Important This Week

• Register for Reaffirmation or Ordination Vows on Maundy Thursday
• Mark your calendar: Rev. Sonja Ingebritsen installation at Glenside
• Sign up for the Lay Leaders Convocation next month in Pottstown

From the Conference Minister:

When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” John 11:43-44 (NRSV)

Jesus raises Lazarus with a power that far surpasses our own. Or does it? I am regularly being called out of my tomb of self-perceived limitations by Jesus in John 14 — “Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I'm going to the Father.” I know for certain that it's easier to kill this message and the Messenger than it is to embrace the possibility that we might be bearers of Jesus power. As Marianne Williamson put it, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.” O God, help us fear not. 

So, while many Jews who saw what Jesus did believed in him, others went to the Pharisees and colluded with the Romans to kill him for offering life. Until Lazarus, Jesus was just another reformer; a pilgrim with a few followers stirring up trouble. After Lazarus, the religious keepers of the kingdom knew they were up against a power that far surpassed theirs. And what was worse, Jesus was giving that power away.

Rev. Dr. Jim Forbes, the former pastor of Riverside Church in Manhattan and guest preacher at one of our Annual meetings several years ago, embraced this power such that he got his 30 second elevator speech down to four simple words — “I raise the dead.” Every time I heard him preach I knew that to be true.

I hope that when the Church hears Jesus’ cry, “Lazarus, come out!” we heed his words and speak them. Church, Come out! Come out of your fortresses of fear. Come out of your grief into the light. Come out of the notion that there is only one way to be church. Come out of your slumber and get to your mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ and transform the world.

Go knowing that the Kingdom of God is within you and Christ is beside you. Go knowing that the Holy Spirit will sustain you. Go with the reassurance from Revelation that “God will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 24:1)

May it be so.

Pastor Bill

Rev. Bill Worley

Conference Minister

Reaffirmation of Ordination Vows set for Maundy Thursday

The Conference Ministers of the four Pennsylvania UCC Conferences will host a Service of the Reaffirmation of Ordination Vows for ordained clergy on Maundy Thursday, April 6, at 10:00a via ZOOM. 

It’s a long-standing custom in liturgical traditions for clergy to gather on the same day Jesus offered “a new commandment”— to love and serve one another — for the reaffirmation of their ordination. We hope this will be an experience of spiritual encouragement and connection.

Clergy are encouraged to wear a stole received at their ordination, a red stole, or any other stole that has significant meaning. The service includes the sacrament of virtual communion so please prepare in advance. Click here to register.

Rev. Sonja Ingebritsen installation at Glenside UCC

Click the invitation below to download a PDF to share.

Lay Leadership Support Meeting summary

We are pleased to announce that a summary of each meeting will now be included each month for review. We would love to have you bring your thoughts and suggestions to our discussions each month - please join us!

Click here for the March summary.

Click here for information of the group's next gathering.

The Racial Justice Team

wants to hear from you

Let Justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream

Amos 5:24

Dear Colleagues,

You most likely have seen information from the PSEC Racial Justice Team. One of the purposes of the Racial Justice Team is to be a resource for our pastors and local congregations in an effort to promote and increase engagement in racial justice work. 

The Team hopes the work we have done through The Zachariah Walker Racial Justice Initiative, symposiums, book studies, prayers, and worship resources has been helpful to you and your ministry. If you would like to know more about our work, please visit the Zachariah Walker Racial Justice Initiative on the PSEC website. 

We would like to hear about how you are addressing racial justice in your ministry setting and local congregations. We want to celebrate all that you are doing and to hold your ministry In prayer. Please let us know about it by emailing Rev. Dwayne Mosier at damosier@comcast.net to tell us about your work with racial justice.

Online Retired Ministry Boundary Training from MESA

The UCC's Ministerial Excellence, Support, and Authorization (MESA) Team is offering Retired Ministers Boundary Training on March 23 from 6:00-9:00p. Maintaining healthy boundaries is challenging at any stage in ministry and it is particularly tender and difficult attending to boundaries as we transition out of our last call, and while in retirement. NOTE: This training completes individual requirements for boundary training ONLY WHEN authorized by a local Committee on Ministry. Click here to register.

Register for the Lay Leaders Convocation on April 15

Local church leaders are invited to a Lay Leaders Convocation, a full day of worship, address, workshops, and fellowship on Saturday, April 15 in Pottstown. If you are a consistory president, elder, deacon, council member, or active member of your church community, this event is for YOU.

Workshops include:

• The Post-COVID Church (Zack Jackson)
• Reviving the Sunday School (Betsy Majewski)
• Stewardship of Financial Resources (Donald Wargo)
• Spiritual Leadership (Charles Maxfield)
• An Environmentally Friendly Church (Constance Lezenby)
• How Does the UCC Work? (Bill Worley)
• Making a Joyful Noise with Whatever You've Got (Caroline Dunleavy)
• Stepping into the Pulpit (Kevin McLemore)

Click here for more info and to register.

Stewardship webinar: Learning from Millennial donors

The next UCC Stewardship Webinar will be March 22 at 7:30p on the topic of "Changing Landscape of Giving: What We Can Learn from Millennial and Gen Z Donors." Click here to register.

From the Addiction & Recovery Taskforce: Words to ponder

"All healers are wounded healers."

Henri Nowen

Faith-based security workshop

The PA Office of Homeland Security, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, PA Emergency Management Agency, PA State Police, the three Fusion Centers in PA, Faith-based Information Sharing and Analysis Organization, and the Anti-Defamation League, is offering a virtual learning event to faith-based organizations on March 30 from 1:00p to 4:00p, providing valuable information to religious leaders and members of churches to enhance security and prepare for outdoor events.

Keynote speaker Kenneth Strish, Chief of Police, Berwick Police Department, will present an overview of a targeted vehicle-ramming incident during a community event and the lessons learned from it.

David Wood, Protective Security Advisor from the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency, will also discuss important security procedures for the properties of our houses of worship, and how to best implement these procedures based on best practices and potential funding sources.

Guidance and further resources will be provided via handouts, and there will be time set aside at the end for Questions & Answers. Click here to register.

March ReadyPA Monthly available online now

This month's PA Emergency Management Agency's ReadyPA Monthly includes info on flooding and flood plans. Click here for the newsletter. Please share this information with your congregations to help keep everyone safe and prepared. 

Free clergy training on aiding veterans' whole health

From May 11-12, Cranaleith Spiritual Center, in partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center, is offering a two-day training to educate clergy about issues facing returning Veterans and their families following deployment. Rev. Dr. Chris Antal, a veteran of the U.S. war in Afghanistan, and staff chaplain at the CMCVAMC, will facilitate the training.

Training topics will address post-deployment readjustment challenges, the psychological, physical, behavioral, and spiritual effects of war trauma on survivors, such as moral and spiritual injury, and the important role of community in helping to reduce mental health stigma and support Veterans and their families. Attendees will learn about VA and community mental health services and who clergy can connect with at their local VA to request information or assistance.

For more information:

Click here for a flyer

Click here for a press release

Click here to register

Registration open for PSEC Annual Spring Meeting

The Annual Spring Meeting will be June 2-3 at West Chester. The theme will be "May They All Be One: Unleashing the Spirit", focusing on ways to re-imagine what it means to be the Body of Christ. That includes building partnerships between local churches who share resources (including pastors), merging ministries, and connecting with community partners. Representatives from congregations share how this has been life giving for them and how they overcame longtime resistance to making it happen. Similarly, representatives of the Keystone Study Group will share their conversations about creating partnerships between and among our four PA Conference that may lead to a four Conference merger. Click here for more information and to register.

Register for Traci Blackmon event for Diversity Training

On Sunday, April 16, Reformed Church of the Ascension in Norristown will host "Call to Action: Reconnecting the Church to a Vocation of God's Justice." Rev. Traci Blackmon, Associate General Minister of Justice and Local Church Ministries for the UCC will provide the keynote address at this event, which has been approved for Diversity Training credit. The question of how to enact the role of the church in community justice work is often overwhelming for local congregations. Determining the next steps is essential for the church to live out the vocation to which God has called us. Click here to register.

Treat your church admins: Register for annual luncheon

Secretaries, assistants, and church administrators are invited to the annual PSEC Admin Luncheon on Administrative Professionals Day, April 26. We will check in, fellowship over lunch, and enjoy a presentation on a ministry of the Conference. Click here for information and to register. We hope churches will pay the $20 cost of the event. 

Calvary UCC, Reading to host Dr. Robert P. Jones

In cooperation with Albright College, Calvary UCC in Reading will host Dr. Robert P. Jones, president and founder of PRRI and author of two award winning books, "The End of White Christian America" and "White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity". Dr. Jones will lead a workshop in the morning and hold a round-table discussion at lunch on March 31. Click here to register for this free program. Spots are limited so register today. Dr. Jones will be speaking at Albright on March 30, at 7pm.

Registration open for PSEC Boundary Training events

Six hours of Boundary Training is required for every PSEC authorized minister who hasn't received Exempt Standing. Registration is now open for several upcoming Boundary Training opportunities. Click the event name below for more information and to register:

• Advanced Boundary Training: The Limits of Pastoral Care. Wednesday, April 26 from 9:00a-12:00p on Zoom
• Basic Boundary Training. Tuesday, May 2 from 9:00a-4:00p in Norristown
• Basic Boundary Training. Thursday, September 14 from 9:00a-4:00p in Schuylkill Haven

General Synod Looking

for Parliamentarians

General Synod needs two parliamentarians to serve in assisting the moderator team and the delegates with process and Roberts Rules. There will be training for them and they will need to be present from June 30-July 4, 2023. We will have the Agenda Run-through via Zoom June 7-9. For more details reach out to the General Synod Administrator by clicking here.

PNEC offering event on Indigenous boarding schools

On April 12 from 9:00a-3:00p, "Repenting of the Unforgivable" and "Beyond Lament: Movement Towards Repair" will be held at Jordan UCC, 1837 Church Rd., Allentown.

Breakfast and lunch are included with the $35 cost. Click here to register.

Keynote; “Repenting of the unforgivable” Through the medium of storytelling, Rev JimBear Jacobs will share how the legacy of Indigenous residential boarding schools has left a stain upon the church. The sin of complicity in the boarding school has for far too long been ignored or rationalized away. It is time to face this sin head on and enter into a season of lament that can hopefully lead to repair. Workshop: “Beyond lament: Movement towards repair” In this workshop Rev. JimBear Jacobs will explore some tangible and challenging steps that churches might wrestle with as they consider reparations for the traumatic legacy of the boarding school system

Facilitators sought for table discussions at Spring Meeting

In the evaluations of last year’s annual meeting there were requests

for time to bring together like-minded individuals.  

The planning team has heard this request and although our schedule is already extremely tight, it was decided that lunch time, and the round tables in the dining hall, would make for perfect, relaxed spaces to begin these conversations.

The next step is finding individuals with passions they want to share by leading these conversations. So, we are seeking anyone who is willing to take a topic and lead open discussions around that topic over lunch Saturday afternoon.

Topics could range from “pastors under 40”, “how do I help my church become ONA”, “LBGTQ”, “Consistory Presidents”, etc. There is no limit.

IF YOU have a topic and you are willing to lead that discussion during the lunch hour, please reach out to Susan at the PSEC office at susan@psec.org.