie Wisniewski at
tammie@psec.org
or call the conference office at 484-949-8774 X304.
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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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Classified Ads
Submit Classified Ads
here
View a complete list of Classified Ads
here
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Church Openings
- St. Mark's UCC, Reading (10 hrs/ week)
- UCC Valley Forge (full-time interim)
- St. John's UCC, Pottstown (part-time interim)
- St. Paul's UCC, Pottstown (part-time settled)
If you’re interested in a position, contact Rev.Sharon Morris:
morris@psec.org
or 484-949-8774 ext. 302.
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Missed a week? Read past eNews here:
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