This Week in PNEC --- March 30, 2017 - April 7, 2017

TO CONTACT US OR TO REGISTER FOR EVENTS

431 Delaware Ave., Palmerton, PA18071; www.pnec.org website

610-826-3113; FAX 610-826-5464

Alan Miller    alanm@pnec.org                            Gilberto Garcia Rodriguez   gilbertor@pnec.org   

Barbara Jennings   barbaraj@pnec.org             Patty Rehrig     pattyr@pnec.org

 

IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO INCLUDE IN "THIS WEEK IN PNEC" PLEASE EMAIL IT TO   pattyr@pnec.org
In My Weakness, You are My Strength!          By Alan C. Miller
  
My book has finally arrived.  Book is a bit of an exaggeration; it is more of a devotional.  It is my journal written during the first eight months of my treatments for thymic carcinoma.  It is the story of finding the grace of God in the midst of cancer.  All proceeds from the book are going to Sloan Kettering Hospital for rare cancer research.  You can pick one up at the Conference Office for $10.00, or call  (610-826-3113) or email us ( barbaraj@pnec.org ) and we will send you one for $11.00; make sure you include the shipping address.
               
2017 Annual Meeting of the Penn Northeast Conference will be
Saturday, April 29, 2017, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  -
St. John's UCC,  1415 Rising Sun Road, Laurys Station, PA

                             

MARK YOUR CALENDARS....

PNEC SleepOut for Homelessness

September 23-24, 2017

St. John's UCC, 1415 Rising Sun Rd., Laurys Station

More information will be forthcoming!!
 
Join the Climate March in Washington, DC
April 29th
A climate march in Washington, DC on April 29th is being organized by the same broad coalition of groups that brought together more than 400,000 people for the 2014 climate march in New York City. The UCC Council for Climate Justice along with the UCC's Justice and Witness Ministries are official co-sponsors for the upcoming march. We want to have a strong UCC presence at this march. RSVP to join the UCC contingent and receive updates from the Rev. Brooks Berndt, UCC Minister for Environmental Justice.
 
One can also look online for the nearest Sister March  
 
INFO NEEDED FOR ANNUAL MEETING
 
Attention all PNEC Congregations:  
     -What One Mission Project do
 you do at your church that 
 everyone gets excited about?  
     -What Mission Project are you
 known for in your community? 
     -What Mission Project does your congregation do
 so  well that if you didn't have it, it would not get
 done?  
    Whatever you come up with, please write a few words about it and email this info, including the date of your next event, your church's name, and location (with a pic if possible - but not necessary) to Jane Hess so that she can make a  Power Point presentation for our Annual Meeting.  jdhess@frontiernet.net     Please call her if you have a question: 570-401-2239. This Power Point will run continuously as folks are coming and going from the main meeting room at the Annual Meeting!  Thank you from the bottom of our socks - because the bottom of our hearts aren't deep enough.
 
Children's Sermon for
         for April 2 (based on John 11):  Items needed:  (Option 1:)  green banana, yellow magic marker, clock; (Option 2:)  Christmas decoration; calendar.  Option  1:  Ask kids who likes bananas.  Ask kids what color a banana is.  Then take out green banana and ask why it is green--it's not ripe.  Then take out yellow marker and tell them you will make banana ripe by coloring it yellow (try coloring banana.)  Then explain that you can't actually make a banana ripe with a marker.  (Hold up clock)  The only way to "make" a banana ripe is to wait for it to turn ripe.   (Option 2:)  Hold up Christmas decoration and ask kids how long it is till Christmas day.  As of April 2, it's "only"  269 days till Christmas.  Hold up calendar and page through until you get to Christmas.  Explanation for both options:  It is HARD to wait!  I would like my banana/Christmas day NOW, but all I can do is wait.  In today's Bible reading, some friends of Jesus have to wait for Him to come help them and it is very hard for them to wait.    Sometimes, we ask Jesus to help us, but nothing seems to happen.  It may be that we need to wait, and help will come from Jesus later---maybe Jesus will help us feel better later, or maybe Jesus will send some person to help us later.  It's hard for everybody to wait, but sometimes we do need to wait for Jesus and trust that Jesus will help us, sooner or later.
- Rev. David Quinn
 
  ANNOUNCEMENTS &
CLERGY CONNECTIONS
 
Pastor Kenneth Buckwalter is the interim ELCA pastor at St. Peter's Union Church, Mantzville.  He started March 1, 2017. 

Welcome to Marji Hughes who is the new interim director of Christian Education and Youth at First UCC, Hellertown
 ***************************************************
Services of Interest...
April 30 - 3PM - ORDINATION - Michael Lonergan - Christ UCC, Bethlehem
 
May 7 - 3:00PM - INSTALLATION - Licensed Minister Sandy Murphy will be installed as pastor at Christ UCC, Conyngham
 
May 7 - 3PM - INSTALLATION - Rev. Michael Lonergan will be installed as pastor at Salem UCC, Pocono Pines
 
UPCOMING DATES  calendar
 
APRIL
4 - Easton AMC Clergy - Forks UCC, Stockertown
5 - 9-9:30AM Fellowship - 9:30AM - PNEC Board of Directors - Conference Office
6 - 11:30AM-1:00PM - Southwest AMC Clergy - Longswamp, Mertztown
11 - 12:15PM - PTIM AMC Clergy - PJ Whelihan's at Platz's, Lehighton
12 - 12 Noon - Allentown AMC Clergy - Place TBA
13 - 9-11AM - Licensed/Commissioned Mentor Group - Conf. Office
14 - PNEC OFFICE CLOSED - Good Friday
18 - 9:30AM - Licensed/Commissioned Ministry Committee
18 - 11:45AM - Blue Mountain AMC Clergy - Country View Diner, Slatington
19 - 9AM - Ordained Church & Ministry Committee - Conf. Office
24-27 - MAAUCE Event - Tuscarora Inn, Mt. Bethel
25 - 9-11:30AM - Joint Conflict Resource Team - NE PA Synod
26 - 4-7PM - Search Committee for Designated Conference Minister - Conf. Office
29 - 9AM-4PM - ANNUAL MEETING of the Penn Northeast Conference - St. John's UCC, Laurys Station
30 - 3PM - ORDINATION - Michael Lonergan - Christ UCC, 75 E. Market St., Bethlehem
 
FOR THE FULL LIST OF DATES...CLICK HERE

        SAVE THE DATE...                           

Retirement Party

for our Conference Minister

Rev. Alan Miller

Sunday, July 23

Time TBA

Northampton Memorial Community Center

Northampton, PA
 
PNEC 12th Annual Youth Retreat
"GOD First"
May 19-21, 2017
All youth grades 7th - 12th are invited!
Check In Friday 6:30-7:00PM
Pick Up Sunday at 12 Noon
Spruce Lake
5389 Route 447, Canadensis, PA
DEADLINE for REGISTRATION & $50 deposit due April 3rd 2017
CLICK HERE for registration flyer and detailed information
 
The Spiritual Renewal Partners
of the UCC Penn Northeast Conference 
invite you to join them for a Spring Retreat
  
 "GOD GLIMPSES:
LESSONS THROUGH RELATIONSHIPS"
SATURDAY, MAY 6,  from 9 am to 3 pm at
JORDAN UCC, 1837 CHURCH ROAD, ALLENTOWN
 
  Please join us while we meditate on various relationships described in the Bible and explore how God is present in our relationships, giving us opportunities to learn from them.  There will be time for listening, reading, meditating, exploring, journaling, enjoying lunch and snacks together, sharing our revelations if we prefer to do this, and we will end with Holy Communion.  There will be plenty of free time to choose what you would like to do.  Jordan UCC has lovely wooded grounds which we may use.  Spouses and friends are welcome!
COME AND BE RENEWED SPIRITUALLY!!!
We hope you will be able to join us!!!  The accompanying flyer explains the Registration process 
  
Jacqueline Billy,  Spiritual Renewal Partner
jacquibilly@gmail.com
Hope United Church of Christ-Allentown
 
Good News!
For those of you who have been following our Partnership with our friends in Guatemala, we have very good news.  The construction of the clinic we have been dreaming about building has started. 
This clinic will serve
five or six remote villages in Guatemala.  It will serve as a place for personnel on medical mission trips to lodge and to see patients; it will serve as an education center on public health issues, particularly around clean water and women's health; and it will serve as a community center to help villagers meet, discuss challenges that they face, and work on solutions.  Thus far the friends and congregations of the Penn Northeast Conference have contributed $112,432.51 to this project.  We project it will take $130,000 to complete the clinic.  Donations can be made to: "PNEC," and sent to: PNEC, 431 Delaware Avenue, Palmerton, PA, 18071.  Be sure to put "Guatemala Partnership" on the memo line.  This endeavor would be an excellent project for churches looking for special Lenten mission projects.  We owe a great debt of gratitude and thanks to the faithful members of "The Amigos," our Guatemala Partnership Team," who have made all of this happen.  
 

 PNEC Boundary Training Workshops

October 4, 2017

Rev. Diane Wheatley, Presenter

8:30AM Registration; 9:00AM to 3:00PM Workshop

St. John's UCC, 183 S. Broad St., Nazareth

Host Pastor:  Rev. Jeff Brinks

Cost:  TBA

AND  

October 5, 2017

Rev. Diane Wheatley, Presenter

8:30AM Registration; 9:00AM to 3:00PM Workshop

Faith UCC, 21 Faith Drive, Hazleton

Host Pastor:  Rev. Jane Hess

Cost:  TBA

To register for one of these events, please email Patty Rehrig at pattyr@pnec.org  or call the Conference Office 610-826-3113 

Boundary Training needs to be done once every 4 years

If the above dates do not work for you, please

 CLICK HERE  for other opportunities for 2017.
 
IN SEARCH OF...

 

For the complete list of churches who are searching for organists, choir directors sextons, pianist, etc., etc., and also churches who are giving away items, please Click Here
 
What's Happening in Our Churches
 
(PLEASE NOTE:  We love advertising the "happenings" in our churches, however the list is getting too long for this publication.)
 
FOR THE COMPLETE LISTING of
"What's Happening in Our Churches"

CLICK HERE