Important This Week

• One Great Hour of Sharing this Sunday
• Tammie Wisniewski ordination this weekend in Leesport
• Registration open for opportunities for Boundary and Diversity training
• Register your church secretary for Administrative Professionals Day lunch

One Great Hour of Sharing

This Sunday UCC churches will lift up One Great Hour of Sharing. One Great Hour of Sharing is one of four mission offerings of the UCC. In this New Year, the 2023 One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) theme is It’s Time to Share, based on Galatians 6:9–10 (The MSG).

So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all…

The apostle Paul wrote these words to the church in Galatia to assure them of the power of God’s Spirit to strengthen them to persist in the work of being generous in caring for others. Because our churches didn’t give up or quit, the United Church of Christ has been able to provide support that offered hope when situations seemed hopeless. We’ve offered food, water, medicines, education, and opportunities for sustainable development.

The gifts given to OGHS are leveraged with those of others across the United Church of Christ bringing a greater impact to the work being done with local and global partners. Your church's support enables us to respond to a variety of global and local concerns by addressing advocacy, sustainable development, refugee and asylum issues, migration, disasters, and assisting those most in need and vulnerable among us. Wildfires, earthquakes, hurricanes, and flooding have ravaged communities in the United States and worldwide, leaving families and communities in desperate need of assistance. Some of these disasters have occurred in your hometown, or in nearby communities or to friends and neighbors in countries thousands of miles away, across the globe. Strengthened by the power of God’s Spirit and your church's collective generosity, the United Church of Christ continues to work with partners to care for others, and not give up… as together we build a just world for all.

Thank you for lifting up One Great Hour of Sharing Special offering in your church!

Tammie Wisniewski ordination

Click the invitation below to download a PDF to share.

The Racial Justice Team

wants to hear from you

Let Justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream

Amos 5:24

Dear Colleagues,

You most likely have seen information from the PSEC Racial Justice Team. One of the purposes of the Racial Justice Team is to be a resource for our pastors and local congregations in an effort to promote and increase engagement in racial justice work. 

The Team hopes the work we have done through The Zachariah Walker Racial Justice Initiative, symposiums, book studies, prayers, and worship resources has been helpful to you and your ministry. If you would like to know more about our work, please visit the Zachariah Walker Racial Justice Initiative on the PSEC website. 

We would like to hear about how you are addressing racial justice in your ministry setting and local congregations. We want to celebrate all that you are doing and to hold your ministry In prayer. Please let us know about it by emailing Rev. Dwayne Mosier at damosier@comcast.net to tell us about your work with racial justice.

General Synod Looking

for Parliamentarians

General Synod needs two parliamentarians to serve in assisting the moderator team and the delegates with process and Roberts Rules. There will be training for them and they will need to be present from June 30 – July 4, 2023. We will have the Agenda Run through via Zoom June 7-9.

For more details reach out to the General Synod Administrator by clicking here.

Online Retired Ministry Boundary Training from MESA

The UCC's Ministerial Excellence, Support, and Authorization (MESA) Team is offering Retired Ministers Boundary Training on March 23 from 6:00-9:00p. Maintaining healthy boundaries is challenging at any stage in ministry and it is particularly tender and difficult attending to boundaries as we transition out of our last call, and while in retirement. NOTE: This training completes individual requirements for boundary training ONLY WHEN authorized by a local Committee on Ministry. Click here to register.

PNEC offering event on Indigenous boarding schools

On April 12 from 9:00a-3:00p, "Repenting of the Unforgivable" and "Beyond Lament: Movement Towards Repair" will be held at Jordan UCC, 1837 Church Rd., Allentown.

Breakfast and lunch are included with the $35 cost. Click here to register.

Keynote; “Repenting of the unforgivable” Through the medium of storytelling, Rev JimBear Jacobs will share how the legacy of Indigenous residential boarding schools has left a stain upon the church. The sin of complicity in the boarding school has for far too long been ignored or rationalized away. It is time to face this sin head on and enter into a season of lament that can hopefully lead to repair. Workshop: “Beyond lament: Movement towards repair” In this workshop Rev. JimBear Jacobs will explore some tangible and challenging steps that churches might wrestle with as they consider reparations for the traumatic legacy of the boarding school system

Treat your church admins: Register for annual luncheon

Secretaries, assistants, and church administrators are invited to the annual PSEC Admin Luncheon on Administrative Professionals Day, April 26. We will check in, fellowship over lunch, and enjoy a presentation on a ministry of the Conference. Click here for information and to register. We hope churches will pay the $20 cost of the event. 

Facilitators sought for table discussions at Spring Meeting

In the evaluations of last year’s annual meeting there were requests

for time to bring together like-minded individuals.  

The planning team has heard this request and although our schedule is already extremely tight, it was decided that lunch time, and the round tables in the dining hall, would make for perfect, relaxed spaces to begin these conversations.

The next step is finding individuals with passions they want to share by leading these conversations. So, we are seeking anyone who is willing to take a topic and lead open discussions around that topic over lunch Saturday afternoon.

Topics could range from “pastors under 40”, “how do I help my church become ONA”, “LBGTQ”, “Consistory Presidents”, etc. There is no limit.

IF YOU have a topic and you are willing to lead that discussion during the lunch hour, please reach out to Susan at the PSEC office at susan@psec.org.

Butch Kuykendall inducted into Who's Who Registry

Rev. Dr. Louis Kuykendall Jr., senior pastor of Zwingli UCC, has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, accomplishments, and prominence in a field are considered during the selection process. Read more.

From the Addiction & Recovery Taskforce: Words to ponder

“We ask not to change God but to change ourselves. We pray to form a loving relationship, not to get things done.”

Richard Rohr, Breathing Underwater, pp.60, 61.

Registration open for PSEC Annual Spring Meeting

The Annual Spring Meeting will be June 2-3 at West Chester. The theme will be "May They All Be One: Unleashing the Spirit", focusing on ways to re-imagine what it means to be the Body of Christ. That includes building partnerships between local churches who share resources (including pastors), merging ministries, and connecting with community partners. Representatives from congregations share how this has been life giving for them and how they overcame longtime resistance to making it happen. Similarly, representatives of the Keystone Study Group will share their conversations about creating partnerships between and among our four PA Conference that may lead to a four Conference merger. Click here for more information and to register.

Important message for churches: Employee Retention Credit

In recent weeks, the Employee Retention Credit, a program implemented by the CARES Act of 2020 and revised by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, has been given renewed attention. In particular, service providers have popped up promising to help churches and other companies apply for the ERC and receive money from the federal government, in exchange for a percentage of what the church is entitled to. Some of these consultants are reaching out to churches directly and aggressively. 

Church settings must tread carefully here as some of these providers are inexperienced, unqualified, and may even be fraudulent. The requirements to qualify for ERC are specific, and making false or misleading representations under the penalty of perjury on an application for ERC funds may result in investigation and prosecution.

Churches who are interested in this, must talk to a local CPA, not a company created for the Empoloyee Retention Credit. Many are faudulent and take a large part of the refund as their payment. Then the company will close or disappear before the IRS realizes that the church has fraudulantly received the funds.

Churches should consult with a qualified accountant to review eligibility criteria for ERC. Some church settings may legitimately qualify. This credit is only for Social Security and Medicare taxes paid, so churches without large lay staffs have very little refund opportunity.

Here is one really good article from a noted accounting firm that provides services to churches and other religious organizations. Here is the same firm’s warning about the pop-up industry of ERC service providers.

Register for Traci Blackmon event for Diversity Training

On Sunday, April 16, Reformed Church of the Ascension in Norristown will host "Call to Action: Reconnecting the Church to a Vocation of God's Justice." Rev. Traci Blackmon, Associate General Minister of Justice and Local Church Ministries for the UCC will provide the keynote address at this event, which has been approved for Diversity Training credit. The question of how to enact the role of the church in community justice work is often overwhelming for local congregations. Determining the next steps is essential for the church to live out the vocation to which God has called us. Click here to register.

Registration open for PSEC Boundary Training events

Six hours of Boundary Training is required for every PSEC authorized minister who hasn't received Exempt Standing. Registration is now open for several upcoming Boundary Training opportunities. Click the event name below for more information and to register:

• Advanced Boundary Training: The Limits of Pastoral Care. Wednesday, April 26 from 9:00a-12:00p on Zoom
• Basic Boundary Training. Tuesday, May 2 from 9:00a-4:00p in Norristown
• Basic Boundary Training. Thursday, September 14 from 9:00a-4:00p in Schuylkill Haven

Stewardship webinar: Learning from Millennial donors

The next UCC Stewardship Webinar will be March 22 at 7:30p on the topic of "Changing Landscape of Giving: What We Can Learn from Millennial and Gen Z Donors." Click here to register.

Phoebe Berks looking for kneeling benches for chapel

If your church is looking to sell or get rid of one or two keeling benches, please contact Rev. Leah Knox (lknox@phoebe.org).

Register for the Lay Leaders Convocation on April 15

Local church leaders are invited to a Lay Leaders Convocation, a full day of worship, address, workshops, and fellowship on Saturday, April 15 in Pottstown. If you are a consistory president, elder, deacon, council member, or active member of your church community, this event is for YOU. Click here for more information and to register.

Calvary UCC, Reading to host Dr. Robert P. Jones

In cooperation with Albright College, Calvary UCC in Reading will host Dr. Robert P. Jones, president and founder of PRRI and author of two award winning books, "The End of White Christian America" and "White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity". Dr. Jones will lead a workshop in the morning and hold a round-table discussion at lunch on March 31. Click here to register for this free program. Spots are limited so register today. Dr. Jones will be speaking at Albright on March 30, at 7pm.

Climate Justice Team offering Green Grants for 2023

Would your church like some seed money to kick-start a new season of climate-saving activities? The Climate Justice team of PSEC invites applications for grants of up to $250, to be matched by the churches themselves. Please apply by April 1 at psec.org/green.

• Could you use $100 for seeds and soil for your community garden? 
• $100 to buy the books on climate activism and theology you’ve been meaning for your study group to read? 
• $200 toward the $400 needed to replace every light bulb? 
• $250 to add to your $250 for a $500 jump-start on replacing a drafty window? 
• $250 toward the $500 for food, books and activities for your environmental summer outdoor school for the neighborhood? 
• A couple of hundred in sight so you can go to an individual donor and ask them to match it?

Questions: Marian Shearer (uccrev77@gmail.com), Liz Brunton (lizbrunton2462@gmail.com).