• The next meeting of Presbytery is on Saturday, 17 April 2021, 10 AM, by Zoom. Meeting papers will be available on the website soon. Please note that you must preregister by Thursday April 15th at 6 pm in order to be able to attend. The link below will take you to the Zoom registration for the meeting. After completing the registration form, Zoom will send you a meeting link. Please don't lose it. Register for the April presbytery meeting:  https://forms.gle/9ELp9bTSkCUqFgR88.

• The Sunday, April 11th Eastertide service done by HRPGreen, a partnership of Hudson River Presbytery, will premiere on HRP Green's Facebook page and on Jeff Geary’s YouTube channel at 9:00 a.m. You will be able to view the service by using the following links: https://www.facebook.com/HudsonRiverPresbyteryGreen or https://youtu.be/8rBBwA18kyc. If you'd like to download the video file for your own church, please download it from this Google Drive folder: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UybgeTnlva1WrFmVTqEHDJ6wS8_Z4plb/view?usp=sharing. We've also been asked whether this Eastertide service could be used for worship on Sunday, April 18th, Earth Day Sunday and the answer is yes. There will also be resources on the YouTube site to provide additional information for followup discussion.

• The Middletown Times Herald-Record recently reported on the volunteer initiative of Calvary Presbyterian Church members. Church member Jim Ferguson was designated 'director' of the project. Jim spends much of his time volunteering on building projects with the local Habitat for Humanity group. This effort, however, involved construction and donation of 30 school desks to Newburgh students who otherwise might not have an at-home workspace. Desks were intentionally left in a 'raw' state so that the children could decorate them however they wanted. Ferguson’s team hopes that other churches or organizations may be inspired to build desks for kids attending schools in their neighborhoods.

• PRC COMES TO HUDSON RIVER PRESBYTERY. PRC (Practical Resources for Churches) is now available to member churches of the Presbytery. Recommended by an HRP pastor and affirmed by many, PRC provides a multitude of resources for congregations and leaders. This includes webinars, workshops, and online resources from Christian Education to Copyright Laws; from Stewardship to Small Church ministry; from Church Finance to Youth Ministry to Worship….and everything else under the sun. PRC will also provide consultants and answers to any questions you might have. Visit www.prcli.org and peruse the multitude of resources available to you at no cost to your church. Of particular note is the Sexual Harassment Training webinar for New York State employees that is required of everyone who works for a church. (This is not interchangeable with Boundary Training for Pastors). Here you can find and utilize the webinar for all employees. https://www.prcli.org/webinars-2/ We have contracted with PRC for one year. Give us your feedback – let us know if PRC works for you. Send comments to: deborah@hudrivpres.org

• Holmes Camp and Retreat Center welcomes your help THIS WEEKEND at their upcoming Work Day. Please consider participating. Details here: https://conta.cc/3tKqk3x

• In consideration of the pandemic the Challenge to Change application deadline is extended to September 1, 2021. Application can be found here.

• Do you struggle with issues with food? Does it feel like food in some ways has an unhealthy hold on your life? Are you someone who has struggled with the question that you might be addicted to food? First Presbyterian Church, Montgomery is offering a virtually led group on the subject of food addiction starting May 2^nd. Details are here.

• Rural Migrant Ministry draws your attention to six month cohort it is offering to new clergy and lay leaders. Our focus will be on rural transformation, though we are also offering the program to suburban and urban clergy who wish to strengthen their relationship with the rural regions. See the flyer here. And mark your calendars for a 40th anniversary celebration of RMM's new home in Cornwall On Hudson. Hudson RIver will be honored as a founding Covenanting member. We will celebrate the weekend of October 9th. More to follow.

• On Monday April 12^th at 10 a.m. the presbytery will host a zoom gathering for church-related food pantries and feeding programs. This will be an occasion to share information on what has worked as need and client numbers have grown and to brainstorm what might be done next.  If you are connected with a pantry and would like to be added to the list for this event, please let Susan DeGeorge (susandegeorge@hudrivpres.org) know.

• Nursery school and child care directors meet on Zoom at 4 pm on these dates:  4/26, and 5/24. If your congregation has a director who would like to be part of this group, please send their contact information to susandegeorge@hudrivpres.org

• Don't forget to Have Your Minutes Read  Each congregation is to exchange and read the minutes of another congregation with which they have been paired between now and April 18th. Pastors and Clerks of Session should have received an email detailing how minutes are being read. If your congregation didn’t receive the notice, would you please send an email to susandegeorge@hudrivpres.org for more information.

•  HRPGreen and the Presbytery Committee on Representation with the support of 16 HRP congregations has been awarded a Legacy grant to provide training on systemic racism and environmental justice. The Racial Justice Team is planning a 3-year initiative which will include trainings, workshops, worship, and actions. More information will be available soon. In the meantime, we have attached information to some racial justice initiatives in the event your congregation would like to get involved now. 

• Another HRPGreen Initiative: Community Solar is Solar Made Easy - With No Installation and No Cost. Congregants in ConEd and NYSEG utility areas - homeowners and renters - can join a community solar farm and save up to 10% on your electric bills while caring for creation! Being part of the solar farm earns you solar credits that reduce your electric bills and you then pay a discounted amount for the credits, resulting in savings of 10%. Community Solar is compatible with your current electricity supplier, and there is no cost to join and flexibility to cancel anytime. Sustainable Westchester can also facilitate enrollment for churches in ConEd, NYSEG, Central Hudson and National Grid utility areas. Many members of the Hudson River Presbytery have enrolled in community solar through the Solarize Our Congregation initiative which is now being supported by Sustainable Westchester. Reach out to Claire Kokoska at communitysolar@sustainablewestchester.org or call 914.242.4725 ext. 112 to learn more. Sign up or check out how it works at SustainableWestchester.org/solar