February 13, 2020

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.

'Back to the Bible'

Korean Church of Syracuse hosts  

successful, fulfilling New York Bible Conference  

 

 

The Korean Church of Syracuse hosted the New York Bible Conference on January 9 to 11 at the White Eagle Conference Center in Hamilton.  

 

Each year the conference focuses on a few chapters of the Bible and this year -- the 14th year -- the conference was able to finish all 66 books of the Bible.  

 

Under the motto, "Back to the Bible," NYBC focuses on its mission for Christian students and adults to reestablish their faith in the Word of God through Jesus Christ.

 

The conference is targeted for those in Upstate NY in areas like Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, Ithaca, Rochester and Syracuse.    

 

"The goal is to revive the gospel in this area , but we had many attendees from New York City, and many other states such as New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Washington D.C., Florida, California, and even from Canada, France and Korea,"

said Yunhee Kim, of the Korean Church of Syracuse.  

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Kim said the church is blessed to be able to hold this ministry.  

" We thank God for giving this wonderful opportunity to serve and work for His Words and His Kingdom with all difference churches, areas, people and even denominations," Kim said.

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  I n our prayers together this week...

• Please pray for Jim Cooper who has just been diagnosed with lung cancer and is scheduled for surgery this week. Jim is related to Linda Russell. Jim, his wife (Donna Russell Cooper) and their two young adult daughters live in Phoenix, Arizona.
• Pray for all those who are sick, battling cancer and fighting silent diseases.
• Pray for Jim Russell as he continues his fight with esophagus cancer.

  Hello, Cayuga-Syracuse!

 

The Presbytery of Cayuga-Syracuse will hold a stated meeting on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020 at First Presbyterian Church of Weedsport, 8871 S. Seneca Street, Route 34, Weedsport, NY 13166. The gathering will begin with registration at 8:30 a.m. and a special program at 9 a.m. followed by the call to order at 10 a.m.

Liberation Polity: Discernment and Equity

There is a pervasive view of Presbyterian Polity that is kind of, well, negative. It is the view of polity as a limiting or restrictive force in the life of the church. I confess, I have been peeved more than once by the citing of polity; but, as I began the work of studying and engaging polity, it became clear to me that I was being a touch reactive. The problem, in my very humble opinion, is a tendency to utilize polity as a way of either being "right" or as a vehicle for reducing church to a black and white set of standards. The use of polity disconnected from its foundational intentions leads to a sort of governmental fundamentalism that simply doesn't serve the church or its members. In fact, fundamentalist policy becomes more a tool of abuse and division than a common set of operating principles.

So, as your grateful Stated Clerk, I want to spend some time lifting up the foundations of our polity that serve as its, and our, principles and values for governing the church. As my own work is ultimately to serve and to represent you, I think we can gather around these principles as a way of you knowing my personal operating values and as a way learning how to best serve the mission and the moving of the Spirit here in the Presbytery of Cayuga-Syracuse.

As I have already suggested, polity get a bad rep as some kind of wall that prevents us from moving forward in the reforming and reimagining of the church. This concept seems to forget that fact that polity was, in fact, a significant part of reforming the church and a basis for reimagining the church's future. Polity is comfortably at home in the revolutionary reforms of history and it is comfortably at home in the movements of reform today. What actually stands out, in my mind, as a stumbling block is polity's role in two basic concepts of Presbyterian church life ... discernment and equity. So, let's start this week with these two ideals that cause so much grumbling in the life of a Presbyterian.

Discernment

Discernment is a word that enters into multiple levels of church life. As a minister, I am called to discern a number of things from call to church service. Elders and deacons are asked to discern the most effective way to serve and nurture the church. Presbytery leaders and commissioners, are asked to discern the best way to serve, govern, nurture, and unify the larger collective of churches that makeup the presbytery. To those ends, polity has a multitude of roles in the process. There is one role; however, that probably causes more cranky faces and impatience than most and can be summed up in the following statement: Polity's role in the discernment of the church is to intentionally slow things down and to intentionally invite the diverse voices of councils to have voice in any given process. This kinda sucks; but, if you really think about it, we are a church that values a certain degree of intentionality in our theology and in our process. We are simply not a "seat of your pants" kinda people. That said, we see that discernment is an inherent piece of the processes outlined in polity. The folks who wrote the polity of the church did not simply add steps or additional review because they were sadistic micro-managers, they did so because they understood that the best decisions are ultimately made through true, spiritual, and Spirit-guided discernment. So, whether you like it or not, they are forcing you to stop and think about what you are doing. Sometimes, that means that issues and ideas we care about take more time to be realized (I know this as a married gay man); but, it also means that once those ideas and issues are realized and acted on, there tends to be a larger and more thoughtful consensus on the ideas and the issues themselves. Discernment is our tool for educating and being educated, for healthy debate, and for reaching consensus.

Equity

Anyone, like myself, who has been on the side of battling for certain social justice issues who hears the word "equity" used to describe polity might stop reading at this point and send me a stern email; but, fellow justice warriors bear with me! First, the nerdy stuff...

Reformed church denominations were present in our colonial heritage and had more than a little influence on the governing structures of municipalities and their constitutions. Presbyterians were also present at the drafting the Constitution of the United States. We are a church that pioneered the concept of democracy as something based in our understanding and expression of God's grace and Christ's liberating work. In fact, in comparison with the church's democratic roots, we might say that America is a little baby democracy in many ways. Of course the history of both is more complex and much longer; but, this is a newsletter not a dissertation.

If democracy is our guiding form of governance and if we are going to be serious about it, a few things must be held sacred: freedom to speak, open debate, voting rights, diverse representation, and ultimately shared authority that is mindful of God's supreme authority. Some of this probably sounds familiar in the secular sense too. Equity arises when we value both majority and minority voices on any given issues, when we are mindful that diversity exists even in the illusion of homogeny, and when we respect the fact that faith values are as individual as fingerprints. This means that in our quest for equity, we do not listen only to loudest or the most indignant voices, we listen to all voices. Believe me, I know how this can be a pain! I know that that the world, and the church, would be so much better off if everyone just listened to me ... of course! Alas, my appetite for equity tells me I need to listen as much as I talk.

Equity does not just happen by the way, it often requires a leadership and a process that actively seeks to encourage minority participation, that sees quiet folks and engages them.

There is an example I use from my experience at the last General Assembly. I was a theology student assistant and had one of the best behind-the-scenes views of the whole process in action. There was a serious, sincere, and sometimes tense debate on the floor concerning fossil fuels. All around the plenary hall activists were lobbying for support and expressing a true concern for the future of the planet. The debate was respectful and efficient and it also included voices from people who live in parts of this country that depend on the income earned by work in the fossil fuel industry. Thousands of congregants were represented by pastors and elders explaining that communities could be dragged into poverty if the fossil fuel industry disappeared. The truth of the matter was that these voices of rural America that depended on fossil fuels were more numerous than folks expected. The vote was close and the look of disappointment and sadness on the faces of the environmental activists was devastating. This was a setback, a setback, on their journey; but, if you really look at it, the system ultimately worked. Those concerned about the church's relationship to fossil fuels weren't rejected, though I am sure it felt like it, they were asked to take a moment to consider the livelihoods of thousands of people, to strengthen their message by becoming aware and empathetic to those whose lives depend on the very things they were fighting against. They were ultimately asked to discern a message that speaks to both the environment and the employment issue. Equity in action meant that the church had to listen to both the voices of the activists and the voices of economic concern. Any of us who engaged in the marriage debates remember what this feels like, a process that asks us to be equitable can cause pain; and yet, it can ultimately cause consensus and greater understanding.

Okay, enough for one article! In the coming weeks we will be looking at some other principles and foundations of our polity ... our liberating polity! Stay tuned ...

Blessings,

The Rev. Ben Fitzgerald-Fye

Stated Clerk

 

What: Slow Smoked Pull Pork Dinner

When: 4 p.m. until Sold Out on Saturday, Feb. 15

Where: Sennett Federated Church, 7777 Weedsport-Sennett Road, Sennett

Cost: $10 for adults, $5 for 5 to 12 year olds, free for children under 5 years old

Takeouts available

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 Commission on Christian Leadership Formation

When: 6 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 20 

 

Register by Feb. 7  

 

Diverse groups of 8-12 guests gather together for a friendly, facilitated conversation about faith and spirituality at homes across Central New York. Participation is free. Your host will provide a simple vegetarian meal. For more information, contact Daryl Files at (315) 449-3552, ext. 208, or email dfiles@interfaithworkscny.org. 

 

Download registration form here 

 

February 14     Clerk's Annual Questionnaire due (online)

February 15     Presbytery Stated Meeting, Weedsport

February 24     Leadership Team Meeting

March 23          Leadership Team Meeting

April 27            Leadership Team Meeting

May 12             Presbytery Stated Meeting, Robinson Elmwood United Church

June 4              Spring Senior Fun Day at Vanderkamp 

June 20-27       General Assembly, Baltimore

July 23-24        Board of Pensions Thrive Seminar (for clergy age 50+)

Free webinar on 'Basics of Reformed Theology' set for Feb. 20

Presentation led by the Rev. Dr. Cynthia Rigby, called 'one of the great theologians of our time'

By Tammy Warren

Presbyterian News Service

LOUISVILLE -- What is Reformed theology?

Learn the basics during a one-hour webinar led by theologian, speaker and author the Rev. Dr. Cynthia Rigby, W.C. Brown Professor of Theology at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and co-chair of the Reformed Theology and History Unit of the American Academy of Religion. Rigby is also an associate editor for the Journal of Reformed Theology and the Journal of the American Academy of Religion.

The free webinar is set for 1 p.m. through 2 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, Feb. 20. Registration is available here.

The webinar is being offered by the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators (APCE) in partnership with the Office of Christian Formation of the Presbyterian Mission Agency. It is ideal for people new to Christian education, volunteers and seasoned veterans, said Stephanie Fritz, associate coordinator for Christian formation in Theology, Formation and Evangelism.

"The Presbyterian Mission Agency's Office of Christian Formation partners with five organizations that support faith formation ministries across a lifetime," Fritz said. "We refer to this group as the  Christian Formation Collective. We are excited about initiatives and projects that we are working on with each of these organizations to support leaders in faith formation."

  Continue reading...

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Study uncovers barriers to addressing mental health issues in the PC(USA)

 

 

 

About 6,000 people participated in surveys commissioned by Compassion, Peace & Justice  

 

By Darla Carter

Presbyterian News Service