Rev. William (Bill) P. Worley, Conference Minister
484-949-8774 ext. 308; worley@psec.org

As Conference Minister, Bill has responsibility for the administration of the Conference and the spiritual care of its 337 pastors who work in various ministry settings, including the Conference’s 150+ congregations. He represents Conference concerns to the National Church and is a member of the Council of Conference Ministers, the UCC Insurance Board, and Secretary of the Phoebe Ministries Board of Directors. Bill is a Gettysburg College and Lancaster Theological Seminary graduate. He was ordained in 1994 while engaged in ministry as Associate Pastor of Union Congregational Church in Montclair, New Jersey. In the fourteen years prior to Conference ministry, he enjoyed working in urban ministry, congregational vitality, and transformational ministry with the folks at First Reformed UCC in Lancaster, PA.
From 1999-2013 Bill was a commissioned officer in the United States Navy Reserve assigned to the Marine Corps. He is a veteran of the Iraq War and helped found “Homebase,” a Lancaster-area Iraq/Afghan Veterans Group. His hobbies include kayaking, theater/concert going, camping, skiing, gardening, and hunting. He is the proud father of two grown sons, Zach (and wife Maggie) and Justin, and grandfather to “Mela”.

Contact Bill for:

  • Pastoral support, counseling, consultation to pastors and lay leaders.
  • Preaching and worship planning/development.
  • Information/perspective on issues related to the National Church.
  • Direct support for Members in Discernment and those supervising the MID process.
  • Training sessions for local churches with mission/vision casting, governance issues, church transformation, capital campaigns, stewardship development.
  • Conflict resolution.
  • Interpretation of legal issues or connecting pastor/churches with legal counsel.
  • Advocate in community forums (local government, media exposure, local disaster ministries).
  • Connector to National Church resources.
  • Guest preacher (pulpit supply in emergencies); preacher for significant anniversaries and events in the lives of pastors and parishes; represent and interpret UCC gospel values.

Rev. Kevin McLemore, Associate Conference Minister for Search and Call
484-949-8774 ext. 302; mclemore@psec.org

The Rev. Kevin J. McLemore is primarily focused on supporting churches during the Search and Call process, as well as resourcing the five Committees on Ministry throughout the Conference. He has extensive experience in all sorts of congregations – small and large, urban and rural, as well as helping to begin a new congregation early in his ministry.

Kevin received his undergraduate degree from the University of Alabama with a focus on religion, and his Master of Divinity from Candler School of Theology at Emory University. Ordained in 1998, he began his ministry in Spokane, Washington, and most recently served an urban congregation in Chicago, IL for a decade. He and his spouse Douglas have two dogs and two cats and live in Pottstown.

Contact Kevin for:

  • All issues regarding Search and Call Process
  • Committee on Ministry issues
  • Ministerial issues
  • Local Church Profile issues
  • Pastoral Excellence Program and the Communities of Practice
  • Members in Discernment
  • Interim/supply issues
  • Manual on Ministry questions
  • Mark of Faithful and Effective Authorized Ministers of the UCC
  • Pastoral Relations Committee training

Rev. Cean James, Associate Conference Minister for Congregational Development
484-949-8774 ext. 303; james@psec.org

Reverend Cean James is the Associate Conference Minister of Congregational Development of the Pennsylvania Southeast Conference, UCC. In this role Rev. James works with the churches of the conference in renewal, vitality, growth, and planting new ministries.

Reverend Cean James is also the founding pastor of the Grace Christian Fellowship, UCC (GCF) of Southwest Philadelphia. Rev. James completed his undergraduate studies at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University in biology and received his Masters of Divinity from the Lutheran Theological Seminary of Philadelphia. Pastor James is currently matriculating in the Doctoral program at Lancaster Theological Seminary.

Rev. James is married to the former Kesha Barton of Columbia, SC.  Kesha, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Law, practices law in the public interest. They have been blessed with three sons, Clarence Milton, Jesse Joseph, and Cean Benjamin.

Contact Cean for:

  • Conflict resolution
  • Evangelism
  •  Evaluating structures
  • Creating a welcoming environment
  • Creating a Mission Statement
  • Discipleship
  • Starting new ministries
  • Leadership development
  • Team building
  • Congregational revitalization

Susan Creswell, Executive Assistant for Events and to the Conference Minister
484-949-8774 ext. 312; susan@psec.org

Susan came to the conference via the corporate world. Her work history includes banking and owning and running a Title Insurance company for 18 years. Raised catholic, Susan began seeking another venue of church life in her late teens. She is a member of St. Paul’s UCC, Fleetwood where she is the church bookkeeper, involved with Stewardship, lectionary readings and the chancel choir.

Outside of her church life she volunteers with Optimist International. Training and working with youth is a passion that is easily fed by working in the International and District levels of the Optimist organization as well as with her local Optimist Club. Susan has been married to her husband Jack for 20 years and is blessed with 2 step children and 3 grandchildren. In her spare-time she enjoys gardening, reading, cross stitching, being outdoors, anything musical, traveling, and above all, family time.

Contact Sue for:

  • Assistance with events
  • Questions regarding  Communitas
  • Preparing invitations for Ordinations and Installations
  • Interest in serving on a PSEC Committee
  • Scheduling a meeting with Rev. Worley

Kim Kulesa. Bookkeeper
484-949-8774 x 309; bookkeeper@psec.org

Kim is excited to be working for the Conference office. She also currently works part time at a local UCC church as an Office Administrator. Kim has a degree in business management from Peirce College in Philadelphia and an extensive background in accounting.

She was raised in Delaware County and moved to the Gilbertsville area with her family almost 20 years ago. She and her husband, Steve, are blessed with two children and she enjoys cooking, reading, gardening, traveling with her family, and her dog, Gus.

Contact Kim for:

  • Assist with church-requested statements
  • Assist churches with OCWM giving
  • Basic financial questions

Brea Rarick, Registrar and Assistant for Search and Call
484-949-8774 ext. 311; brea@psec.org

Brea Rarick has been working for the Pennsylvania Southeast Conference since spring 2016, but has lifelong roots to the UCC. Raised in a UCC church in Berwick, Penn Northeast Conference, Brea was active in PNEC as a youth, even meeting her husband at a PNEC-PSEC joint event! She graduated from Cedar Crest College (a historically UCC college) before completing her master’s degree from Tiffin University. Brea worked in journalism for many years before working for the New York Conference UCC and then PSEC.

Brea’s husband, Gary, is the pastor of Epler’s Church UCC in Leesport. Together they live in Blandon with their two small children: Connor and Amelia.

Contact Brea for:

  • Help creating or updating a Call Agreement or Three- or Four- way Covenant
  • Questions about year-end reporting or 11-year-reports
  • Clergy transfers of standing
  • Changes to church information: email address, phone number, website, etc.
  • Updating clergy records: contact information, new degrees or certifications, training experiences, etc.
  • Clergy who want their profile sent to a church
  • Psychological assessments for Members in Discernment
  • Questions regarding eNews or the website

Rev. Tammie Wisniewski, Financial Operations Manager
484-949-8774 ext. 304; tammie@psec.org

Tammie Wisniewski CPA, CGMA has been working in the accounting/tax arena for more than 35 years, mostly in the area of small business and not for profits.  She is a graduate of Schuylkill Valley High School, Albright College, Reading, and the PA Academy of Ministry. Tammie left full-time public accounting work to begin work with the Conference after having served as Conference treasurer. She now maintains part-time work with the Conference as well as with a public accounting firm.

Moving from the full-time accounting world to part-time, allowed her to follow God’s continuing nudge to seek a call as a pastor in a small congregation in the PSEC. After 5 years of education and discernment, she received a call in 2015 to serve New Jerusalem Zion UCC in Lenhartsville as their licensed pastor.  After much discernment and study, Tammie was ordained in the United Church of Christ in 2023.

Tammie grew up in the UCC and was a life-long member of Epler’s Church where she served in most committees at Epler’s over her adult life. She loves being able to bring her knowledge of taxes/accounting and not for profits to the churches of the Conference and to guide them in their financial questions! She also loves being able to serve a small congregation that was looking for a part-time pastor! But her greatest love is and always will be is the time she gets to spend with her family. She and her husband, Scott, raised 2 sons and have 2 beautiful granddaughters. They live in the Leesport area and spend as much time as they can traveling and taking the family along whenever possible!

Contact Tammie for:

  • Assistance needed with church budgets and financial questions
  • Questions regarding pastoral salary and benefit issues
  • Questions regarding OCWM giving

PSEC Weekly News

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