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Important This Week
- Consistory Presidents gathering taking place this Saturday.
- UCC releases list of resources.
- Applications being accepted for youth and young adult service opportunities with UCC and FEMA
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From the Conference Minister: Leadership and Lent
I was blessed with an opportunity to join PSEC colleagues, Lutherans and Presbyterians hear Tod Bolsinger speak from his book
Canoeing the Mountains: Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory
; a book I recommend highly to everyone engaged in church leadership. Most of his writing builds on the premise of Ronald Heifetz and Martin Linsky that “
Leadership is disappointing your own people at a rate they can absorb
.” As I type that quote, I can hear both Moses (looking over the Hebrews) and Jesus (looking over the disciples) say “Amen.” Tod also confirms what I’ve heard other pastors and leaders claim and that is that people do not fear change, they fear the loss that inevitably happens with change — especially when the gain of change is hard to see. Catholic theologian, Richard Rohrer, spoke to this very thing in a recent online reflection:
“Perhaps the reason it is so hard for us to see the evolution of the Cosmic Christ in our individual lives and in the arc of history is that this groaning and this giving birth (see Romans 8:22) proceeds by a process of losses and gains, and the losses are very real. There is no doubt that history goes three steps forward and two steps backward, but thank God there seems to be a net gain. We may be more aware of war, racism, classism, genocide, and ignorance around the world today, yet violence is actually declining.
When a new level of maturity is found, there is an immediate and strong instinct to pull backward to the old and familiar. This is even included in the Biblical text, which is crucially important to understand. Thankfully, there is always a leaven, a critical mass, a few people who carry the momentum toward healing and wholeness. This is the Second Coming of Christ: Christ embodied by people who can no longer live fearfully, hatefully, or violently. There are always some who have been transformed by Love, by the Christ Mystery. This is the corporate shape of “salvation.”
Jesus takes us on a Lenten journey of loss and gain — of fig trees, silver coins, sheep, sons and best friends. Every parable of loss turns into a story of amazing gain until the ultimate story of death and resurrection; a story that will lead Thomas to an “immediate and strong instinct to pull backward to the old and familiar.” I am trying, this Lent, to suspend my disappointment at God’s leading (and our following) and instead live in wonder and possibility. I pray for courage to stand in the loss and wait for the gain. And I am grateful to be a part of people and places that make up PSEC — “
a critical mass, a few people who carry the momentum toward healing and wholeness.”
May it be so with God’s blessing,
Bill
Rev. William Worley
Conference Minister
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UCC resource list released to help support churches
The United Church of Christ has released a booklet entitled "Equipping the Journey: Resources for Mission and Ministry in the Local Church and Beyond." This includes a list of all of the UCC resources that exist in support of local churches, Associations and Conferences. An updated version was released for March 2019:
UCC Equipping the Journey - Revised 3-5-19
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Youth, young adult service opportunities with UCC, FEMA
The United Church of Christ
is seeking 15 interns for Summer Communities of Service and 10 interns for the year-long Young Adult Service Communities. Please spread the word about these opportunities at the intersection of faith and social justice, living and working in intentional Christian community.
Summer Communities of Service
support local programs across the United States that include disaster recovery in Houston/ Beaumont, Texas, and Volusia County, Fla. Other opportunities include food justice through community gardening, and economic equity through children's enrichment. 10 weeks. For young adults aged 19 and above. Placements for summer are happening now.
Young Adult Service Communities
participants join local communities acting for affordable housing, immigration reform, public health and racial justice. 11 months. For ages 21-35. Placements for 2019-2020 are happening now.
FEMA
is accepting applications for its Youth Preparedness Council. This program brings together teens (8th through 11th grade) from across the country who are interested and engaged in community preparedness.
Click here for FEMA's news release with full info.
Application deadline is March 31, 2019.
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Hotel attached to UCC National Offices under new ownership
Effective March 7, 2019, the Radisson Hotel in Cleveland has come under new ownership, and is no longer owned by the United Church of Christ. The UCC’s formal relationship with the Radisson Hotel has ended. Any direct billing processes between the UCC National Office and the Radisson Hotel have ended. Any meeting plans involving the Radisson that were already in process should not experience any disruption.
Over the next few months, a dividing wall will be constructed that will close off the walkway corridor currently in use for pedestrian traffic between the hotel and the UCC lobby area. The corridor, including the meeting room parlors, will remain a part of the National Offices. Please expect that at some point in the coming weeks the Radisson flag will change.
The UCC constructed the 142-room Radisson Hotel soon after relocating its headquarters to Cleveland in 1990, and the construction of the hotel helped catalyze redevelopment in Cleveland’s Gateway District.
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Home Depot offers Community Impact Grants for nonprofits
The Home Depot Foundation offers grant awards up to $5,000 to 501c designated organizations (recognized and in good standing with the IRS for a minimum of one year) and tax-exempt public service agencies in the U.S. that are using the power of volunteers to improve the community. Grants are given in the form of The Home Depot gift cards for the purchase of tools, materials, or services.
Click here for full information.
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Consistory Presidents gathering scheduled for March
A Gathering Community for Consistory Presidents is forming now. Many of our Pastors meet regularly in clergy groups to support one another, share ideas, and pray for each other. A gathering community for Consistory Presidents will offer similar opportunity for these critical lay leaders. As Presidents of Consistory (or other governing body of your church), we have opportunity and roadblocks facing us at all times. Our goal is to brainstorm, support, pray, laugh, and learn together in a confidential environment, so that we are strengthened to build healthy, vibrant, and faithful churches.
There is no fee to attend.
Brenda Semach, Consistory President of Falkner Swamp Reformed UCC, invites you to a gathering on
Saturday, March 16
, from 9 – 11AM, held at Falkner Swamp, 2077 Swamp Pike, Gilbertsville, PA (Covenant Association). Please RSVP to her directly:
kbsemach@aol.com
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One Great Hour of Sharing offering date coming soon
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The suggested date for the One Great Hour of Sharing offering is March 31. One Great Hour of Sharing, as part of Our Churches Wider Mission, is the special mission offering of the UCC that carries God’s message of love and hope to people in crisis. The UCC works with international partners to provide sources of clean water, food, education and health care, small business micro-credit, advocacy and resettlement for refugees and displaced persons, and emergency relief and rehabilitation. OGHS also supports domestic and international ministries for disaster preparedness and response. In 2017, OGHS offering received over $2 million to support disaster, refugee, and development activities. Visit the UCC website for
OGHS resources
, including videos, preaching/lectionary notes, sermon starter, bulletin inserts, children’s sermons, and more.
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UCC 2019 Lenten Devotional Available for purchase now
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From the
Stillspeaking Writers’ Group
and the Daily Devotional contributors comes this year’s Lenten devotional, with a biblical text, reflection, and prayer for each day from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday. When we enter the spiritual journey of Lent, we often take things with us: our past experiences, our interpretations of Scripture, our questions about the world, our struggles in faith. What does an unencumbered journey look like? Let’s find out together.
Click here
for more details or to order copies.
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Environmental justice webinar: Green Values and Voting
Those who care about the environment tend to vote less than others by a sizable amount. This has enormous implications for the issues that elected officials choose to address and how they choose to address them. Fortunately, there are proven approaches to increasing voter turnout, and faith communities can play a leading role in encouraging more people to vote their values. This month’s
Creation Justice Webinar
will feature the “voting guru” Nathaniel Stinnett as he educates and equips us for this vital role.
Sign-up to join us for this informative webinar!
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Register for PA Academy of Ministry at Lancaster Seminary
Registration is now open for the Ministerial Institute of Pennsylvania Academy of Ministry at Lancaster Theological Seminary. This is a three-year nondegree program for lay ministers pastoring churches, pastoral leaders in part-time or bi-vocational ministries, individuals in discernment, and laity serving churches. The program will begin in July and registration is now.
Click here
for details.
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Educational Opportunities
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Missed a week? Read past eNews here:
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