Bonnie's Letter

Matthew 25:40 – And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’

If we had any doubts about how interconnected we all are, one only needed to look outside or go outside and breathe the air in the last few days. Wildfires from Canada have been affecting the whole eastern part of the US. We in the Lehigh Valley have had some of the worst air quality in America. But it is not just wildfires that connect us.

When war causes a dam to flood villages in the Ukraine, when a signal error causes a train in India to crash and kill hundreds, when our black, brown and indigenous siblings are beset by death from COVID, AIDS, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, and when injustice is felt by our siblings who identify as LGBTQAI+, or with mental health, cognitive or ability issues – all these impact each and every one of us who are created in the image of God.

We are called by Jesus to love one another – that means all the one “anothers” in our midst, not just those who look like, think like, vote like, or live like us. Jesus reminds us to love one another, and he demonstrates his love by healing, teaching, touching, and living among us. He does not make exceptions, and neither can we.

In Matthew 25, Jesus reminds the people, and therefore us, that when we feed the hungry, offer drink to the thirsty, visit the sick or imprisoned, or clothe the naked, we are caring not just for those among us, but for Jesus himself. I would step out of my way to care for Jesus, as I am sure most of us would. The question is would we step out of our way to help those around us – those like us and those different from us. I hope I would. I hope you would as well.

I will never again doubt our interconnectedness. I have only to have breathed the air the last few days to know how interconnected we are. And our most important connectedness is a being a part of the Body of Christ, and the family of God. May we always see it to be so. - Blessings, Bonnie

Ecclesiastical Council Announced

(An Ecclesiastical Council is the final step in the ordination approval process for a Member in Discernment pending a valid call and granting them permission to circulate their profile within the UCC.)

The Committee on Ministry of the Penn Northeast Conference Invites you to participate in the Ecclesiastical Council for Janet Newett at 9:30am Saturday, July 15, at Greenawalds United Church of Christ, 2325 Albright Avenue, Allentown, PA 18014. You may also participate via Zoom. 

To register to attend, please email Patty Rehrig at the Penn Northeast Conference Office (pattyr@pnec.org) to let her know if you will be attending in person or via zoom. You will receive a copy of Janet's Ordination Paper upon registering. Janet is pastor at Greenawalds and has been an associate chaplain at St. Luke’s since 2019.

Introducing Journeying toward Racial Justice with Ibram X. Kendi

by Bonnie Bates

 (If you are interested in reading this book and joining conversations with other members of PNEC, please let us know. This book study and conversation will count as the required

Anti-Racism Training for Authorized Ministers.)

First discussion scheduled for June 13 at 7PM via zoom

Ibram X. Kendi’s book, How to Be an Antiracist.

Blurring the lines between memoir, history and social analysis, Kendi’s book invites readers into the moment-by-moment work of creating greater racial equity. By sharing stories of his own journey, he helps illuminate how each one of us is being presented with opportunities both large and small, both individually and systemically, to build a more just world through our policies and practices. We hope you will take this opportunity to lean into understanding and dismantling racism based on biology, ethnicity, body, culture, behavior, color, space, and class, as you equip yourselves for the intersectional struggle for racial justice that addresses overlapping networks of oppression and bigotry.

As Kendi says in his introduction, “This book is ultimately about the basic struggle we’re all in, the struggle to be fully human and to see that others are fully human.” As people of faith, we know that this kind of loving regard is an essential part of our discipleship. We hope you’ll join with so many others in exploring how this book and these antiracist practices can move us toward racial justice!

Lehigh Valley Pride

Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center PROUDLY announces that the 30th anniversary of Lehigh Valley Pride will be a FREE event held on Sunday, August 20, at the SteelStacks in Bethlehem from 2 to 8:30 p.m.

We’ve heard your feedback and moved Pride to a more visible and accessible venue. We’re planning for this to be the Lehigh Valley’s most fabulous Pride festival to date! 

• Want to learn more about becoming a vendor at Pride? Click here..
• Want to learn more about becoming a sponsor at Pride? Click here..

CLICK HERE for other dates/events

Congregational Library & Archives

Virtual Discussion With Author, R.J.M. Blackett, to Celebrate the Release of

Samuel Ringgold Ward: A Life of Struggle

Qualifies for anti-racism training with a written summary of learning after the event

Born on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Samuel Ringgold Ward (1817–c. 1869) escaped enslavement and would become a leading figure in the struggle for Black freedom, citizenship, and equality. He was extolled by his contemporary Frederick Douglass for his “depth of thought, fluency of speech, readiness of wit, logical exactness.” Until now, his story has been largely untold.

Ward, a newspaper editor, Congregational minister, and advocate for the temperance movement, was considered one of the leading orators of his time. After the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 he fled to Canada, where he lectured widely to improve conditions for formerly enslaved people who had settled there. Ward then went to Britain as an agent of the Canadian Antislavery Society and published his influential book, Autobiography of a Fugitive Negro. He never returned to the United States, and he died in obscurity in Jamaica.

Despite Ward’s prominent role in the abolitionist movement, his story has been lost because of the decades he spent in exile. In this book, R. J. M. Blackett brings light to Ward’s life and his important role in the struggle against slavery and discrimination, and to the personal price he paid for confronting oppression.

Mark your calendars now to join us on Juneteenth (June 19th) from 1-2 pm EDT.

The event is free to all, but registration is required via this link: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_G5MnIK_lRN2wibxeH8TTMw#/registration

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

LEARN MORE AND REGISTER

Click Here for Informational Flyer

Generosity Updates

• Upcoming Stewardship Webinars

Selected 4th Wednesdays

7:30pm - 8:30pm

Eastern Time Unless Noted -- Webinars Are Not Recorded

July 26 - Discover Your Why: How a Clear Purpose Strengthens

Evangelism, Giving, and Impact

Andrew Warner and Kent Siladi will talk about the importance of understanding the "why" of your congregation. You will learn methods to articulate this reason for being of your Church. Together, we will consider how to use the why to motivate and engage people. Registration for Discover Your Why

August 23 – Narrative Budgets: Telling your Story by the Numbers

A narrative budget translates the line items of a traditional budget into a story of how your congregation makes a difference in the world. It can be a helpful tool for a stewardship campaign or annual meeting. By telling the story of our congregations' impact, we can inspire generosity in our donors. Registration for Narrative Budgets

PATHWAYS Theological Education, Inc. is a 501c3 program that grew from a program of the Southeast Conference UCC. It remains affiliated with the Southeast Conference. The program offers a full menu of courses for those seeking authorized ministry, for those wanting continuing education, and for those looking for a progressive theology, ethics, or practical church course. The courses are asynchronous, geographically unbound, affordable, and aligned with the UCC Marks of Faithful and Effective Authorized Ministers. Please be in touch with any questions. You may apply online at pathwaystheological.org. Click Here for full listing of classes.

Disaster Ministries

Summer is an excellent reminder that there is more to life than work. Too often, especially to those of us in this business of helping others, we forget that there is a life outside of answering emails, thumbs upping Microsoft Teams chats, and taking phone calls after hours. We might sit in our desk chairs, aimlessly staring out the window at the blooming trees and freshly cut lawns, but our daydream is disrupted by a beep, bing, or ring. Like a reflex, we jump to our phones or computers to see what all the fuss is about.

But summer brings with it its own unique set of ways to distract ourselves. Cookouts with friends and family allow us catch up or just pass the time. Swimming at the lake or pool gives us an opportunity to cool off and relax. Firework shows around the 4^th of July gives us a chance to gaze wondrously at the colors and shapes throughout the night sky with our families.

More than an event, these activities are a moment. A moment in our hectic lives to focus on something, anything else other than work. It’s a time to leave the phone in the car, the computer powered down, and, dare we say it, keep our Friday afternoon calendars just a bit more open.

Yes, of course, we’re going to ask that you share this toolkit with your stakeholders. We want to share these safety tips on grilling, fireworks, and swimming safety. It’s our job to throw a bit of cold water on some of the things that make summer fun. But, when you’re dealing with things like fire and water, you can never be too safe.

At the same time, we’d urge you to do the following this summer:

• Take a couple long weekends
• Leave the top off the car or jeep
• Take the dog on a long hike
• Swim in a creek
• Smoke a brisket
• Camp with friends
• Go to a place with bad phone reception
• “Forget” to bring your computer with you on vacation
• Do a cannonball off the high dive
• Sit outside and stare at nothing in particular
• Sit in the air conditioning and pretend its October

As always, we ask that you share this toolkit with as many stakeholders as you can. The more people you share this with, the more we can get this important information out there. And at the very least, we hope to see more people eating ice cream cones with their phone on mute this summer.  

CLICK HERE FOR FLYER