Greetings,

I hope this email finds you in good health and spirits. It is with great joy and excitement that I write to extend a special invitation for you to attend the grand opening of Resurrected Life's new downtown location at 620 Hamilton Street in Allentown, Pennsylvania; the former home of Zion's Reformed United Church of Christ (aka the Liberty Bell church). 

In commemoration of Juneteenth, our grand opening on June 19, 2024 is titled "Reclaiming Our Freedom, Restoring Our Joy," and promises to be an event filled with joy, hope, and inspiration! I would be honored to have you join me as a special guest on this momentous occasion. The day's festivities will begin at 11:30am and include African dancing and drumming performances by the renowned Zawaida Dance Company, as well as a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the official opening of our new downtown campus. 

Our celebration will end with a very special jazz concert in the evening at 7:00pm featuring internationally acclaimed jazz vocalist Ruth Naomi Floyd singing selections from her Fredrick Douglas Jazz Works Suite. She is a phenomenal artist and her performance promises to be a soul-stirring inspiring experience for all who attend. Please see the attached for a full agenda of activities and events. 

"Reclaiming Our Freedom, Restoring Our Joy," is part of our gift back to the community and our beloved city! Together, we will embrace the cultural richness and diversity of our community, and celebrate the brilliance, achievements and contributions of persons of Black African Heritage. While all of the events are open to the general public, your presence in particular would mean a great deal to me as we celebrate this important milestone in the life of our city! We want you to be present to witness history! 

We sincerely hope that you will be able to join us. Please mark the date on your calendar and let us know if you will be able to attend by completing the brief eventbrite registration page: reslifedowtown.eventbrite.com  where you can also view clips of the day's performers and artists. Please contact the church office at 484-221-8072 or via email at office@rlifeatninth.org for additional information. 

We look forward to celebrating with you on Juneteenth at our new downtown location in Allentown.

With warm regards,

Reverend Dr. Gregory James Edwards

Founder & Senior Pastor, Resurrected Life Community Church, UCC

 484-288-2177 - Direct Line  |   610-393-9338 - Mobile

 RLIFEATNINTH.ORG  |   seniorpastor@rlifeatninth.org

 Downtown Campus - 620-622 Hamilton Street, Allentown, PA 18101 - Old Allentown Campus - 144 North Ninth Street, Allentown PA 18102

Period Packs Assembled at the 2024 Spring All PA Conference Meeting

The approximately 75 period kits given to the PNEC were donated to Family Promise Lehigh Valley, Bloom for Women, and Turning Point. The distribution was about 25 to each organization.

• James Gottwald 

"How to Church” - episode 4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1a2t_3w7w0

In this fourth 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 hear from Rev. Dr. Bonnie Bates on the value of partnerships in ministry--both at the Conference level as it concerns the discussions of a Keystone Conference, as well as at the local church level. Watch and listen and consider what partnerships may make your church stronger.

Classroom Supplies Donation List - Summer 2024

The mission of the James Lawson Freedom School is to ensure every child a healthy start, a head start, a fair start, a safe start and a moral start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities.

The Freedom School program provides a 6-week summer enrichment through a research-based and multicultural program model that supports K-12 scholars and their families through five essential components.

We are collecting all of the items below. We ask that they are individually packaged for easier and safer distribution to our scholars. Please drop off at the Resurrected Life Children’s Academy.

Snacks/Water, Poster boards, Packs of markers, Packs of multi-colored permanent markers, Packs of crayons, Packs of color pencils, Pencils, Balls of yarn, Glue sticks, Acrylic paint, Large and small paint brushes, Journals, Masking Tape, Note books, Folders, Packs of construction paper, Safety scissors, Any old magazines, Medium sized scissors, Name tags.

Confirm Not Conform Curriculum for Confirmation

Below is the link to the new updated Confirm not Conform curriculum for confirmation being released June 3rd… especially love that they have done the work to make it inclusive, racially equitable, justice centered, and love the way they allow space for youth to claim their faith for themselves…

There are two webinars for folks that want to learn more in the coming weeks 

Just thought I would share the link with you in case folks are asking about confirmation curriculums

Peace

Michelle

https://www.confirmnotconform.com/cnc-for-youth.html

Rev. Michelle Funk, Pastor

Heidelberg Union Church

UCC Musicians Association Introduction

My esteemed colleagues,

In the name of the United Church of Christ Musicians Association (UCCMA), I bring you greetings as the National Chair for the 2024 Conference with information about the organization, and an ask for support.

Founded in 1993 by a small group of musicians in Connecticut, UCCMA now serves approximately 300 members in churches around the world. Through the years, UCCMA has developed a mission of nurturing, educating, and inspiring all who minister through music and the arts, welcoming all who seek professional support and community from their colleagues who are at home in the United Church of Christ. As we have grown both in membership and mission, our focus has broadened to include individuals with many distinct roles in their churches’ music and worship life. People from other denominations have always been welcome.

I would also like to invite you to learn more about UCCMA and what it has to offer the musicians in our denomination by signing up for a free 90-day trial membership (or join as a full member!). Information about the 2024 conference can also be found on our site. https://uccma.wildapricot.org/join-us

Held this year in Greenwich, Connecticut, from July 10-13, our 2024 conference will be the first in-person gathering since 2019 in Madison, WI. Our theme, “A Place at the Table,” is truly being lived out in the way we gather during the conference. For the first time, our goal is to have ALL meals for ALL attendees included in the registration fee so that everyone has a place at the table. We hope that by sharing meals together for three days, the musicians attending will be nourished, both in eating together and creating lasting relationships.

Dr. Craig Scott Symons, Minister of Music

First Congregational Church of Greenwich, 108 Sound Beach Avenue, Old Greenwich, CT 06870

203.637.1791 x822

Inside The Bible Mission School System

Enhancing Christin Productivity and Prosperity In Liberia

Introduction

The vision to establish an institution to enhance the basic values of Christianity and provide the tools to foster community unity, cultural harmony , academic advancement, and social economic self-sustainable development, started in 2022 as a pilot project in Zwedru City, Grand Gedeh County, Liberia. Click Here to Read More...

Promote Planned Giving in Your Congregation

Learn how to promote planned giving in your congregation. Planned gifts provide a way for a donor to give out of their accumulated assets such as property or stocks to support a congregation or other charitable cause close to their heart. This free course will help you learn basic concepts, practice skills, and create an implementation plan for your congregation. The zoom sessions will be held on Wednesday, July 10th and 17th, from 7pm - 8:30 Eastern (6pm - 7:30pm Central). Register for the seminar at https://the-damascus-project.org/registration and then scroll down to find the course entitled “Together for Tomorrow Planned Giving In Your Congregation.”

Rev. Andrew Warner, CFRE (he/him)

Generosity Outreach Officer, Philanthropy Team

United Church of Christ, National Ministries

2024 Craigville Theological Colloquy

40 years serving congregations, clergy and laity at the Nexus of Praxis

July 8-12, 2024

Ecotheology: Christian Responses To The Global Climate Crisis

Get more info on our website https://craigvillecolloquy.com

During the 2024 Colloquy, our time together will consider one of the most pressing global issues — the climate. Looking through the lenses of Christian faith experiences, spirituality in various forms, theology, biblical interpretation, science, activism, and more, we seek to engage with the climate crisis in ways that will be helpful for clergy & laypeople, congregations & communities, people of many backgrounds, other living creatures, the habitats and eco-systems that we share and the Earth itself.

Using the word crisis intentionally acknowledges what many concerned in the world are declaring: that our only home, the Earth, has troubles and we must identify and implement ways to make positive and tangible impacts. As people of faith, this crisis also is a spiritual matter and imperative for us to address.

Pennsylvania Academy of Ministry (PAM) Upcoming Classes and Podcasts

Innovation & New Models of Leadership - Instructor Rev. Dale Davis -

Tuesdays, July 9 - Aug. 13, 2024 - 7-8:30PM zoom

This Challenging class engages an array of exciting leadership models and is supported by a podcast series produced especially for the Penna. Academy of Ministry, featuring Gil Rendle, Karen Georgia Thompson, Doug Powe Jr., Lovett Weems Jr., John Schol and Sarah Drummond. REGISTER NOW...

Disaster Ministries

Faith-Based Security & Resilience Learning Series...The PA Office of Homeland Security, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, PA Emergency Management Agency, State Police, the three Fusion Centers across the state, Faithbased Information Sharing and Analysis Organization, and the Anti-Defamation League, is offering a quarterly virtual learning series to faith-based organizations. This learning series will provide valuable information to religious leaders, security personnel, and members of the houses of worship to enhance security and resilience. Click here for more information and to register.

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June ReadyPA Monthly available online now... This month's PA Emergency Management Agency's ReadyPA Monthly includes info on lightning safety, pet safety, and more. Click here for the newsletter. Please share this information with your congregations to help keep everyone safe and prepared.