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Important This Week
- Registration closes Friday for Fall Youth Event.
- Philadelphia breakfast ministry needs your church's help.
- Conference Minister's message on this week's lectionary text.
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From the Conference Minister: Remembering the Saints
26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. 27 And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
Romans 8:26-27
This Friday is All Saints Day.
“Protestants need more saints,” so says Rev. Martin Copenhaver. He goes on to write that, “The Roman Catholics have over 10,000 canonized saints. By my count, we Protestants have as few as five: Oscar Romero, Martin Luther King, Jr., Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, Dietrich Bonhoeffer. And while these folks ARE saints, they are not ordinary enough… they are almost too heroic. What we need are more examples of people like us who have let the love and light of the gospel change their hearts and lives.”
Bob Rettig is my saint. He grew up horribly abused by a father who was himself horribly abused. Somehow through drug and alcohol addiction, Bob managed to carve out a life — a steel mill job, marriage, two sons. The day his demons finally caught up to him, Bob was dead spiritually and about to die physically in an armed confrontation with police. But at the intersection of unrelenting grace, family intervention, rehabilitation and community action, Bob was resurrected
—
in every sense of that word. He was for many years a church sexton; a keeper of the sacred. When asked by others how he transformed his life, he only ever offers one word. “God.”
“Here’s what it means to be a saint,” says Quinn Caldwell, “it means you have direct access to God. It means that you can see the Heart that breaks for all that is broken. Here’s who is a saint: every member of the church, and that means you.”
The Church, throughout its history, has recognized certain people for their closeness to God. But in our UCC tradition, everyone who is a member of the church is a saint, able to communicate directly with God, gifted (at least sometimes) with visions of God’s heart. And when we’re really hitting the mark, we saints find ways to pass what we know about God on to the people around us, spreading vision and grace.
Today, this week, pick at least one saint who has gone home to God, and at least one that is still with you. Say their names out loud and offer them up to God. Remember at least one thing that each one taught you about God. Then go into your world and live it.
Thanks be to God for the Saint in you,
Pastor Bill
Rev. William Worley
Conference Minister
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Old First, Philadelphia's breakfast ministry needs help
Old First UCC, Philadelphia, has a clothing closet and breakfast that serve 80 people on Saturdays. Volunteer groups to provide and serve breakfast are needed. To read more about the ministry and how your church can help, read this
PSEC.org news story
.
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Hurricane Michael recovery starts in Florida panhandle
$5,000 seed grants from UCC Disaster Ministries will go toward costs for four Hurricane Michael long-term recovery groups in the Florida Panhandle. UCC Disaster Ministries is also supporting recovery in Bay and Washington counties, Fla.,
including with recruitment of volunteer work teams.
Community-based LTRGs help guide disaster survivors through the recovery process, including mobilizing available resources such as FEMA and SBA grants, insurance payouts and personal financial resources. LTRG case managers look for the unmet needs, prioritizing the most vulnerable survivors, including elderly and disabled residents. Other functions include fundraising, construction and volunteer management, with the goal of stretching resources to help as many people as possible recover.
“Many residents still have blue-tarped roofs that leak when it rains," reported Liberty Strong. "Still others are struggling to feed and clothe their families while trying to pay for repairs to their homes."
Hurricane Michael made landfall as a Category 5 storm Oct. 10, 2018, northwest of Mexico Beach, the most powerful hurricane on record to hit the Florida Panhandle.
Needs include repairing and rebuilding homes - along with spiritual or mental health services, especially for those whose homes have been completely destroyed and are still in need of suitable housing.
For more information on Disaster Ministries in Florida,
click here.
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Deadline this week to register for PSEC Fall Youth Event
The PSEC 2019 Fall Youth Event will be Nov. 8-10 at South Mountain YMCA Camp
for youth in grades 7 thru 12. The theme is "Caring for Creation." The focus scripture is Psalm 24:1 "The earth is the LORD’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it." The registration fee ($90) includes meals, lodging, events, and activities. The deadline is Nov. 1.
Click here
for info.
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UCC funds resiliency training for a whole Sulawesi village
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PNEC hosting Tod Bolsinger event Friday in Northampton
On Friday from 9:00a-4:00p, "Navigating the Uncharted Waters of Unexpected Missional Challenges with Tod Bolsinger" will be held in Northampton. The fee is $50 and includes lunch.
Click here
to register.
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Money and Ministry scheduled for next weekend in Palmerton
On Nov. 9, PNEC and Financial Ministries of the UCC present "Money and Ministry" with workshops on:
- Repurposing Your Building for Revitalized Ministry
- The 10 Best Practice of Financially Healthy Congregations
- Protecting Your Church
- A Four Step, 20-Point Checklist Approach to Better Stewardship Results
- Planned Giving: The Keys to Building a Successful and Sustainable Program
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Registration is open for the PSEC Fall Youth Event 2019
The PSEC 2019 Fall Youth Event will be Nov. 8-10 at South Mountain YMCA Camp
for youth in grades 7 thru 12. The theme is "Caring for Creation." The focus scripture is Psalm 24:1 "
The earth is the LORD’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it." The r
egistration fee ($90) includes meals, lodging, events, and activities. The
deadline is Nov. 1.
Click here
for info.
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Free UCC webinar: Worker justice is climate justice
As the climate movement pushes our society toward becoming fossil free, how can we ensure that the transition happens in a way that is just and fair for workers? This question will be at the heart of the UCC’s next
Creation Justice Webinar
. The featured guests will be Michael Leon Guerrero from the Labor Network for Sustainability and Michael Williams from the BlueGreen Alliance. In a world that often falsely pits the well-being of workers against protection of the environment, they will help us see how matters of justice are interconnected rather than oppositional. The webinar will be on Nov. 14, but register even if you can’t make it.
Sign-up now!
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2020 UCC Medical and Dental benefits rates available online
The Pension Boards released the 2020 medical and dental rates for clergy and lay employees. To view the PSEC rate chart or use the interactive rate finder,
click here
.
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Carversville UCC holding monthly jazz vespers services
Carversville UCC has started holding jazz vespers services on the second Sunday of each month. For more information on the services -- including posters and bulletin inserts to share -- visit the
PSEC website
.
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PSEC member put on Manual on Church working group
The Committee for the UCC Manual on Church Working Group has been formed. Twenty people were selected from a pool of 187 applicants to reflect the breadth and depth of diversity within the denomination. Beth Walker, a member of Old First UCC in Philadelphia, has been named to that Committee and will work with them over the next 4-5 years to create this guiding document for our church. Congratulations and blessings, Beth! Our prayers for you and the committee are with you.
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Church Events
Submit Church Events
here
View a complete list of Church Events
here
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Classified Ads
Submit Classified Ads
here
View a complete list of Classified Ads
here
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Educational Opportunities
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Church Openings
- St. Mark's UCC, Reading (10 hrs/ week)
- UCC Valley Forge (full-time interim)
- St. John's UCC, Pottstown (part-time interim)
- St. Paul's UCC, Pottstown (part-time settled)
If you’re interested in a position, contact Rev.Sharon Morris:
morris@psec.org
or 484-949-8774 ext. 302.
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Missed a week? Read past eNews here:
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