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Important This Week
- Read an Epiphany reflection from the Conference Minister
- Check out a review of UCC Disaster Ministries' work in 2018
- Register for free VA Community Clergy Training events
- Utilize worship resources for Health & Human Service Sunday
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An Epiphany reflection from the Conference Minister
Tony Robinson reminded me several years ago that the name of this month, "January," comes from the ancient Roman deity, Janus - a lesser god but one who has always made sense to seekers after the heart of the Divine. Janus was the god of gates and doorways. He had two faces, one looking forward, another looking backward. So there is only a little surprise and much gratitude that in Psalm 121 God keeps a particular vigilant watch at our times of "going out and coming in," our times of ending and beginning, and all that is between the two.
Sometimes January, and the beginning of a new year, feels like that. I look back over the year now past. And I peer into the new one just underway. Sometimes I’m not quite sure if I’m coming or going -- which gets reinforced in the New Year every time I write the previous year in the date space on any form I have to sign.
Transitions -- whether of the calendar or in the seasons of our lives – are crazy-making times. They can be confusing and exhilarating; chaotic and creative. That certainly has been true of our conference life. That’s true of our congregational lives where all of us worship in “the church that has been” feeling anxious about “the church that will be.” And it’s true of our personal lives where change (those we make happen and those that happen to us) is the only constant.
But that is NOT the only constant. When everything else may seem up for grabs or in flux, one thing is not: God's abiding light and love. “I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me…”
This I know to be true. And it is my prayer for you and all our brothers and sisters in Christ that we move confidently into this New Year holding fast to that which has been good ready to receive what is going to be even better.
God bless your New Year with the Light of this Epiphany Season,
Bill
Rev. William Worley
Conference Minister
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UCC Disaster Ministries has been hard at work in 2018
The year 2018 has kept UCC Disaster Ministries very, very busy across our country and around the word. Here is a brief summary of this work. For details
click here
.
Funds totaling nearly $443,000 were released in September, October and November and included:
- $258,000 for Hurricane Maria recovery in Puerto Rico. PA Southeast Conference will support this work with 2 work camps in 2019.
- $100,000 for Hurricane Harvey recovery in Port Arthur, Texas, where UCC Disaster Ministries is working in partnership with the Southeast Texas Community Development Corporation to rehabilitate over a dozen affordable housing units.
- $5,250 to 21 UCC congregations in the form of $250 matching grants for assembling CWS Kits and Emergency Cleanup Buckets. Several PSEC Congregations received these grants.
- $2,000 to the UCC’s Southern Conference for early response to Hurricane Florence and subsequent flooding.
- $3,000 to First Church UCC in Ipswich, Mass., for families who lost all their perishable food due to a gas explosion in Lawrence and Andover. The First Church youth group is providing 126 affected children in the Community Day Charter Public School with food vouchers.
- $3,000 to the UCC’s Northern California Nevada Conference for gift cards for survivors of the Carr Fire in the Redding area in July 2018.
And internationally, disbursements September through November included:
- $16,724 to the Theological Community of Mexico for library roof repair following the earthquake earlier in 2018.
- $12,000 to the United Church of Christ Philippines to respond to the needs of families impacted by Typhoon Ompong in Luzon.
- $3,000 to Global Ministries partner PGL responding to the Indonesia earthquake, providing food, medicine and roof tarps.
- $20,000 for clean water and drinking facilities in areas of Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, affected by the earthquake, tsunami and aftermath.
- $15,000 to help Church World Service build 60 houses and a public school in earthquake-battered Northwest Haiti.
- $5,000 through the ACT Alliance partners for food, clean water and repair and maintenance of a water distribution system for families in El Salvador & Honduras displaced by heavy rains and flooding.
During 2018 a great many
Church World Service Emergency Cleanup Buckets
where shipped from warehouses to places with great need. UCC Disaster Ministries in order to help replenish the now depleted reserves has extended the Matching Grant offer of $250 through June 2019.
Finally, you are encouraged in 2019 to volunteer yourself and donate to One Great Hour of Sharing and/or Disaster Ministries through your local church. You can
BE INSPIRED
– Create community. Practice discipleship. See God and other people and creation in new ways. Resources to help you prepare your group are available at
UCC Mission Trip Opportunities
.
LEARN
– You are an important part of a larger system of response and recovery. Explore the networks in place for disaster response and recovery. Contact
Rev. Karl Jones
, our Conference Disaster Coordinator. Follow UCC Disaster Ministries on Facebook at
One Great Hour of Sharing (UCC)
.
SHARE
– Your skills help rebuild and repair homes and lives. Construction skills: Framing, Plumbing, Roofing, Painting, Electrical, Landscaping.
ADVOCATE
– Use the authenticity gained by this experience to be a public voice for a just world for all in your local, state and national media and government bodies.
Join Justice and Peace Action Network
!
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Free VA Community Clergy Training events scheduled
St. Andrew’s UCC in Perkasie, has partnered with the Philadelphia Department of Veterans Affairs to set up Community Clergy Training (CCT) events at sites throughout PSEC. CCT is a program of the Veterans Administration to resource clergy. The trainer will be Rev. Chris Antal, VA Chaplain and five-year partner with St. Andrew’s UCC in the growth of their veterans Ministry. The Community Clergy Trainings equip pastors in veteran care, helping to identify veteran needs, tend to difficulties of homecoming, and have the capability to make appropriate referrals. Members of the St. Andrew’s Veterans Ministry Team will accompany Chris for each of the presentations.
Training events will be held this winter/spring at PSEC churches in Wyomissing, Souderton, and Schuylkill Haven. Addition training will be held at Moravian Seminary and the Cranaleith Retreat Center in Philadelphia. For more information on these free VA Community Clergy Training events, including registration links, click here to download an event flyer:
VA Clergy Training Schedule Philadelphia Region Winter Spring 2019
.
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Worship resources for Health & Human Service Sunday
Sunday, Jan. 27 is recognized as Health and Human Service Sunday in the United Church of Christ. The UCC Council for Health & Human Service Ministries has shared a worship resource for use on that Sunday. Click here to download
liturgical elements and prayers
for use on Jan. 27.
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Have you heard? Year-end church reporting is now open
Last week, emails were sent to churches and pastors with details on year-end reporting. If you should have gotten that information and didn’t, contact Brea Rarick, at
brea@psec.org
or 484-949-8774 ext. 311. Also, visit
psec.org/reporting
for more information on this year’s reporting.
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Rebuild Mission to Puerto Rico has a few openings this spring
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The PSEC and PNEC will sponsor two rebuild mission trips to Puerto Rico this spring! The first trip is full. The second
–
from May 12-18
–
still has a couple of openings. If you are interested register as soon as possible. The cost will be about $800 per person, including: transportation, food, lodging, supplies, etc. Registration requires a $50 deposit. Make the check payable to Penn Northeast Conference and mail along with this
PR Mission Trip Application
. To learn more about the rebuild site and the work go to
click here
.
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Lay Boundary Training planned for January 26 in Boyertown
Boundary Training is not just for Pastors... It also pertains to church members! Learn about the boundaries that should exist within the church, child clearances, mandatory reporting and more! The training will be Saturday, Jan. 26 from 9:00a-12:00p at Church of the Good Shepherd, Boyertown. Registration is $20.
Click here
to register now!
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Register: Boundary Awareness Training 2019 opportunities
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Each Association of the Pennsylvania Southeast Conference requires that authorized ministers regularly participate in Boundary Awareness Training. most associations require six hours every three years. Registration is now open for several BAT opportunities for 2019.
- Basic Boundary Training, Saturday, March 2 in Lansdale
- Basic Boundary Training, Tuesday, March 26 in Quakertown
- Advanced Boundary Training on Over-Functioning and Addiction, Tuesday, April 2 in Reading
- Basic Boundary Training, Wednesday, May 15 in Kutztown
- Basic Boundary Training, Thursday, Oct. 3 in Schuylkill Haven
- Advanced Boundary Training on Pastoral Transitions, Tuesday, Oct. 22 in Norrsitown
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January Secretary Training event open for registration
Sign up for the January Secretary Training event in Souderton. The topic will be year-end reporting, churches annual reports, record keeping and more. The training will be Jan. 22 from 12:00p-2:00p. Bring your own lunch and the hostess will provide drinks and dessert. The workshop is free, but
you need to register
.
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PSEC 2018 financial giving
cut-off announced
The financial books of the PSEC will close for 2018 as of close of business Jan. 15. OCWM contributions and pass-throughs for 2018 must be received by our office by the close of business on Tuesday, Jan. 15 in order to be counted as a 2018 contribution.
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MA-AUCE Christian educators conference announced
Mid-Atlantic Association of United Church Educators will hold "Cutting Edge Faith Formation 2019: Meeting the Needs of ALL God's People" April 1-3 in Mt. Bethel. Join your Faith Formation colleagues for this conference which will include highly engaging, practical workshops. You will leave with usable tools and ideas that you can implement in your ministry context. In addition, we will have time to share our successes and struggles, network, worship together, and relax and rejuvenate. Whether you work full-time, part-time, or very part-time, are paid or volunteer, are a pastor, Christian Ed professional, or lay leader, this conference is for you!
Click here
for more information and to register.
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Moravian Seminary offering UCC History, Polity & Theology
This comprehensive course will meet 6 – 9pm Mondays from Jan. 28 to April 29. You may attend at Moravian Seminary in Bethlehem or by video conference. The cost is $900. Academic Course Credit is available at regular tuition costs. For details contact instructor Rev. Dr. David DeRemer
deremerd@moravian.edu.
Lancaster Seminary to hold UCC History, Polity & Theology
UCC History and Polity will be taught at Lancaster Theological Seminary in Spring 2019, beginning Friday, Feb. 22 and ending Friday, April 12. The class will be held on 7 Fridays from 2:00-5:00p. Assignments include reading and writing, resulting in a History and Polity paper that can be used as part of the ordination paper requirement for authorization. Successful completion of assignments in the class will result in a Certificate of Completion that may be shared with the individual's Committee on Ministry. This class is non-credit.
Registration is required
. The course fee is $ 300. Registration deadline is
Feb. 15
.
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Classified Ads
Submit Classified Ads
here
View a complete list of Classified Ads
here
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Church Openings
Gulph UCC: part-time beginning ASAP
St. Paul's UCC, Pottstown: part-time beginning ASAP
If you’re interested in a position, contact Rev. Sharon Morris:
morris@psec.org
or 484-949-8774 ext. 302.
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Church Events
Submit Church Events
here
View a complete list of Church Events
here
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Educational Opportunities
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Missed a week? Read past eNews here:
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