Penn West Conference - United Church of Christ ...



61912576200Christian Associates of Southwest PennsylvaniaA Unifying Voice in the name of Jesus Christfor the Mission of the Gospel and the Wholeness of Communitiesthrough Collegiality, Collaboration, and ConnectednessRev. Liddy Barlow, Executive Minister?Blessings and joy to you, my dear sisters and brothers in the Penn West Conference! I hope our Annual Meeting will be a time of renewal, fresh energy, cherished friendships, and new connections.?I join with our Council of Bishops and Judicatory Executives to thank you very much for your ongoing support of Christian Associates of Southwest Pennsylvania. We are grateful for your prayers and encouragement, your engagement in our ministries, and your generous financial commitment. Thank you, also, for sharing Rev. David Ackerman with us; his leadership on the Council and his service on the Executive Committee are greatly appreciated.Christian Associates works for Christian unity among the Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican churches of our region. Since 1970, Christian Associates has been seeking the mission of the Gospel and the wholeness of our communities through:Collegiality: convening Christian leaders to build relationships grounded in trust and common valuesCollaboration: mobilizing church bodies to speak and act for the common goodCommunication: sharing news, events, and information to help churches connect and thriveConnectedness: bringing the voice of the church to civic, community, and interfaith partnerships.?In the past year, we have pursued these priorities in diverse and innovative ways:?Inspired by the connections our bishops and executives make in Council meetings, we started SPARK Conversations, a series of informal lunch gatherings for Christian leaders who share a common role, identity, or interest. This year’s SPARK series included meet-ups for clergy under age 40, church planters, campus ministers, and other groups.In November, the Council of Bishops and Executives spoke out on the refugee crisis in the Middle East and Europe, underlining the Christian mandate to welcome the stranger and care for people in harm’s way. We continue to work to equip pastors and other Christian leaders with the information and connections they need to extend welcome in our communities.Office Location: Mailing Address:Hicks Memorial ChapelP.O. Box 5241Pittsburgh Theological Seminary Pittsburgh, PA 15206616 N. Highland Avenue Phone: 412-688-9070 ? Fax: 412-688-9091Pittsburgh, PA 15206 Web: ? Email: lbarlow@Bringing our communications ministries into the 21st century, we established a Facebook page and an e-newsletter, “Unity N’at,” while continuing to publish our paper newsletter, “The Call.” We look forward to launching our new Web site very soon. (Please visit to add your name to our e-newsletter list.)Working with partner organizations, we created worship resources to help clergy connect Sunday worship with important community issues. In spring 2015, we published “Peace, Be Still!” which encouraged congregations to engage in the Father’s Day Pledge against gender violence. In April, we distributed “Feed My Lambs,” which helped churches participate in relief of childhood hunger. A current project on gun violence will be released in May, with preaching resources for the June 19 lectionary texts.?In the midst of these efforts, Christian Associates also packed up our Lawrenceville office, where we had been located since 1998, and moved to the campus of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in East Liberty. As we continue to settle in to our beautiful new space, we are excited about the new possibilities for collaboration that this setting offers. Please be sure to update your records with our new mailing address: P.O. Box 5241, Pittsburgh, PA 15206.?All our work is made possible through the contributions of our member judicatories – including the Conference’s generous giving – as well as the gifts of our individual, congregational, and corporate donors. Financing the work of Christian unity in these challenging times requires everyone’s support; if this is work that matters to you, I hope you will do your part in ensuring a solid future for Christian Associates.?Christian Associates shares with the United Church of Christ a commitment to seeing Jesus’ prayer in John 17:21 made manifest in our communities: that all who follow Christ may be one. I am grateful that the Penn West Conference has joined us in this vitally important mission. May the unifying Spirit lead us onward! Thank you again for your support of Christian Associates.?Your sister in Christ,40957532385The Rev. Liddy BarlowExecutive Minister ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download