This Week in PNEC --- November 22, 2017 - November 30, 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!!
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Helen Canfield died on November 14, 2017 in Westminster Village, Allentown.  Helen was the wife of Donald Canfield (past PNEC Moderator), who passed away in 2009.  A memorial service will be held at Christ Church, 75 E. Market St., Bethlehem at 1:30 PM on Saturday, December 2

Our prayers to The Mohr Family upon the death of Richard Koelsch, who was the husband of Deb, daughter of Dave and Grace Mohr.  "Rick" died on Sunday, November 19, in Lancaster.  Services will be held in Lancaster on Wednesday, November 22.  Dave is a retired PNEC pastor.  Expressions of sympathy may be sent to Dave and Grace at 3727 Kauffman Court, Whitehall, PA 18052.   

Prayers and Sympathy are extended to David and Diane Schnaars on the death of Dave's brother, Donald R. Schnaars, of Virginia Beach, VA .  Donald died peacefully at his home Tuesday morning, 11/21/17.  Dave is the pastor of Salem UCC, Gilbert.  Expressions of sympathy may be sent to Dave and Diane at 223 South Walnut Street, Slatington, PA 18080.  

On Monday, November 13, 2017, retired PNEC pastor, Sterling Schnell, was moved from the Reading Hospital to the rehab unit connected with the hospital.  He expects to be in the rehab center for two weeks. 
 
Virginia Schlegel was elected pastor of St. John's UCC (Mickleys), Whitehall effective December 1, 2017.

 
Children's Sermon
for Nov. 26(based on Mt. 25:31-46)
Items Needed:  one dollar bills, light green paper, scotch tape.  Beforehand,  put  a dollar on the reverse side and use the green  paper to cover the big  NE, so that only the O shows.  Show the kids a regular dollar and ask them what it is.  Explain to kids that one way to tell that it is a one dollar bill is the word ONE on the  back side(show).  Then show the kids the dollar  you've tampered with and tell them that you have turned it into a  Zero dollar bill.  Show them the reverse side and point out that it now says O(zero,) so this is now a  Zero dollar bill.  If none them catch the trick, you explain what you have done and tell them that this is still a ONE dollar bill even though it looks like a O (zero).  God makes every person to be a ONE (hold up regular  bill,) but some people sometimes get treated as if they are a O (zero,) as if they don't matter.  In today's Bible reading,  Jesus talks about how important it is  that everybody gets treated like a ONE, and that nobody gets treated like a zero.  Jesus wants us to treat  everybody like a ONE. 
- Rev. David Quinn
 
UPCOMING DATES  calendar

NOVEMBER
22 - PNEC OFFICE CLOSED 1/2 DAY - Thanksgiving Holiday
23-24 - PNEC OFFICE CLOSED - Thanksgiving Holiday
27 - 1-3PM - Joint Conference Vision and Development Team - First UCC, Quakertown
28 - 9-11:30AM - Joint Conflict Resource Team - Conference Office
29 - 9:15AM - BOEHM AMC Clergy - Town and Country Restaurant, 350 S Walnut St, Bath
29 - 10AM - Annual Meeting Worship Planning Team- Conference Office

FOR THE FULL LIST OF DATES...

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
 

The Lehigh Conference of Churches

Covenant Among

Religious Communities of the Lehigh Valley

Signing Ceremony

held at Dubbs Memorial Community Center, Allentown on November 19 

 

 

To see the "Covenant" please click here. 
 
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.
 

Retirees Luncheon

(for Retired Clergy, Their Spouses/Partners & Surviving Spouses)

Thursday December 7, 2017

11AM o 2PM

(Lunch at 12:00PM)

Jordan UCC, 1837 Church Road, Allentown

 

By Monday, November 27, please let us know if you will be attending by either:

calling the Conference Office (610-826-3113)  OR

emailing Barbara at barbaraj@pnec.org
 

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 
 
2017-18 Low Income Housing Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Season is Now Open
 
The 2017-18 LIHEAP season has begun.
CLICK HERE for the English and HERE for the Spanish versions of the 2017-18 LIHEAP application (form HSEA 1).
 
On October 20th, the Office of Community Services (OCS) Division of Energy Assistance (DEA) released 90% of the FY 2018 LIHEAP funds. Pennsylvania received the second largest funding allocation at $178,633,729 of the approximately $3.03 billion of Federal Fiscal Year 2018 regular block grant funding.

 

The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, also known as LIHEAP, helps low-income families pay their heating bills. LIHEAP is a grant that offers assistance in the form of a cash grant, sent directly to the utility company, or a crisis grant for households in immediate danger of being without heat. For more information, CLICK HERE.
 
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