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Important This Week
- Register for this weekend's Racial Justice Symposium
- Registration open for "What Pastors and Lay Leaders Need to Know about Child Sexual Abuse Prevention in the Congregation"
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From the Conference Minister:
Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “My teacher, let me see again.” 52Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way. Mark 10:51-52
From all of my online studies about this passage there seems to be a great deal of discomfort with Jesus’ capacity to heal a blind man. There are countless explanations about the metaphorical meaning of this miracle but very little acknowledgment that Jesus had a power that supersedes our understanding; that a man who was physically blind had his sight restored. This does not square with a reasonable mind and our shared experiences of the world.
I don't want to fall in the trap of thinking but because this event doesn't make sense to me it did not happen the way Mark describes it and that I must, therefore, search for some explanation that makes sense to my material mind. I harken back to Jesus’ words in John when he said, “because I go to the Father you will do greater things than these.” God's capacity to heal so far supersedes my vision of what is possible in the world. To explain that away as anything other than miraculous diminishes God’s power and my opportunity to live in a world I can't yet see.
There are countless possibilities to which I am blind. Living together in the unity of spirit and purpose, which is Jesus’ prayer for us in John “that they/we may all be one” is a significant possibility that has been ground down by our human determination to define ourselves by what divides us, what makes us different, rather than what we share together as spiritual beings having a human experience. This is certainly true when contemplating the way race shapes how we see (or don’t see) ourselves and our place in world.
As jury selection begins for the trial of those accused of Ahmaud Arbery’s slaying, I wonder what the world looks like through the eyes of his family and his friends. I wonder what the world looks like through the eyes of the jurors who will be selected to sit on that trial and of the officers of the Court who oversee it. I wonder what that looks like through the eyes of people of color and the eyes the people who perpetrated his death. Only a short time in contemplation of those different ways of seeing awakens me to the truth that my vision is limited and, in many ways, I am blind to the reality of others. A wise colleague said to me recently if you could see everything you would understand everything and could then forgive everything.
Race often blinds us to the reality of the humanity of others. That may be a byproduct of living in monochrome communities. It may be a result of the way in which we define ourselves against the other. It may be a fear of having to let go of racial blindness and the confusion created by a new vision. It may be that every single one of us is overwhelmed by our own pain and just can't stand increasing that by looking through the eyes of another who is also in pain. And yet this is where Jesus leads.
Healing racial blindness will be a miracle unto itself. For that we will need a transformative power that far surpasses our own good intentions, eyes of the heart and soul to see the risen Christ that lives in us all, and a clear answer to Jesus’ question, “What do you want me to do for you?”
I want us to live as an answer to Jesus’ prayer “that they/we may all be one.” Our friends on our Conference Racial Justice Task Force have created an amazing and potentially transformative opportunity this weekend (Zachariah Walker Racial Justice Symposium) for us to pray that prayer together, to embody that prayer together, to become just a little more aware of, and heal, our racial blindness and to see the miraculous possibilities that exist when we see each other through the eyes of God.
May it Be So,
Pastor Bill
Rev. Bill Worley
Conference Minister
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Lay and Clergy: Sign up for child safety at church training
On Wednesday, Nov. 6 at 9:00a, we will host "Working with Children, Youth and Vulnerable Adults: What Pastors and Lay Leaders Need to Know about Child Sexual Abuse Prevention in the Congregation." This training is great for lay members of your church who work with young people and for clergy (clergy will receive Advanced Boundary Training credit for attending). Topics covered at the training will include:
- Child Sexual Abuse Prevention 101 -- What it is, what are the dynamics.
- Mandated Reporting in PA -- The basics of what and how-to, including clearance requirements.
- Making church a positive place of survivors of child sexual abuse.
- What to consider if including known offenders in the congregation.
- What all of this means for the personal boundaries of the pastor or other church leader.
ANOTHER OPTION!! If you cannot make the Wednesday morning time for this training, you will have another opportunity to complete the training. Register for the training and indicate that you will not be available to attend on Wednesday. A link to view the training online will be sent to you following the training and you will have one week to watch the video and submit a one-page paper on how you will apply this training to your ministry setting. Once the paper is received and approved, you will receive your certificate. If you plan to take advantage of this opportunity, you must let us know in advance that you will not be attending the live training.
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Bethany Children's Home shares Christmas lists
Holidays can be a very difficult time for youth at Bethany Children's Home; many of them have never received Christmas gifts or participated in traditions. Each year, youth look forward to Hanging of the Greens service, cookie socials, ornament exchanges, fellowship opportunities, the Youth Christmas Dinner, Christmas Eve service, and of course, Christmas Day! Click here to visit the "Holidays at Bethany" webpage where you can learn how to donate and view the Wish Lists.
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Final Computer-side Chat: Shared Ministry models |
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. |
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Fall Meeting is coming soon
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PNEC offering on-demand virtual Boundary Training
Penn Northeast Conference is offering virtual Ministerial Boundary Training for $75. Once registered, participants can work at their own pace to complete the five modules and required written reflections. Click here for details and registration. Registration is open until Oct. 31 and a check must be received before that point.
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Registration for 'Walking With God' extended; register now
Registration for Walking With God has been extended until Friday, Oct. 29 at noon. Join us for a day of fellowship, fun, laughter, and learning, ending with worship and communion. Out of an abundance of caution, this year's retreat will be held in the New Goshenhoppen Church park where many activities can take place outside. The park includes a covered band shell and a dining hall, in case of inclement weather. Click here to register.
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From the Addiction & Recovery Taskforce: Stigma Revisited
Why don’t people seek help? Stigma is one answer. Some suggestions to combat stigma include:
- Learn More about stigma and addiction.
- Listen to people who have experienced addiction, ask them about stigma.
- Watch your language (people centered not illness centered: Not “an addict” but “a person with addiction.”
- Speak up about stigma in sermons.
- Help correct others who are stigmatizing persons with addiction.
- Choose not to believe “once and addict, always an addict.”
- Pray for people by name, not condition. God knows what they need.
- Invite the PSEC Addiction and Recovery Task Force to speak at your church.
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Training programs for ONA and not-yet ONA Churches
The Coalition’s popular series of webinars resumes on Tuesday, Oct. 26 with “ONA 101,” repeated on Thursday, Nov. 4. Also in our line-up: “ONA and the Bible” (Tuesday, Nov. 2 or Thursday, Nov. 11), “1-to-1 Conversations about ONA” (Tuesday, Nov. 9) and a revamped webinar for existing ONA churches: “ONA NEXT” (Tuesday, Nov. 16). Do you know churches that want to become ONA, but are hesitating because of the fear they might lose members and money? Let them know about this series: churches that participate in our training programs learn how an ONA process can build consensus and revive energy for mission and ministry! Click here for more information and registration info.
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Deadline to register: Zachariah Walker Racial Justice Symposium
"White Supremacy, Racism, & the Christian Church: The Call to a Discipleship of Liberation and Justice" will be held online this weekend: Oct. 23 and 24. Clergy who attend may receive Diversity Training credit. For more information, click here. |
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Open enrollment in October
for UCC Dental Plan
An opportunity to enroll in the UCC Dental Plan is available Oct. 1-31 to employees and retirees who do not currently have dental coverage, or who have coverage in a plan other than the UCC’s. Coverage will become effective on Jan. 1 and is available on a stand-alone basis, regardless of participation in the UCC Health Benefits Plan or UCC Medicare Advantage Plan. The UCC Dental Plan offers 100% coverage for preventive care services, with no deductible or coinsurance. Preventive care services will not reduce the annual plan maximum. For information, including the application and benefits, click here.
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Free continuing ed webinars through Yale Divinity School
Yale Divinity School announced several upcoming free opportunities for webinars including Leading in a Liminal Season, Fast-Starting a Career of Consequence, Welcoming the Stranger, and The Dead Sea Scrolls. For more info, 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)
- 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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