This Week in PNEC --- April 6, 2017 - April 14, 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
Do you like to sing?
If you like to sing and you are coming to the PNEC Annual Meeting on April 29th, we have an opportunity for you!  We are having a joint choir during worship at Annual Meeting.  There is a place to sign up for the choir on the Registration Form; however you can also sign up for the choir by texting or calling Rev. Jane Hess at 570-401-2239 or tweet her at HolyJane or email her at jdhess@frontiernet.net    She will contact you regarding music and a rehearsal time.  Thank you!
 

                             

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  April 9 (Palm/Passion Sunday)   
Items Needed:  Clear pitcher containing wrapped candy; clear pitcher containing dirt, clear plastic cup; some sunflower seeds.   Ask for a volunteer.  Ask the volunteer to hold out their hands flat, palms up.  Place cup on one of  the hands.  Now, pick up the two pitchers, and ask kids,  "Which do you think (child's name) would rather have me pour into  her/his cup---candy, or dirt?"  After kids respond, you ask volunteer which they'd rather have--candy, or dirt?   (Put pitchers down, get seeds)   But what if I were to put a sunflower seed into your OTHER  hand?(do so)   If I were to put candy in your cup, that wouldn't help you to grow the seed.  But if I put dirt in your cup (pour dirt in),  then you could put the seed in the dirt,  and it would begin to grow.   In today's Bible reading, everybody is cheering for Jesus.  When people cheer for you, that feels like having candy poured into your cup.  But, in just a few days, the people will be yelling for Jesus to be killed.  When people yell at you, that feels like having dirt poured in your cup.  But when everybody was yelling at Jesus, Jesus trusted that   God would give a seed, that something beautiful could grow out of the dirt He was being given.  I would rather have God give me candy than dirt, but sometimes I get dirt, because God wants me to grow something new.  
- Rev. David Quinn
 
  ANNOUNCEMENTS &
CLERGY CONNECTIONS
 
 
 ***************************************************
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
11 - 12:15PM - PTIM AMC Clergy - PJ Whelihan's at Platz's, Lehighton
12 - 12 Noon - Allentown AMC Clergy 
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
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
 

        SAVE THE DATE...                           

Retirement Party

for our Conference Minister

Rev. Alan Miller

Sunday, July 23

Time TBA

Northampton Memorial Community Center

Northampton, PA
 
ONLINE  UCC History, Theology and Polity Course
June 2017
 
     A UCC History, Theology and Polity Course that meets the requirements as set forth by the UCC Polity Teacher's Network will be offered online during June 2017. Classes will begin at 9:30am and end at 4:00pm on the following dates: June 3, 10 (we will start at 9am on this date), 17, 24. The platform utilized will be Zoom Video Conferencing (zoom.us) The tuition will be $475. For more information contact the instructor, Reverend David Gaewski, NY Conference Minister, at 
     This polity course is sponsored by the Oneida Association of the New York Conference. Payments should be sent no later than May 20th to: Diana Pelletier, 114 Munro Dr., Camillus, NY 13031. Make checks payable to Oneida Association UCC.  
     A syllabus is available upon request.  Laity, Members in Discernment and Privilege of Call candidates are all invited!   Class size is limited to the first fifteen to register.  The course will be cancelled if we do not obtain seven registered students. A student is considered registered when full payment has been received. Students who cancel enrollment will receive reimbursements up until June 1st. Please note the last online class reached maximum capacity.
 
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
 
Dear Friends,
 We are celebrating 20 years of CPE at Phoebe Ministries.  Serving over 3,000 senior residents in six counties in Eastern and Central Pennsylvania, we have been in ministry since 1903.  We provide all levels of care for seniors from independent living to skilled nursing.  We have a couple openings left in our summer unit of CPE that will start on June 5 and end of Aug. 10.  For more information about our CPE program you can go to our website at phoebe.org/cpe   Prospective students should forward their completed CPE application as soon as possible.  We deeply appreciate our partnership with our area seminaries and conferences. 
 
Blessings on your work,
Scott Brooks-Cope, D. Min., Director Pastoral Care
       Services
Phoebe Ministries
1925 Turner Street | Allentown, PA 18104
P: 610-794-5119| C: 904-568-2052 | F: 610-794-5414
 

 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