"We have seen the Lord." But he [Thomas] said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe."                            John 20:25

Thursday Afternoons, May 6 through June 10 (six weeks).

Meets 3:00-4:30 PM Registration

Thursday Evening, May 27 – June 10 (four weeks)

Meets 6:30 – 8:00 PM Registration

Session One: Time and Talent, premiering April 22 at 6:00p EDT, helps you plan and prep. Find it here: youtu.be/9t-PFd2OsPA

Session Two: Tools and Tech, premiering April 29 at 6:00p, helps you with gadgets and go live. Find it here: youtu.be/czsobF8w6KY

Join me Tuesday, April 13 from 7:00-8:00 for a conversation. Save the date and get the Zoom link from next week's eNews or by emailing brea@psec.org. If you have any questions, contact me at minasian@psec.org.

Rev. Dr. Susan A. Minasian

Interim Associate Conference Minister for Search and Call

Save the dates for the Annual Mercersburg Convocation, to be held virtually June 7-8. "Polarization and Reconciliation: Hints from the Mercersburg Tradition" is the theme, with presenters: Lee Barrett, Ph.D., William Evans, Ph.D., and Linden DeBie, Ph.D.

The application phone number for FEMA COVID funeral assistance goes live on Monday, April 12. Call 844-684-6333 | TTY: 800-462-7585 - from 9:00a to 9:00p Monday through Friday. COVID-related funeral expenses must have been incurred after Jan. 20, 2020. This aid is provided to help ease some of the financial stress and burden caused by the pandemic. Visit the FEMA website for more information.

Historically, the United States has released more global warming pollution than any other country, and it remains the world's second highest emitter. With its immense wealth and power, what are the moral obligations of the U.S. in confronting the climate crisis? In short, what's fair? Three leaders in the effort to address this question will present in this UCC webinar: Sivan Kartha from the Stockholm Environment Institute, Jean Su from the Center for Biological Diversity, and Susannah Tuttle from North Carolina Interfaith Power & Light. Even if you can't make the webinar’s scheduled time on April 14, at 1:00p, still sign-up, and receive a recording of it. Sign-up now.

Caron Treatment Centers offers a Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program with a focus on addictions. The program offers opportunities for seminarians, clergy, and appropriately prepared laypersons to be trained in providing professional spiritual care as recovery begins. For information, click here for a flyer. To apply, click here.

The deadline to take advantage of this opportunity is April 26. If interested, please reach out to Susan at the Conference office at susan@psec.org.

Do you know someone who struggles with addiction? You know they are loved by God and worthy of being treated like a human, to be held in a comforting embrace, to share in the blessings of life… but do they? To an active addict, there is no hope, no real joy, and no sense of purpose other than getting the next drug or drink. Life revolves around it. It’s all they think about. Often times, an addict functions at an animal level and feels worthless. Other times, they suffer in silence. What do they look like? Homeless, clothed in rags, selling themselves for a fix? Sometimes. And sometimes they look just like you and me. Neighbors, school teachers, doctors, elderly, retired, church folk, and yes, even Pastors. You see, addiction doesn’t care who you are, it just wants to destroy. There is HOPE – Life can be found again for everyone who suffers. Check out our website for information – The time is now!

April 16: Personalities & Communication (Dr. Bob Fogel, Leading) How often have these words occurred to you after a meeting or a difficult conversation? What I could have said. . . . What I should not have said was. . . . What we say to others and how we say it is a complex process. Psychological personality type seen through the lens of Meyers-Briggs (commonly known as the MBTI^©) provides a useful roadmap to engaging others with authenticity and integrity—and care. Come to learn about others and yourself!

On April 21, the Council for Relationships will host an online clergy workshop: “The 7 Stages of Marriage.” Clergy are often on the front lines of supporting and providing pastoral care to their members when congregants experience problems or challenges in their marriage relationships. Dr. Rita DeMaria, author of The 7 Stages of Marriage: Laughter, Intimacy and Passion, Today, Tomorrow, Forever, will present a 2.5 hour workshop for clergy helping them to recognize the various stages, or phases, that most couples work through while spending their lives together. Clergy understanding the stages of marriage will be helpful to their congregants in offering insight, helping couples to know what to expect and, more importantly, how to plan and provide support to weather developmental and life changes more readily. The workshop will be hosted on Zoom on April 21 from 10:00a-12:30p. The cost is $20; and you can click here to register.

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. To commemorate the month, the Department of Homeland Security, Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Cyber Crimes Center, Child Exploitation Investigation Unit are hosting a webinar to assist faith and community groups and caregivers of youth and teens on how they can help children to be safer online. The webinar will also address support for families when their children have been victimized by online sexual exploitation. The webinar will be held April 15 2-3:30p. Register here.

The Interfaith Health Network is offering an important short Zoom program that may be of interest to you and your congregation. Please see the attached flyer. 

We invite you to join the Interfaith Health Network for 30 minutes to learn about resources and trainings that are available to you as ministers and church lay leaders. We will give you contacts and links that you can use to educate, connect and act on the needs of your people. Join us on April 15 for a 30 minute Zoom presentation at 10:00a. Then you can stop in at 23 Meadowbrook Center on Route 183 in Auburn on April 22 from 10:00a to 1:00p to pick up materials and a unit of Narcan for your congregation to have on hand for emergencies. There will also be Dispose Rx bags for unused medications.

To register, email Kay Jones and request the link to the meeting: kjones8022@aol.com. 

The Committee is looking for a lay or ordained chaplain to serve at Locust Lake State Park on weekends from Memorial Day through Labor Day. It is a part-time position. Duties of the chaplain include leading Sunday worship in the park, and walking through the campground, visiting campers in a socially distanced manner on a Friday or Saturday. All ministry takes place outdoors, so it is among the safest ministries!

Worship draws many kinds of people from many different church backgrounds. The position description can be found here. Training is provided.

Interested persons can apply online here.

Each Monday at 11:00a, authorized ministers and church leaders are invited to check in with Conference Minister Rev. Bill Worley on a Zoom call, share experiences in this season of COVID, ask for advice, and be in community. We encourage you to join this opportunity for theological and practical reflection and discussion. Click here to join the call on Monday.

The Zachariah Walker Racial Justice Initiative team, in promoting racial justice, is offering banners and yard signs free to churches and individuals.

For those who are able, we are suggesting a love offering of $70 per banner (image of the 4’x10’ Vinyl Banner with grommets below) and $7 per yard sign (image of the 18’’x24’’ Yard sign above right). The love offerings will go to further our efforts in this sacred ministry of racial equity and justice. To order, please email Anne Cormier at annecormier@comcast.net. Include in the subject box “banner” or “yard sign”.

“Deepening our Connections, Deepening the Journey” is the theme, and the hope, of PSEC’s Annual Spring meeting that begins Friday, June 4 with nationally celebrated social justice leader and guest presenter Sister Simone Campbell, a Catholic nun who, with a few sisters in faith, chartered a bus to change the world.

Our connecting continues with Saturday’s conferring sessions, workshops and worship services to honor anniversary clergy and congregations, to lament the losses endured through the pandemic and to welcome the hope of better days ahead. We gather online in a new virtual meeting space (“Whova”) for our (hopefully) last completely virtual Conference gathering. Click here to access the Call to Annual Meeting. Click here to access the annual meeting page on the PSEC website which includes the link to registration. 

The Cultivating Generous Congregations Seminar for pastors and lay leaders offers an opportunity to explore faithful, practical, and tested ways to promoting generosity in our congregations. The seminar draws on current research, seeks guidance from the wisdom of scripture, and discusses the best practices in church-based fundraising. Class sessions held May 19, May 26, June 2, June 9, June 16, and June 23, 2021 from 6:30 – 8:00pm EST. Between class sessions, the instructors provide materials to help you analyze the culture of your own congregation and learn how to create change. Register today: The CGC Seminar is $150 per participant. Register here by April 30, 2021: cvent.me/7yV37Q.

If your church isn't currently worshipping or you are not able or comfortable attending services, we have compiled a list of churches in PSEC that are holding digital/ virtual worship experiences. Share this with others that might not have another option for worship. Click here for an updated list.