An Invitation to
Rebecca Sausser's Ordination
Rebecca is the pastor at
New Bethel Church, Kempton
if you are planning to attend and you will be sent the Zoom link
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PNEC FINANCIAL UPDATE
The financial books for the PNEC have been updated through the month of May and we offer our continued thanks to our member congregations that have been faithful in their generosity to PNEC. We have received 55% of the planned OCWM receipts through May 2020 that were budgeted. However, this leaves us $75,432 in arrears that we hope to make up by year’s end. Other income has also fallen off and because of the volatility in the stock market, our overall income is at 32% of budget which is $128,557 short for the year.
We understand with the COVID 19 epidemic that we are facing, as are many of our congregations, it is an incredibly challenging year. We will be working to identify strategies to procure additional funding sources for PNEC. One of those sources will be a Payroll Protection Payroll (PPP) loan from the Small Business Administration (SBA) which, as of this notice, has been received. We will continue to monitor our expenses and hope to be able to fulfill our budgeted commitments to all our UCC affiliated institutions. To date, we have only passed on funds to the National Church. These commitments amount to $29,900 this year.
Our expenses have been low as many planned events did not happen in the life of the PNEC, however, the ministry and mission of the Conference continues to function and touch many lives during this time. We are at 73% of our budgeted expense level which does include a portion of the mentioned commitments to our affiliated institutions. We will strive to manage our expense structure and continue to offer the programs and mission that is before us.
Thank you again for your continued support and if it is a possibility, we encourage you to forward any planned contributions to the PNEC office as soon as possible and if anyone would feel the call to contribute additional funds, we are grateful for that generosity as well. Please remember that Tithe.ly is available for contributions on our website –
www.pnec.org
.
With prayers and gratitude,
Rev. Martin E. Nuscher
PNEC Treasurer
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Beloved, Love - 2020 UCC Stewardship Materials
"Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God." - 1 John 4:7
Materials for your congregation's 2020 stewardship campaign featuring the theme "Beloved, Love".
Available in print form or as a digital download, including social media graphic appropriate for Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Click here
to see what is included in the full stewardship materials package.
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On-Line Community Forum with Rep. Susan Wild
July 6 at 7PM
Greetings Colleagues, Hope this finds all well and maintaining good spiritual, mental, emotional, social and physical health. I've
attached
information about an upcoming online Community Forum with Rep. Susan Wild on Monday, July 6 @ 7pm. Thought you/your communities may be interested in the conversation about the Establishment/Free Exercise clauses. MCCLV is hosting the event on both Facebook livestream as well as Zoom. Here is the Facebook event link:
https://www.facebook.com/events/2307605249547650/
If you have a preference for gathering via Zoom, let me know and I'll send you the access info.
Rev. Goudy, Pastor, MCC Lehigh Valley, 1401 Greenview Drive, Bethlehem, PA 18018
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Free Masks to Churches
The government is giving free masks to churches. The link is below.
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Cards for Steve Vulcheff
(Bonnie's husband)
Friends, The outpouring of prayers and support I have received, since I shared with you my husband’s positive COVID-19 test, has been nothing short of remarkable. Thank you all so much.
I have shared your support with Steve, but if you would like to reach out to him yourself, you may send cards or notes to him at the following address:
Steve Vulcheff
Pruitt Health
5935 Mt Sinai Road
Durham, NC 27705
I know he would appreciate knowing about and feeling your support. Thank you so much.
Blessings, Bonnie
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Introducing Three Great Loves Stewardship Materials new for 2020
Three Great Loves expresses the core commitments of the United Church of Christ as we live out Jesus’ call to share God’s love. Across our Christian movement, we embody God’s love in three ways:
- Love of Children
- Love of Neighbor
- Love of Creation
The ways we share God’s love in any one congregation may not look the same as the ways another United Church of Christ congregation witnesses to God’s love. Our priorities may differ. But we’re united in a shared commitment to be God’s hands and feet in making a more just world for all.
Read More and find out how to order
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PNEC Outdoor Gathering Guidelines
The holding of outdoor services, vigils or other events on the church’s or pre-approved public property can be held provided the appropriate social distancing and masking guidelines are followed. There is a limit of up to 100 individuals, provided you have the social distancing space to hold that many individuals, for each event.
- Social distancing requirements require a minimum six-foot separation between all individuals in all interactions and at all times. The exception to this is that families may be closer to one another provided the family grouping maintains the six-foot separation with others.
- All employees, members, and visitors in attendance shall wear face coverings before, during, and after the service (whether indoor or outdoor).
- There may be no direct physical contact between servers and members or visitors.
- No choirs shall perform during the service. Singing is permitted, but individuals must not remove their face coverings to sing – it must stay on for the duration of the service.
- Organizations are strongly encouraged to keep a log of attendees at each gathering, and to retain that log for at least two weeks. If an outbreak occurs, this information may be critical to help save lives.
All organizations (including religious and faith-based organizations) have a general obligation to keep a safe and healthy facility in accordance with state and federal law, and comply with the following COVID19 organization-specific safety practices.
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Working for Justice
An Evening of Music: Restoring Beauty
featuring performances by musicians from The Cleveland Orchestra and Rev. Tracy Wispelway
Thursday, June 25 - 6 to 7:30PM
You are invited to recline and listen to instruments of grace, songs of joy and lament, and experience the Spirit of God through acts of harmony and lyrics. To register
click here
You are welcome to join (at a 6 ft. distance) with colleagues who are available this coming
Saturday, June 27 @ 3pm at the Bethlehem Public Library/Payrow Plaza for the Black Trans Lives Matter gathering. (from Rev. Goudy, MCC Lehigh Valley)
CREATIVITY AND JUSTICE IN QUARANTINE
Sunday, June 28, 4 pm EST / 1 pm PST
"Together We're Strong"
A Pastoral Call to Dismantle Racism & End Violence Against People of Color
Below you will find a statement from the Pennsylvania Council of Churches calling to dismantle racism and end violence against people of color. It is posted on their website at
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Lombard Mennonite Peace Center
We are pleased to announce the return of one of our more popular seminars:
Leadership and Anxiety in the Church (LAC)
on August 19, 2020 via Zoom video conferencing. This webinar is comprised of a series of PowerPoint presentations that look at the challenges posed by rising levels of anxiety in churches and in society as a whole. Works of art from the Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and Modern eras are integrated to help facilitate theological reflections on the themes being presented. Like the two workshops listed below,
LAC
is particularly effective when members of the same church attend as a group. We encourage church leaders to organize a group and register for one (or more) of these outstanding seminars today!
Conflict Transformation Skills for Churches
(July 18):
Sessions include "Finding Renewal in Conflict" and "How to be Effective when People are Angry," among others. Groups are especially encouraged to register for this event!
Healthy Congregations (July 21)
: Participants will learn how to keep anxiety within their congregations from becoming infectious, put limits on invasive behavior, manage reactivity, focus on strengths, and more! Members of groups can save $40-$50 per person, compared to the regular individual rate, for any of these three events!
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Installation of Rev. Dr. Bonnie Bates, PNE Conference Minister
Bonnie’s installation date has been moved from June 28 to November 7 – as part of the fall conference meeting
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PNEC Recommendations on When to Resume In-Person Worship
It feels strange to make a recommendation about when to resume in-person worship to our beloved congregations. Nevertheless, we feel it is our covenantal responsibility to offer the following recommendations knowing that each of you may well have different considerations and pressures which guide your decision-making process. We offer these in prayerful encouragement as you discern your congregation’s future, knowing that your decisions may include struggling with your future ministry.
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Cleaning Guidelines based on CDC recommendations:
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