Penn Northeast Conference UCC, 431 Delaware Ave., Palmerton, PA 18071
|
|
Bonnie's Letter
If you pour yourself our for the hungry an satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise and your gloom be as noonday – Isaiah 58:10
Dear friends,
I turned my perpetual calendar to May 11, and this is the scripture that greeted me. The justice task laid before me was to “visualize the ways in which your actions in serving others can bring light to the world.” Not a bad direction for those of us who strive to follow Jesus. We are still amid Eastertide which lasts until Pentecost. We are still called to be praising God for the resurrection of Jesus. And also, I think, we are called to recognize the resurrections, big and small in our own lives. Those moments of Go presence and Spirit leading which brighten our days, our words, our hearts, and our relationships.
I am always speaking with pastors, some for problem-solving and some for comfort, and I will restate something I said to one of our pastors this week. When we act in fear or anger, we do ourselves and others a disservice. It is at those moments we forget that God is with us, that we are community together and that our faith binds us to one another across differences, challenges, and disagreements. The disciples argued. Jesus reminded them to love one another, as Jesus loved them.
It is an important reminder for us in these days when our communities and nation are so very divided around legal interpretation, individual rights, community mores, and even educational requirements. In these days when we tend to have diatribes instead of dialogues, it is good to remember that we are called to pour ourselves into the world. We are called to seek God and the replenishment of the Holy Spirit as we follow Jesus and let that divine light fill us so we can share that love and light in the world.
So how are you pouring yourself into the world in these days? How are you encountering the living Christ and nourishing your spirit so you can lighten the load and the life of another weary traveler on this planet? When will you feel yourself free to comfort and warm the path of someone else? How is light and divine grace and blessing being offered to the world through you?
We will gather this weekend for our Spring Conference Meeting, one focused on interfaith relationships and learning. We will explore Sikhism, Judaism, Islam, and Baha’I faith practices and communities. We will look at how we can work together and the similarities, as well as the difference, among us. We will each and all bring ourselves, as wholly as is possible, to the work of the conference and the challenge of building and maintaining relationships. My hope is that light pours through us and into the world as we live and work and learn and worship together. Blessings, Bonnie
|
|
Update from Alan and Candy Miller dated 5/11/22
After 3 rounds of chemo, which really kicked Alan’s butt, the CT scan yesterday shows no improvement. Tumors are stable. We are really disappointed with this news. We were hoping for big improvement. Dr. Crawford, Alan’s oncologist, said he is going to give him some time off with chemo for now. He will have a PET scan 5/18/2022 and depending on the results, he may need more chemo. He would love to hear from you. Our address is 4080 Saint Johns St, High Point NC 27265
Love, Alan and Candy
|
|
Last Call for these Up-Coming Events & Deadlines |
|
PA Academy of Ministry
Personal and Spiritual Development
May 24 to June 28
Instructor Carrie Call. Tuesdays, 7–8:30pm. A Ministerial Institute class on spiritual disciplines, congregational systems, and vocational discernment.
|
|
Moravian and Mercersburg Traditions: Can These Two Walk Together?
May 23 & 24, 2022
on the campus of Lancaster Theological Seminary, 555 West James St., Lancaster
REGISTRATION DEADLINE -- May 15
|
|
Mark Your Calendars
Here are the next three Conference meetings of PNEC:
- Fall Meeting 2022 - November 5 at Forks UCC, Stockertown
- Spring Meeting 2023 - April 29, Place TBA
- Fall Meeting 2023 - November 4, Place TBA
|
|
From the Mental Health Ministry Team
Did you know May is Mental Health Awareness Month?
Here are some excellent resources you can use:
The Mental Health Ministry Team wants to invite you, both Pastors and Members to reach out to us if you’d like to have training or need resources for working with you and your congregation around these issues.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Rev. Emily B. Hall (Co-Chair) and Mandy Muschett (Co-Chair)
|
|
Poor People’s March on Washington
June 18, 2022
We live in the richest nation to ever exist since God created the earth, yet many in power consistently blame poor people and refuse to take responsibility for economic justice.
140 million Americans– 43% of adults and 52% of children–are poor and low-wealth, suffering in plain sight
For far too long poor people, people of color, Indigenous nations, immigrant families, women, children, the disabled, and LGBTQ communities have been under attack, pitted against each other and blamed for society’s problems. Please take 5 minutes today to consider the pain of poverty in America.
We must put a face and voice on the shameful conditions confronting this nation and for the least of these we must speak and nonviolently force the nation to hear the truth and to see the faces.
That’s why I am going to Washington on Saturday June 18, 2022 to participate in the Poor People’s Campaign and Moral March on Washington and the Polls.
And that’s why I am working locally with POWER Interfaith to organize to address economic and racial injustice in the Lehigh Valley.
If you have any questions, or are interested in getting on the bus with me to go to Washington on June 18, please let me know.
Becca Stephens
484-529-8369
|
|
Boundary Training Offered
In this year, 2022, the responsibility for Boundary Training across our churches falls to the Northeastern PA Synod of the ELCA. We have set up three options in the month of May for in-person training in three different locations across the region. See the attached flyer. It can also be found under the EVENTS tab on our NEPA Synod website. Monday, May 16, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
St. Paul Lutheran Church, 474 Yalick Rd., Dallas, 18612
Friday, May 20, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
St. John Lutheran Church, 200 S. Broad St., Nazareth, 18064
COST: $35 (includes lunch)
|
|
Mindfulness and Meditation Gatherings by Zoom
With Rev. Kris P. Snyder (from Union, Neffs)
Thursdays 12noon to 1pm
May 26, June 9, June 23
By zoom only – use the link below.
Using practices from the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) model, Plum Village Thich Nhat Hanh tradition, Centering Prayer, and a little Qigong and movement we’ll gather for an hour of practice.
No experience necessary, lots of experience welcome too. Sign up here if you are interested and available for some or all of these dates:
Or just show up using the zoom link.
If you’re interested but these times and days don’t work, let me know and we can try to offer more.
Zoom Link:
Meeting ID: 811 8812 7483
Passcode: 348630
One tap mobile
+13017158592,,81188127483#,,,,*348630# US (Washington DC)
+13126266799,,81188127483#,,,,*348630# US (Chicago)
|
|
Virtual Certification through The Church Network
If you would like to learn more about all aspects of Church Administration, or have considered becoming a Certified Church Administrator, you can now take the core educational requirements without leaving your place of work or your family! The Church Network, a nationally recognized leader in providing support for church administrators, is offering online certification courses, easily accessible through Zoom, in two modules.
Seminars will be offered on Thursdays from 12 noon to 3 p.m. Eastern time, with the eight sessions of Module A in the fall of 2022 and eight sessions of Module B in the winter of 2023. You'll get live instruction for the first two hours of each class, followed by small group discussion for the third hour. There may be a short homework assignment some weeks, with will focus on the practical application of the material you learned.
The cost of the seminars is $600 for all of the courses in Module A and $600 for the courses in Module B. So you can get all of your core courses for $1200. There will be no textbooks or plane tickets or housing to purchase. Click Here for schedule and how to register.
|
|
 |
Lombard Mennonite Peace Center
May 9-13; June 13-17; Aug. 1-5; Nov. 14-18
Mediation Skills Training Institute for Church Leaders
*****
September 21
Journey Toward Healing
******
May 19 - Leadership & Anxiety in the Church
*****
|
|
|
|
Clergy invited to Penn Central - German Pastoral Colloquy
July 24-29, clergy from some UCC conferences and their German partner churches will gather for the 2022 Pastoral Colloquy in Elizabethtown, PA. The theme will be "Building a Just Peace in an Unjust World: Learning with and from Our Anabaptist Colleagues." For information on the Colloquy or to register, click here
|
|
|
|
DISASTER MINISTRIES UCC
Willing To Respond...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
