This Week in PNEC --- November 29, 2017 - December 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

 

          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
 
PNEC's 2017 Closing Date will be Friday, January 12, 2018
Please plan your closing so that your final 2017 remittance will be received in the Conference Office by Friday, January 12, 2018.  Receipts received after the 12th will be credited to 2018.  Do not include 2017 remittances with 2018 and make certain remittance slips are marked for either the year 2017 or 2018.  Thank you for your cooperation and support.
               
ONLINE UCC History, Theology and Polity Course
Jan/Feb 2018
 
     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 in Jan/Feb 2018. The instructor will be Rev. David Gaewski, Conference Minister of the New York Conference, UCC. Classes will begin at 9:30am and end at 4:00pm on the following dates: January 20&27 and February 3&10. The platform utilized will be Zoom Video Conferencing (zoom.us) The tuition will be $475. For more information contact course administrator, Ms. Diana Pelletier, at dkluscombe@msn.com.
     This polity course is sponsored by the Oneida Association of the New York Conference. Payments should be sent no later than December 23rd to: Diana Pelletier, 114 Munro Dr., Camillus, NY 13031. Make checks payable to Oneida Association UCC.
     A syllabus is available by clicking here.  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 January 11th. Please note the last two online classes reached maximum capacity.
 
 

 

 

Regional Youth Event

 

Our next UCC Eastern Regional Youth Event 2018,will be held July 19-22, 2018, bringing together UCC youth from the Mid-Atlantic and New England states, to be held in western Pennsylvania at California University of Pennsylvania. Our theme for the event is the 3 Great Loves: neighbor, children, and creation.  The event is open to Youth in Grades 7-12 (includes those who just completed 6th and are entering 7th as well as those who graduated high school just before the event). Cost: $350.00 per person for double occupancy.  Click Here to go to the RYE Facebook Page
 
 
  PNEC Disaster Ministries
Update 11.9.17
to see the
FULL UPDATE , please click here

To keep updated with the UCC's Disaster Response and Resources, please go to
 
CROSSROADS

January is closer than you think!  Plan now to take a Winter term course through Crossroads.
 New Testament with Rev. Dr. Joanne Marchetto will begin on Jan 8 for eight Monday nights.  Compass, a good place to start and to define your sense of call, will be Thursday nights starting Jan 4 also for eight weeks.  Crossroads participants discover new skills, learn more about their faith and prepare for exciting ministries.  Come join us for New Testament and Compass starting in Jan and watch for Theology and World Religions in Spring.  For more info context Jill Peters at jpeters@moravian.edu or go to  
 
announcements
ANNOUNCEMENTS &
CLERGY CONNECTIONS
 
December 3 - INSTALLATION - 3PM - Rev.
    Russell Campbell  will be installed as pastor
    of Zion's Stone of West Penn  Twp., 45 Cemetery Rd., New
    Ringgold
December 10 - ORDINATION - 2PM - Kayli Freeman - St.  
    John's UCC, Emmaus - PLEASE NOTE THE
    CORRECTION OF THE PLACE!!
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 
Children's Sermon
for Dec. 3 (based on Advent theme of Hope) 
  Items needed:     8 1/2 X 11 piece of black construction paper, white paper, yellow paper, bag.   Beforehand, use the white and yellow papers to make a candle with a yellow flame on top and attach these to the black paper.  Put this picture inside the bag.  Tell kids you are going to show them a picture and ask them to tell you what it is.  Take out picture and show to kids--what is this a picture of?  Hopefully, they will say  it's a picture of a candle.  Then point out that they didn't say anything about the darkness all around the candle (point to black paper around candle.)  When people get "old" and become something called an "adult,"  they tend to focus on the darkness in the world.  Adults call this "news."  But Christians believe in something called hope.  Just like this picture has both light and dark,  hope means that we know that there a dark, sad things in the world, but we also know that God sent baby Jesus  into the world to be  the Light.  And Jesus want us to be a light like this, sharing hope and kindness with others.
- Rev. David Quinn
 
UPCOMING DATES  calendar

DECEMBER
3 - 3PM - INSTALLATION - Rev. Russell Campbell - Zion's Stone Church of West Penn Twp., 45 Cemetery Rd., New Ringgold
4 - 9:30AM - Ordaining MID Committee - Conf. Office
4 - 5:15 Dinner; 5:30 Devotions - Nominating Committee - Conf. Office
4 - 6PM (Dinner) - Search & Call - Conference Office
5 - 12 Noon - Easton AMC Clergy - Olive Garden
5 - 3-4:30PM - Staff & Personnel Committee - Conf. Office
6 - Noon - Allentown AMC - Place TBA
6 - 4PM - Executive Committee - Conference Office
7 - 11AM - 2PM - Retirees Luncheon - Jordan UCC, Allentown
7 - 2PM - Sub-Committee of the Chairs of Ministry Committees - Conf. Office
10 - 2PM - ORDINATION - Kayli Freeman - St. John's UCC, Emmaus (NOTE CORRECTED PLACE)
11 - 10AM - Licensing/Commissioning MID Committee - Conf. Office
11 - 2:30-4:30PM - Joint Conference Vision and Development Team - First UCC, Quakertown
  
FOR THE FULL LIST OF DATES...
Women's Clergy Retreat
Pennsylvania Southeast Conference Invitation to the...
Women's Clergy Retreat being offered to the female ministers in PNEC. Please click here for the flyer.
January 16-18, 2018
@ Mariawald Retreat Center, Reading, PA
THEME:  Being Mindful & Self-Aware in a World Which Seems to be Losing Its Mind
Deadline to register is January 10, 2017
 
The link to register at Eventbrite is:
 
Free Workshop: A Community Response to Domestic Violence
 
Join us Wednesday, Dec. 6, from 9 to 10 AM, for an educational presentation for pastors and laity at Dubbs Memorial Community Center (457 W. Allen St., Allentown). Topics include the dynamics of an abusive relationship, how a person takes power and control over the life of another, the cycle of abuse, and the effects of abuse on the victim, the children, and the community. We will also discuss how you can recognize, support, respond, and refer victims of domestic abuse to supportive services. To confirm your attendance, call Miriam Rivera of Turning Point Lehigh Valley at 610-797-0530 ext. *226 or email Rev. Larry Pickens  at  ( lpickens@lehighchurches.org ). All spiritual leaders are welcome to attend.
 

 

Please click here for an Advent Message from UCC Interim Rev. Jeff Kistler
 

Safety Considerations in Worship Today

December 16 - 10:00 am

In light of recent violence and terrorist attacks, the Lehigh Conference of Churches is offering to member churches a seminar on the issues surrounding awareness and assessment of the physical space and procedures affecting each place of worship. This seminar should assist house of worship leaders improve security by learning how to determine where your facility is vulnerable, then providing an overview of conducting a basic security survey, followed by a report outlining steps for corrective action
 
Resources to Protect Your House of Worship
(shared from FEMA by Linda Lenhart, PNEC Resource Person for our Disaster Response Team)
 
Pennsylvania Academy of Ministry
is pleased to announce its' upcoming
NEW TESTAMENT I
class scheduled for
December 9, 201
at First UCC in Schuylkill Haven
from 9:00am to 4:00pm.
A registration form with reading and pre-class assignments can be found by clicking here OR on our website and register, pay and download all necessary documents for the class.  Rev. Dr. Debra Winters of Palmer Theological Seminary will be instructing this course which is an excellent basic course for those preparing for Licensed Ministry, continuing education or self-edification.  We hope you'll support this tri-conference program and join us for a full day of ministerial learning.
 

Penn Northeast Conference

            Presents ....

13th Annual Youth Retreat

all youth in grades 7th - 12th are invited!

 

May 4 - 6, 2018

Check-in Friday 6:30-7:00......Pick-up Sunday Noon

Spruce Lake

5389 Route 447, Canadensis

$130/person

(includes meals Saturday & Sunday breakfast)

DEADLINE TO REGISTER February 12, 2018

We must have all registrations and $50 non-refundable deposit per person.

Click for REGISTRATION FLYER 
 
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