“Deepening our Connections, Deepening the Journey” is the theme, and the hope, of PSEC’s Annual Spring meeting that begins Friday, June 4 with nationally celebrated social justice leader and guest presenter Sister Simone Campbell a Catholic nun who, with a few sisters in faith, chartered a bus to change the world (see A Nun on the Bus). Her presentation and our small group break out session make space for conversation around bringing people to Jesus that gives life to our social justice ministries and how our social justice work give life to our relationship with Jesus. Give yourself the gift of reading her latest book, Hunger for Hope (which is short enough to digest before the meeting), which ties together the spiritual discipline of contemplation and social justice action (both of which are at the heart of a resolution coming before the UCC General Synod this summer).

Our connecting continues with Saturday’s conferring sessions, that begins with conversation and celebration of WAYS OF “DOING CHURCH” DURING A PANDAMIC. Workshops and worship services to honor anniversary clergy and congregations, to lament the losses endured through the pandemic and to welcome the hope of better days ahead. We gather online in a new virtual meeting space (“Whova”) for our (hopefully) last completely virtual Conference gathering. If you are used to using Zoom, Whova will make participation even easier!

If you have not already registered, please do. Registration closes THIS THURSDAY at midnight.

The Search Committee is building on the good work of the Profile Committee which completed the ACM/SC profile April 15. The profile and application went live on the UCC Opportunities Listing May 20. Several candidates have already responded. The Committee will begin interviewing qualified applicants soon after the June 15 application deadline. Please pray for the continued movement of the Holy Spirit through the process and the people who will connect with our next Associate Conference Minister!

The upcoming workshop series will help participants learn how to detect, prepare, and respond to hostile incidents in and around places of worship, community centers, faith-based schools, and camp programs, among other facilities. The series is being held virtually June 1-3 from 2:30-4:30 with different presentations and discussions on trends, best practices and resources for protecting people and organizations. The June workshop series is free-of-charge. To register, click here.

Join Faiths4Vaccines at the National Summit on Wednesday, May 26 from 1:00-4:00p for the largest multi-faith gathering to support equitable and far-reaching vaccine distribution in the US. Faith leaders and faith-based organizations in attendance will receive training, resources and empowerment to engage their communities to ensure equitable vaccine access, combat hesitancy and potentially use their houses of worship as vaccination sites. Click here to register for the event.

Join the Insurance Board on June 3 at 2pm for a webcast on Best Practices in Transportation for you Ministry, facilitated by Michael Harrold, ALCM, Loss Control Technical Program Specialist from Cincinnati Insurance Company. Click here to register. Click here for more information.

Did you know the UCC Musicians Association is hosting an online conference this summer, just prior to General Synod? On July 8-10, musicians, pastors and lay leaders are invited to attend a very special conference, filled with workshops, worship, networking and a concert. Take advantage of the online format and lack of travel expenses! All conference content will be accessible for one month after the event. Click here for info about the UCCMA, including registration for the conference. 

Rev. Elena Larssen started May 1 as the UCC Minister for Volunteer Engagement. She will oversee a menu of volunteer opportunities for UCC members, including Partners in Service, Young Adult Service Communities, Summer Communities of Service and U.S. mission trips. Volunteers also rebuild homes as part of Global H.O.P.E.’s disaster recovery work. Her first assignment is organizing volunteers for the General Synod. Read more about Larssen.

Medically Assisted Treatment (MAT) is often misunderstood by the public. Some say that it just substituting one drug for another but MAT is an evidence-based approach to recovery. The purpose of MAT is to provide the support a person with an addiction needs to give up the drug they are addicted to. MAT medications are safely prescribed to relieve withdrawal symptoms and psychological cravings that cause chemical imbalances in the brain and body. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) notes MAT is to be used “in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies, to provide a whole-patient approach to the treatment of substance use disorders.” It is also used to help people sustain recovery.

The Providers Clinical Support Systems list a number of benefits from MAT. They note that it is “safe, cost-effective, reduces the risk of overdose, increases treatment retention, improves social functioning, reduces the risks of infectious disease transmission, and reduces criminal activity. Learn more about the MAT programs in your community.

With ministries returning to in person worship and regaining normal activities, it’s time to revisit abuse prevention resources and tools to protect ministries. As you know, Insurance Board, provides a comprehensive array of abuse prevention resources through our partnership with Praesidium, the nation’s leading provider of abuse prevention services. Click here for a flyer with links to the following tools:

To learn about "Safeconduct Workbench," the comprehensive Abuse Prevention toolkit at Insurance Board, click here.

3 p.m. Tuesday - Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81768305724?pwd=dW84dnFFeUN0anIvZU4xR3hYWlM2UT09

Meeting ID: 817 6830 5724

Passcode: PeaceBwthU

7:30 p.m. Tuesday - Zoom Link https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83303546153?pwd=THIrYkgzWDJiSWhWbkFHQldheWFrUT09

Meeting ID: 833 0354 6153

Passcode: PeaceBwthU

The UCC is hosting "Anti-Racism and the Tulsa 100 Year Commemoration" on May 27 at 8:00p on Zoom. The keynote speaker will be Kevin Willmott, Academy Award winning filmmaker (BlacKkKlansman) and professor at the University of Kansas. Reflections will be given by Dr. Velda Love, UCC Minister for Racial Justice, and Rev. Traci Blackmon, Associate General Minister of Justice and Local Church Ministries. For more information and a flyer to share, click here. Click here to register.

The Environmental Action Team at Tabernacle United Church in Philadelphia has put together a Sacred Earth Handbook, covering personal ways to deal with household products, plastics, paper, electricity and lighting, water, food, and more. There are simple actions to put in practice immediately, more moderate actions requiring a moderate commitment or a modest purchase, and some big-ticket commitments to make toward securing a sustainable future for the earth. To view the Handbook or download it, go to Tabernacle United Church’s website at tabunited.org. Click on “resources” and a link to the Handbook will pop up immediately.

The Annual Mercersburg Convocation will be held virtually June 7-8. "Polarization and Reconciliation: Hints from the Mercersburg Tradition" is the theme, with presenters: Lee Barrett, Ph.D., William Evans, Ph.D., and Linden DeBie, Ph.D. Click here for an event flyer or click here for a brochure.

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”.

In May, St. John's UCC, Pottstown finished a "Little Pantry" to serve the community. Click here to read about that ministry and for more pictures on the PSEC news page.

Churches with Evangelical Synod and/or German Reformed roots are invited to celebrate June 13 as Heritage Sunday. For more information, including bulletin covers, liturgy, message from General Minister and President John Dorhauer, suggested hymns, and more, read this letter.

Thursday Evening, May 27 – June 10 (four weeks)

Meets 6:30 – 8:00 PM Registration

Visit the Coronavirus Resources page at PSEC.org for resources related to re-opening, virus facts, disaster resources, and worship resources. Also on that page is the PSEC virtual church list. If your church isn't currently worshipping or you are not able or comfortable attending services, use this list to find a church in PSEC that is holding online worship.