2017 PSEC Fall Meeting
November 18, 2017
10:00 am - 3:00 pm
@
First UCC, Schuylkill Haven
“Covenant” is the relationship God initiated with our Biblical ancestors, the church and all of creation. The primacy of covenantal language has evolved in the United Church of Christ; to our benefit when it reinforces our connections to God, the Holy Spirit and each other; to our detriment when the freedom inherent in covenantal relationships leads to the tyranny of the individual.
The Fall Annual Meeting is our time to celebrate the benefits and confront the detriment that we might build up the Body of Christ among clergy, congregations and community.
For more information and a link to registration, click here.
NOTE: A "pre"- Fall meeting, will take place on Wednesday, November 8th @ 6:30 pm. You may join Bill at the Conference office or join via Skype! To join via skype, use this link: https://meet.lync.com/uccpsec/susan/1n77dlgg?sl=1
(The link can also be found on the PSEC calendar at the date and time of the meeting. Look under "Description".)
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NEW PSEC Website
Will launch on Monday, November 13th!
There will be a session at the Fall Meeting on November 18th covering the new website!
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 To avoid confusion trying to register for the Fall Meeting, using the new website....
Register NOW!!!!
Click here
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REMEMBER !!!
Clocks get set back one hour this Saturday night!
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Lectionary Teleconference Meetings
1st Thursday of the month (except November)
w/ Rev. Bill Worley
First meeting: TOMORROW - FRIDAY, November 2
(Future meetings will be on the 1st Thursday of the month.)
"I like to study scripture and I like to try new things. I am combining those two in the first of what might become a monthly video conference on lectionary scripture. The intention is simple: share insights from a month of readings that can inform our preaching and leading, around the pressing issues of our day. You can simply listen in or actively participate. All you need is an electronic device with a camera and/or speakers.
Click here for an informative flyer and instructions on how to join in!
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Leadership Training Program for Church Leaders!
- Develop strong leadership skills
- Have team leaders know they are heard and valued
- Learn to : Run an Effective Meeting, Effectively Engage a Project Team,
Move from Conflict to Conversation and more!
Unveiling at the Fall Meeting - November 18th!!
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"Love Them Back to Life"
Click here for a Disaster Ministries video on Texas after Hurricane Harvey, 2017.
Hear from UCC Ministers, members and Disaster Ministries coordinator.
A must see to show your churches where their donations are going or could go!
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Clean Up Buckets to Hygiene Kits
UCC Asking That We Make the Switch
Great news! The push to help restock CWS Emergency Cleanup Buckets for hurricane and other disaster survivors has succeeded! Congregations from coast to coast assembled hundreds of buckets, replenishing CWS's depleted supply.
Now Church World Service is asking the UCC to shift to putting together CWS Hygiene Kits over the next few months. Of course, if you are in the process of assembling more buckets, please finish them!
HYGIENE KITS CONTENTS AS SPECIFIED BY CHURCH WORLD SERVICE
- One hand towel measuring approximately 15″ x 28″ to 16″ x 32″ (no fingertip, bath, dish towel or micro-fiber)
- One washcloth
- One wide-tooth comb removed from the package
- One fingernail or toenail clipper removed from the package
- One bath-size bar of soap in the wrapper
- One toothbrush in the package
- Ten standard size Band-Aids
For the entire story, click here.
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Position Available
Program Associate, National Disaster and Refugee Ministries
Close Date: November 30, 2017
This new position is supporting disaster and refugee ministries in the national setting of the UCC.
For a complete description of the position, click here.
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Disaster Assistance Services Center for Hurricane Victims
Now Open in Philadelphia
“3 Great Loves….Love of Neighbor Opportunity” for PSEC Churches!
Is your church looking for a great opportunity to be part of 3 Great Loves …Love of Neighbor? Perhaps your church is also still wanting to assist those who suffered loss in this summer’s hurricanes.
If so, we have the answer!
The Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management, in cooperation with the PA Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) and the Southeast PA Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (SEPA VOAD) has opened a Disaster Assistance Services Center in the city to help those displaced by recent hurricanes in Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands. Local, state, federal and non-profit partners are working together to provide information on available services for individuals displaced from the recent hurricanes.
As of last count, 135 families, representing 280 individuals have visited the DASC for assistance. Evacuees can register for FEMA assistance, medical assistance, emergency food stamps, unemployment assistance at the center. In addition, evacuees can also obtain career services, medical and behavioral health evaluation and referrals.
At the request of SEPA VOAD the PSEC is getting more involved. The conference has been asked to take the lead on this special mission. The UCC Disaster Ministries has issued a grant to the PSEC in support of this ministry however additional funds are required
As you can imagine the needs are many: housing, food, transportation, medical assistance, just to name a few. Your support of this cause can be sent to the Conference office. Please mark your check DASC.
Each day we ask God to keep the world safe. When disasters occur, it is nice to know there is a way to help! No gift is too small!
For more information or questions contact Conference Disaster Coordinator Rev. Karl Jones at kjones275@comcast.net.
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Theological Table Talks: October through April
2:00PM to 4:00 PM one Thursday each month
Trinity UCC, Telford, PA
November 16: Saul/David/Solomon 1 Samuel 8, II Samuel 23: 1-7 Wright, chapter 4 & 5
Convener is Rev. Dr. Deborah Rahn Clemens.
For a flyer for this series, click here.
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Installation
November 12 - Rev. Craig Zimmerman at St. Paul's UCC
Mahanoy City - 3:00 pm
November 12 - Rev. Selina Hamilton at Rosedale UCC
Reading - 3:00 pm
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Lecture Series
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Empathy and the Compassionate Heart
Presented by Regina Bogle, MD
2017 MACC Professional Day Lectures
Friday, November 10 • 2:00–4:00pm
Saal, Bahnson Center • Contact Hours: 1.5 • FREE
Immediately preceding the MAPC/CC Alumni Wine & Cheese Gathering
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For more information on these lectures and to register, click here!
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 Additional Events to Assist you in Your Ministry
November 14 - Theology With a Twist
Role of Faith in Counseling HIV Patients
w. Rev. Mary Bohackek
Tuesday, November 14 @ 7:00 pm
@ Kutztown Tavern
272 W. Main Street, Kutztown
For a flyer,click here.
Please join us for a discussion about putting faith into practice by caring for people living with HIV, battling stigma and promoting self-care. We will look at how practicing what we preach can impact individual lives and our larger community.
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 Educational Opportunities
MACC Professional Day Lectures
Presented by: Regina Bogle, MD
Topic: Empathy and the Compassionate Heart
Friday, November 10, 2:00 - 4:00 pm
Saal, Bahnson Center
Moravian Theological Seminary
Contact Hours: 1.5 - FREE
Despite all its wonder, sometimes life just hurts. Some of us also feel more than others, even amidst apparently peaceful circumstances. While we often perceive this sensitivity as vulnerability, it provides important information. And when tended by the heart’s compassion, even problematic emotions can be redeemed. Empathy—the capacity to sense the inner state of another—significantly contributes to effective counseling and spiritual direction. But empathy also exposes the sensitive practitioner to pain that may “get stuck.” This presentation will discuss the difference between empathy and compassion, the influence of old wounds and the Empath Contract, and the use of energy medicine tools to restore the flow of feelings to the love of the compassionate heart.
To register, click here.
Wisdom Way of Knowing Gatherings
Fridays 3:00 - 5:00 pm
Leader: Marcella Kraybill-Greggo
November 17
Bahnson Center, Moravian Theological Seminary
Join us for a time of chanting, meditation, sacred body movement/gesture, teaching the Wisdom Way of Knowing (as highlighted by Cynthia Bourgeault), Lectio on the Gospel of Thomas, and community building. This is a come-when-you-can/no requirements type of gathering, open to anyone interested in this type of wisdom-knowing. MTS alumni are highly encouraged to participate!
$20 per session
Click here for more information.
Knowing God
with Lee Barrett
1.5 Credit Hours ($236)
IS280 will be held on Tuesdays & Thursdays from 1:00-3:10pm, Jan. 2 – Feb. 1, 2018
Lancaster Theological Seminary
For centuries Christians have argued about the nature of God. Behind these disputes lie very different visceral experiences of God's presence, each one suggesting a different type of spirituality and a different way of conceptualizing the divine reality. We will explore many of the divergent ways in which Christians have experienced God and examine the sometimes clashing understandings of God to which they lead. To accomplish this, we will examine spiritual autobiographies, devotional literature, hymnody, movies, and theology.
Register by Dec. 15th.
To apply, click here.
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CLASSIFIED ADS
Submit your ad using this form
To see a complete list of Classified ads on the PSEC website click here
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CONFERENCE-WIDE EVENTS 
Click below to learn more or to register online with a credit card
Nov. 4 - ALICE Training @ Church of the Good Shepherd, Boyertown
Nov. 8 - Retiree Event @ Phoebe Berks
Nov. 10-12 - Fall Youth Event
Nov .16 - Book Club - "Through Her Eyes: Bible Studies on Women in Scripture
w/ Author, Deborah Winters
Nov. 16 - Biblical Game of Thrones (Session 2) @ Trinity UCC, Telford
Nov. 18 - Fall Meeting @ First UCC, Schuylkill Haven
Dec. 13 - Church & Ministry Council @ Trinity, UCC, Pottstown
Dec. 14 - Biblical Game of Thrones (Session 3) @ Trinity UCC, Telford
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PENNSYLVANIA SOUTHEAST CONFERENCE of the UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
The Administrative Center is located at 1441 Laura Lane, Suite 100, Pottstown, PA 19464.
Walk-in Office Hours : 9 am to 3 pm, Monday through Thursday
9 am to 12 noon on Friday .
Phone: 484-949-8774 FAX: 484-949-8784
Rev. Bill Worley, Conference Minister (x308): worley@psec.org
Rev. Sharon S. Morris, Associate Conference Minister (x 302): morris@psec.org
Rev. Cean James, Associate Conference Minister for Congregational Development (x303) james@psec.org
Susan Creswell, Executive Assistant for Conference Communications and to the Conference Minister (x312): susan@psec.org
Donna Daloisio, Bookkeeper (x309): donna@psec.org
Brea Rarick, Conference Registrar and Assistant for Search and Call (x 311): brea@psec.org
Tammie Wisniewski, Financial Operations Manager (x 304): tammie@psec.org
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UPCOMING EVENTS IN PSEC CONGREGATIONS