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| This Week in PNEC --- March 1, 2018 - March 9, 2018 |
| TO CONTACT US OR TO REGISTER FOR EVENTS 431 Delaware Ave., Palmerton, PA18071; www.pnec.org website 610-826-3113; FAX 610-826-5464 Bonnie Bates bonnieb@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 |
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Year Book Reporting
The deadline for YearBook Reporting on the is rapidly approaching! There are two options to enter your church's data: (1) directly on the UCC DataHub; or, (2) complete paper forms and mail them to the Conference Office. All the forms and information on how to report were mailed at the end of January. The deadline for submitting the information, either on the DataHub or by paper forms, is Wednesday, March 7, 2018. Contact Barbara Jennings if you have any questions or concerns (BarbaraJ@pnec.org or 610-826-3113).
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ACT Now: Unite to End Racism!
The National Council of Churches is sponsoring a rally and a call to action on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Multiple denominations, including the United Church of Christ, are sponsoring this event and participation in it.
ACT Now to:
-Awaken to the truth that racism is evil and hurts us all
-Confront racism through truth-telling and action to right the wrong
-Transform the hearts, minds, and behaviors of people and institutions
ACT Now: Unite to End Racism in the areas of church life and practices, criminal, economic and social justice, civil and human rights, environmental justice, immigration, media, and education.
Join in the clarion call to heal the soul of the nation as we commemorate the 50th anniversary of Dr. King's assassination. Let's finish the work!
Where: At sites across Washington, DC, including the Lincoln Memorial and the National Mall
When: April 3-5, 2018
- Tuesday evening, April 3: Service of Worship in the Orthodox Tradition
- Wednesday, April 4: Rally on the National Mall, 7:00am to 4:00pm
- Thursday, April 5: a Day of Action in the Nation's Capital
We in PNEC are considering renting a van or bus for people who are interested in traveling to Washington DC on Tuesday arriving in time for the worship service and returning back to PNEC on Wednesday evening. Costs will depend on the number of participants attending. Hotels in the area run between $160 and $250 per night. We will evenly split the costs of the van or bus.
If you are interested in joining us, please indicate your interest by e-mailing Barbara Jennings at
barbaraj@pnec.org
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Act Now to End Racism 
Join us on a transformational journey! The Lehigh Conference of Churches is sponsoring a bus departure from the Lehigh Valley to events taking place April 4 in Washington, DC, on the 50th anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Watch the video and visit rally2endracism.org for background on the event and sponsoring organizations, including the National Council of Churches.
The cost is $60 per person, with meals on your own. We need 55 people registered by March 15 to make this possible.
Please contact me at 610-433-6421 or lpickens@lehighchurches.org with any questions. We hope you can join us and take part in this remembrance and call to action!
Peace,
Rev. Larry Pickens, Ecumenical Director
The Lehigh Conference of Churches
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| Call to the 56th Annual Meeting  of the Penn Northeast Conference Saturday, April 14, 2018 8AM to 4PM at Union UCC, 5550 Route 873, Neffs Theme: Exploration! Workshop Leader: Rev. Michael Piazza, Spiritual Visionary, Author, Social Justice Advocate, Currently serving as Pastor of Middle Collegiate Church, NYC Guest Preacher: Rev. Dr. Bonnie Bates, Conference Minister, PNEC Download a Registration form here Also available for download from www.pnec.org |
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A Pastoral Letter on Sexual Misconduct
"Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and the Lord will hear my voice." Psalm 55
In recent months, there have been numerous stories of sexual misconduct by men of power in various settings of business, media, entertainment, and politics. In each case, it took the courage of one to name their experience of being sexually harassed or abused by someone more powerful than themselves in order for the sin of sexual abuse to finally be recognized.
We confess that the United Church of Christ (UCC) is not immune to these sins of sexual harassment, abuse, and misconduct. We repent when those in power at any setting of the UCC has acted inappropriately and violated others with their words, actions, or power. We, the Church, have sinned, and we ask for forgiveness from those, who have been violated.
We recognize the stories of courageous women and men in the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures who, when they were sexually assaulted by men of power, God provided them strength, courage, and love already within them because they were created in God's image. So, too, we honor that all are created in God's image and have the capacity for wholeness in the midst of sexual abuse and misconduct.
We, the leaders of the United Church of Christ, are committed to providing safe space for all, where sexual harassment, abuse, or misconduct is not tolerated. Our Committees on Ministry along with MESA (Ministerial Excellence, Support, and Authorization) seek to ensure our churches, authorized ministers, and volunteers safe space from sexual misconduct of power.
May God's Peace be with us as we seek to create a Just World for All, which starts with safe space for all.
Faithfully yours,
The National Officers of the UCC
- The Rev. Dr. John C. Dorhauer, General Minister & President
- The Rev. Traci Blackmon, Executive Minister, Justice and
Witness Ministries
- The Rev. James Moos, Executive Minister, Wider Church
Ministries
The Council of Conference Ministers of the UCC
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2018 Boundaries Workshops
"Essential Boundaries for Wise Leaders"
The Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod Essential Boundaries for Wise Leaders training program is designed to enrich both our opportunity and responsibility as leaders for Christ's church.
2018 Workshops will be held:
Tuesday, May 22 - Bern Lutheran, Leesport
Wednesday, May 23 - Faith Evang. Lutheran, Whitehall
Tuesday, October 23 - St. Paul's Lutheran, Dallas
Wednesday, October 24 - Christ Hamilton United,
Stroudsburg
God's Blessings,
Mary
Rev. Mary W. Gade, Associate of the Bishop
Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod/ELCA
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 Pennsylvania Academy of Ministry
is proud to announce its
Church Leadership class
(formerly Church Administration)
to be offered March 10, 2018 from 9am to 4pm at First UCC in Schuylkill Haven.
While this class is an Advanced Level class for those seeking Licensed Ministry preparation, it is also a wonderful refresher for seasoned Clergy or laity leadership who are looking for new ways to beef up their administrative and leadership skills. Click for the registration form or you can go to our website to register and pay online. We hope to see you at this educational opportunity that is provided for all our churches.
ALSO...
we will be offering a course in CHURCH HISTORY on Saturday, April 7, 2018 from 9am to 4pm at First UCC in Schuylkill Haven but you can also attend via LIVE BROADCAST. This class
will focus on the history of the church beginning with the 1st century through the Crusades, Reformation, and today. Dr. Randall Zachman
will be teaching the course and he is a Professor Emeritus of Reformation Studies at the University of Notre Dame, where he taught from 1991-2017, and is currently Adjunct Professor of Church History at Lancaster Theological Seminary. He has published books on the theology of Luther and Calvin, and has also published articles and chapters on Schleiermacher, Kierkegaard, and Barth, among others. This is a basic class for our Licensing Prep curriculum and a wonderful refresher for all clergy & laity of our roots in the Church. We hope you will join us for a fascinating and fast paced romp through Church History. Attached is a registration form with the reading assignment for the class or you can register and pay online at our website: www.paacademyofministry.org
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Crossroads Spring Courses...
include Mapping the Route (Theology) with the Rev. Dr. Bill Falla on Monday nights beginning Mar 12 and Traditions (Denominations and World Religions) with the Rev. Dr. Walter Wagner on Thursday nights beginning Mar 8. All courses are held at Moravian Seminary, Bethlehem PA. Exact dates, course descriptions and registration info is at
www.moravianseminary.edu/crossroads or contact Jill Peters at
jpeters@moravian.edu.
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 REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN...
Eastern Regional Youth Event
The Eastern Regional Youth Event website has been updated to include the band information and the workshops that will be available and what a variety of workshops there are! PNEC has formed a team to help you with any questions you may have. We have been working on any details for the churches in our conference. Have you received an email from the team? If not, please contact Marge Baltz (marjoriebaltz@yahoo.com). We will continue to give updates as they are available!
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On-line Polity Classes
geared towards Ministerial Authorization
2.
New York Conference: contact Conference Minister Rev. David Gaewski at
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Disaster Ministries Update
Just a little reminder that all churches are to drop off Church World Service kits (clean-up buckets, hygiene kits, and school kits) to the PNEC office in Palmerton. Having everything dropped off at the Conference office is more convenient for the people who will be delivering to Maryland.
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March 2 - The Opiod Crisis as a Public Health Issue Dr. Chrysan Cronin, Director, Public Health Program April 6 - To BE Announced - watch for further details at http://www.ijcu.org May 11 - Getting the "Other" Right: the Challenges of Doing History Professor Robert Weiner, Jones Professor of History, Lafayette College *Please Note - Location is Seegers Union 108-110 |
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REGISTRATION OPEN
19th Global Youth Justice Training
World's Most Replicated Juvenile Justice Program
TEEN/YOUTH/STUDENT/PEER COURT and PEER JURY
Historic Provincetown in Cape Cod, USA
Tuesday to Thursday -- June 12-14, 2018
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Politics of Religion- Native Spirituality & Christian Practice
Friday, March 9, 2018 * 9:00am-Noon
For details and how to register click URL below
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Polity Curriculum for Local Churches
MESA recently released a new UCC Polity Curriculum designed for local congregations: new member classes, confirmation classes, COM orientations, and congregations considering joining the UCC. The materials can be found online at:
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Pennsylvania lay leader creates traveling road show around UCC's 3 Great Loves...A lay leader of the UCC Penn Northeast Conference is on a spiritual journey, spending his Sundays with several different congregations, and spreading the word about the
3 Great Loves (3GL) initiative.
Click to see full article
3 Great Loves Wants to Come to
Your Congregation
The 3 Great Loves is the denomination's opportunity to express how our Love of Neighbor, Love of Children, and Love of Creation work together to address the inequities in our current world. To move this initiative forward in the Penn Northeast Conference, we have recruited Gary Barraco from Forks UCC to be our '3 Great Loves Ambassador'. Gary has been working with the National representative and Regional Ambassador to prepare our Conference to learn more about the 3 Great Loves program. Gary and others want to come to your church and deliver the Sunday morning message or present to a large group. He has put together a full liturgy for a worship serve, including suggested hymns, so we can come in with a pre-packaged service. To learn more, contact Gary at
garybarraco@verizon.net
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Transforming U.S. Policy Toward a Just Middle East Washington, D.C. | June 17 - 19, 2018
The Summit will highlight women peacemakers from the Middle East. Men and women are invited to hear from speakers who are all women! For full article, please
click here
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 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 |
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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 |
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for a time of collegiality, spiritual renewal and education for authorized ministries and members in discernment. 
