From The Spiritual Development Ministry Team

Due to circumstances beyond anyone’s control, the PNEC Annual Youth Retreat scheduled for March 1, 2024 – March 3, 2024 is CANCELLED. We hope to continue to find ways to engage our youth in conference wide events in the future. Keep an eye out for upcoming events.  

Bonnie's Letter

“Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you” (Ephesian 4:31-32).

Dear Friends,

An extremely creative church colleague makes beautiful wreaths. I asked her to make one for me. It is full of flowers and ribbons and has a wonderful message, “In a world where you can be anything, be kind.” I really cannot wait until it is a little warmer to add this wreath to my door. Yet, in the meantime I have been thinking about the words noted above.

Many of us have the option of choosing our lives, our jobs, our education, our homes, and our friends. Some are not so lucky. Those of us with a multitude of blessings need to remember that not everyone has the same benefits, had the same benefits, or will ever have the same benefits. The challenges may be due to finances, family structures and history, race, ethnicity, gender identity or sexual orientation. We do not all have the same chances.

Yet, all of us can choose to be kind. It is a conscious choice we can make. Jesus called on us to love one another as we would like to be loved. A colleague of mine has amended that to say, “we should love others as they would like to be treated.” That shifts the focus from what we desire to what the other people in our life need or desire in the way of treatment. I wonder if it is as easy to be kind as it is to be cruel. I wonder which takes more energy. What do you think?

We live in a culture which seems to choose arguing over listening, diatribes over dialogues and it is tough in such a culture to act with love and compassion. We are called to do so. Even when Jesus was being brutally honest, He was sharing His perspective with an eye toward love and unity. Speaking the truth can be done with love. Disagreeing can be accomplished without recrimination. We can agree to disagree, incorporate listening with compassion into our regular practice, and love one another.

I think about the approaching liturgical season of Lent. As a child, and sometimes even as an adult, I have chosen to give something up for Lent. This year, instead of giving something up, I am going to try to do as many acts of kindness per day as I can. Now this will be hard for me when I am driving (I have told you all how impatient I get with other drivers), and yet, I am especially going to try to practice kindness then. Perhaps you will join me and move into a more regular habit of offering kindness and compassion to others. I think by doing so, we can change the world. Blessings, Bonnie

Celebrations - Recent Accomplishments of several PNEC Teams and Committees as reported to the Board of Directors

• The Congregational Vitality Team is celebrating the completion of their second 'How to Church' video series featuring the importance of connections to the “wider church”. And, they have decided the third video will focus on community engagement. Here is the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AZBbJLBMOQ&t=260s

• Local Congregational Support is reaching out to congregations that are not as active in conference life or are not strong givers to OCWM. Also, they are responding to congregations which filled out a survey about what they do well and will begin publicizing these successes so others may learn from them.
• Spiritual Development Team intends to make a calendar of 2024 goals the next time they meet, and they are beginning to plan details of the Youth Retreat titled ”Messy Faith” at the beginning of March at Spruce Lake.
• The Authorization Working Group is celebrating recent decisions supporting those advancing in their ministry, including approving Sharon Frye for ecclesiastical Council which will be held on January 20th at Faith UCC in Hazelton. They will also begin to work with Bonnie Bates and the Keystone Group to help the other conferences understand how they are structured since other conferences use different processes.
• The Nominating Committee is completing a slate of nominees to be voted on at the joint Conference meeting in June, but they have also recommended four individuals to fill interim, unexpired terms on the Conference Board and on the Authorized Working group which the Board will vote on at the January meeting.
• The Committee on Ministry celebrates the accomplishments of the three working groups that make up this committee and the dedication of members that make that important work possible.
• The YEA Fund Team is celebrating their ability to make grants to 4 youth/young adults and to allocate $1,000 to the Spring Youth Retreat. Nine grants were also made to adults.
• The GEM Fund Team is celebrating a grant of $1,000 to Faith UCC in Center Valley to create a new eco-friendly garden aiming to restore native, non-invasive plants, and then use the garden as an educational installation. 

Join a 2024 Community of Practice

CLICK Here to see full listing of availability.

There is an annual $250 fee for participants to cover the cost of the facilitator and any other program costs. 

Important Keystone Update

The Keystone Working Group continues its work on the possibility of the four Pennsylvania Conferences becoming a single Keystone Conference. We invite you to circle Saturday, November 9, 2024, on your calendars for a Penn Northeast Conference Meeting. During that morning at the same time, each Conference will take a vote on a resolution to bring before General Synod. As you continue to think and pray about the possibilities that a reconfigured Keystone Conference might bring, You are invited to consider the following documents recently released by the Keystone Working Group…

Frequently Asked Questions: FAQs-January-2024-added.pdf (psec.org)

Keystone Basis of Union: Keystone-Basis-of-Union-Final-Jan-2024.pdf (psec.org)

Keystone Case Statement: Keystone-Case-Statement-Final.pdf (psec.org)

Thank you for keeping the work of the Keystone Working Group in your prayers. Blessings to each of you.

• Bonnie Bates, Conference Minister

Keystone Working Group

Communications Summary of January 19, 2024 Meeting

We invite you to share this summary widely in your ministry settings.

Meeting January 19 by Zoom, we discussed the ongoing process overview. We reviewed the priority of functions to support the ministry of the local church and pastors in ministry settings. Out of all the functions identified, the top 5 functions were (1) Administrative/Legal, (2) Oversight/Authorization, (3) Pastoral Care, (4) Leadership Training and (5) Search and Call.

The Working Group approved final versions of the Case Statement and Basis for Union for the Keystone Project website. The Working Group also approved Frequently Asked Questions that consolidated questions and responses from our listening and presentation gatherings across all 4 conferences. You can find the FAQs at https://psec.org/keystone/.

We’ve been asked, “What do we mean by a ‘big tent?’ ” In the UCC and the 4 conference areas, we share a diverse spectrum and many commonalities. We strive for consensus and honor each perspective’s faithfulness to remain engaged in conversation. With our varied demographics, our theology and traditions, we embrace our deep commitment to the love of God and neighbor. We believe in this “big tent” way to be the Church! There is a place to be inspired and call “home” for all in this Keystone Conference “big tent,” because Together We Are Stronger!

Five subgroups will meet and gather more detailed information to share next steps in our progress toward further development of recommendations for a proposed merger of the 4 area conferences. Conference Ministers and Task Groups continue to study issues related to:

·      Finance

·      Governance

·      Legal Issues

·      Approval Process

·      Staffing Needs

Realizing that “Hope alone is not a plan,” we know that merged ministries call for more resources to meet our aspirations. We believe any new conference programming and guidance will better equip and strengthen our many places of worship to be the starting points for transformation. Aspiration anchored in reality will guide us in meeting our goals.

We further explored our initial logo presentation and “Keystone Conference” name. We aim to create an image and name that will guide us as we form the new conference. It is important early on to secure domain and social media options to help us clearly and consistently communicate who we are in our process. The new body and governance leadership can then recommend logos and a conference name going forward. The initial logo design of the “Keystone Conference” is also available on the website.

Please visit the Keystone Conference Project website hosted by the PSEC at https://psec.org/keystone/ Your questions and comments continue to help us develop a greater shared ministry. You can always reach us by email at Keystone.Conference.Project@gmail.com or direct mail through your own area Conference Office.

Remember to Save the Date for the joint meeting of all 4 conference areas, June 7-9, 2024  at State College. A Communications Booklet will soon be developed in preparation for the event.

Sharing our progress in grace and hope,

KWG Communications Team

Steve Davis           St. John’s UCC, Fullerton (PNEC)

Heather Kurtz                  Zion UCC, Arendtsville (PCC)

Bob Fogal              Peace in Zion, Zieglerville (PSEC)

Deb Long               First Trinity UCC, Youngwood (PWC)

*A study, discernment and working group of the 4 PA area UCC Conferences – Penn West, Penn Central, Penn NE, and Pennsylvania SE

Lenten Prayer Gatherings

The 4 PA UCC Conference Ministers and UCC Staff Members will lead weekly prayer gatherings during Lent on Wednesdays from 12:00-12:30pm. The first prayer time is Wednesday, February 21 and will follow each Wednesday until March 20th.

To register for the zoom link, click here.



From Exodus to Jesus and Beyond: Progressive Christianity, Social Justice, and the Bible

Ground yourself in this five-part online series in which we will explore the lessons and values of our faith tradition that can, sometimes surprisingly, inform our work to build a better world.

Tuesdays during Lent, 4:00-6:00pm PST, $75 per person for 5 workshops.

Register and find more info here.

BROWN ENDOWMENT SCHOLARSHIPS 2024

Applications are open for the Helen and Richard Brown Endowment for Pastoral Scholarships for the 2024-2025 academic year. UCF is honored to serve as a trustee for the Brown Endowment, managing both investment of the endowed funds and allocation of over $300,000 each year for individual scholarships, as well as grants to UCC conferences, seminaries, and global partners. CLICK HERE to learn about the qualifications and to apply. 

Click Here to Learn More & Register

Harriet Tubman

Thursday, March 14, 2024 at 6 p.m.

Registration is free.

This lecture will be recorded and available to view on our YouTube channel at a later date.

REGISTER TO ATTEND IN PERSON

Registration may also be completed by email at info@pittsburghlectures.org or by phone at 412.622.8866.

WHERE

Carnegie Library Lecture Hall

4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, 15213

Most Americans know of Harriet Tubman’s legendary life: escaping enslavement in 1849, she led more than 60 others out of bondage via the Underground Railroad, gave instructions on getting to freedom to scores more, and went on to live a lifetime fighting for change. Yet the many biographies, children’s books, and films about Tubman omit a crucial chapter: during the Civil War, hired by the Union Army, she ventured into the heart of slave territory–Beaufort, South Carolina–to live, work, and gather intelligence for a daring raid up the Combahee River to attack the major plantations of Rice Country, the breadbasket of the Confederacy.

Edda L. Fields-Black–herself a descendent of one of the participants in the raid–shows how Tubman commanded a ring of spies, scouts, and pilots and participated in military expeditions behind Confederate lines. On June 2, 1863, Tubman and her crew piloted two regiments of Black US Army soldiers, the Second South Carolina Volunteers, and their white commanders up coastal South Carolina’s Combahee River in three gunboats. In a matter of hours, they torched eight rice plantations and liberated 730 people, people whose Lowcountry Creole language and culture Tubman could not even understand. Black men who had liberated themselves from bondage on South Carolina’s Sea Island cotton plantations after the Battle of Port Royal in November 1861 enlisted in the Second South Carolina Volunteers and risked their lives in the effort.

Using previous unexamined documents, including Tubman’s US Civil War Pension File, bills of sale, wills, marriage settlements, and estate papers from planters’ families, Fields-Black brings to life intergenerational, extended enslaved families, neighbors, praise-house members, and sweethearts forced to work in South Carolina’s deadly tidal rice swamps, sold, and separated during the antebellum period.

Dr. Edda L. Fields-Black teaches history at Carnegie Mellon University and has written extensively about the history of West African rice farmers, including in such works as Deep Roots: Rice Farmers in West Africa and the African Diaspora. She was a co-editor of Rice: Global Networks and New Histories, which was selected as a Choice Outstanding Academic Title. Fields-Black has served as a consultant for the Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History and Culture’s permanent exhibit, “Rice Fields of the Lowcountry.” She is the executive producer and librettist of “Unburied, Unmourned, Unmarked: Requiem for Rice,” a widely performed original contemporary classical work by celebrated composer John Wineglass.

Turning Point of the Lehigh Valley

Community Conversations

Zoom Webinar Virtual Lunch & Learn Power and Control: The Intersection of Domestic and Intimate Partner Abuse and Human Trafficking

Monday, January 22nd 11am - 12pm (EST)

Attendance is at no cost to the community. Certificates of Attendance can be provided. At this time, no CEUs are provided.

Turning Point of the Lehigh Valley, in collaboration with Heal Trafficking, invites you to our January Community Conversation Webinar in honor of National Human Trafficking Awareness Month. Join us for a discussion on intimate partner abuse and human trafficking efforts, as we work to further understand the nuances of these complex issues and how to help address the issue to best support survivors. Guest Speakers for the event are Catharine Kessack, MSW, LSW, Housing Advocacy Director for Turning Point of Lehigh Valley; Nani Cuadrado, MSPAS, PA-C, Director of Education for Heal Trafficking

Link to Join: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84035703712?pwd=twtgTsgVckwJCRmrLSJg8x5MfPrT9w.1

Lehigh Presbytery and Synod of the Trinity's financial support of Fairness PA

a statewide LGBTQIA+ support network establishing itself in Pennsylvania

One of our ministry candidates is on the board of directors (as is the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania), and she has sent the following update.

To give a brief update on where we are: 

1. Our website is now up and running! You can find information about Fairness PA here, including our Board of Directors, our mission, current news, contact information, and more: https://www.fairnesspenn.org/

2. We have now officially raised enough money to hire a State Director for the organization! Please share the job posting with folx that might be qualified and interested: https://www.fairnesspenn.org/news/position-announcement-state-director.

Our goal for 2024 is to acquire an office in Harrisburg for the new director and start organizing both the educational efforts and legislative advocacy components of Fairness PA. We have a board retreat scheduled for April and plan to celebrate PRIDE in Pittsburgh on June 1st, conducting further outreach across the state.

Rev. Rhonda K Kruse

Transitional Presbytery Leader, Lehigh Presbytery & Lackawanna Presbytery

(610) 391-9020, ext 1 (office); (610) 360-8823 (mobile)

Sign up for book study with the Racial Justice Initiative

The PSEC Zachariah Walker Racial Justice Initiative is offering a six-week book study on Faithful Antiracism: Moving Past Talk to Systemic Change, by Christina Barland Edmondson and Chad Brennan. This book speaks directly to Christians who may feel ill-equipped to recognize and respond to racism. The authors use research analysis, theology, history, and social-political ethics to create interventions that challenge and resist racism in our institutions and everyday lives. There are two different time slots available for this exciting six-week book study:

·   Thursdays from 7:00-8:00p, Feb. 1-March 7 (hosted by Rev. Ann Therese Ortiz and Liz Brunton)

·   Tuesdays from 2:00-3:00p, Feb. 6-March 12 (hosted by Rev. Geneva Butz and Rev. Stephen Ohnsman)

Anyone is welcome to participate. To register, click here.

“Seas May Get Rough: What Your Church Can Do about Climate Change” 

A resource offered by Dave Bushnell to any of you who might like to encourage the material to be used in your congregation this coming Lenten/Easter season.  

I will gladly send you a PDF file of elective (99 pages) to review.  I’m  working to organize a number of congregations ( to date UCC and Lutheran)  who would begin a mid-week study beginning the week of February 19 and continuing for ten weeks to conclude by the end of April.  

The suggested format for the ten sessions includes a Talk followed by small group sharing sessions.  I suggest a 90 minute mid-week format rather than Sunday morning (there’s just too much per session to get it all in a 60 minute Sunday School class.)  I have developed a lesson plan for each session that includes many on-line resources to augment each session.

 I will have a printed manual (99 pages) for each church planning to share the elective.  Participants at each church will also be able to download the PDF file for their own use. 

LOCAL CLIMATE SOLUTIONS is my prime focus in these later retirement years.  When people ask me why I’m involved in this way…my answer is simple: GRANDCHILDREN.   I am a retired UCC pastor who served as chair of the 2023 Earth Day Climate Summit.  I have helped organize a Hamilton Park Climate Action Neighborhood and serve on RegenAll’s  (local non-profit) Community Outreach Committee.  I am also active with Lancaster Citizen’s Climate Lobby.  

If you want the PDF File for “Seas May Get Rough”  email me at abushnell@aol.com  

DR. STEPHEN TRZECIAK TO PRESENT KEYNOTE “COMPASSIONOMICS AND THE WONDER DRUG” AT “COMPASSION IN ACTION,” A CONFERENCE

PRESENTED BY THE PHOEBE INSTITUTE ON AGING

The Phoebe Institute on Aging (PIA) presents “Compassion in Action” featuring keynote speaker Stephen Trzeciak, MD, MPH, physician scientist, professor, clinical researcher, intensivist (specialist in intensive care medicine), and co-author of “Compassionomics: The Revolutionary Scientific Evidence that Caring Makes a Difference” (2019), and “Wonder Drug: 7 Scientifically Proven Ways That Serving Others Is the Best Medicine for Yourself.”

Presented on Thursday, April 18, from 7:45 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at DeSales University, University Center, 2755 Station Ave, Center Valley, Pennsylvania, the conference will examine how compassionate care can support goals like workforce well-being, both long-term care resident and patient experience, safety, quality, and innovation, as well as additional content to support caregivers and leaders during this challenging time.

Trzeciak, the Chair of Medicine at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, the Chief of Medicine at Cooper University Health Care, and TEDx Penn presenter of How 40 Seconds of Compassion Could Save a Life, will explore eye-opening data reflecting that compassion could be a wonder drug for the 21st Century. 

In addition to Dr. Trzeciak, presenters include Dr. Karen E. Joseph-Kent, PhD, Assistant Professor, DeSales University; Dr. Joseph E. Vincent, MD, retired pulmonary and critical care medicine provider at Lehigh Valley Hospital; Dr. Stephen E. Lammers, PhD, retired professor of Religious Studies at Lafayette College; Melissa “Missy” Wise, Resiliency Project Coordinator of the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley; Rev. Dr. Steve Ohnsman, DMin, Pastor, Calvary United Church of Christ; Michelle Gaugler, NHA, PCHA, LSW, Executive Director, Country Meadows, Bethlehem; and, Rev. Dr. Bonnie Bates, Conference Minister for the Penn Northeast Conference of the United Church of Christ.

For more information and registration, go to 2024 PIA Conference or call 610-794-5163. Register by March 1, 2024, to receive the early bird pricing of $35.00. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are available for health care professionals, social workers, and clergy. 

UCC Webinar—Black History: Unsung Heroes of the Environmental Justice Movement

 (Note: Authorized Ministers, this is an Anti-Racism Training - submit a paragraph to pattyr@pnec.org about what was learned from this webinar to receive credit.)

For Black History Month, the UCC will be celebrating past environmental justice leaders and their historic contributions to the movement. We will lift up and reflect upon the lives of champions for justice such as Dana Alston, Damu Smith, Hazel Johnson, and others. To fully appreciate their impact and legacy, we will hear from those in the movement who knew them. Featured speakers will include those who have been at the forefront of the movement: Robert Bullard, Vernice Miller-Travis, and Peggy Shepard. Even if you cannot make the webinar at its scheduled time on February 14^th at 1 pm ET, still sign-up, and we will send you a link to a recording of it. Register now!!

[Hyperlink: https://UCC.zoom.us/webinar/register/3317054434730/WN_-paE15N7Ty2lmsfnXuFQ3A]

Join Us: Trauma for LGBTQIA+ Communities

February 9, 2024, 9:30-11:30am, Zoom

Free and open to all, thanks to PA Link

Facilitated by: SAGA/Welcome Project PA

This session will discuss the impact of trauma, microaggressions, and discrimination on the physical, emotional, and mental well-being of LGBTQIA+ individuals. It will explore how unintended biases impact the LGBTQIA+ community, and provide terms, tools, and an understanding of how to integrate trauma-informed principles to better meet the needs of LGBTQIA+ populations. Participants will:

• Learn vocabulary and common terminology related to the LGBTQIA+ community. 
• Enhance their knowledge of how trauma affects the body and brain and increase awareness of trauma experiences within the LGBTQIA+ community.
• Conceptualize LGBTQIA+ individuals experiences from a multicultural and trauma-informed lens with considerations for intersectionality and inclusivity.

Explore how to work towards culturally responsive communities to promote health and well-being for all.

Register Here!

Thank you to the PA Link for sponsoring this training to be free and open to all in our community! We are grateful for your partnership and support.

Learn more about SSAGA/Welcome Project PA and our wonderful facilitators!

The Institute for Youth Ministry’s Princeton Forum on Youth Ministry at Princeton Theological Seminary

This year’s theme is “Craft: The Future of Youth Ministry,” and the event dates are April 30 - May 3, 2024, on the seminary campus. We believe the Forum is a unique opportunity for youth ministry leaders who crave a community of peers seeking to be transformed through theological reflection that meets practical application in ministry with young people.  

Youth ministers are often the ones called upon in the church to cast a vision for how we can build life together with young people in our congregations and communities. Will you please share about this event with those who are doing youth ministry in your congregation? We have also attached a flyer that you can share on social media and in newsletters with the ministry leaders who would find value in our resources. More information can also be found on our Facebook and Instagram platforms.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. Thank you for your help in spreading the word!

Building Ministry Together, 

Barbara Holland 

Barbara Holland(She/her), ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT, INSTITUTE FOR YOUTH MINISTRY

Princeton Theological Seminary, Office: 609.497.7914, https://iym.ptsem.edu/

Disaster Ministries

Cold & Flue Season Kit - Click to Read

Cyber Safety for Kids - Click to Read

Cyber Security for Older Adults - Click to Read

Ready PA Monthly - Click Here to Read

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