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Important This Week
- Fall Meeting is this Sunday
- Computer-side Chat on Shared Ministries tonight
- Mark your calendar for Advent Clergy Prayers and a discussion with the Addiction & Recovery taskforce
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Helpful hints for THIS Sunday's PSEC Fall Meeting:
1. First and most important, if you have not yet registered, you have until noon tomorrow (Wednesday) to do so. Use this link to register: psec2021fall.eventbrite.com
3. Your Zoom link to join the meeting will be emailed to you on Thursday morning! Please make sure to keep this email, which will contain important information, in a place you can easily access it on Sunday.
4. Please sign in between 2:00 – 2:50 to register. The tech team will not be able to clear 200 attendees in 5 minutes, so please use this time to log in, get authorized and then you can walk away from your computer until 2:50p. (THANK YOU for doing this. It will really help the Tech Team.)
5. Join the meeting at 2:50p. This will give us 10 minutes to practice how voting will take place.
6. Lastly and very important, come to be inspired, to learn and to vote on important matters concerning the future of our conference. Remember we will be voting on the 2022 spending plan AND the election of the new ACM for Search & Call candidate, Rev. Kevin J. McLemore.
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Clergy Q&A and discussion with Rev. John Dorhauer
On Nov. 22, our General Minister and President Rev. John Dorhauer will meet with clergy from Penn Central, Penn Northeast, and Pennsylvania Southeast conferences at Lancaster Seminary and includes a catered lunch by Pepper Theo.
John wishes to hear how clergy have been adapting to the past 18 months and what the issues/challenges/joys have been. There will be a panel of 3 clergy – one from each Conference – and John will facilitate a discussion. This will also allow for substantial Q&A with clergy who attend.
Our numbers will be limited, so register soon. The cost is $15 each. Registration is open here.
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Advent prayer gatherings set for Thursdays in December
Pastors are you weary? Is the yoke of pastoring in this extended season of COVID heavy? Share your burdens and joys as we pray together on Thursdays at noon during the season of Advent! A brief period of facilitated check-in will be followed by curated poems, prayers, and silence. Light a candle and feed your spirit this Advent by gathering in prayer with colleagues from Penn Central, Penn Northeast and Pennsylvania Southeast conferences and prepare for the inbreaking of Emmanuel once again!
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PSEC Addiction & Recovery Taskforce Discussion
You are invited and encouraged to attend an online discussion with the Pennsylvania Southeast Conference Addiction and Recovery Task Force on Wednesday, Nov. 17 at 7:00p. There is no need to pre-register; Zoom info is provided below. This event is hosted by the St. Peter’s Tohickon UCC Adult Forum group. If you have any questions, please reach out to Caroline Dunleavy, Adult Forum Coordinator, at carolineayost@gmail.com. Join us to learn more about the work of this important ministry! Use this link to join the Zoom call or email Caroline for call-in instructions:
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Insurance Board webinar: COVID-19 employer concerns
This webcast will address several important challenges facing employers due to the ongoing pandemic, including maintaining workplace safety and how they might choose to address vaccine mandates. The program will also look at some of the other important issues for employers leading into 2022 outside of the pandemic, including changes to disability and family/medical leave laws and training requirements. The presenter, Dean Rocco, Attorney, and Partner from Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP, is a Chair of the firm’s National Employment & Labor Practice Group and will share his expert insights about COVID-19 and the topics of the day. Join us Nov. 16 at 2:00p. Click here to register.
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Tonight: Computer-side Chat on Shared Ministry |
The Last Computer Side Chat will be held on Nov. 9. Each month we have been meeting on the second Tuesday of the month to discuss a topic of interest for congregations in some kind of transition. Recently, the conversations have been around Shared Ministry. This month is the final installment of our Shared Ministry Conversation. We will be meeting with Rev. Maureen Duffy-Guy. If your congregation is thinking about how to partner with others in meaningful ministry, this conversation is for YOU! We are always better when we are together. Creativity abounds when we share our resources and passion for ministry. Please join us by emailing Brea@psec.org for a link. |
Penn Central offering online UCC History & Polity course
All The Penn Central Conference will be offering an online UCC History and Polity course starting Feb. 11. Registration is open now and spaces are limited. The cost of the course is $150. |
From the Addiction & Recovery Taskforce: Local resources that really help
Many of our counties in Pennsylvania have active and excellent groups of professionals and concerned citizens that have created websites with important local information on dealing with the drug crisis in their communities. Listed below are a number of them in the Penn Southeast Conference. Please look at the one for your county and use the resources listed. You can make contact with many of the professionals and others who can answer your questions, speak to your congregation, and serve as referrals;
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PA Council of Churches online forum on 'The Nones'
Dr. Ryan Burge will join the PA Council of Churches on Nov. 17 at 10:00a to lead a virtual forum on his recent book, “The Nones: Where They Came From, Who They Are, and Where They Are Going.” The “Nones” are defined as Americans who say they have no religious affiliation.
Following a high point in reported religious affiliation in the 1950s, research has shown a growing number of Americans who claim no formal religious identity. The General Social Survey of 1972 indicated that only 5 percent of Americans claimed no religion, but by 2018, the number had grown to 23.7 percent — making them as numerous as both evangelical Protestants and Roman Catholics. Research suggests the nones are on track to be the largest “religious group” over the next decade.
Registration is open here for limited numbers to view on Zoom. Those wishing to indicate interest prior to the event may do so on the Facebook event page, and it may be viewed on Facebook Live. Download a flyer here.
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Message from the UCC General Counsel regarding Boy Scouts
Over the past several days I’ve received a number of inquiries from both Local Churches and Conferences related to the relationship of Local Churches and the Boy Scouts of America, and the BSA bankruptcy.
One line of inquiry is what advice I would give a Local Church that has received the “Summary Regarding Chartered Organizations’ Options Under the BSA’s Chapter 11 Plan.” This document gives several opt-in choices and an opt-out. Each choice involves waivers of important rights. A Local Church that is a chartering organization should consult with its attorney to carefully review its options in the context of its history with BSA and knowledge of potential abuse claims for the best advice on how to proceed. I cannot advise Local Churches individually on this issue.
A second line of inquiry is whether a Local Church should sign the attached Charter Agreement. The decision to be a chartering organization for the BSA is a decision that has always been up to the Local Church and should be made in consultation with an attorney who can review this agreement with the church and specifically attend to whether the church is prepared to undertake its obligations under the agreement. The church’s insurer should also be consulted. The obligations under this Charter Agreement for the church are significant, including making the scouting program a ministry of the church and putting the burden of conducting background checks and approving leaders on the church. This agreement may be different from what the church has signed in the past; some churches have indicated they have never been asked to sign such an agreement.
Third, some churches are noting that the United Methodist Church has urged its congregations not to continue their relationships with BSA and are asking what the position of the UCC is on this. The UCC, given its polity, would not make such a recommendation to its churches and neither should the lack of a statement be considered approval of the relationship. It has always been up to the Local Church to determine whether to have that relationship with BSA. The UCC does continue to have a Scouting Working Group that can provide resources to churches with scout troops, especially as relates to inclusive scouting; the National Setting liaison to that group is Michael Schuenemeyer.
Finally, some churches are also asking about the possibility of a facilities use agreement in place of a charter agreement, so that the troop has access to the church building. My advice here is to have an attorney draw up such an agreement in consultation with the church’s insurer and to ensure the appropriate certificates of insurance are in place. I do not know if local BSA councils are accepting such agreements.
Heather E. Kimmel (she/her)
General Counsel
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Rev. Jeff Johnson installation scheduled in Orwigsburg
Click the invitation below to download a PDF to share.
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Racial Justice Team planning Advent book study
For those who would like to do a deep dive into Dr. Drew Hart’s powerful witness and call on the Christian church to a discipleship that embodies God’s love, justice and deliverance, the Racial Justice Initiative of the PSEC will be offering an Advent book study featuring “Who Will Be A Witness?” on Tuesdays at 3:00p and 7:00p from Nov. 30-Dec. 21. This training has been approved for Diversity Training. For information and to register, click here.
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Racial justice banners and yard signs available |
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”.
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Classified Ads
Submit Classified Ads here
View a complete list of Classified Ads here
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Missed an email?
Read past emails here:
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Church Openings
- Bern Reformed UCC, Leesport (three-quarter time settled)
- Christ Delong, Bowers, and St. Peter's, Topton (3/4-time interim)
- Christ Church UCC, Norristown (full-time designated)
- Huff's Union Church, Alburtis (full-time settled)
- New Goshenhoppen Reformed UCC, East Greenville (settled senior pastor)
- St. John's (Hain's) UCC, Wernersville (full-time settled)
- St. Peter's UCC of Wilshire (full-time interim)
- UCC East Goshen (full-time interim)
- UCC Valley Forge (full-time settled)
If you’re interested in a position, contact Rev. Dr. Susan Minasian: 484-949-8774 ext. 302 or minasian@psec.org .
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PSEC is the link that connects our church’s various and diverse ministries both locally and globally. Together, we provide our local churches, pastors and congregations with the training and inspiration they need to carry out our church’s wider mission. We are stronger together; therefore, we embrace diversity, and above all, we spread God’s love! |
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