Penn Northeast Conference UCC, 431 Delaware Ave., Palmerton, PA 18071
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Last Call for These Up-Coming Events & Deadlines |
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LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER...
Call to the Fall Meeting of PNEC
Saturday, November 6, 2021
In Person or Virtual
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Jordan UCC, 1837 Church Road, Allentown, PA
Theme - Grief: Let Go to Move Forward
Scripture - Psalm 30:5 weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning
Keynote Speaker and Workshop Leader
Rev. Chad Abbott, Conf. Minister, Indian/Kentucky Conference, Spiritual Director and Author of Incline Your Ear
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Ministerial Boundary Training - Fall 2021 (Virtually on Demand)
PNEC in partnership with the Lehigh Presbytery, Pennsylvania Southeast Conference, the Moravian Church Northern Province and the Northeast Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, is pleased to offer a virtual Ministerial Boundary Training. Once registered the individual participants can work at their own pace to complete the five modules. Deadline to Register is October 31 and you must finish the training by December 31, 2021. Read More & Register
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CROSSROADS Moravian Seminary
All of our classes are offered both in person at Moravian Theological Seminary (Masks Required)
and in Real Time, Distance Learning through Zoom.
UNPACKING THE SCRIPTURES – DISCIPLESHIP
(8) Mondays & Thursdays, 6-9 pm
November 4 - December 2 (except 11/25 for Thanksgiving)
In-person (Bahnson Center) or Real-time Distance Learning via Zoom
Price: $240
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2021 PNEC YOUTH
Sleep-Out for Homelessness
(AKA “One Night Without a Home”)
When: November 13-November 14, 2021
Time: 7:00 pm-7:00 am
Where: Union United Church of Christ, Neffs
(in the grove area)
WHAT IS IT?? Youth in grades 7th -12th will sleep outside in a large box (or tent)
during this overnight homeless simulation. Engaging activities will not only be fun but provide valuable lessons on homelessness that gently confront harmful stereotypes and misunderstandings about who might become homeless and why. (PS: This is an excellent Confirmation activity!) Click Here for detailed flyer. |
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Navigating the Minefields of Current Employment Issues
Michael J. Torchia, Esq.
Semanoff Ormsby Greenberg & Torchia, LLC
At times it seems nearly impossible to keep up with the ever-changing laws affecting businesses and their employees. This presentation reviews the most common “land mines” faced by employers and provides up-to-the-minute changes to employment laws and regulations. Rather than a legal review, this workshop strongly emphasized practical advice about how to be fair to employees while keeping the business out of legal trouble.
Topics will include employee leave; latest COVID-related regulations; employees versus independent contractors; classifying employees as exempt or non-exempt; overtime rules; criminal and other background checks; discrimination and harassment laws; non-competition and non-solicitation agreements; what employers cannot ask employees; and how to terminate an employee without getting sued.
Mr. Torchia is a managing member of Semanoff Ormsby Greenberg & Torchia, LLC, and chairs the firm’s employment law and commercial litigation section. In addition to counseling his corporate clients on employment law topics, Mr. Torchia acts as Pennsylvania employment counsel for several large national corporations. He has successfully established a workplace investigations practice and is routinely hired by other law firms to serve as an independent third-party investigator of a variety of employment-related claims and as an expert witness in the area of workplace investigations.
Wednesday, November 3rd 8:30-9:30 am
This virtual workshop is free, but registration is required.
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Continuing Education for Authorized Ministers - Advanced Boundary Training
Retirement: Transitions and Boundaries in Ministry
Thursday, December 9, 2021
8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Jordan UCC, 1837 Church Road, Allentown
Cost: $35 per person, in person (no Zoom option)
Led by Rev. Dr. Becky Beckwith
Click Here for detailed flyer and registration information.
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UCC News Digest: $71.2 million erased — and counting
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Register Now for the John W. Hatch Lecture Series
NOVEMBER 30, 2021
Mental Health—An Expanded Landscape
A Virtual Event
November 30, 2021, 9:30 am – 2:30 pm EST
Sponsored by the FaithHealth Division-Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist and the National Association of Community Health Centers
This is a virtual and free event, but registration will be required. Just click on the Register Now button below. More information on how to connect to the webinar will be sent to all registrants closer to the event date.
The Series engages faith and health leaders in thought provoking dialogue reflective of the strength of where faith and health intersections in improving population health and building stronger communities. It is named in commemoration of the pioneering work of Dr. John W. Hatch, William Rand Kenan Jr. Professor Emeritus, Health Behavior and Health Education, University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health. Dr. Hatch’s esteemed career includes over fifty years of experience in the areas of faith, health, and community organization with a special focus on underserved communities and social justice.
FaithHealth Division of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist
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A Conversation with Pastors, for Pastors
Join us on Wednesday, November 10 at 12:00pm Eastern via Zoom for a conversation with pastors, for pastors about the pressing issues of ministry today.
The Center for Continuing Education was launched in October 2019 to enable Yale Divinity School to “reach beyond the walls” and provide educational opportunities and resources for clergy, laity and community organizations to expand and enrich ministry and lay learning - all at little to no cost. The Center is home to some existing cornerstone programs (the YDS Summer Study, the Yale Youth Ministry Institute, and the Yale Bible Study program) and is charged with creating new opportunities for theological education and enrichment in three primary categories: Faith and Contemporary Issues, Church and Nonprofit Administration, and Leadership Development. If you haven’t already, we invite you to explore our websites at: https://divinity.yale.edu/continuing-education .
While our programs have existing curriculum, content and programming, we are continually looking to expand our resources. We want to be sure that we are focused on what is truly needed by those working in local ministry. Please join fellow clergy members to talk about what ministry looks like in a world where we are being allowed to gather again, but the pandemic is still very much a concern. During our time together, we’ll focus on the following questions:
- How have your various ministries survived this time and what do they look like this fall?
- What do you see as your most immediate challenge?
- What have you learned from the pivots required to minister to your congregation over the past 18 months?
- How can the Center for Continuing Education support you, either in terms of resources, informational/educational opportunities and/or connection to other clergy?
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Transgender Day of Remembrance
The annual Transgender Day of Remembrance is coming up on Saturday, November 20 @ 4pm at Payrow Plaza (10 E. Church St. in Bethlehem). Your supportive presence is warmly welcomed and encouraged. Posters are attached to inform your communities and here is the link to more information via the Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/3145248955704325?active_tab=about |
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Justice Update: Monday, October 25
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Reconciliation: More deal making this weekend and Senate negotiators are crafting a proposal that would tax the very rich – called the Billionaires tax as a major source of revenue for the reconciliation bill (since original proposals to tax the wealthy and corporations were not agreed to by negotiators). The benefits of the bill keep getting chipped away- but even with the massive concessions that are being made this would help set up progress on progressive priorities. It’s still a bill that offers generational investments in chronically neglected social human infrastructure programs.
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Vaccines: Late last week The FDA amended the emergency use authorizations (EUAs) for vaccines to allow for a booster dose of the Moderna and the J&J vaccine. Pfizer submitted data that its vaccine had an efficacy of 90.7% for children ages 5-11 and Moderna data shows an “generally strong” efficacy in their ongoing trials of kids 6-11. The White House has rolled out a plan to vaccinate kids in the coming weeks.
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Voting Rights: Last week Senate Republicans voted down a cloture vote for S. 2747, the Freedom to Vote Act. We are expecting a cloture vote on the John Lewis VRAA this week. The exact timing is still unclear, but like the recent Freedom to Vote Act vote, this will be a cloture vote on a motion to proceed and the Republicans will filibuster it. After this failed vote, the pressure will intensify for some sort of filibuster reform in order to pass both the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Late last week President Biden indicated he is open to filibuster reform, which is a positive development. Senator Schumer has set Thanksgiving as his deadline to get both of these bills passed.
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Abortion: The Supreme Court allowed the Texas abortion law that bars most abortions after six weeks to remain in place, but did grant a petition for expedited review and set oral arguments for November 1 – by tradition expedited review often also means expedited opinions.
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Sudan: As part of an apparent coup, members of Sudan's transitional government and Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok have been arrested and taken to an undisclosed location. Protests have erupted across the country and several demonstrators have been killed. UN General Secretary and other world leaders have spoken out against the coup, and are calling for the release of government officials. For months, Sudan has been experiencing a severe economic crisis as inflation has hit near 400% and people are experiencing food and other supply shortages.
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Climate Change: The Pentagon recently released a report outlining ways in which climate change poses a significant challenge to global security. The deepening concern has prompted the military to incorporate climate change into its security strategy. The report comes as the U.S. prepares to join other nations at the U.N. climate talks in Glasgow, Scotland next month at COP26. Additionally newly-leaked documents reveal that several countries and major organizations extensively lobbied in an attempt to change the recommendations regarding climate action and fossil fuel use in the IPCC Assessment Report.
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“Remain in Mexico” Policy: The Biden administration revealed on Oct. 15 that it would reinstate the Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” policy, which forces immigrants seeking asylum to remain in Mexico while their cases are processed.
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Lay and Clergy: Sign up for child safety at church training
On Wednesday, Nov. 10 at 9:00a, we will host "Working with Children, Youth and Vulnerable Adults: What Pastors and Lay Leaders Need to Know about Child Sexual Abuse Prevention in the Congregation." This training is great for lay members of your church who work with young people and for clergy (clergy will receive Advanced Boundary Training credit for attending). Topics covered at the training will include:
· Child Sexual Abuse Prevention 101 -- What it is, what are the dynamics.
· Mandated Reporting in PA -- The basics of what and how-to, including clearance requirements.
· Making church a positive place of survivors of child sexual abuse.
· What to consider if including known offenders in the congregation.
· What all of this means for the personal boundaries of the pastor or other church leader.
ANOTHER OPTION!! If you cannot make the Wednesday morning time for this training, you will have another opportunity to complete the training. Register for the training and indicate that you will not be available to attend on Wednesday. A link to view the training online will be sent to you following the training and you will have one week to watch the video and submit a one-page paper on how you will apply this training to your ministry setting. Once the paper is received and approved, you will receive your certificate. If you plan to take advantage of this opportunity, you must let us know in advance that you will not be attending the live training.
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MORE BOUNDARY TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
Registration deadline is November 8. Please note that participants must attend both sessions in order to receive your certificate of completion.
Boundary Training for Those in Specialized Ministries
Boundary trainings have traditionally focused on the issues faced by local church ministers. Our ministers serving through COVID in specialized settings have an even greater need for a training that better attends to their unique circumstances. Stephen Boyd, Ministerial Excellence, Support & Authorization (MESA) Minister for Chaplains and Ministers in Specialized Settings, and Tara Barber, MESA Minister for Ministerial Support and Accountability, have developed a Boundary Awareness Training with case studies and examples based on the experiences of specialized ministers. They are piloting a training for those in the Western Region on Monday, November 15, from 2:30-5:30 p.m., Hawai'i time.
Click here to register for this meeting: Meeting Registration - Zoom. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
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Building Towards a Just Future: PA IPL 2021 Annual Conference
Please join PAIPL for Building Towards a Just Future, the PA IPL 2021 Annual Conference on November 14. It will be a virtual conference, with a theme focused on Climate Justice in three regions across Pennsylvania: Harrisburg (Central PA), Philadelphia (Eastern PA) and Pittsburgh (Western PA). Some of you may remember Scranton/NEPA was one of the three regions at the well attended 2019 annual conference hosted at the IHM center and will return as one of the sites next year.
While we would appreciate your attendance at the conference in order to learn and connect with people of faith and conscience across PA who are coming together to grow a sustainable and regenerative future in our state, if you are not able to attend the conference, but are interested in developing an active PAIPL chapter in NEPA, please contact me, Melinda Krokus, at krokus@marywood.edu.
Live viewing of the Conference will be Sunday, November 14, from Noon – 5pm. The Conference will be recorded and available through our website at a later date. Attendees will be able to access videos and presentation slides from all three regions at their leisure after the Conference. The Conference will be opened and closed by spiritual leaders from across the state who will deliver inspirational messages, motivating attendees to take specific actions designed to advance the Climate Justice theme at home, at work and within their organizations.
Bishop Marcia Dinkins, Ohio IPL and Black Appalachian Coalition, will be our keynote speaker. An expert keynote response panel will provide insight on her presentation. An inspiring closing session will be led by Dr. Patricia DeMarco, educator and author, and Dr. James Swindal, Duquesne University.
Two workshop sessions in each region will be offered. Based on input from members in each region, the workshops have been designed to address one hands-on topic and one advocacy topic.
There are also opportunities for businesses and faith communities to become a Sponsor of the conference (details below). If you have any questions about registration or sponsorship, please contact Kathy Hrabovsky, PAIPL Development Associate at 412-953-5202 or outreach@paipl.org.
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Crossroads Courses this Fall
Looking ahead:
Missional Leadership, Mondays 1/3 - 2/21/2022 Dr. Jill Peters
Road Hazards (Congregational Ethics), Thurs 1/6 - 2/24/2022 Rev. Derek French & Dr. Jill Peters
Story of Christianity, Mondays 3/7 - 5/2/2022 (Except Holy Week 4/11) Rev. Dr. Bill Falla
My Journey (Formative Spirituality) Thursdays 3/10 - 5/5/2022 (Except Holy Week 4/14) Rev.
Maggie Wellert
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Pennsylvania Academy of Ministry
Introduction to Pastoral Care, Tuesdays Jan. 6 – Feb. 10, 2022, via Zoom. Instructor: Rev. Butch Kuykendall. 2.5 CEUs. $325. Register by December 21.
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Safety for Faith Based Events & Houses of Worship
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Vital Conversations
Every fourth Monday of each month at 7 PM, clergy and lay leaders are invited to attend a Zoom conversation where they can talk through situations with other leaders, learn, and brainstorm together. On October 25th, the Congregational Vitality Team wants to discuss the very definition of “vitality”. As church leaders, we often talk about vitality and how much we long for it in our churches. But, what would vitality look like when we get it? How much our vision of vitality depends upon particular conditions that no longer exist? What if the kind of vitality we dream of is no longer possible? Do we give up, or do we need a new definition of “vitality”?
Meeting ID: 817 9668 4439
Passcode: 292474
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Churches Care:
Accompanying persons with
Mental Illnesses and Addictions
This three-pronged program for church leaders (pastors, parish nurses, nurses, or other lay persons) will strengthen churches and communities in their support of people in their congregation who have mental illnesses and addictions . Click Here for details ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Lombard Mennonite Peace Center Workshops in November & December
Two Saturday Workshops that are Ideal for
Church Groups
Conflict Transformation Skills for Churches will be held on Wed., November 3 (9:00am to 4:30pm CT).
Healthy Congregations will be held on Thursday, December 2 (8:30am-4:30pm Central Time).
Register a group of four or more and save $15 apiece! For your convenience, feel free to use this LMPC Registration Form to compile the names and contact information for your group. Questions?
Call 630-627-0507.
ALSO
One Day Workshop led by Rev. Blackburn, LMPC Director Emeritus
Leadership and Anxiety in the Church (LAC)
Thurs., November 4, 2021
9:00am CT to 4:00pm CT
This workshop looks at the challenge presented by the rising levels of anxiety being experienced in churches today, as well as the role that self-differentiated leadership can play in calming such anxiety. A group discount is available! For details please refer to this
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DISASTER MINISTRIES UCC
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Department of Health Announces Local Grant Opportunities for Faith-Based Organizations to Reduce Vaccine Hesitancy
Harrisburg, PA - The Pennsylvania Department of Health and the United Way of Pennsylvania today announced an expansion of the Local Innovations in Vaccine Equity in Pennsylvania project (LIVE PA), which aims to reduce vaccine hesitancy and ensure an equitable vaccine distribution throughout the commonwealth. The United Way will administer an additional $630,000 in grants to support the efforts of local faith-based organizations. Read More...
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There is a national Appeal for the Severe Storms 2021 in anticipation of this and other events that may happen this fall.
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