Keystone Conference Annual Meeting
Keystone Conference of the United Church of Christ’s first Annual Meeting will be held June 5-7 at Millersville University in Millersville, PA. Overnight accommodations will be on campus as well as the DoubleTree Hilton in Lancaster. Registration will begin soon.
Our theme is “Joy at the Table Together” and our centering scripture is Acts 2:46-47 “Every day they met together, breaking bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God.” The meeting will include a Service of Consecration for Keystone Conference.
Speakers will include Rev. Dr. Marcia McFee, author of Think Like a Filmmaker: Sensory-Rich Worship for Unforgettable Messages; Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson, General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ; Rev. Dr. Mary Luti, author of Do This: Communion for Just and Courageous Living;  Rev. Greg Edwards, Executive Director of POWER Interfaith, Secretary Russell Redding, PA Secretary of Agriculture, and Rev. Freeman Palmer, Conference Minister for the Central Atlantic Conference.
Thank you to our sponsors:
$5000 Grand Feast Level
UCC Financial Ministries: UCC Church Building & Loan Fund, Cornerstone Fund, Insurance Board, The Pension Boards, United Church Funds
Join Us for Two Special FUN Events at the 2026 Annual Meeting!
Attendees are invited to choose memorable experiences on Saturday, June 6. Registration for these events closes on April 15th.
Late Saturday morning, Living the Experience offers a creative, spiritual, and interactive historical reenactment of the Underground Railroad that invites deep reflection and engagement.
On Saturday evening, enjoy Sight & Sound’s JOSHUA—a breathtaking production that brings the biblical story to life, from the banks of the Jordan River to the towering walls of Jericho, in a miraculous adventure for the whole family.
For more information and to register, go to: https://keystoneconference.regfox.com/opportunities -for-fun-at-2026-spring-annual-meeting
Planned Workshops
Descriptions, presenter names and more coming soon!
Drum Circle
What do Keystone church musicians and clergy need?
Purveyors of Awe: Curating Experiences of Wonder in the Midst of an Anxious Time
Neighbors Facing Food Insecurity: Who They Are and How We Can Help?
Responsible Investing and Borrowing to Expand Ministry
The Resilient Table: Gathering Together to Prepare for Disasters
Stronger Churches Start with Smart Risk Management
The Underrated Art of Listening for God
Christian Nationalism: Stuff to Know, Stuff to Do
Ideas for Bridging the Perceived Left/Right Gap
Preaching the Incarnation (with a little help from Mercersburg)
Faithful Finances: How Money Choices Affect Human Rights
Shifting from "Museum Stewardship" to "Missional Asset Management"
Small Town and Rural (STAR) Coalition Today
A.I., ChatGPT, and Ministry: Use and Ethics
Stronger Churches Start with Smart Risk Management
Media Madness: How to Spot and Stop Disruption of Peace and Justice in the Media
Because of Ministry—Whole-Life Stewardship is Finding Joy and Balance in Ministry
We're ONA, What Now?
Joy at the Table, Justice for Creation
Speakers
Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson
General Minister and President of the UCC
The Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia A. Thompson is the General Minister and President and the Chief Executive Officer of the United Church of Christ. Rev. Thompson is the first woman and first woman of African descent to serve as leader of the denomination. She was elected at General Synod 34 in 2023. She is a writer, poet and theologian who has contributed to numerous publications.
Rev. Dr. Marcia McFee
Author of Think Like a Filmmaker: Sensory-Rich Worship for Unforgettable Messages
Marcia McFee, PhD is a professor, worship designer, author, preacher and ritual artist. Drawing on a first career in professional dance and musical theater and equipped with a Master’s in Theology and a PhD in Liturgical Studies and Ethics, she understands the role of any worship artist in the church as that of creating extraordinary portals through which communities journey with the Spirit. The task is at once deeply theological and wonderfully artistic.
Dr. McFee is the creator of the “Come to the Table Series Theme”
Rev. Dr. Mary Luti
Author of Do This: Communion for Just and Courageous Living
Rev. Dr. Mary Luti is a retired minister and professor. For twenty-two years before her retirement, Luti taught the history of Christianity, Christian worship, and preaching at the former Andover Newton Theological School (now Andover Newton Seminary at Yale). Ordained in the United Church of Christ, she also served First Church in Cambridge, Congregational, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, as its sixteenth minister since 1633 and the first woman to occupy that historic pulpit. Her most recent publication is Do This: Communion for Just and Courageous Living, from Pilgrim Press (Stillspeaking Writers Group).
Rev. Greg Edwards
Executive Director of POWER Interfaith
POWER Interfaith, a leading faith-based organizing network in Pennsylvania, announces the appointment of Rev. Dr. Gregory Edwards as its new Executive Director.
After a comprehensive search process, the Board of Directors selected Dr. Edwards for his exceptional leadership, deep commitment to social justice, and extensive experience in community organizing. Dr. Edwards has been an integral part of POWER Interfaith for many years, serving in various leadership roles, including Interim Executive Director.
Secretary Russell Redding
PA Secretary of Agriculture
Russell Redding was unanimously confirmed by the Pennsylvania Senate to serve as Pennsylvania’s 27th Secretary of Agriculture on May 10, 2023. Governor Josh Shapiro nominated Redding to continue serving as secretary, after he served from 2015 – 2022 under Governor Tom Wolf. He is the former dean of the School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at Delaware Valley University.
Redding has extensive experience as a public servant, having spent more than 30 years serving Pennsylvania in Harrisburg and Washington D.C. He worked on Capitol Hill as Ag Policy Advisor to U.S. Senator Harris Wofford and served for nearly 25 years in the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, serving as secretary from 2009-2011 under Governor Ed Rendell, and from 2015-2022 under Governor Tom Wolf. He currently serves on the Agriculture subcommittee of the USDA’s Equity Commission.
He is a graduate of the Agribusiness Executive program. A native of Pennsylvania, Redding has an innate understanding of food and agriculture, stemming from his youth on his family’s dairy farm and his time as a dairy farm operator. He and his wife Nina have two adult sons and own and operate a farm in Gettysburg.
Rev. Freeman Palmer
Conference Minister of the Central Atlantic Conference of the UCC
Rev. Freeman L. Palmer serves as the Conference Minister for the Central Atlantic Conference United Church of Church. Freeman began this call in February 2019 after serving nine years as Associate Conference Minister, Congregational Development, for the New York Conference of the United Church of Christ. Freeman was ordained at The Riverside Church in 2004 to his call as Associate Minister at Middle Collegiate Church in Manhattan, where he served for five years. He is member of the Reformed Church of Highland Park in Highland Park NJ. Freeman is also an original contributor to the African- American Lectionary, an online worship, scriptural, and cultural resource used principally by African American congregations.
50 Days of Easter Food Challenge
The Challenge: Churches across the Conference are challenged to donate non-perishable food to a local food bank between Easter (04/05/2026) and Pentecost (05/24/2026) and to report the quantities of their donations.
Each church will report its totals (by category) via a web link, and the Conference-wide total will be revealed at the 1st Annual Meeting, June 5–7, 2026. Using categories such as canned fruits and vegetables, cereal, pasta and rice, toiletries, and more will provide an easy-to-visualize picture of the breadth of donations.
Having churches donate locally will allow you to serve the communities in which you live, work, and minister. We want to avoid hauling donations across the commonwealth to a single location when we know the need exists everywhere.
We are also asking delegates to bring a one-pound bag of rice or beans to the Annual Meeting as a representation of their local donation. These items will be donated to the Lancaster Food Hub.
The churches of the Keystone Conference are already working hard to alleviate food insecurity in their areas beyond these donations. We ask that you report the ministries your church supports—from community gardens to meal deliveries—so we can celebrate them at the Annual Meeting.
