Letter from our Sabbatical Conference Minister, Rev. Dr. Becky Beckwith

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30 NIV

Dear Friends,

Are you someone who looks backward or forward?  So many people look backward and speak of the past as the best of times. But many of us look back and cringe. 

A friend was recently speaking of a time in his life that he revisits frequently. It was a time when he made several bad choices that cost him dearly. He hurt people who he loved. He damaged relationships. My friend speaks of how he wished he knew then what he knows now. It is decades later, and he still questions himself.

What if he had taken more time to think through those bad choices. What if he had been kind instead of cruel. If only he had just stayed at home that day, decades ago, his life would have been so much better than it is today. 

My friend’s life has moved on in a positive direction. But he still looks back often, with regret, remorse for what could have been.  He has never been able to forgive himself. My friend still carries the weight of his actions. 

We humans need to learn from our mistakes, seek forgiveness and move on. Many Christians like to give up something during Lent. What is the weight of the burdens you are still carrying around? What is the cost?   Maybe it is time to put the baggage down and move forward.

Blessings,

Becky

Rev. Dr. Becky J. Beckwith

Call to the

2023 Spring Meeting of PNEC

 Saturday, April 29, 2023

In Person or Virtual

St. Thomas United Church of Christ

902 East Macada Road, Bethlehem, PA

Theme

 Health, Renewal, Restoration

 Scripture

          “…be transformed from the inside out by renewing

             your mind. As a result, you will be able to discern

                what God wills and whatever God finds good,

                    pleasing, and complete.”  Romans 12:1-2

 Keynoters:

     Rev. Cindy Garis August

     Senior Pastor at Colonial Park UCC, Harrisburg

      Ms. Padma (Colette) Fanning

     Mindfulness Educator, St. Luke’s University Health Network, Bethlehem

Click Here for Registration Form

OR

register online with Tithe.ly at: https://tithe.ly/event-registration/#/6786464

Article taken from Rev. Bill Worley, Pennsylvania Southeast Conference Minister

Our joint Conference Ecumenical Relations Mission Team (ERMT) with representatives from PSEC and PNEC connects our Conferences with ministries around the globe including the Church of South India (CSI) – the second largest Christian church in India. The ERMT entered into a formal ecumenical agreement this past summer with the Karimnagar Diocese and their Bishop, The Right Rev. Dr. Reuben Mark. From this region many immigrants have come to eastern Pennsylvania and found spiritual homes in UCC congregations (including Grace-Trinity UCC and Emmanuel CSI in Philadelphia).

Two weeks ago, six ERMT representatives traveled to the Karimnagar Dioceses at the invitation of Bishop Reuben to experience their ministry in the poorest areas of the Telangana Province. We witnessed how the Christian faith is growing in culturally complex and economically repressed communities. We learned about the historic missional connection of the UCC and CSI through our American Board of Commissioners of Foreign Missions — the forerunner to UCC Global Ministries. We also become familiar with the Dalit theological tradition that emerged among the Dalit caste in India in the 1980s and how that shapes preparation for, and the practice of, ministry.

We hope to use the lessons learned to broaden the understanding of clergy and congregations in our PA Conferences of the tremendous ministries done with diminished resources in the Karimnagar region – a reality that affects most US congregations. And that we are joined in Christian ministry with friends far away but close at heart who pray Jesus’ prayer, “that they may all be one” (the motto of both the CSI and the UCC).

The ERMT will continue to build connections with UCC Global Ministries (who graciously funded our India travels) and its partnerships with the Church of South India specifically with initiatives that address issues facing women and girls including (but not limited to) education and opportunities in the workplace. We also hope to witness to recent partnerships Global Ministries has forged in Southern Asia around the work to end human trafficking and increase religious freedom.

I beg your prayers for the ongoing work of the ERMT and for ministry partners around the world who work toward unity in the face of global division and offer my deepest gratitude for the ERMT representatives who have committed much of themselves to this effort:

Rev. Dr. Bonnie Bates (PNEC), Conference Minister

Mrs. Kelly Johannsen (PSEC), Member of New Goshenhoppen UCC

Mr. Sukumar Kuthuru (PSEC), Member of Grace-Trinity UCC and PSEC Moderator

Pastor Janet Newett (PNEC), Pastor, UCC Greenawalds, Allentown

Rev. Dr. David Charles Smith (PNEC), Pastor, Jordan UCC, Allentown

Blessings,

Pastor Bill Worley

Bring Your CWS Buckets and Kits to PNEC NOW!

Within the next couple of weeks, the CWS Kits and Buckets here in the Conference Office will be transported to the CWS Depot in Maryland. This picture is what we have accumulated at PNEC from churches at the Conference Office.

If your church has kits or buckets, get them to us soon (within the next week) so they can get loaded on the truck and transported to the Depot! Call 610-826-3113 before delivering, please. Thank you.

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEqd-ioqzMsHtO1FOA51nJhazxrJSoWdW8I

CLICK HERE for Bulletin Insert

Note of Passing...

The Rev. Dr. Charles David Langerhans - November 5, 1931 – March 5, 2023

Born in Jefferson City, Missouri, Dr. Langerhans was the proud father of three sons, Mark (Marcia), John (Judy), and Paul, who preceded him in death (Robin), seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. A graduate of Eden Seminary in Webster Groves, Missouri, he was chosen to start a new congregation in Florissant, Missouri in St. Louis County, which flourished under his guidance.

After twelve years he and his family moved to Paoli for his employment with the Stewardship Council of the United Church of Christ, located in Philadelphia. Dr. Langerhans was a minister and teacher, leading workshops on stewardship as far away as Hawaii as well as locally.

A member of the United Church of Christ at Valley Forge, Dr. Langerhans served on the building committee and others. He and his wife of 67 years, Elaine, moved to an apartment in Valley Forge a few years ago because of his health problems.

Earthquake on Border of Turkey and Syria

The Pension Boards joins with United Church of Christ leaders in prayer for communities in mourning for the 50,000 people killed in the devastating earthquake on the border of Turkey and Syria in February. The UCC has issued an appeal to assist those affected in the region. Please support this response with your gifts and designate International Emergency on this donation page

Register for 2023 PA Clergy Convocation

The Pennsylvania Clergy Convocation is scheduled for May 2-4 in Lancaster. Our time together for Clergy Convocation will focus on connection – connecting with God, self and others. We will have times dedicated for worship, theological reflection, gatherings of affinity groups, connecting with folks from other Conferences, and free time. Our teaching focus on clergy wellness will take shape in four 90-minute sessions, each dedicated to one of the components of wellness every pastor needs: spiritual wellness, vocational wellness, financial wellness, and physical wellness. Pension Boards staff and outside facilitators will provide attendee with thoughtful and relevant content for those engaged in local church ministry. Click here for more information and to register

Click Here for Detailed Flyer

Registration open for Advanced Boundary Training

On April 26, an Advanced Boundary Training will be held on the topic of The Limits of Pastoral Care, facilitated by Revs. Bill Worley and Kevin McLemore. This training will explore the practical and spiritual limits for providing pastoral care within congregations. Topics that will be included are the emotional and spiritual toll of overfuctioning in a pastoral capacity, as well as practical guidance on such challenges as power of attorney documents, convicted sex offenders within the church, and other recent contemporary issues. Click here for more information and to register.

Have you signed up...15th Annual PNEC Youth Retreat

FAITH & ?????

Penn Northeast Conference Presents the15th “Annual” Youth Retreat FAITH & ??? In the gospels, Jesus is asked 187 questions. He answers (maybe) 8 of them. He himself asks 307. Maybe faith isn't about certainty, but learning to ask—and sit in the complexity of—good questions. ~Kevin Nye; writer on theology, homelessness, culture, and grace Exploring our faith through all kinds of questions FYI: This is a technology friendly event – cell phones, IPADS, tablets, etc are welcome!

WHO: All youth in grades 7th-12th are invited!

WHEN: April, 14-16, 2023 Check-in Friday 6:30-7:00/Pick up Sunday at 12:00 pm

WHERE: Spruce Lake 5389 Route 447, Canadensis, PA 18325

COST: $145/per person – includes meals Saturday & Sunday

**Limited space!!! First 40 participants with paid deposit only.

One adult chaperone per church is needed. 

Click Here for detailed flyer/registration

LAY LEADERS CONVOCATION

Who: For elders, deacons, church council members, and other leaders

What: A full day of worship, address, workshops, and fellowship

When: Saturday, April 15, 2023, 8:30 am to 3:00 pm

Where: Trinity and Zion U.C.C., Pottstown, Pennsylvania

Cost: $40 per person ($20 for persons coming for part of the program not eating lunch)

The event will include: Worship and Keynote address on Empowering Lay Leadership Workshops on some of the following topics: Being effective as a post-Covid Church Reviving the Sunday school Stewardship of Financial Resources Becoming Spiritual Leaders Becoming an Environmentally Friendly Church Church Meetings that get out on time How does the U.C.C. work Music ministry when the choir is shrinking Worshiping when there is no pastor. Registration information click here. Sponsored by the Lay Leadership Education Team of Penn SE Conference, U.C.C. Click here for a flyer with more info.

This event will be held at

Jordan UCC, 1837 Church Rd., Allentown.

Breakfast and lunch are included with the cost of your ticket.

To register you can email Barbara Jennings at barbaraj@pnec.org and send your check for $35 made payable to PNEC to the Conference Office (PNEC, 431 Delaware Ave., Palmerton, PA 18071)

OR

you can register and pay through tithe.ly at https://tithe.ly/event-registration/#/6681834

Keynote; “Repenting of the unforgivable” Through the medium of storytelling, Rev JimBear Jacobs will share how the legacy of Indigenous residential boarding schools has left a stain upon the church. The sin of complicity in the boarding school has for far too long been ignored or rationalized away. It is time to face this sin head on and enter into a season of lament that can hopefully lead to repair. Workshop: “Beyond lament; Movement towards repair” In this workshop Rev. JimBear Jacobs will explore some tangible and challenging steps that churches might wrestle with as they consider reparations for the traumatic legacy of the boarding school system

Click Here for Bio for Jim Bear Jacobs

Disaster Ministries

The Pension Boards joins with United Church of Christ leaders in prayer for communities in mourning for the 50,000 people killed in the devastating earthquake on the border of Turkey and Syria in February. The UCC has issued an appeal to assist those affected in the region. Please support this response with your gifts and designate International Emergency on this donation page