Bonnie's Letter

Dear Friends,

Lent began yesterday with the Ash Wednesday Worship and the remembrance of our call to fast and pray, to sacrifice and reconcile. I can remember what a high holy day Ash Wednesday was when I was growing up in the Roman Catholic Church. We made public pledges about what we were giving up (surrendering) and for which things we sought forgiveness and reconciliation. These days many people, inside the church as well as outside the church, don’t know why we even commemorate this day.

The readings for Ash Wednesday worship outline the reasons why:

• Joel proclaims the need to rend our garments and return to God;
• Isaiah proclaims the need to move into humility and the care of the least and lost among us;
• The Psalmist seeks mercy and forgiveness;
• The Epistle reading reminds us to move from sin and to face our difficulties with purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, and truthful speech; and,
• The Gospel lessons reminds us to forget false and public piety and move into quiet relationship and prayer with God.

Those are big asks for anyone. We live in a world that is more focused on success, personal gain, personal achievement, pride, and even arrogance. Lent is a time to look at ourselves, our relationship with God and with our neighbor, and move back to God as we journey through this life. Seeking care for others, quiet reflection, peace, justice, love for neighbor, and reunion with God are the tasks of Lent. We walk these 40 days with Jesus, moving from Ash Wednesday through to the sharing of Passover on Maundy Thursday and the crucifixion on Good Friday. This is a season to seek contemplation and reconciliation with God and with our neighbors. This is a season to care for the least among us and seek justice and peace in relationships and the world. Lent is the time to move back, to turn around, to seek God more than anything else.

Our faith journeys are not always easy. The path laid before us is not always simple to see or travel. Yet, we walk with each other, as disciples of Jesus, traveling to Holy Week and the ultimate celebration of Resurrection. Yet, to skip the challenging work of Lent hollows the celebration of Resurrection. Let us do the work of Lent, so we can celebrate Easter with our whole mind, whole body, and whole spirit. May it be so.

Blessings, Bonnie 

Faith Formation Leadership Retreat

May 3 - 5, 2024

Spruce Lake Retreat Center, 5389 Route 447, Canadensis, PA 18325

COST: $$195/person (includes all programming and 3 meals on Saturday and Sunday breakfast)

This retreat for adults involved in Faith Formation provides an opportunity for those wishing to collaborate, rejuvenate, and innovate their approach to Faith Formation! This retreat will provide practical education around faith formation and we4lcomes volunteers as well as folks working in the church to participate and learn. Set in the scenic Spruce Lake Retreat Center, this promises to be a relaxing and informative time!

Please click here for the flyer and how to register.

You can also register and pay through tithe.ly using this link:

https://tithe.ly/event-registration/#/8424164

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. 

Anniversy of Ordinations

Please click here for listing.

Link for the new "How to Church"

In the third installment of the “How to Church: I Wish I Knew” video series being produced cooperatively by the Local Congregational Support Working Group and the Congregational Vitality Team, we tackle the topic of Community Engagement. Watch and listen to a panel discuss: how they and their churches serve their respective communities, why it’s an important part of our Christian witness, and some tips for discerning how you and your church may better engage your community.

https://youtu.be/USNUXchNJns

Lancaster Theological Seminary

Invites you to a special webinar

February 22 - 4 to 5PM Eastern during Black History Month

Trying Not to Lose My Mind: How the Black Church Can Help with Trauma and Healing

This candid and insightful conversation features three distinguished leaders: Rev. Dr. Jamie Eaddy, Rev. Sherry Lupton, and Rev. Brittany Powell. To learn about our presenters, click here.



Register here and plan to join us for an enlightening and relevant discussion that expands our understanding of and appreciation for how the Black Church can help with trauma and healing.

The Annual Robert K. Campbell Memorial Lecture on Christian Unity Presents

Revisioning Faith For The 21st Century

Thursday, April 11, 2024

3:00 to 8:00PM

DeSales University, (University Center), 2755 Station Ave., Center Valley

$20 Registration Fee

featuring author Sue Pizor Yoder and the members of Co.Lab.Inq.

About Event...What will faith communities look like in 2040? What actions can church leaders take to address the new religious context of Gen Xers and Millennials—now representing 40 percent of adults living in America? What do these generations teach us about belonging, adversity, legacy—and faith? Join us for an interactive, multisensory event aimed at seeking a path to revisioning faith for the 21st century.

AGENDA

3:00 – 3:30: Registration

3:30 – 5:00: Lecture and Q&A

5:00 – 6:00: Buffet Dinner

6:00 – 7:30: Interactive Workshop

7:30 – 8:00: Book Signing:

“Hear Us Out: Six Questions on Belonging and Belief.”

Register at: www.lehighchurches.org/events

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.

Upcoming Video Series

Have you thought about joining us for our upcoming video series event, "How to Take Your Next Faithful Step," starting February 19, 2024?  

As a valued part of our Faith+Lead community, you've already begun this journey, whether through our blog, webinars, on-demand courses, or learning communities. Now, we're taking these conversations a step further.

Exploring the foundations of the Next Faithful Step:

This series goes beyond exploring the challenges facing church leaders today (though it also dives deeply into this). It’s about sharing essential frameworks, learning, and insights drawn from years of research, experience, and spiritual listening with ministry leaders like yourself. Here’s what we will explore together:

• Explore 6 essential theological commitments: Discover six key commitments that will keep you grounded yet adaptable in these times of rapid change. Learn how these anchors can guide your ministry through uncertainty and evolving cultural landscapes.
• Uncover 5 core tasks of ministry for the 21st century: Gain clarity on what's truly essential in today's ministry context. We'll explore practical tasks that are vital for ministry effectiveness now, offering you tools and insights to stay responsive and impactful.
• Learn the 4 key pivots for a faithful future: Engage in a critical discussion on the necessary shifts in ministry. These pivots are designed to help you navigate and lead successfully in an ever-evolving ministry environment.
• Relatable insights: This isn't just about theoretical theories; it's real insights based on real experiences with church leaders just like you. It's about what's happening in churches like yours and how to navigate the challenges and opportunities that come with leading a faith community today.

Interactive and engaging: After each video, you can jump into our interactive Q&A threads. This is your chance to ask questions, share your thoughts, and connect with other leaders and learners who are also exploring their next faithful step.

Learn More & Register

This series is not passive learning; it’s a dialogue. Your insights and reflections are invaluable to this collective journey. Together, we aim to transform these insights into faithful, actionable next steps.

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.

CLICK HERE FOR FUL DOCUMENT

Outdoor Ministries Association

Advise, Connect, Advocate, Support

OMA-UCC hosts a monthly zoom meeting

every 4th Thursday of the month at 1 PM EST.

Conversation will include discussion on staffing, curriculum,

grant opportunities and the upcoming Earthkeepers Event.

We hope you will join us on Thursday, February 22

for a time of sharing and supporting our colleagues in ministry.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4405928132



Click Here for Full Announcement

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.

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. 

Congregational Education Day - I just registered!! Won’t you join me??

I am headed over to Church of the Good Shepherd in Boyertown, PA on Saturday, April 6th for the Lay Leaders Convocation. With more than 10 workshops on tap, I am encouraging pastors and groups of leaders from each of our Penn Central congregations to attend and learn together. The former teacher in me found it very challenging to pick just two from the workshop list (below) when every single one promises new knowledge.

The Keystone Project conversation has highlighted a need for more lay leadership learning opportunities as congregations rely more heavily on these volunteers. Pennsylvania Southeast has a long history of offering this learning day and as we continue to explore the possibilities of a Keystone Conference, this is an excellent opportunity for fellowship together with our siblings in Christ. Lay Leaders and Clergy are teaming up to offer workshops on care for older adults, choir spirituality, small Sunday school success, stewardship and so much more!! There’s something for everyone and carpooling with friends from church will help with the early morning drive as things begin at 8:30 with coffee and registration.

Check out this exciting list of workshop opportunities and come, too, for the keynote from Andover Newton’s Rev. Dr. Sarah Drummond on Sharing Leadership

“Differ We Must”: Steps to engage congregations in overcoming differences with Rev. Dr. Carrie Call

The Spiritual Life of the Choir with Ms. Caroline Dunleavy

The Keystone Conference: What it is and what it means for the people in the pews with Revs. Bill Worley and Kevin McLemore

Why Telling our Faith Story Matters with Rev. Dr. Steve Ohnsman

Accompanying Our Aging Selves: Being Present with Older Adults with Rev. Susan Scott

Small Sunday School with Ms. Betsy Majewski

Engaging the Fringes of the Church with Rev. Dr. Charles Maxwell

Stewardship and Generosity Impact with Rev. Bill Worley

Churches Sharing a Pastor: An Ancient Model of Ministry for a Contemporary Church with Rev. Kevin McLemore

Register to join me (an so many others) here!

Hope to see you there! -- Nora Faust, Penn Central Conference, UCC

On Saturday, April 6 from 8:30a-3:00p, PSEC will hold the 2024 Lay Leadership Convocation in Boyertown. This year's theme will be Sharing Leadership. For agenda, workshop descriptions, and registration, click here

Thursdays for the Soul: Thriving in Rural and Small-Town UCC Churches & Ministries

A recent United Church of Christ survey found that over 60% of UCC congregations have small memberships, mostly found in rural and small-town settings. 

Join us for this 3-part Nurture the Soul series featuring the vitality and thriving experiences of rural and small-town church settings. UCC church members and pastoral leaders share their personal experiences of life in rural and small towns and the innovative ways of doing church and ministry in these settings and their essential contributions to the wider UCC.

February 22, 29 and March 7, 3:30PM - 4:30PM register here

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

Non-profit FEMA grant intro seminars scheduled

FEMA’s Grant Programs Directorate invites interested organizations to attend webinars regarding the Nonprofit Security Grant Program. The NSGP is a competitive grant awarded to nonprofit organizations at high risk of a terrorist or other extremist attack for the purposes of facility hardening and other security enhancements. It is strongly recommended that you review the NSGP resources found here to maximize the benefit of attendance.

·   Friday, Feb. 16, 1:00p. Register.

·   Thursday, Feb. 22, 3:00p. Register.

·   Thursday, Feb. 29, 1:00p. Register.

·   Friday, March 8, 2:00p. Register..

·   Thursday, March 14, 4:00, Register.

·   Friday, March 22, 2:00p. Register.

Following registration, you will receive a calendar invitation via email for the webinar. The link to join the webinar will be contained in that calendar event email. 

Ready PA Monthly - Click Here to Read

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