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Important This Week
  • Lay and Clergy: Sign up for child safety at church workshop
  • All Saints Special Offering this weekend
  • Register: Clergy Q&A and discussion with Rev. John Dorhauer
From the Interim Associate Conference Minister
for Search and Call: All Saints

Saints have not always lived “saintly” lives. Yesterday was All Saints Day and whenever that rolls around, I am mindful of the saints, famous and anonymous to others, who have influenced my life and sometimes the world in which we all live.

The Armenian Orthodox church has some commentary about saints that reminds us about just how human they have been. Fr. Garabed Kochakian wrote, “No one is born a saint. We are all born sinners, and only by sacrament and faith do we answer God’s call to holiness. For some, making that choice seems the furthest thing from the earlier record of their lives. St. Paul persecuted and killed Christians; the Armenian King Drtad tortured St. Gregory, murdered St. Hripsime, and went mad. Both – many others like them – eventually saw the Light of God, and saw their lives transformed.” That transformation gives me hope in such a time as this.
 
So, my friends. There is hope for us yet! We may not be in line for sainthood, but we can aspire to be vessels of God’s justice and transformative love in the world. Saying we are Christians, doesn’t bring our words of faith alive. Acts of kindness, justice, mercy, grace, love and hope are all ways of showing our faith in ways people can see and experience. Acts alone are not enough…we are indeed justified by faith. However, our actions communicate what kind of faith we have.

There have been times when I have been in conversation with someone about a mutual friend. I’m sure you have done that as well and one of you has said, ”They were a saint.” We usually think of saints who have died. This week, I want to invite you to think of a person living, who demonstrates what it means to let the light of God shine through in their actions, in how they live their lives. Maybe you can even let them know that you are grateful for their presence in your life and how they make you want to be a better person.

In a world with so many people who are at each other…perhaps letting someone know that you experience Christ’s light through them…just might make their day. I know it will make yours.

For all the saints who from their labors rest…may they indeed be at rest. For all of us still living…may we find joy and meaning in shining Christ’s light into the lives of others.

Rev. Dr. Susan A. Minasian
Interim Associate Conference Minister for Search & Call
Congregational Development workshops postponed

The Oct. 30 and Nov. 6 workshops "Connect, Reconnect, Staying Connected: Building and Maintaining Fellowship during the prolonged Covid Pandemic" have been postponed. We're sorry for the inconvenience. Watch upcoming eNews emails for information about rescheduling.
This Sunday: PSEC All Saints Special Offering
 
All Saints Sunday is the first Sunday in November. We celebrate long ago saints and those known to us as saints. Some of the PSEC pastors who retired years ago are in need of special assistance. Because their retirement income is low, the churches of the PSEC supplement the cost of their health benefits. We remember these saints as we receive the All Saints offering. 2021 resources for that are available here.
Lay and Clergy: Sign up for child safety at church training

On Wednesday, Nov. 10 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.  
For more info and to register, click here.

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.
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.
Next week: 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.
UCC webinar: UN Climate Conference through moral lens

Not since the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015 has there been a UN climate conference as important as the one taking place in Glasgow, Scotland from Oct. 31 to Nov. 12. In a world where global inequality is thoroughly enmeshed with the climate crisis, there are a number of key moral questions at stake in this gathering of leaders from over 200 countries. Of central importance is whether wealthy countries will stop investing in fossil fuels and start investing in a clean and just transition to renewable energy. In this webinar, we will hear from international climate policy specialists who will discuss the conference as it is happening. Even if you can’t make the scheduled time of 1:00p on Nov. 10, still sign-up, and we will send you a recording. Register now!
Save the date: commemorating the UCC Church House

Please save the date for a virtual celebration, as we commemorate more than 30 years of ministry at the Church House, live from Amistad Chapel, on Saturday, Dec. 4 at 2:30p. We'll honor our first three decades in Cleveland, as we prepare to transition from 700 Prospect to our new downtown location in early 2022.
Look for more details in the coming weeks.
From the Addiction & Recovery Taskforce: Helping Parents

Research has shown that the more sources of messaging to prevent drug abuse in children and youth the better. Parents are an important source of these messages, especially before children become more tuned into their peers as they age. An excellent resource for parents to consult for guidance on how to approach their children is available on the Addictions Policy Forum website. The booklet called “12 Things Parents Can Do to Avoid Addiction” is excellent.

You might want to make copies and distribute them to parents of your Sunday school children and confirmation parents. You might want to run a class to talk about their concerns and the recommendations in the booklet. However you use it, you will be giving the parents excellent coaching in how to possibly save their children from addiction. 
Members in Discernment / Community of Practice

In the old days, we used to take people “In Care” if they were responding a call to authorized ministry in the United Church of Christ. Over the years language changes and the church isn’t excluded from those changes. Now, instead of taking people “In Care”, we say they are “Members In Discernment”. I was serving on the Lancaster Association Committee On Ministry when this happened. At first I was a little perplexed but then it started to grow on me.

I have come to appreciate the language of Members In Discernment because it honors a journey and the discernment aspect of someone who is perhaps feeling a call to ordained ministry but perhaps not yet ready to claim that fully. It also means that we are to accompany people on their journey and serve as guides, accountability partners and mentors along the way. A Member In Discernment, or "MID," is connected not only to the theological education path they have chosen, but to the Association Committee On Ministry, conference's "JMAT" (or Joint MID Assessment Team), and the local church where the person is a member.

Recently, we realized that MIDs can be in different stages along the path toward ordination and still learn from each other. We also realized they need support and guidance that is beyond what an individual mentor can provide. So, we have established a Community Of Practice for MIDs. It is our hope that this group will meet monthly with two facilitators and other MIDs.

Rev. Selina Hamilton and Rev. Rebecca Hoover have agreed to facilitate this gathering. They have already begun that process and will welcome individuals as they are affirmed as MIDs by their local congregation and Association Committee On Ministry. This time will help them receive spiritual and emotional support as well as guidance through all the steps of the process leading to ordination if that is indeed what the individual is being called to do.

If you recognize someone in your faith community who has gifts for ministry and a sense of call to explore that path, please have a conversation with them. Sometimes it take someone seeing something in us that we have not honored in ourselves. Maybe being a Member In Discernment will help a person either honor a call to authorized ministry or it will help them discern another path. Either way, everything we do in our vocational lives it to and for the glory of God.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Rev. Dr. Susan A. Minasian, Interim Associate Conference Minister for Search and Call, minasian@psec.org.
Rev. Jeff Johnson installation scheduled in Orwigsburg
 
Click the invitation below to download a PDF to share. 
Security grants and resources for houses of worship
 
DHS Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships has resources for protecting houses of worship, including guides and self-assessment tools. They also have several opportunities to attend a webinar on nonprofit security grants. To find out more, click here.
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.
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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Church Openings
Many openings are on UCC's Ministerial Opportunities page. Especially note:
  • 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 .
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!