Penn Northeast Conference UCC, 431 Delaware Ave., Palmerton, PA 18071
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2020 Anniversary of Ordination
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We encourage you to join us for this special occasion,
the Installation of our Conference Minister, Bonnie Bates
This is a great opportunity to meet her and show your support.
The Installation of Rev. Dr. Bonnie Bates as the
Fourth Conference Minister of the Penn Northeast Conference
of the United Church of Christ
Saturday, April 4, 2020 -- 2:00 p.m.
UCC Greenawalds, 2325 Albright Avenue, Allentown, Pennsylvania
There will be a reception following the service in the Fellowship Hall.
There will be a procession of clergy;
please wear your favorite stole.
Please bring a small bottle of water from your home church or Conference to use during our water blessing.
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Leading Worship for Lay Leaders
March 28, 2020 - 9AM to 3PM (Registration begins at 8:30AM)
Penn Northeast Conference Office, 431 Delaware Avenue, Palmerton, PA
Note: This is a repeat of the same workshop that was held on September 14, 2019
A one day seminar designed to help lay leaders prepare and lead worship!
Who may be interested?
Congregations who struggle to find supply ministers to lead weekly worship service and lay members who are interested in leading their congregations in worship.
Let’s face it, many congregations need a supply minister to fill the pulpit if the minister is away or if the church is in transition between ministers. In order to assist congregations facing this situation, the Local Congregational Support Working Group of the PNEC Committee on Ministry is conducting a one-day seminar designed to help your members develop and present a variety of worship services, using readily available resources from the Conference, the UCC website and other online and paper resources.
The training will cover
all aspects of how to prepare and lead a worship service, including:
- What should be included in a worship service,
- Where to get the weekly lectionary (the Bible verses read during the worship),
- Resources for getting worship topics, readings for prayers, benedictions, blessing the offering,
options for music and similar components of a worship service,
- Alternatives to a regular sermon, such as group discussion, sharing faith journeys and other
suggestions.
- What are the liturgical seasons?
- How to enlist several people to help prepare and conduct the service.
This event will be offered on
Saturday, March 28 from 9 to 3
at the Conference Office (431 Delaware Avenue in Palmerton). Lunch will be provided. The
fee for the event is $15 for an individual or $45 dollars for a team of 3 or more
. Please make checks payable to PNEC and send to the Conference Office, 431 Delaware Avenue, Palmerton, PA 18071.
Deadline for registering is March 17.
To register for this event, please call Patty at the Conference Office (610-826-3113).
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Zoom Conversations
Dear Friends,
This spring, as a part of our growth and understanding, the Penn Northeast Conference is inviting people to be a part of an all-conference book study.
We will be reading and discussing the book,
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism
by Robin Diangelo
. This New York Times bestselling book examines the emotions and behaviors which impact our ability, as Caucasian or Euro-American individuals, to talk about issues of race.
The
Conference will be sponsoring 6 Zoom conversations about the book
. (Please see the
attached
flyer for dates, times and Zoom links.)
You are welcome to join us as individuals, congregational groups, or Area Mission Councils. We welcome your active participation. For authorized ministers,
attending all 6 sessions will qualify as the completion of the triennial anti-racism training requirement.
You may certainly opt to discuss this book in small groups within your congregations or Area Mission Councils. I hope you will take the time to read and examine this important book as we walk this journey of faith and justice together.
Blessings, Bonnie
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The Penn Northeast Conference Presents.....
the 15th Annual Youth Retreat
"Faith & Foodies!"
ALL youth in grades 7th-12th are invited
May 15-17, 2020
Spruce Lake, 5389 Route 447, Canadensis, PA 18235
Cost $135/person - includes meals Saturday and Sunday
*Limited space - first 40 participants with paid deposit only
One adult chaperone per church
Registration Deadline is March 1, 2020 - please send non-refundable $50 deposit with registration flyer.
CLICK HERE FOR the Registration Flyer and More Details.
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Healing the Earth – Our Common Home
A Call to Action – Celebrating the 50
th
Anniversary of Earth Day
St. Francis Center for Renewal, 395 Bridle Path Rd., Bethlehem
Energy efficiency, sustainability, single-use plastics, stormwater runoff, water quality. Legitimate concerns or fear mongering? With limited time, staff, and funds are there benefits for your faith community in addressing these topics? Yes, for you, your faith community, and, as it turns out, for Earth and its poor and vulnerable communities.
This workshop will dive into practical and cost-effective solutions for everyone. Have you heard about regulations requiring your place of worship to address stormwater runoff from your buildings and communities? Many municipalities are initiating stormwater fees and non-profits are not exempt. Leaky and drafty buildings can affect your heating and cooling budgets and contribute to greenhouse gases. Reducing waste from your daily activities, worship services, and special events
saves money and resources
. Free programs such as Project Learning Tree address some of these concerns and are available for students in your schools.
Millennials, teens, and school-age children are knowledgeable about the above issues and are involved in solutions for their homes and schools. This is an opportunity to bring that knowledge and energy to your faith community and encourage them to be active members in initiating solutions.
The workshop will be offered twice on April 20, 2020; 9:30 – 11:30am OR 7:00 – 9:00pm and is for pastors, faith leaders, advisory council members, teachers, school administrators, teen leaders, and interested members of your community.
Attendees can choose the time that works best for them. Contact the St. Francis Center for Renewal at 610 867-8890 to register. Contact Marie North, Laudato Si’ Animator, CSBA (Certified Sustainable Building Advisor) at
mnorcsba@ptd.net
or 610 769-0780 with questions about the workshop sessions. Freewill offerings gratefully accepted.
“The gravity of the ecological crisis demands that we all look to the common good, embarking on a path of dialogue which demands patience, self-discipline and generosity, always keeping in mind that “realities are greater than ideas.” Pope Francis, Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ of The Holy Father Francis On Care for Our Common Home, Chapter 5, Lines of Approach and Action, pg. 145, #201
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2020 ONA Winter Gathering
(Penn Central ONA Ministry Team)
Untangling the Knots: Christianity's Fear of the Sexual Body
February 22, 2020
10AM to 3PM (Registration 9:30AM)
Snow Date: March 14, 2020
Colonial Park UCC, 5000 Devonshire Rd., Harrisburg, PA; 717.545.3782
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A Capella University Choir
Lenoir-Rhyne University (North Carolina) has an exquisite A Capella university choir. They are performing in Virginia on March 17th, and in Manhattan, NY on March 19th, and want a place to stay / perform on March 18th.
They are willing to perform a church concert or during worship (free of charge) at one of our churches on Wednesday, March 18th. What they need in return is for a congregation (or multiple congregations) to house their 60 university students. They are aware that Wednesday, March 18th is right in the middle of Lent, and have a Lent - appropriate Christian repertoire. I am writing to see whether any PSEC / PNEC churches (or any cooperative combination of churches) would be interested. Any interest or inquiries can go DIRECTLY TO Dr. Ryan Luhrs, the Lenoir-Rhyne Director of Choral
Thanks! Rev. Leslie Mamas, Pastor, Oivet-Schwenkfelder UCC, Norristown
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PNEC Communities of Practice
Are accepting participants for 2020. Cost is $250 for the year. Counts for ½ of your continuing education hours. You can apply to the Longsdorf Fund for continuing education funds.
click here
for a list of the Communities of Practice and their openings. If interested...
click here for application.
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Mid-Atlantic Association of United Church Educators (MA-AUCE)
2020 Annual Conference
Holistic Faith Formation:Engaging Our Whole Selves
(This event is for
"full time or part time
clergy or lay, paid or volunteer.")
April 27 - April 29, 2020
Tuscarora Inn & Conference Center
3300 River Rd., Mt. Bethel, PA
Deadline to Register is March 1.
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National Youth Event 2020
What are the Foundations of NYE 2020? Leading up to NYE 2020, the planning team has built upon the original pillars of faith, leadership, service and social justice. Adding community building so that youth might be sustained in their faith beyond NYE and expanding justice to include encounter and reflection, ensures our work comes from a place of solidarity and does not reinforce systems of power and privilege.
Read More...
Who's Going to Be There? (Speakers & Artists)
Registration opens February 1. Mark your calendar, set a reminder, and sign up to receive more information
here
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2020 Boundary Training
offered by Lehigh Presbytery
(3 different sessions)
Click here
for the flyer for three sessions of Boundary Training Offered by the Lehigh Presbytery in 2020. These sessions will be led by David Olsen.
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Care for the Caregiver
A Workshop For Faith Based
Caregivers!
An opportunity to share stories and receive information.
MARCH 12, 2020 - 10: A.M. to 12:00 P.M.
Jordan UCC,
1837 Church
Road,
Allentown
click for registration and detailed flyer
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The Climate Crisis: Let Your Voice
Be Heard
Rev. Karl Jones has been involved with something called The Clergy Letter Project which is concerned with bringing science, philosophy, and theology together, particularly around the subject of climate change. Over the past several weeks he has been a part of a writing team working on a sign-on letter for clergy You can read the result of our work at
http://www.theclergyletterproject.org/Climate_Letter/ClimateLtr.html
--Karl Jones, Disaster Response Coordinator
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Clergy Convocation 2020
with Rev. Dr. Emily C. Heath
May 5-7, 2020
Double Tree by Hilton, 2400 Willow St. Pike, Lancaster - (qualifies for 10 contact hours)
Click here
for full flyer, schedule, and how to register - Deadline April 1, 2020
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New Year
New Opportunities & Growth
provides a critical look at what we are now and how we get to a more sustainable and equitable future. Amazing presenters will be paired with innovative ideas and you will come away inspired!
(many of these courses are free of charge and will go a long way in challenging the way you lead and grow this year.)
From The Center for Progressive Renewal
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ITEMS OF INTEREST...
-
-February 9 -
This year the Scranton chapter of Pennsylvania Interfaith Power & Light
- an interfaith organization that "inspires and mobilizes people of faith and conscience to take bold and just action on climate change" - is one of three hosts (Philadel
phia and Pittsburgh are the other two) in the state's annual conference on
February 9th
. You can find more information here:
http://paipl.us/what-do-we-do/annual-meeting/
and in the
attached flyer
.
--February 12 -
I
NTERFAITH DIALOGUE FACILITATOR TRAINING - 9Am to 4PM - Interfaith Philadelphia, 100 W. Oxford St., Philadelphia, PA 19122 -
Learn more and register today
- registrations are due January 29.
--April 24 & 25 - 2020 Spring Conference Meeting -
The Chateau at Camelback, 475 Camelback Rd., Tannersville, PA - The meeting will be one overnight, dinner on Friday evening, breakfast and lunch on Saturday. Starts at 4PM on Friday and concludes at 4PM on Saturday.
Please Note:
If Authorized Ministers attend the entire meeting it will qualify for your Cultural Competency Training.
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DISASTER MINISTRIES UCC
What
churches will need to know if they have to apply for Public Assistance funds following a declared
The PA State Police shared their poster they developed for January. Please
See here
There is a document passed down from DOH that provides information on the SOAR Human Trafficking trainings.
Click here
TRAIN PA is a gateway into the TRAIN Learning Network, the most comprehensive catalog of public health training opportunities for professionals who serve the citizens of Pennsylvania. TRAIN is a free service for learners from the Public Health Foundation.
https://www.train.org/pa/welcome
Revision of the drop off sites for CWS buckets and kits..
read more
.
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