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New NYS Law: By October 9,
All Congregations Must Create a Policy on Sexual Harassment and
Provide Training to Employees
New York State adopted sexual harassment legislation which requires
all New York presbyteries and congregations to create a
Sexual Harassment Prevention Policy and to provide training to all employees by October 9, 2019. Employees include exempt and non-exempt, part-time and full-time workers, and seasonal and temporary workers regardless of immigration status.
Training must be completed annually. This includes providing a copy to all employees of the adopted sexual harassment prevention policy which meets the minimum standards of the state and providing a certificate of completion of the training, a copy of which is kept in employees' files.
Fortunately, New York State has made this requirement a bit easier by providing a model policy and training videos that you can use.
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Stewardship Kaleidoscope, Sept. 30 - Oct. 2
Last Chance!
And join a Stewardship 101 here!
Join church leaders from across the country for Stewardship Kaleidoscope. "Generosity: Healthy Signs of a Vital Steward" is the theme for this year's conference which equips leaders for effective stewardship ministry. Over 30 leaders will be presenting in workshops and keynotes. Learn more and register at https://stewardshipkaleidoscope.org/.
Whether or not you attend the national conference, your congregation can benefit from our Stewardship Team's widely acclaimed Stewardship 101 training (which is featured at Kaleidoscope) right here in Hudson River Presbytery. You are welcome to host a training for your own church or to join one of the trainings already scheduled this fall.
Learn more about the training and access HRP stewardship resources.
Join Stewardship 101 Workshops right here in HRP this Fall!
You are welcome to join any of these trainings, but you must register by contacting Stewardship Team chairperson Charles Barton at
[email protected].
Sept 14 Bedford Presbyterian & Scarborough Presbyterian, at
Bedford.
Want to learn more about Kaleidoscope or Stewardship 101?
Contact Charles Barton at [email protected]. Did you get that you should contact Charles for Stewardship? Hee, hee...just seeing if you're paying attention!
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Peace and Global Witness Offering
The Peace & Global Witness Offering is received during the Season of Peace, which ends on World Communion Sunday, Oct. 6. The offering provides tools and resources for the Church as we join together as active peacemakers at all times in all ways, like the reconciliation work in South Sudan, international advocacy at the UN, or a peace camp for kids in New Jersey. Get a minute for mission, educational resources, bulletin inserts, curriculum and
much more!
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Communion Training for Elders, Oct. 3 & 17
We're set with Training on the Western side of the Hudson at the Goshen church on 10/3 at 7:00 p.m. We will be meeting in the Bradner Room which is downstairs in Fellowship Hall, behind the main church.
For the Eastern side of the Hudson, we'll be at the Freedom Plains
church on 10/17 - again, at 7:00 p.m. We will be in a smaller meeting room, so space may be limited to fewer than 20.
This training is for those elders whose training has lapsed (had training 2+ years ago)
, t
hose who haven't been trained yet
, those who have been authorized by their home-church Session (please bring a letter of endorsement from your church's Session with you to the training). The training includes
- Training in creating/officiating a service of Communion
- Introduction to the different parts of the service and what they signify
- Resource materials for creating the service
Please email Anne Wood to register for the training or with any questions at [email protected].
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Boundary Training for Pastors and CRE's, Oct. 22
On Tuesday, October 22, the annual Boundary Training event for the Presbytery of Hudson River will be held at Holmes Camp and Conference Center. This mandated training is a HRP requirement set forth in policy enacted by the Presbytery.
If you have never attended Boundary Training, plan on attending from 2 PM to 7 PM. Dinner will be available at a cost of $15, by reservation. You will have received an e mail from the Presbytery office if you need to attend this training.
If you attended Boundary Training 5 or more years ago, you have reached the 5 year renewal anniversary for Boundary Training. Plan on attending from 5-7 PM. Dinner will be available at a cost of $15, by reservation. You will have received an email from the Presbytery office if you need to attend this training.
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At the US-Mexico Border, Cathy Surgenor Accompanies Migrants
This summer, Cathy Surgenor spent a week in Agua Prieta, a border town where migrants wait to apply for asylum to the USA. This is a new PPF accompaniment project that is completing a trial period. Cathy worked with PC(USA) World Mission co-workers and local organizations including The Centro de Atención al Migrante "Exodus" (CAME) that offers hospitality to asylum seekers at the U.S./Mexico border who are forced to wait a month or more before making their asylum petitions. Read Cathy's full report here.
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Holmes Camp Q featured in Presbyterian News Service
It's been more than a month since
Holmes Camp & Retreat Center in Holmes, New York, made history. Now the camp's executive director, the Rev.
Bryan Breault, is hearing lovely things from the parents of campers from across the country.
Parents are thanking him - and the facility of the presbyteries of Hudson River, Long Island and New York City - for hosting what is believed to be the first-ever week-long camp for LGBTQ+ high school youth at a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) conference center.
"They're saying things like, 'My son has a renewed sense of who he is,'" Breault said.
Read the full story!
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Come to The Table Synod Gathering, November 8-9
For Such a Time as This: Change, Crisis and Opportunity! Come to the Table! The Synod gathers every year to encourage the connection, fellowship, worship, and discernment of the leaders that make up our Synod. In the even years we gather in Synod Assembly - to affirm our connectional identity, to set goals and to handle necessary governance. In the odd years we gather at Come to the Table - to learn together about and be encouraged by the missional and ministry innovation being led by Presbyterians and other partners of our regional community.Join the Synod of the Northeast for a community building, justice-seeking, faith renewing gathering November 8-9 at Stony Point Center.
Learn more!
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Healthy and Vital Congregations
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All Souls, Port Chester Dedicates Rainbow Doors in a Celebration of Love
On Sunday, September 8 at 10:00am, All Souls Parish dedicated the rainbow doors that now adorn the exterior of their church building in a Celebration of Love. We celebrate with them!
We are grateful to God for encouraging us and leading us to this day. Today, we installed and dedication a beautiful message of rainbow doors on our building that announce "God's Doors Are Open to All." It took, faith, risk and teamwork but it all came together in a beautiful way this morning. Our worship was focused on affirming the LGBTQ+ community and challenging ourselves to make a promise to our community that we will live in love for each other.
We were privileged to ha
ve the Loft Pride choir join our own choir in the gift of song. Friends and supporters came from near and far to celebrate with us. We are grateful for friends like Deborah Milcarek of Hudson River Presbytery, County Legislator Nancy Barr, Rabbi Ben Goldberg and Rev. Jim O'Hanlon who also were present and shared words and encouragement.
We have been talking about our journey at All Souls, what it looks like, how we listen for God's leading and having the faith to follow not knowing how it will unfold. Today was a monumental step in that journey. Please hold us in prayer and we continue to discern where we are being led and that we might be faithful to our call.
See all the photos.
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Roscoe Presbyterian's Fall Rummage Sale,
Sept. 18-21
WE ARE LOADED WITH GOOD QUALITY CLOTHING AND HOUSEHOLD GOODS!
Roscoe Presbyterian Church, Old Route 17 in Roscoe, NY
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 18: 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
THURSDAY AND FRIDAY, Sept. 19-20: 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
SATURDAY, Sept. 21: 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
"Bag Days" are Friday and Saturday. For information or to arrange a donation drop-off, contact Julie at: (607) 498-5215
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Chester Presbyterian Chicken BBQ, Sept. 28
It's that time again!
Fall Chicken BBQ
Saturday, September 28th Chester Presbyterian Church
$7/chicken half
$3/salad
(tradition macaroni or our famous coleslaw)
Place your order by Sept. 18th to guarantee via email
[email protected] or call 845-469-2730. After Sept 18th, subject to availability.
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Phyllis Trible to Lecture at Irvington Presbyterian, Sept. 29
All are welcome to a lecture by noted feminist Biblical scholar Phyllis Trible, who will explore the story of creation in Genesis 1. The focus will be on God's giving to humankind "dominion" over all the earth. What does this mean, especially now in light of global warming and other ecological and social problems?
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Woman2Woman Prison Ministry Training, Sept. 29
Launched by Bedford Presbyterian Church in the fall of 2013, Woman 2 Woman is a prison ministry program that connects women in our congregation and community with women incarcerated at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility. These women are our neighbors, yet many of them have little to no outside contact. Our visiting program is designed to provide much-needed emotional support, encouragement and friendship. Our goal is also to stretch our own capacity for empathy and understanding by developing a relationship of mutual respect and caring with someone whose history and circumstances is typically very different from our own.
If you have questions or to register, please contact Nancy Gernert at 914-763-0750 or via email at [email protected]
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Thanks, but No Thanks!
A message from Barbara Devir about calendars for men and women in prison.
I would like to thank the many churches which, over the years, have contributed calendars for
our brothers and sisters in prison. Unfortunately, due to a variety of reasons, I no longer have a way to deliver the calendars in the prison. So....Thanks, but no thanks!
I will not be accepting calendars this year for those who are incarcerated. However, that does not mean that your church should not collect them, (and I am sure some of you have already begun). Please do collect the calendars and share them with those in your community. When I have more than I need I share them with food pantries and other community programs. The joy I have experienced in watching families look carefully through the pile of donated calendars at our food pantry, finally selecting just the right one, is priceless. Me? I usually choose the calendar with the largest boxes! Other places to consider donating are health clinics, local jails, homeless shelters and nursing homes.
Again, thank you for all your support in the past and good luck as you make your own connections while discovering our brothers and sisters who would be happy to have a beautiful calendar. -- Barbara Devir
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Healthy Pastors, Healthy Congregations
The Healthy Pastors, Healthy Congregations program restores the financial health and wholeness of Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) pastors so they may revitalize their congregations. This innovative financial education program combines pastor and congregational leader education with grants of up to $10,000 to qualifying pastors. First Presbyterian Church, Beacon, has signed up and Pastor Ben Larson-Wolbrink is encouraging others to join. The Rev. Dr. Carrie Mitchell, our area liaison to the Board of Pensions, can also assist you in learning more and becoming involved. She may be reached at [email protected].
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Sowing the Seeds of Justice Dinner, Sept. 19,
to benefit Rural and Migrant Ministry
Rene Thiel will be honored for her years of service
On Thursday, September 19 from 6:00-9:00pm at The Riverside Church in NYC, Rural and Migrant Ministry will hold its Sowing the Seeds of Justice Dinner. it will celebrate that, after years of stalwart advocacy by RMM and its supporters, Governor Cuomo signed the Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Act into law.
Read the invitation. Rene Thiel, longtime RMM board member and active Elder at The Hitchcock Presbyterian Church will be honored for her years of service. To purchase tickets contact Elizabeth Grese, [email protected] or 845-665-1425.
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Dr. Koll and Erlinda Quesada
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Join International Peacemaker Erlinda Quesada at White Plains Presbyterian for
a night of Climate Action, Sept. 20
On
Friday, September 20, as millions around the world will be engaging in a Climate Strike prior to the UN Climate Summit, g
ather with people of faith and conscience at the White Plains Presbyterian Church for a stimulating conversation with Costa Rican Activist Erlinda Quesada from 7:00-8:00, followed by a poignant candlelight vigil from 8:00-8:30pm. Join us at 6:30 for refreshments and to connect with committed neighbors. Download and share the flyer.
Erlinda Quesada is currently President of the Environmental Council for the Tortuguero Conservation Area, Costa Rica, and helped found the
National Front of Sectors Impacted by Pineapple Production. She will discuss the fight against deforestation, large-scale corporate agriculture, efforts to protect local watersheds, and the adverse environmental and human health costs.
Quesada is traveling as a PC(USA) International Peacemaker, accompanied by Presbyterian mission co-worker, the Rev. Dr. Karla Ann Koll of Biblical University of Latin America. They are being hosted by our Presbytery and the White Plains Presbyterian Church and the event is co-sponsored by HRPGreen.
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Adopt a Prison Public Program, Sept. 22
Organized by Interfaith Prison Partnership and featuring elected officials, leaders of correctional facilities, returned citizens/formerly incarcerated, and Hans Hallundbaek,
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County Exec. George Latimer will be among the elected officials speaking. |
Director of Interfaith Prison Partnership, this program will provide the opportunity to learn more about what it means to Adopt-a-Prison. Download the flyer. The Adopt a Prison program has been implemented by the town of Bedford, Bedford Hills and Taconic Correctional Facilities, and Interfaith Prison Partnership.
Adopt a Prison will take place from 4:00-6:00pm at Bedford Hills Train Station House at Depot Plaza. RSVP your attendance to
[email protected].
Why Adopt a Prison? It will connect you to men and women who are incarcerated, it will help increase awareness about mass incarceration, and provide opportunities for volunteers as well as careers. As one corrections facility put it,
"A lot of troubles in the world would disappear if we were talking to each other instead of about each other. It is in this spirit that Taconic Correctional Facility
is interested in engaging with the local community".
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Celebrate 100 Homes and 20 Years, Oct. 5
PresbyBuild invites you to join with Habitat of Newburgh as they dedicate their 100th home and celebrate 20 years.
Sat. October 5
12:00noon - 5:00pm
118 William St. In Newburgh
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Regional and National Events
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Stony Point Farm to Table Gala, Sept. 22
The gathering will support Stony Point Center as a resource for movement building and renewal, strengthen our ties to one another, and honor an innovator in the field of peace and human rights activism.
Register now!
The Community of Living Traditions is honored to announce that the recipient of the 2019 Living Tradition Award will be Pastor Cori Bush.
Pastor Cori emerged from the frontlines of Furgeson to run for Congress in 2018 and is featured in the award-winning documentary Knock Down the House. She now speaks around the world on non-violence and the invisible wounds of racism and injustice.
Click here to read more.
Guests will be served a farm-fresh meal made from ingredients grown on our grounds and at other local farms. You will also have the opportunity to bid on items offered in the "Slice of Life" Silent Auction, featuring a harvest of talents gleaned from the SPC Campus Community.
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PC(USA) Peacemaking Seminar Trips in 2020
Central American Migrant Trails, Feb. 17-28, 2020 aims to help concerned Presbyterians better understand the immigration context we are facing in the US with our Central American brothers and sisters and why they take the risk of embarking on this dangerous journey north with children in tow. Learn more.
Root Causes and Current Challenges of Forced Migration and Labor Trafficking, May 4-15, 2020 Since 1974, the Philippine government systematized its labor export program, in response to increasing unemployment and underemployment and social unrest...Almost 7000 workers per day, leave the Philippines to work in land-based and sea-based jobs. The labor force of Hong Kong domestic workers consists mostly of Indonesian and Filipina women. Learn more. |
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Resources for Education, Liturgy & More!
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Christians Against Christian Nationalism
An important initiative to confront Christian Nationalism has been launched by the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. PCUSA's Director of Public Witness, the Rev. Jimmie Hawkins, is an endorser as well as other Christian leaders of note. This article in Salon this month is an excellent summary of this movement and the larger political context. The Office of Public Witness has assembled resources for congregations to use in reflection and resistance to Christian Nationalism
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Feature-length Documentary about the Flint Water Crisis
Flint: The Poisoning of an American City, produced by the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. It is the first feature-length documentary about the Flint water crisis.
Learn more about the film here: flintpoisoning.org
and watch the trailer here:
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| Flint: The Poisoning of An American City |
The film will premiere in Flint on September 12th, and be screened in five cities around the country in September and October, including New York City, before being released on video on demand platforms. Each screening event will include a Q&A panel discussion with filmmakers, water/environment experts, and people from Flint who were featured on the film. You can subscribe to
[email protected]
to stay abreast of upcoming screenings.
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Hymnals to Give Away!
South Presbyterian Church in Dobbs Ferry has 100+ copies of The Presbyterian Hymnal, 1990 edition with a blue cover, to give away. Most copies are in excellent condition. If you are interested, please contact Anne Day at
[email protected].
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Valley Presbyterian in Brookfield, CT Seeks Interim Pastor
Valley Presbyterian in Brookfield, CT is looking for a new pastor to help them get "unstuck." Learn more by reading their
Church Leadership Connection entry. Applicants must be certified/trained in Interim Ministry.
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FPC of Forest Hills Seeks Full-Time Interim Pastor
The First Presbyterian Church of Forest Hills is seeking a full-time interim pastor to exercise pastoral, administrative, and representational leadership, and to serve the needs of the church as identified in the
job description, which may be redefined as needed. Full info at:
https://www.presbyfh.org/interim-pastor-search .
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Nauraushaun Church Seeks Part-Time Organist/Pianist
Nauraushaun Church in Pearl River loves its music ministry and is seeking a part-time organist/pianist. Requirements include experience planning and playing for worship services, sacred music repertoire, professional contacts and creative ideas about liturgical music; support for the choir and collaboration with the choir director; planning special music with guests, instrumental or vocal, for Christmas, Easter and other holy days in the church year; overseeing care of the instruments. Back-to-back choir rehearsal and worship service on Sunday mornings. Eleven-rank Wicks pipe organ. Four weeks' vacation and competitive salary. Please contact Lise Chanin at the Naurashaun Church at 845 735 4565.
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All Souls Port Chester Seeks PT Christian Educator
All Souls Parish/The Presbyterian Church of Port Chester, NY is looking for a part-time Christian Educator to facilitate our Sunday Morning children's program. The position is four hours a week with 2.5 of those hours being on Sunday morning from 9 -11:30 am. The salary will be $18-$20 per hour commensurate with experience. Please send a cover letter and resume to
[email protected].
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 Be sure that this doesn't happen to your friends and congregants! Help them stay abreast of all things Hudson River Presbytery with Hudson Happenings! This elegant (you know it!), informative, splashy communique helps your fabulous friends and congregants plug in to events, connect within and beyond your congregation, and discover useful and inspiring resources for life together! Sign up your session and your mission team and your spouse (heh, heh) today!
Filled with links to local, regional and national news as well as information on fabulous educational and advocacy events, it's your place for interesting news and events in Hudson River Presbytery, Synod of the NE and PC(USA). So why not share it with your friends?! And with the link below, your friends can also subscribe to other e-updates from the Presbytery! Invite them to go to http://tinyurl.com/m2l9kpj or share this "oh my gosh I missed it!" photo of me (the link is embedded).
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