Our meeting could not have happened without the hard work of our Annual Meeting Planning Team, the Worship Planning Team, and the Conference Staff — especially Susan Creswell and the members of our Tech Team who did amazing work managing countless details so we could meet. And I want to thank you, my friends, especially those of you who hung in for the duration of both days, left your video camera on (for most of that time), and actively participated in conversations with friends old and new. We are stronger together!

During Saturday morning's Annual Meeting conferring session, there were technical difficulties showing videos from the Addiction and Recovery Taskforce. Those videos are available on the Taskforce's webpage. Take a few minutes to watch the videos and get trained on Narcan.

Committee on Ministry work is important -- but sometimes difficult -- work. Being well-organized can make the work easier. Come to the Computer-side Chat to learn more about organizing Committee on Ministry materials and keeping the administration organized. On Tuesday, June 8 at 7:00p, Conference Registrar Brea Rarick will lead COM members on this Computer-Side Chat. To register, email brea@psec.org.

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.

Join the Insurance Board on June 17 at 2:00p for a webcast: Liability Lowdown for your Ministry, as attorney, James Abbott, and IB Claims team offer insights as how to keep ministries a safe place for all and free from sexual misconduct. Click here to register. Click here for an event flyer.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has released "2021 Hurricane Preparedness Resources for Faith-Based and Community-Based Organizations." With June bringing the start to the Atlantic hurricane season, take some time to read this resource, make sure you and your community are prepared, and consider how the pandemic may change your emergency plans.

Part of working toward reducing the deaths from opioid use and helping people with addiction find effective treatment is advocacy. The Office of the PA Attorney General has established an initiative that trains law enforcement officers in how to make referrals to treatment for those suffering from the disease of addiction (attorneygeneral.gov/LETI). Several of the counties in Penn Southeast have this program (Schuylkill, Berks, Montgomery) and others can establish this program through their District Attorney’s offices.

Book Discussion being offered Tuesdays at 3:00p and 7:30p for six weeks June 1- July 6. The study will focus on Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019. For Zoom links and weekly curriculum, visit the Racial Justice taskforce webpage here.

A year after the murder of George Floyd, a new booklet of praise songs and protests has been published by the United Reformed Church. Sunflowers & Thistles is a collection of songs written by URC minister and hymn writer the Revd John Campbell, and focuses on the Black Lives Matter movement and the coronavirus pandemic. The free online resources include the booklet of songs, which can be sung to the tunes of well-known hymns, PowerPoint presentations, and videos.

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”.

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. 

People of conscience are joining Indigenous-led nonviolent actions at the headwaters of the Mississippi in Northern Minnesota to stop the expansion of a massive oil pipeline. While not all of us can go in person, all of us can act in other ways to support this vitally important cause. The Line 3 Expansion is a tar sands oil pipeline project under construction that would cross a hundred waterways. It would also pass near the border of multiple Native nations and across hundreds of miles of treaty-protected land, which those communities depend on for drinking water and wild rice gathering. In the UCC’s next Creation Justice Webinar, we will learn more about Line 3 and what faith communities can do to stop it. Even if you can't make the webinar’s scheduled time on June 14, at 1:00p, sign-up, and we will send you a recording. Sign-up now for the webinar!

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.