The One Coming After: Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Sunday reintroduced us to the Baptism of Jesus. The meaningful part for me has been John. There is something about being the one who prepares a way for who or what is to come next. I think of John as an Interim called into liminal space. That in between time.

I have valued moments serving as an interim. It is meaningful and powerful when that ministry is not only received but the wisdom and fruit of that season is used moving forward in new and even re-affirming ways.

We don’t know what would have happened if Jesus had not had John to pave the way first. What we do know is that John knew when to be present, when to say the challenging word, when to give thanks and celebrate, when to point people to another…and then…get out of the way.

If you are a lay person, I’d like to invite you to think of someone in your life who paved the way for you. Perhaps YOU have been the one to pave the way for others. How has God use us to prepare the way?

If you are a clergy person, pray about how God is calling you to use your gifts and experience. Are you able to help people reflect on where they have been? Do you like to invite people to consider new ways of listening and doing the ministry of the Gospel? Can you prepare space for a person to be called to take that ministry forward? If you have said yes or even maybe to any of these questions…perhaps God is calling you to be an Interim.

I invite you to celebrate the gift, the call and importance of what it means to be God’s helper. Celebrate your call as one who prepares space and possibilities. Most of all remember, it isn’t up to you to make sure it all gets done! You can’t control people’s choices or the future. However, being in the ministry of interim space as a lay person or as an authorized minister is all about being faithful disciples in an ever-changing world with a God who doesn’t change but is with us in it all.

May this new calendar year offer each of us an opportunity to prepare the way for whatever is to come.

Blessings and Peace,

Rev. Dr. Susan Minasian, Associate Conference Minister for Search & Call

So, if you are a lay person who is currently a member of a congregation that is sharing a minister with another congregation OR a congregation intentionally sharing ministry with another congregation… EMAIL ME at miniasian@psec.org.

So back by popular demand… the LAST LAST Computer Side Chat will be Tuesday Jan. 11, 7:00- 8:00p. You can get a link for that meeting by emailing brea@psec.org. 

The Mission Trip Calendar for 2023 with Bay Back Mission is now open and ready for bookings! To book please email the volunteer coordinator with your preferred dates including your first option and a second option. The email request are fulfilled on a first come first served basis. 

To see the weeks that are open you can access the calendar here. Please note that updates to the calendar will take some time. So please be patient. 

The Susquehanna Area Mission Council of the Penn Northeast Conference is inviting all churches in both PNEC and PSEC to share in its annual mission project. If your congregation is willing to participate in this offering supporting our common disaster relief ministry, please include this insert in your Sunday bulletin on Jan. 9 and/or 16, along with information about how gifts should be made in your congregation.

A short video explaining this Challenge can be found here.

Taskforce:  

To get your free copy by download please Visit here for a free download of the book.

On Wednesday, Jan. 26, Basic Boundary Training will be offered from 9:00a-3:00p on Zoom. The cost is $40 for UCC participants ($50 for non-UCC participants). To register, click here.

The interrelated issues of racism and white privilege continue to plague society both in the United States and in Germany, as well as in many other parts of the world. Our partnership between Penn Central Conference and the Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia has begun to address these issues together through several online colloquies, most recently with the Rev. Traci Blackmon in July. We invite you to continue this conversation with us on Tuesday, January 18, 2022, beginning at 1:00 p.m. EST. 

Our keynote speaker for this event will be Mr. Sami Omar (www.sami-mar.de). Sami Omar is a speaker, author, and frequent moderator of political and cultural events throughout Germany. He works in both print and digital media on topics of migration, integration, racism, and discrimination. He also offers consultation and training on issues involving racism. “Antiracism is primarily a grappling of white people with their privileges, and a solidarity that arises out of this awareness.”

The PCC-UEK Partnership Ministry Team invites—and encourages—you to be a part of this conversation, which will again take place by way of Zoom. This event is being prepared primarily by our partners in Germany, and a special focus will be on the church’s role in dealing with white privilege and its role in confronting racism. Register here. On receipt of your registration, you will receive the Zoom link for the event.

Register by Jan. 25 to attend. Click here for an event flyer.

The January newsletter from PA Ready can be accessed by clicking here.

Books of the PSEC will close Jan. 17. All OCWM contributions for 2021 must be in our office by that date or they will be counted towards 2022 contributions. Please mail your contributions as soon as possible due to possible mail delays.

Those are among the topics of weekly United Church of Christ webinars now set for the first quarter of 2022. To view the schedule for the "Thursdays for the Soul" webinars, click here.

For those who are able, we are suggesting a love offering of $70 per banner (4’x10’ Vinyl Banner with grommets) and $7 per yard sign (18’’x24’’). 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”.