Bonnie's Letter

“Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Psalm 30:5

 Dear Friends,

We walk day by day, hopefully, in the footsteps of Jesus. We are called to teach and preach and love and bless, to offer grace and compassion, forgiveness, and generosity in ways we might not have been able to imagine. Yet, we persist. We continue. We step into the future knowing the uncertainty of life, but the certainty of the presence of our God.

Recently I have heard story after story of loss, tragedy, pain, and even hopelessness. Yet, I know a God of hope. I know a God who walks with us, who brings hope every morning, even when the skies and the days seem darkest.

Relief efforts for Maui have been announced. Grants have been received for disaster response work in Easton and Bradford County. Compassion is demonstrated by offering help, a shoulder to lean on, and hugs to those in pain. I have myself been the recipient of this level of care and love over the last few weeks.

Where do we get the strength to continue? How do we look at the pain in the world and keep going, keep caring, keep loving our neighbor? Our strength, as Paul writes, is from the Lord. ("My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12) God’s strength is revealed in our weakness, in our struggle and in our pain. God is present – not to necessarily remove the pain, although that would be a hope, but to accompany us in the pain, in the loss, in the sorrow and in the weaknesses, we experience for ourselves and others.

So, when the days are the most difficult, when the clouds seem to block out the sun, when sorrow burdens us, remember the light of God’s grace, compassion and love and know that we are not alone. That is my prayer for us all. Blessings, Bonnie

News from our Conference Minister in Hawaii, the Reverend David Popham.

Please hold all our beloveds in prayer in this difficult time. (see below)

Subject: Hawaii Relief

Hawai‘i Conference UCC

For our wider church ‘ohana and anyone wanting to support Maui from a distance at this time, you are invited to contribute to our disaster relief fund: bit.ly/hcuccrelief. (Congregations may mail their donations toward the Maui Fires to the Penn Northeast Conference Office (431 Delaware Ave, Palmerton, PA 18071 or mail them directly to the United Church of Christ at P.O. Box 71957, Cleveland, PA 44194.)

We are still in a time of disaster response and planning and the situation is very fluid. Our number one concern has been for peoples’ safety and well-being. We are assessing what peoples’ most pressing needs are at this time and trying to ensure that their physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being are tended to.

The Conference is taking a two-pronged approach in our response. The first prong is immediate assistance through funds from the HCUCC disaster relief funds reserve. Funds could be used for gas, clothes, toiletries—those types of immediate needs. An initial release of funds was made Thursday.

The second prong is long-term recovery. Danny Tengan is heading this up as the Conference Disaster Ministries Coordinator. He is well-networked and is leading the way. Danny is active with Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD) and has already advised that financial funds are the best way to help. Goods gathered on neighboring islands would need to be sorted by volunteers on Maui, straining the volunteer pool there.

He sent out this notice yesterday:

- No food needed. (Salvation Army is the lead) – Too many unannounced volunteers dropping food off that is being wasted.

- Shelter numbers -Tavares - 103, Maui HS - 234, War Memorial - 265, Hawaii Convention Center - 622, Honolulu Airport - 1,400. No count at Maui LDS and King’s Chapel.

- Federal declaration for Individual Assistance approved.

- Five Cellular on Wheels (COW) inbound.

- DO NOT SELF DEPLOY!!!! Too many people plugging up the roads and not enough bed spaces.

- Red Cross has reunification number: 1-800-redcross.

- 211 is Hawaii State VOAD resource number for any type of services needed.

Further, Danny has already alerted our Maui pastors about VOAD’s Long Term Recovery Committee. The Conference will be working in partnership with the Committee which will open cases for each family affected.

All three national UCC officers have contacted us. Karen Georgia Thompson, General Minister and President, shared a prayer and sends her aloha.

The financial entities of the UCC have pledged help and are creatively thinking through best methods to assist the recovery.

For updates on what’s happening on Maui please visit: https://www.mauicounty.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=12672

--

James

Rev. Dr. James Ellis Fouther, Jr. (he, him, his)

Western Region Generosity Officer

United Church of Christ, National Ministries

Trip to Carlisle Indian Industrial School – August 5, 2023

written by Rev. Suzanne Schaeffer

On August 5, a group of ten PNEC and PCC folks visited the Cumberland Barracks, the former site of the Carlisle Indian Boarding School, to tour the historic grounds and cemetery. Rev. Suzanne Schaeffer summarized the experience in the article below:

In July the 34^th General Synod of the United Church of Christ voted on a resolute ion calling for a new study on our church’s relationship with the Indian Boarding Schools and the Boarding Schools in Hawai’i. A synopsis of the resolution states, “on May 11, 2022, the Department of the Interior held a press conference to reveal a ‘Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative Investigative Report.’ CLICK HERE to read further.

Meditation and Prayer Gatherings with Kris Snyder

Looking for some peace and ways to decompress?

We meet by zoom monthly for meditation and prayer.

Penn Northeast Conference Community

Thursdays at 12noon

September 14 and 28, October 12 and 26, November 9 and 30

Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81188127483?pwd=TzdmTFpIaXVtMjRQSHY1K1hOdkV2dz09

Meeting ID: 811 8812 7483 Passcode: 348630

NOTE: You can count this as continuing education credits.

OR

Union UCC Community

Tuesdays 7-8pm

September 12, October 10, November 14, December 12

Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87680378046?pwd=QmozYWJFemJOVENCdWJBbzRpbDVIUT09

Meeting ID: 876 8037 8046 Passcode: 954906

Christian Creyer installation as chaplain of Phoebe, Richland

Phoebe Ministries, Richland Invites you to the Installation of Rev. Christian B. Creyer, M.Div. as Chaplain on Monday, Aug. 28 at 2:00p. Because the event will be held outdoors, under the pavilion (in Meadow Glen multi-purpose room should the weather not cooperate), clergy are invited to wear what they are most comfortable in wearing (robes and stoles not required). Phoebe Richland is located at 108 S. Main St., Richlandtown. Click here for a flyer to share.

OFFERED by Penn Central Conference

Fifth Stream Conversations - Rev. Dr. Nora is planning three fall conversations open to the whole church on the recognition of the UCC’s fifth founding stream, the Afro-Christian Convention. At Synod the Historical Council made a formal report that the Afro-Christian Convention has been named the “fifth stream” alongside the Congregational, Christian, German Reformed, and Evangelical Synod. The Convention was always a part of the denomination but had been lumped in with the (white) Christian stream. There were, as Rev. Dr. John Dorhauer put it in his official apology, “always five.” He shared his grief of how so many children and adults had learned that there were only four theological streams/traditions present at our founding and this fifth tradition had been willfully subjugated, rather than lifted up for recognition.

This will be exciting learning for us as we explore the Afro-Christian Convention together and refresh our existing knowledge around the Christian, Congregational, Evangelical, and Reformed traditions also present at our founding. The first two sessions will be largely the same with in-person and zoom options available and the November date will be sort of a deeper dive into the Afro-Christian Convention with some of the contributors to the new book Afro-Christian Convention: The Fifth Stream of the United Church of Christ available from Pilgrim Press, Amazon, and your favorite local bookseller.

3pm September 24^th Mt. Zion, York In-person and Zoom

3pm October 15^th St. Paul’s at the Farm, Lewisburg In-Person and Zoom

3pm November 12^th ZOOM for all Participants

Register here: https://penncentralconference.regfox.com/the-fifth-stream

Trauma Training Program

Sept. 23rd and Sept. 30th

 (Offered by Pennsylvania Southeast Conference)

A partnership between The Welcome Project PA, Lakeside Global Institute, & PSEC

The Welcome Project PA [WPPA], in partnership with Lakeside Global Institute and the Pennsylvania Southeast Conference of the United Church of Christ , is pleased to offer professional trauma training modules for ministry leaders and volunteers in their respective contexts, to prepare them to better assist their constituents who have suffered trauma. The purpose of this program is to assist professionals in their caring for people who have suffered various forms of trauma, to create an awareness of the causes and consequences of trauma, and how it affects our human relationships and social interactions. Finally, this program strives to enable those who have suffered/continue to suffer from trauma, a path forward to progress and a way out of destructive cycles. Trauma 101 and 102 will cover the basics of trauma. The subsequent sessions with The Welcome Project PA and the PSEC will apply the trauma training to more specifically define, explore, and discuss religious trauma and its effects on both individuals and faith communities.

For more information and to register, click here.

The Colors of Hope Conference

September 30 - 9AM to 5PM (doors open at 8:30AM)

held at First Presbyterian Church, 333 Spring Garden St., Easton

Presented By: Trinity Episcopal Church of Easton, First Presbyterian Church of Easton, and St. Brigid's Episcopal Church of Nazareth

Join us for a one day event as we explore and learn about leadership, faith, and allyship in the LGBTQIA+ community. This is perfect for those who want to learn more about the community or who want to strengthen their allyship skills. This event is free to the public and will include lunch, coffee, and beverages. Resource tables will be on hand to supply further information about each of the organizations present. Seating is limited, so please RSVP no later than September 20 - call Alison at 610-253-0792 or Jonathan at 610-253-3579. Click Here for detailed flyer.

Local Church Security: Resources and Best Practices

The UCC General Counsel, Heather Kimmel, posted a blog post last week on Local Church Security: Resources and Best Practices. This post compiles a number of resources available for Local Churches to assess their physical security. In the past year the UCC has had a number of churches experience property damage and vandalism as attacks on their theology. We’ve also had several pastors experience having their conversations recorded, heavily edited, and posted to extremist websites, resulting in threats to the church and the pastor. We hope this post helps.

2023 Stewardship Theme Materials

Click Here for details...

Join Us for Upcoming Webinars and Events from the UCC

Nurture The Soul - Thursdays - 3:30-4:30PM Eastern

Creation Justice

CLICK HERE for Full Listing and details

Diversity Training

 Wednesday, November 8 on Zoom

Facilitated by Rev. Cean James and Rev. Kevin McLemore (PSEC)

Diversity - what is it, how does it increase the vitality of our communities and congregations and our commitment to Christ? All authorized ministers are required to regularly complete training on Cultural Diversity/Sensitivity and Institutional Racism.

If you cannot make the scheduled time: we are offering an option to "view the recording of the event on your own time and complete a one-page synopsis of what you viewed".

REGISTER

https://diversity110823.eventbrite.com

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.

• Rev. Gary Barraco reserved space for a unified PNEC booth again. Folks can email him if they want to be part of the planning team. garybarraco@verizon.net
• Want to learn more about becoming a vendor at Pride? Click here..
• Want to learn more about becoming a sponsor at Pride? Click here..

Here is the link to sign-up to help at the Pride event on 8.20.23 --.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409044DAAAA29A3F94-pnec2

We celebrate having had the opportunity to meet a number of our UCC conference ministers, staff, delegates, COM members and clergy while we were at the recent General Synod meeting. If we didn’t get to see you personally, we hope we have an opportunity to do so in the future.

           It’s time for us to alert you to PATHWAYS’ Fall Schedule of Courses, especially the Fall II courses that begin in October. Fall I begins in mid-to-late August and people can still sign up any time during the first week of class. Fall II courses will begin in October. Now is the time to try one of our courses and to invite friends and colleagues to sign up for the Fall courses.

Cost Effective Apply online at PATHWAYStheological.org

6-week courses are $325.

The 12-week UCC History and Polity course is only $625.

UCC History & Polity

●     HT21206 UCC History & Polity (12-weeks) (Sept 6- Dec 8)

Fall I: 6-week Courses Begin August 21, 2023

●     TH10603 Variety of Belief within Christianity Today (6-weeks) (Aug 21-Sept 30)

●     TH10601 Making Sense of Theology (6-weeks) (Aug 21-Oct 2)

●     MP10605 Spiritual Care of Self and Others (6-weeks) (Aug 21-Sept 30)

●     MP20603 Small Church Administration (6-weeks) (Aug 21-Sept 30)

●     TH30607 Contextual Theology (6-weeks) (Aug 21-Sept 30)

Fall II: 6-week Courses Begin October 2 or 9, 2023

●     BF10602 Understanding the Bible as a Progressive Christian (Oct 9-Nov 10)         

●     BF20602 Old Testament Hermeneutics (Oct 9-Nov 19)

●     TH30605 Ecological Theology (Oct 2-Nov 12)

●     MP30609 Practicing Our Faith in the Public Square (Oct 9-Nov 19)

●     HT10604 Stories of Christian Saints and Sinners (Oct 9-Nov 19)     

           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 progressive theology courses in theology, ethics, praxis and more. The courses are asynchronous, geographically unbound, affordable, and aligned with the UCC Marks of Faithful and Effective Authorized Ministers. The learners cannot hide in these online classes! The course requires people to answer the weekly questions as a blog post to which the other learners respond. This asynchronous approach builds community among the learners and with the facilitator. Please be in touch with any questions. Individuals may apply online at pathwaystheological.org.

Disaster Ministries

Our Lutheran partners in the Lehigh Valley are hosting an event on September 10, 2023 to replenish hygiene kits and flood buckets that we used to respond to the flooding events of July 2023 in Berks, Northampton and Bucks counties. The event will take place at the Lutheran Center, 2354 Grove Road, Allentown, from noon to 3 PM. There are several ways you can help:

• Sign up to donate supplies for Flood Buckets  and Hygiene Kits
• Make buckets ahead of time and deliver them on Sept 10
• Come to learn how you can get more involved

See the attached flyer for more information. Questions? Please contact Heidi Shilanskas.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~