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Penn Northeast Conference UCC, 431 Delaware Ave., Palmerton, PA 18071
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Call to the Fall Annual Meeting of the Penn Northeast Conference
Saturday, November 3, 2018
Faith UCC, 22 Faith Drive, Hazleton, PA
Theme: Transforming
Guest Preacher: Rev. Bill Worley, Pennsylvania Southeast Conference Minister
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Pride in the Park, August 19, at noon has a new location. Due to flooding at Cedar Beach Park, the location of Pride in the Park has changed to: Jewish Community Center of Allentown,
702 North 22
nd
Street, Allentown. In addition to street parking, parking is available in two Muhlenberg College lots: 23rd & Liberty Streets and 23
rd
& Gordon Streets
Fall Disaster Ministries Webinar Series
(sponsored by the UCC Disaster Ministries)
- launches August
21 - Topics: UCC Disaster Ministries Grant; Opportunities and Understanding the UCC Disaster
Ministries Structure - Time and registration link coming soon
Phoebe Allentown Celebrates 115th Anniversary with Lawn Fete and Band Concert
by the Royalaires on August 22 from 5 to 8 PM - free and open to the public.
Lawn Fete Schedule
Joint Conference Vision and Development Team Summer Zoom Discussion
- the last date is
Allentown Mutual Ministry - Calling all clergy and lay members of Allentown Area UCC Churches
- Jim Byrnes will speak about the mission of Family Promise on August 26 from 2 to 3:30PM at UCC Greenawalds, Allentown.
Details
OPTIC, UCC’s Office of Philanthropy, Technology, Identity and Communication
is kicking off a series of free webinars to help churches and stewardship committees meet their challenging goals of increasing funds and membership. The first of these roundtables will be held the evening of August 28.
Read More
Pennsylvania Academy of Ministry 3-part educational series called Consistory/Council 101
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PNEC Sleep Out for Homelessness
- September 29-30, Forks UCC, Stockertown
Pastoral Leadership in Congregational Systems
- Three Sessions of Learning to Improve Pastoral
Leadership for Authorized Ministers - 3 days of experiential learning - October 10; February 27, 2019;
May 1, 2019 - 9AM to 5PM each day at Faith UCC, Center Valley - COST: $350 including lunch.
Understanding Addiction and Older Adults
- October 11 at DeSales university - online registration will
PNEC Ministry Day
- Saturday, October 13 from 9AM to 4PM, Faith UCC, 5992 Route 378, Center
Valley -
more details later
Greater Allentown CROP Hunger Walk
- October 14 at 1:30PM beginning and ending at St. Timothy's
Lutheran Church, 140 S. Ott St., Allentown - registration starting at 1PM - for sponsor form, info about
2018 Boundary Training Workshops
- "Essential Boundaries for Wise Leaders" - sponsored by NE PA
2018 "Widening the Welcome Conference - Living, Learning, Leading"
- November 1-3 at the
Sheraton Niagara Falls and the Niagara Falls Convention Center - Also, a Mental Health First Aid
class, November 1 - certified course with cont. ed. credit upon completion -
Detailed Flyer
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Disaster Response Ministry
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The Disaster Response Ministry Team has been undergoing some significant changes over the last months. We are currently without a Disaster Response Ministry Team Coordinator and need to reform and reenergize our group.
We are gathering for an information and re-organization meeting at the Conference Office, 431 Delaware Avenue, Palmerton on Monday evening, September 10 at 6:30PM. We anticipate the meeting will last no longer than 90 minutes. If you have an interest in this ministry or know of someone who does, please join us!
Thank you for your continuing efforts to express God’s love to our neighbors. -Bonnie
UCC Disaster Ministries Champions
Who are they and what do they do?
But they don't need to...
- Carry the message - Have knowledge of Disaster Ministries or Response
- Serve as our local eyes and ears - Always be available
- Are Committed - Make a financial commitment
- Show Up - Be a certain age/be our peers
- Organize Others - Be a UCC member or be a pastor
So who are the people we should engage?
- 'People of peace,' not necessarily pastors
- However it is powerful when the pastor asks other congregants to be involved
- This is all about creating relationships
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More Flooding Hits PSEC and PNEC Churches
Over the past month, torrential rains have made life difficult in many places within Pennsylvania Southeast Conference. Probably hit the hardest – again – are parts of Schuylkill Association. So the clean-up continues. So does helping with the emotional and spiritual care of the residents. On Wednesday, a team of pastors from the area, including Claude Schach, Jason Stump, and Maureen Duffy-Guy, provided spiritual and emotional care. Among the continuing needs are hygiene kits, clean up buckets, and school kits. Buckets and kits can be dropped off at either:
·
St. Peter's UCC, 277 S. Tulpehocken Street, Pine Grove (contact Pastor Jason Stump to schedule:
pastorstump@gmail.com
or 757-630-6577)
·
Trinity UCC, 446 E. Grand Ave., Tower City (contact Rev. Maureen Duffy-Guy to schedule:
mduffyguy@hotmail.com
or 570-952-5474)
Help is needed this Saturday, Aug. 18 at St. Peter’s UCC – Tremont (57 Spring Street) to help muck out the basement and prepare the church for worship this Sunday. Volunteers can come anytime after 8 am. Claude Schach is the pastor.
Northern Berks county was also hit hard in the Hamburg area, including First UCC, Darryl Hamm, pastor. Our help is needed on Sunday, Aug. 19 at 12:30 pm, at the church at 76 S. 3rd Street, Hamburg, to throw things out, tear out some walls, and carry debris from the basement. On Monday, a professional cleanup company will begin the rebuilding process. Shovels would be helpful, dress in waterproof shoes and old clothes.
If your church is experiencing flooding and there are needs in your community, please contact Rev. Karl Jones, PSEC Disaster Coordinator, at 570-617-4018.
Our brothers and sisters in Penn Northeast Conference are also experiencing flooding. The three counties most affected are Bradford, Susquehanna, and Columbia. Shelters were set up yesterday in several locations. A tool trailer from the Ohio Conference is on its way to Montrose, which will be a staging area for the response. Along with the trailer are 200 clean up kits.
Any help from PNEC churches would be appreciated.
Information from Rev. Karl Jones, PSEC Disaster Response Coordinator
1. I called Pastor Tom Burlington at the church in Leraysville. II learned that the church was doing OK and it sounds like they were prepared to house some survivors if necessary. I gave my information in case they need further assistance.
2. From the State Emergency Operations Center I helped to coordinate a feeding operation in Bradford and Susquehanna Counties, based out of Montrose High School. Several shelters were set up in those two counties.
3. The tool trailer from the Ohio Conference and 200 clean up kits are on their way from Ohio to Montrose to be used by clean up and rebuild groups that will be needed in that area.
4. I was on a call with Agape Ministries in Bloomsburg about the flooding of the Fishing Creek along route 487. The flooding would have been very close to the Orangeville and Zion (Forks) churches. The last I heard the bridge on 487 into Benton was still closed. Agape Ministries is the official long-term recovery group for Columbia County.
5. I received a call from Joan at Chestnut Hill UCC - 610-248-8230. They are going to put together clean up buckets and hygiene kits. They wanted to know if they should deliver them to Schuylkill County or to your conference office. I told her that I would find out and get back to her.
If possible, folks from PNEC could do some wellness/spiritual care calls to churches in Bradford, Susquehanna, and Columbia counties (at least) to see if there are any unmet needs.
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Back to school around the world, updates from Venezuela, Sierra Leone, Gaza
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Children's Sermon from Rev. David Quinn
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For August 19 -- (based on John 6:51-58)
Items needed: red magic marker, antibiotic ointment , pill (vitamin or aspirin) Let's pretend I have a big cut on the back of my hand(use red marker to make big mark on your hand.) Now there are different kinds of medicine I could use to try to help my cut get better. I could use some thing called ointment (hold up,) What do you do with ointment---squeeze it out of tube, and rub it on the cut(demonstrate.) Or, maybe I would go to a doctor, and the doctor would give me a pill to help my cut get better(show pill). Do I pick up the pill and rub it on my cut(act out)? No, a pill isn't like ointment--it's not meant to be rubbed on. What do you do with a pill--you "take" it, meaning you swallow the pill (do so).. The pill has to go INSIDE you to help you get better. In today's Bible reading, Jesus talks about eating His flesh and drinking His blood. That sounds gross, but what Jesus is trying to tell us is that He is more like the pill, than like the ointment.. In other words, we need to take Jesus INSIDE us, into our hearts and lives. We take Jesus inside by worship, by asking Jesus to guide us and help us to do what is right.
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2019 UCC Medical and Dental Benefits Plan Premium Rates & Enhancements
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We are pleased to announce the following premium rates and plan enhancements for the 2019 plan year, effective January 1, 2019:
- Non-Medicare Health Plan: 2% increase
- Medicare Supplement Plan: 2% increase
- Dental Plan: 4% increase
- Vision Plan: no change
- Life Insurance and Disability Income Plan: no change
The following benefit enhancements are also approved as of January 1, 2019
Dental Plan
- The Annual Benefit Maximum per person is increased from $1,800 to $2,000.
- Annual Preventive Services (e.g., cleanings and examinations) will not reduce the Annual Benefit Maximum.
Vision Plan
- The Annual Allowance for frames and contact lenses is increased from $140 to $150
As is our customary practice, churches/employers and individual plan participants will receive detailed information by mail later this Summer regarding applicable rates for 2019.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions at
floiacono@pbucc.org
or by phone at 212.729.2806
.
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PATHWAYS
Theological Education - a variety of courses for continuing education
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- Singing the Bible - 4 weeks for 1.5 CEU’s beginning September 12
- Howard Thurman: Living Wisdom for God’s Justice and Love - 4 weeks for 1.5 CEU’s beginning September 12
- Practicing Our Faith in the Public Square - 6 weeks for 4 CEU’s beginning October 3
- For members of UCC COMs and Conference Staff, a special section of Professional Boundaries and Ministerial Self-Care - 6 weeks for 4 CEU’s beginning October 3
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Did YOU sign up ??
CONSISTORY/COUNCIL 101
NEW SERIES OF COURSES TO BE OFFERED BY PENNSYLVANIA ACADEMY OF MINISTRY
In the United Church of Christ we believe in an educated ministry. We also value the ministry of the laity. Therefore, we are offering courses to laypersons to empower your ministry.
• If you are a church leader - that is, an Elder, Deacon, Trustee, Church Officer, or committee or fellowship chair - You have been set apart for a ministry of leadership in your church.
• We believe that you are conscientious and would like to do your job well.
• We also believe that the Christian faith is important to you and that you would like to continue to grow in your faith.
Therefore we are offering a series of courses to empower your ministry. The first of these courses we are calling Consistory/Council 101. Our goal is to enhance your understanding of how a local congregation and your denomination can function most faithfully.
Sessions will be held on Saturdays, from 10:00 a.m. to 12 Noon.
Sessions will be held at a church near you that has a good internet connection.
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PASTORS, Please share with your congregation
Great news! On July 18, 2018, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court voted 7-0 to repeal Act 80 of 2012, which eliminated General Assistance that year. This cash assistance program provides a minimal income support for desperately poor individuals with serious disabilities, people fleeing domestic violence, and individuals in active drug treatment for limited periods of time. The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services has already started taking applications for GA again.
Community Legal Services has created a web page explaining who is eligible for GA and what documents they will need to provide when they apply. The web page is here:
This page also contains information about good changes to the TANF cash assistance program as a result of Act 80 being struck down, as well as background information on the lawsuit. CLS will be updating this page with additional outreach materials and information from DHS as it is released.
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PSEC, PNEC planning rebuild Puerto Rico mission trip
A group of members of Pennsylvania Southeast Conference and Penn Northeast Conference met on Aug. 6 to discuss the possibility of the two conferences sponsoring a rebuild mission trip to Puerto Rico in 2019. The dates that we have requested are April 28 to May 4, 2019. PNEC Associate Conference Minister Gilberto Garcia-Rodriquez will be the group leader. Costs will be made available in a few months as we learn more about airfare and other related costs. You can learn more about the on-going UCC work in Puerto Rico by
clicking here
.
The next planning meeting will be held Tuesday, Sept. 4, at 6:30 pm at St John's U.C.C.- Mickleys, 2918 MacArthur Rd, Whitehall, PA 18052. If you would like to be on the list of potential participants and receive the trip information directly, please send and email to Gilberto at
gilbertor@pnec.org
and copy Karl Jones at
kjones275@comcast.net
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Joint PNEC/PSEC Ecumenical Relations Mission Team (ERMT) Germany Trip
This above picture is the whole Berlin Colloquy group at St. Sophia's Church in the former East Berlin where Martin Luther King spoke of freedom in April 1964.
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Fall Crossroads Lay Leadership Program
Moravian Theological Seminary, Bethlehem
All courses are offered in Zoom, a real time, distance learning format
For detailed class information go to
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UCC Environmental Justice
Webinar: What Faith Communities Need to Know about Carbon Pricing
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