December 3, 2020

Welcome to this week's edition of our e-letter, Presbytery Matters. Our goal is to highlight things going on throughout the Church: within our Presbytery, in our congregations, as well as in the Synod of the Northeast and across the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). We hope that these are things that will be helpful, informative, challenging, encouraging and supportive. In other words, we hope that these things will matter. Your input is valued, and your comments are always welcomed.

Barb Winegard, a Deacon at Baldwinsville's First Presbyterian Church, began making face masks earlier this year. The variety of prints as well as the quality of her sewing have made them a very popular item.

After outfitting her family and most of the members of the congregation, she decided to sell them for $5 and donate every penny to the local food pantry. She is now approaching the 2,000-completed-mask mark! 

So far, Barb has donated $5,200 to the Baldwinsville Food Pantry and $1,250 to BeeFull. BeeFull is Baldwinsville High School's pantry, which provides weekend food for students who receive food assistance through the weekday lunch program.

In the cycle of prayer our Presbytery, please pray for these congregations, faith communities,and individuals: Taunton, Syracuse; Westminster, Syracuse; First, Weedsport; Whitelaw

Advent Week 2: Let Us Light Candles

This year will be different.

 

I'm determined to not lose the game. I've been on high alert since Thanksgiving evening and have carefully curated my choice of streaming music. Some years I've lost early in December which, although disappointing, brought a certain amount of freedom. Other years I've been frustratingly close.

 

The game likely began simply enough - I imagine a few friends were comparing notes regarding their least favorite Christmas songs and decided they'd create a game to avoid listening to one of them. Over the years it morphed and developed various rules. Parodies were considered exempt due to the "blurred lines rule," and ambushing others went from being part of the game to being discouraged to eventually being ruled out of order. There are regional differences to the rules as well as the times allotted for the game.

 

Isn't this how traditions begin? A simple thing, which is fun and often a bit ridiculous becomes central to our experience. Years from now, my descendants may wonder why "The Little Drummer Boy" isn't in the family song book, and someone will remember the game. Undoubtedly you have your own traditions - the way certain decorations are hung and what food lands on your family table during this season. These small things are the ways in which we create our own microcultures; a place filled with symbols that help us to remember who we are. Rituals including grandmother's turkey platter and dad's light display; church pageants and even avoiding hearing the Little Drummer Boy until it's actually Christmas help us to mark the holiday and make it our own.

 

Usually, the biggest challenge to our holiday traditions comes with the transitions that are also part of our lives: newlyweds may argue over ham or goose for Christmas dinner and with the death of the patriarch there is some confusion at the table trying to figure out who will carve the beast. We manage these challenges with tears and debate, just as surely as we welcome the other changes that come with marriages and births and new friends welcomed to the table.

 

This year will be different.

 

In these pandemic times we're adapting our traditions as best as we are able to accommodate smaller tables and fewer options. We're already grieving not gathering in candlelight to hear the story and to sing words that have become sacred. We wonder if it will feel like Christmas.

 

Years ago, a young pastor was faced with a similar challenge. The organ had been damaged and would not be available for Christmas Eve, so he asked someone to write a piece for two voices and guitar. This decision wasn't just non-traditional. At that time, guitar had not been approved for worship, so being the crafty church leaders that they were, they elected to offer this new hymn at the very end of the service. This beloved hymn was created because two people of faith realized that they could not celebrate Christmas in a way that had been the tradition of their community.... and they found a way to still bring meaning and joy to that night. The result, Silent Night, has been a gift to all of us for over 200 years.

 

Like Gruber and Mohr who wrote Silent Night, we will adapt to this difficult new reality out of necessity. We figure out how to tell the Christmas story on Zoom or Facebook, and we will sing beloved carols in our pajamas. We will do this because even though the world has changed, our Savior has not.

 

Nothing can stop us from singing at the manger (although ... not the Little Drummer Boy until Christmas Day ... that's the rule).

 

Blessings -

 

Karen 

Korean version:

• Lillie Fields, a former LCSD administrator
• Sonya Catalino who raising three daughters in a inter-racial marriage
• The Rev. Marcus Jackson, co-chair of the CNY Poor People's Campaign

This will be an online event via Zoom

J. Herbert Nelson, II, says now

is not the time to return to

in-person gatherings

The debate between state governments and churches over in-person worship during a pandemic reached a new level last week when the U.S. Supreme Court sided with religious leaders in New York state. The high court ruled that New York's efforts to control the COVID-19 virus in churches and synagogues by limiting the number of people attending religious services was much harsher than the restrictions imposed on businesses and other locations that draw a number of people.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese in Brooklyn, along with several congregations of Orthodox Jews, had taken legal action to block Governor Andrew Cuomo's orders.

The Reverend Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), says that regardless of where other denominations stand on in-person worship, he's still urging PC(USA) churches to stay the course with online gatherings.

"People are dying. We should choose life and life more abundantly as our Scripture requires. We recognize that church is not a building. It is a place of worship," he said. "We are able to worship remotely, and we've found opportunities to have worship through other venues that do not require us to leave our homes."

Last spring when the virus began infiltrating the U.S., Nelson urged churches to move toward virtual worship to protect members and their communities. In addition, the entire 224th General Assembly (2020) of the PC(USA) was moved to an online format.

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Pittsburgh seminary pilots 'Hope and Healing' program

LOUISVILLE - A continuing education program at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary is teaching rural faith leaders how to better respond to mental health crises.

The first iteration of the program - "Hope and Healing: Mental Health First Aid Training" -wrapped up last month. It included about 20 participants who took part in a three-session course offered by the seminary's Continuing Education office, with assistance from the Pittsburgh Pastoral Institute.

The course included case studies as well as first-aid training, which taught participants how to quickly assess mental health issues and make appropriate referrals.

"What we wanted to do was to equip these pastors to be the equivalent of spiritual and mental health EMTs," or first responders, who could step into a situation and know what to do, said Dr. Helen Blier, project director.

"From our first to our third session, we were able to notice an observable change in the confidence and comfort level participants had in responding to issues of mental health," said Blier, the seminary's director of Continuing Education.

"Healing and Hope" was envisioned as an in-person course but had to be moved online because of the pandemic.

"We redesigned the whole curriculum from the ground up," Blier said.