Penn West Conference Annual Meeting and Special Meeting

The Annual Meeting of the Penn West Conference is scheduled to be held on Saturday, June 7, from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM at St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, 202 W. Union St., Somerset PA. Some highlights that we are looking forward to include:

• Approval of Keystone Conference Constitution & Bylaws
• Election of Board members to the Keystone Conference Board

These items will move forward pending a favorable vote on the motion that our four PA UCC Conferences are presenting to General Synod in July. We also hope to have conversations about our six Associations possibly sharing ministry together moving forward as a single “Penn West Association.” There is a lot to talk about and much to celebrate about the ministry we are doing together. To register for the meeting, you may use this form and return it with a check, or you may register online here. Here also is an agenda for the day.

And speaking of celebration, we are also planning to have a special meeting of the Penn West Conference on Saturday, November 1, at Zion’s Reformed United Church of Christ, 260 Main St., Greenville PA. This special meeting will primarily be a time of celebration and remembrance, as we celebrate the ministry of the Penn West Conference over the past 63 years and look forward to the new thing God is doing among us with the Keystone Conference, which (pending the Synod vote) is set to begin on January 1, 2026. Please be on the lookout for more details on this gathering, as well!

Last, but not least, please save the date of Saturday, November 22, as being the date (pending Synod’s approval) of the first Keystone Conference Meeting. We anticipate that it will be a Zoom meeting, which will begin at 9:30 AM, but more details on this will become available closer to the time. For now, please save the date!

Pastoral Ethics, 2025

Back in 2017, all six of the Associations of the Penn West Conference passed the resolution, “On Pastoral Ethics Requirements for the Associations of the Penn West Conference of the United Church of Christ.” In 2025, we are providing a diversity/cultural competency training program on Ministering with People with Disabilities, offered for your convenience at three separate times by Zoom. The training is open to all people (Authorized Ministers or laypeople) who want to attend and register for it.

The first two sessions will not be recorded; the third will be, and if you attend this session, it requires your consent to be recorded. All Authorized Ministers and Members in Discernment are expected to either attend one of these events, as per the resolution, or write a paper (2-4 pages) on this subject. Because we will offer a recorded session this year, another way for Authorized Ministers to satisfy the requirement will be to view (providing proof of the viewing) the May 12 recording at some point after that date and before the end of the year (preferably before October). Remember, too, that Authorized Ministers must complete and submit the Annual Informational Review form before certificates of completion will be sent to them. Our presenters this year will be the Rev. Sarah Lund, Kimberly Williams, and Robin Stemple from the United Church of Christ Disabilities Ministries Network. Please register for one of these event dates/timeframes below.

• Saturday, March 29, 9 AM - Noon
• Thursday, April 10, 6-9 PM
• Monday, May 12, 6-9 PM – will be recorded, consent to record required

The cost of the event is $10.00 per person. This covers administrative fees as well as an honorarium for the presenter. If the registration fee is a hardship for you, please contact the Conference Minister. Please register by completing the registration form here and sending your payment by Friday, March 14, to Penn West Conference, 312 South Maple Ave., Suite PWC, Greensburg PA 15601. Please make checks out to “Penn West Conference.” If you would like to register online on our website via Tithe.ly, visit https://tithe.ly/event-registration/#/9732672.

Prayers for our Partners in the Philippines

We give thanks to God for the partnership that Penn West Conference has with the Northwest Luzon Conference of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines. We ask that you continue to remember to support them our SHEEP Fund (Sustaining Hope for Educational Expenses in the Philippines). Gifts to the SHEEP Fund may be made electronically using the donate button on our homepage, and/or by sending a check to the Conference, with SHEEP Fund in the memo. Thank you for all the efforts you are doing to share God’s love across the globe!

"God is Still Speaking"

Welcome to the PWC Website! Welcome to the Penn West Conference website! On this site, you will find insights, resources, materials, and links that highlight the ministries of the United Church of Christ in the Penn West Conference. We're glad that you are visiting us! Blessings! Rev. David Ackerman Conference Minister Suggested Links: God Is Still Speaking - Become a Still Speaking Voice UCC Daily Devotion