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Important This Week
- Read an update on PSEC's pledge to the Pension Board Campaign.
- Register for Boundary Trainings -- including one on a Saturday.
- Read about the work PSEC is completing to help Puerto Ricans fleeing Hurricane Maria's aftermath.
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The UCC Pension Board Campaign
Have you heard? It’s a $20 million initiative by the UCC Pension Board’s Ministerial Assistance Fund to support retired and new clergy. I hope you have heard. Here’s why.
PSEC Annual Spring Meeting delegates pledged $50,000 to this campaign last summer AND agreed to match with endowment funds, dollar for dollar
–
up to a maximum of $30,000 – every contribution from congregations and individuals. If all 161 PSEC churches contribute $273, we will far surpass our goal of $50,000!
To date, just over 20 individuals, congregations and Associations have contributed. Almost all gifts are above the $273 suggested amount. With matching funds, we are about to send our first payment to the Ministerial Assistance Fund for more than $14,000. Our goal is to have pledges and offerings exceeding the $50,000 by the Annual Spring Meeting on May 31.
If your congregation has already contributed, we celebrate that with deep gratitude! If you need more information about the campaign and helpful resources to share this information with your church, you can
find that here
. Yours truly is even featured in a
short testimonial video here
.
Last year alone, clergy in our Conference received more than $60,000 in ministerial assistance from the United Church Board for Ministerial Assistance. Its our turn to give back. I pray you will.
Blessings,
Bill
Rev. William Worley
Conference Minister
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Bi-vocational pastors: Register for Boundary Training now
Committees on Ministries and Conference staff have heard many complaints from bi-vocational pastors that it is hard to fulfill the Boundary Training requirements while holding a secular job. Therefore, a Boundary Training workshop has been scheduled for Saturday, March 2 in Lansdale. Registration has been very low considering how many people who have requested this training. Please register now for upcoming BAT opportunities:
- Basic Boundary Training, Saturday, March 2 in Lansdale
- Basic Boundary Training, Tuesday, March 26 in Quakertown
- Advanced Boundary Training on Over-Functioning and Addiction, Tuesday, April 2 in Reading
- Basic Boundary Training, Wednesday, May 15 in Kutztown
- Basic Boundary Training, Thursday, Oct. 3 in Schuylkill Haven
- Advanced Boundary Training on Pastoral Transitions, Tuesday, Oct. 22 in Norrsitown
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Still fleeing Maria's aftermath: Puerto Ricans in Pennsylvania
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Last week the UCC released a story about PSEC's and PNEC's work with Puerto Ricans who fled Hurricane Maria and are living in Pennsylvania. Please take a moment to read that story here.
UCC Disaster Ministries has granted $10,000 to the UCC's Pennsylvania Southeast and Penn Northeast Conferences for continuation of a pioneering program of outreach to Puerto Ricans who have fled, and who continue to flee, Hurricane Maria's destruction and ongoing disruption of life on their U.S. island territory.
Thousands of Puerto Ricans have sought shelter in Pennsylvania since the hurricane. The state has the fourth largest population of Puerto Ricans living in the continental United States.
Read more...
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Register: Youth Empowerment Saturday in Philadelphia
Feb. 16 from 12:00-6:00p at The Episcopal Mission Center, 5421 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia, will be the "Y.E.S. -- Youth Empowerment Saturday". The day will include:
- Teen-led worship
- Music from F.U.E.L.
- Food
- Conversations on the topics of Racism, Sexuality, Bullying, and Gun Violence
- Interactive Art Activity
- Time to make new friendships and connections
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February ReadyPA Monthly available with winter tips
Winter is here with all its fury. The February 2019 ReadyPA Monthly provides tips for snowstorms and extreme cold. There is also an overview of common winter weather terminology.
The ReadyPA Monthly provides you with information and links to sign up and receive emergency, weather-related, and travel alerts.
The February Action Sheet provides a Winter Weather Checklist to help you prepare for bad winter weather. Please share
newsletter and action sheet
with your members. Remember, both the ReadyPA Monthly and the Action Sheet are available at
www.Ready.PA.gov
.
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Church stewardship workshop set for Indianapolis this spring
Need to energize and revitalize your church’s strategies for faithful generosity? Does your church find it hard to talk about money? UCC Church Building & Loan Fund would like to make you aware of the Ecumenical Stewardship Center’s “Generosity transformed! your mission*your ministry*your money Conference, April 30-May 3 in Indianapolis. For conference details and to register, visit
ESC’s website
.
UCC Church Building & Loan Fund can help your church with stewardship and much more! For more information, contact Jill White, Regional Mission Interpreter,
whitej@ucc.org
.
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Free UCC webinar: Climate change and forced migration
An upcoming UCC webinar will address one of the most important issues of our time: climate change and forced migration. War, agricultural hardship, severe weather—all of these can connect to climate change and the factors behind migration for millions of people. For example, one of the factors behind the much discussed caravan of migrants from Central America was climate change. How can people of faith respond to increasing climate migration? This webinar will feature four panelists who will address this. It will be on Wednesday, Feb. 13.
Sign-up now to join
! Register even if you can’t make it, and a recording will be sent to you.
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Joint PSEC/PNEC Disaster Ministry Team to meet in March
For some time both PA Southeast and Penn Northeast conferences have been active in disaster ministries in eastern PA and throughout the UCC. We can celebrate the ministry that we have had, but now it is time to take a fresh look at what God is calling us to do and be. Over the past few years our Conferences have affirmed that we share a ministry relationship, even though we are not moving forward with the unified conference council at this time. Therefore, we are seeking to consult with people who have a passion for Disaster Ministries as we seek to discover if and how we can work together. Therefore, you are invited to the initial meeting of the joint PNEC/PSEC Disaster Ministry Team on March 11 at 6:30p at the Penn Northeast Conference Office (a Zoom option will be available). We will explore some
"What if..."
questions, seeking ways to grow and enhance our Disaster Ministries Initiatives:
- What if … our Conferences would be engaged in a collaborative disaster ministry program, sharing leadership and resources? Is this the right time?
- What if … we could get others involved? Who should that be?
- What if … we had some common goals and objectives? What protocols should guide our collaborative ministry?
- What if … we would start working together? What are the first steps we would take?
We ask that you pray about your response to this opportunity. If you will participate, respond to
kjones275@comcast.net
, so we can prepare for your attendance.
Karl
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Penn Central Conference hosting ONA Winter Gathering
The Penn Central Conference Open and Affirming Ministry Team will hold its Winter Gathering on the topic of "Does 'All Are Welcome' Really Mean ALL?" on Feb. 23 from 9:30a-2:00p at St. Paul's UCC in Mechanicsburg. The event will cover the following topics:
- Why don't LGBTQ? people attend welcoming and inclusive churches?
- Are there actions, signs, symbols that distract from OUR Welcome?
- Graceful Engagement/ONA 101
- Healing Religious Trauma
- Faith Formation for people damaged and hurt by "church"
Register by emailing Shirley Keith Knox at
skeithknox@comcast.net
. There is no cost to attend, but a goodwill offering will be used to cover food costs.
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MA-AUCE Christian educators conference announced
Mid-Atlantic Association of United Church Educators will hold "Cutting Edge Faith Formation 2019: Meeting the Needs of ALL God's People" April 1-3 in Mt. Bethel. Join your Faith Formation colleagues for this conference. You will leave with usable tools and ideas that you can implement in your ministry context. In addition, we will share our successes and struggles, network, worship, and relax and rejuvenate.
Click here
for more information and to register.
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Church Events
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here
View a complete list of Church Events
here
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Classified Ads
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here
View a complete list of Classified Ads
here
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Church Openings
Gulph UCC: part-time beginning ASAP
St. Paul's UCC, Pottstown: part-time beginning ASAP
If you’re interested in a position, contact Rev. Sharon Morris:
morris@psec.org
or 484-949-8774 ext. 302.
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Educational Opportunities
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Missed a week? Read past eNews here:
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