Presbytery of Cayuga-Syracuse
5811 Heritage Landing Dr., 2nd Floor
East Syracuse, NY  13057
(315) 632-5698
August 9, 2018
Dear Friends of Cayuga-Syracuse Presbytery,

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, supportive. In other words, we hope that these things will matter. Your input is valued, and your comments are always welcomed.
Mission Stories
Pastor Bob Langston from Onondaga Hill Presbyterian Church  will join us at our Stated Meeting on August 14 to talk about the successful and inspiring Syracuse Workcamp 2018.

For more information on the meeting check out our event on Facebook.

Here's a look back at the Syracuse Workcamp 2018 that took place in Central New York in June.

BY THE NUMBERS:

2 years in the making
310 campers from 6 states
54 homes receive repairs  
8370 hours of free labor  
71 volunteers  
82 faith communities, businesses and community organizations
 

More than 300 teens, young adults volunteer to  repair more than 50 Syracuse-area homes

By Samantha House
The Post-Standard | Syracuse.com

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- More than 300 teens and young adults from six states are in Central New York this week to help fix up homes of families in need.

The volunteers, who are 14 to 20 years old, are doing hands-on home-repair projects for elderly, low-income and disabled families, organizers said.

The work at each home is done by five young people, and at least one adult leader, organizers said. Both labor and materials are free to the homeowners.

The volunteers will be working on 54 homes in Syracuse as well as residences in Nedrow, Camillus, Cicero, Clay, DeWitt, Liverpool, Marcellus, Skaneateles, Jamesville and Minoa.













                                                                    
We want to hear about the mission stories from our Presbytery's worshiping communities. What mission work are you involved in? How are your members working in the community? What story would you like to share with others in the Presbytery?

Send any mission stories from your congregation that you would like to share to:  CaySyrNews@gmail.com.

Deadline is 12 p.m. on Wednesdays for the current week's edition of Presbytery Matters.

 
We want to share your stories, missions, activities and more. Also, make sure to like our Facebook page by clicking the "Like us on Facebook" tab at the top of this letter.
From the Leadership Team
The Presbytery of Cayuga-Syracuse will hold a stated meeting on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 at Scipioville First Presbyterian Church, 3428 Route 34 B, Scipio Center, NY 13147. The gathering will begin with early registration at 8:30 a.m. and a special program at 9:00 a.m. followed by the call to order at 10:00 a.m.

For more information and to see documents for the meeting, visit the presbytery's website.  
Joys and Concerns around the Presbytery
 In our prayers together this week...
  • Pray for all those who are mourning the loss of a loved one, who are battling an illness or coping with a ill relative. Please watch over those in our community who are struggling with financial difficulties and please say a prayer for those who are in need of some extra encouragement and hope.
In the cycle of prayer for our Presbytery, please pray for these congregations, faith communities, and individuals: Taunton, Syracuse; Westminster, Syracuse; First, Weedsport; Whitelaw.

If you'd like to share a particular joy or concern with the Presbytery, please contact: CaySyrNews@gmail.com.

Around the Presbytery
Disaster Preparedness Training
 
Lightning. Storms. Floods. Hurricanes. Fires. Disasters bring chaos to hundreds of thousands of lives every year and have lasting effects.   
 
Since 2014, Presbyterian Women and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) have partnered together to train congregations and presbyteries in disaster preparedness.
 
Co-Moderators of Cayuga-Syracuse Presbyterian Women, Susan Silliman-Smith and Rita Hooper along with 3 others from Central New York and 40 other women from across the country received training in Disaster Preparedness Training prior to the Churchwide Gathering of Presbyterian Women in Louisville last week.
 
Each year 250 churches in the US are destroyed by fire. Does your church have a plan if a disaster should strike your church or community tomorrow?
 
If you would like to prepare for a disaster before it happens, please contact Rita Hooper at twohoops2@gmail.com or Susan Silliman-Smith at August13SSS@gmail.com.
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Vacation Bible School at Korean Churc h of Syracuse
Church recaps successful camp for refugee children and announces upcoming VBS

Lodi Summer Camp:

      Yunhee Kim, secretary of Korean Church of Syracuse, said the church had a great and joyful time in June at Lodi Summer Camp. The Lodi Summer Camp is a vacation bible school for refugee children.
      The VBS welcomed 191 children from 15 different countries, including Burma, Burundi, Central African Republic, Egypt, Ethiopia, Liberia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan,   Sierra Leone, Somalia, Tanzania, Thailand, Korea and the USA. Among the 140 children who attended on the last day, 98 children accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior.
      "It was amazing blessing for us," Kim said.
      Staffers from as far away as California and Florida participated in the VBS, including members and leaders from Yuong Saeng Presbytery in Pennsylvania. Yuong Saeng is one of the largest Korean churches in the United States. The Young Saeng members attended the camp to learn how to do refugee ministry.
       Also, Missionary Kids came and learned how to do "mission" work through this refugee ministry, Kim said.
       "So it was God's blessing to do God's great commission here where you live now," Kim said. "Please keep praying for these children so that they can hold strong faith in their lives with Christ and never forget God's endless love."

Upcoming VBS Information:

Theme:      The God of Daniel, the living God (Daniel 6:26)
When:         9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, August 14 to Thursday, August 16                                           (Registration starts at 9 a.m.)
Where:        Korean Church of Syracuse (1800 E. Geneses St., Syracuse, NY)
Contents:   Body Worship, Praise, Bible, Art, Game, Play, Snack etc.

Everyone is welcome to join. The church provides English translation.

Questions:   Contact us at 315-474-8346 or info@kcsyr.org.

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Boundaries Awareness Training

The Presbytery of Cayuga-Syracuse will host a Boundaries Awareness training event with David Olsen from Samaritan Counseling Center on Wednesday, October 24, 2018 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Liverpool.

There is no fee for participants from Cayuga-Syracuse except for the cost of lunch. Other participants are asked to pay for lunch plus a $25 registration fee.

Stay tuned for details on lunch costs and how to register in future posts.

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Northeast Wee Kirk
2018 Conference

Deadline for registering is approaching.

What: Our purpose is to inspire, equip, motivate and encourage small Presbyterian churches and to provide rest and refreshment for the clergy and lay leaders of those churches.

When: October 8 to October 10, 2018
 
Where: Laurelville Mennonite Church Center, Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania  
 
Deadline to register: September 24, 2018
 
More information: Visit the Northeast Wee Kirk website

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You always may keep abreast on happenings in and around the Presbytery by
checking the Presbytery events calendar ( http://cayugasyracuse.org/calendars) and the


Around the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Program assists parents with student loans and pastors with loan repayments
 
  By Paul Seebeck
Presbyterian News Service

LOUISVILLE - Applications are now being accepted for the new
parent loan program through the Presbyterian Mission Agency.
 
Available for Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) members, the parent loan, administered through Financial Aid for Service, offers a 6 percent interest rate - a full percentage point lower than U.S. Department of Education parent PLUS loans.
 
"This is one loan you can feel good about because it's a renewable resource," said mission coordinator Laura Bryan, who oversees Financial Aid for Service. "It helps parents now cover higher education costs, and through repayment, parents served today will return loan capital to serve other families. Plus, the interest payments on the PC(USA) parent loan will be used to provide student loan repayment assistance to pastors in the future."
 
 
Closing worship speaker encourages Presbyterian Women gathering to leave a legacy  
 
By Gail Strange  
Presbyterian News Service
 
LOUISVILLE - "The beauty of Presbyterian Women is that many of us are here because of the faith and hard work of all those Presbyterian women who have come before us," said Ruth-Aimée Belonni-Rosario Govens, chief enrollment management officer at Columbia Theological Seminary. She preached Sunday morning at the closing plenary of the 2018 Churchwide Gathering of Presbyterian Women.
 
Her sermon, "Arise and Shine," was based on the Scripture used for the theme of the gathering - Isaiah 60:1. Govens reminded worshipers that when things seem their darkest, all believers have is the word of God, and with the word, "we can shine."
 
 


5811 Heritage Landing Dr., 2nd Floor
East Syracuse, NY  13057
(315) 632-5698
"I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them
bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:5
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