Bonnie's Letter

Psalm 8:3-4 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them,

human beings that you care for them?

Dear friends,

As I was thinking about what to write this week, I thought about it being the first day of June, spring in northern PA, the beginning of Pride Month, and a beautiful, albeit hot, spring day. As I gazed around as I walked my dog this morning, flowers and clover were in bloom, birds were flitting about and singing from tree branches, and a light breeze was blowing. How good it felt to inhabit the earth on this day. With all of creation around us, who are we, as human beings, to think we are more important than anything else under creation? And yet, we know from scripture that we were created in the image and likeness of God – all of us in our marvelous diversity.

God is mindful of us, and we need to be mindful of each other as we walk here on the earth, inhabiting the creation given into our care. The love of God is for each and every one of us – those who look and think like us, and those who do not; those who love and partner as we do and those who do not, those who celebrate and grieve as we do and those who do not.

The myriad peoples of the earth, all created in the image of God, sustain relationships and community through our actions together, through our grace offered to each other, through our gentleness, kindness, and love for one another. Often, I hear from people who disagree with the thoughts I share in these letters. Sometimes I hear from people who appreciate what I write. I write for you and for me, to remind us of the love of God and the actions we need to take to be active communities of faith in our local congregations and our conference. You can agree or disagree, but I anything I write generates thinking about faith and community, I have succeeded in my efforts.

Sometimes I am at a loss for what to write about and when that is the case, I go to scripture to find a theme. Scripture always speaks to my mind and my heart, as it may yours. Today I was reminded, through Psalm 8, of all that God has created and that we are included in that creation; that God is mindful of who we are and what we do. May we be as mindful of God, creation, and each other.

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)

The United Church of Christ has a long history of addressing and advocating for an end to racist policies and practices, including systemic and institutional racism within the Christian church. In 2003 General Synod 24 adopted a resolution calling for the UCC to be an antiracist church stating that “racism is rooted in a belief of the superiority of whiteness and bestows benefits, unearned rights, rewards, opportunities, advantages, access, and privilege on Europeans and European descendants.”

Through the Join the Movement toward Racial Justice initiative we are making explicit and concrete our antiracist commitments so that the UCC might live more fully into the historic efforts we’ve made to becoming an antiracist denomination. We are building on the revolutionary work of our freedom-making ancestors as we cultivate intersectional movements with healing and repair at the center and align ourselves with the movement of the Spirit toward justice.

Every setting of the UCC, from local churches to global partners has a role to play in expanding our practices of antiracism and strengthening our capacities as partners and participants in the burgeoning racial justice movements of our time.

To equip us on this journey toward racial justice,

we are calling on the whole church to engage in an all-church read of

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

NEW...ONA (Open and Affirming) Community of Practice

(new COP being offered)

Facilitator: Rev. Laura Oesterle, Assistant Chaplain, Moravian College

This COP will be a half year commitment and will cost $125

If interested - please email or call Patty at the Penn Northeast Conference Office - pattyr@pnec.org;

610-826-3113

NEW...Faith Formation Community of Practice

(this is a new COP being offered)

Facilitator: Janet Newett, pastor of UCC Greenawalds, Allentown

This COP will be a half year commitment and will cost $125

If interested - Please email or call Patty at the Penn Northeast Conference Office - pattyr@pnec.org ; 610-826-3113

Generosity Updates

• Upcoming Stewardship Webinars

Selected 4th Wednesdays

7:30pm - 8:30pm

Eastern Time Unless Noted -- Webinars Are Not Recorded

CLICK HERE FOR FULL ARTICLES

“Can the Church Change?” Summit

A collaboration between the United Church of Christ and Convergence. Five days, Ten Conversations. A big question. By signing up for your FREE access, you’ll get access to two conversations daily, with leaders like Traci Blackmon, Diana Butler Bass, Brian McClaren, Miguel de la Torre and others lending their wisdom to the space. If you can’t catch the videos on the day they’re aired, but know you want to have this content for the future, think about purchasing your lifetime access - registration here. Don’t miss these galvanizing, hopeful conversations. 

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.

LUNCH & LEARN: SECURE ACT 2.0

Rethinking Retirement Investments & Estate Planning for 2023 and Beyond

Date: Sunday, June 11th

Location: Old Zionsville UCC, 5981 Fountain Road, Zionsville,PA18092

Post Worship Lunch: 12:15pm –12:45pm

Educational Workshop: 12:45pm –1:30pm

Click Here for Detailed Flyer

Walk to Combat Family Homelessness

Join us on June 3rd

Family Promise of Lehigh Valley has been selected to be a participating organization in the Annual Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community. This year the walk will be held at DeSales University on Saturday June 3, 2023. 

Please consider joining us by doing the following:

• Watch for and share walk information on our Family Promise Facebook Site
• Put together a team to walk on behalf of Family Promise
• Walk as an individual
• 5K Walk begins at 9:00 A.M. - 1 Mile Walk begins at 9:15 A.M.
• Purchase a Family Promise Tee-Shirt for $10.00

For more information or to sign up to walk click below or contact Family Promise at 610-351-1368 or visit our website at www.fplehighvalley.org Click Here to Register

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