Welcome to this week's edition of our e-letter, Presbytery Matters. | |
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The Rev. Barb E. Blom and others from the United Ministry of Aurora traveled to Seneca Falls last month for the press conference with the Gayogohono (Cayuga Nation) Chiefs and Clan Mothers.
"We offered our support for those who are working to teach the children their traditional customs, language and connections to the earth despite pressure from those who wish to build casinos, open dispensaries and often use violence to do so," Blom said.
To learn more about the Cayuga's internal conflict, the New York Times wrote an article in March 2023 and the Finger Lake Times covered the press conference in November 2023.
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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 "Facebook" icon at the top of this newsletter.
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Joys and Concerns around the Presbytery | |
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In our prayers together this week:
- Please pray for those who are grieving the loss of a loved one.
- Keep all those who battling cancer in your prayers. Please ask God to be by their side and to be with their doctors and families.
In the cycle of prayer our Presbytery, please pray for these congregations, faith communities, and individuals: Minister members of the Presbytery who are engaged in specialized ministries, who are at-large members, or who are retired
If you'd like to share a particular joy or concern with the Presbytery, please contact: CaySyrNews@gmail.com. Please note, prayers will be featured for three weeks, unless a specific time frame is requested.
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During the season of Advent, we celebrate Christ’s coming into the world and watch with expectant hope for Christ’s coming again. | |
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"Terms of Call" for 2024 available now so that congregations can plan for the upcoming year.
Download HERE
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Presbytery Church Transformation Commission | |
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Recently our Presbytery received a grant for $30,000.00 from the Synod for the use of assisting churches with transformation. A Presbytery Church Transformation Commission (PCTC) has been appointed by the Moderator to oversee the use of the funds. Commission members are: Marissa Saunders, Moderator (Park Central), Lynn Jacques, Secretary (East Syracuse) Ben Fitgerald-Fye (Sipioville), Jessica Gorman, (Liverpool) and Shavonn Lynch (Auburn).
Two of our members, Marissa Saunders and Ben Fitzgerald-Fye, will be attending a Matthew 25 Summit in Atlanta Georgia at the New Life Presbyterian Church, College Park on January 16-18, 2024. Our Interim Resource Presbyster, Kathy Dain, is also attending. The Commission is offering three full scholarships for other members of our Presbytery to attend. This includes registration fee, air fare, hotel accommodations, and meals.
If you are interested in attending this Summit, please send an email to Lynn Jacques at lmjacques@verizon.net expressing the desire to attend by telling who would attend, why they want to attend, what they expect to learn from the Summit and how they would use what is learned at their church to further the Matthew 25 initiative.
More information on the Summitt can be found at https://www.presbyterianmission.org/ministries/matthew-25-summit-an-invitation-to-innovation/.
The deadline for submitting reservations is January 2, 2024. The Commission is asking that all interested people email their request to Lynn by December 13, 2023. Individuals will receive notice between Dec 15 and 20 if they have received the scholarship.
Wishing you all a Blessed Advent Season,
Lynn Jacques,
Secretary, PCTC
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Interested in joining a Bible Study Group? Here are few available now!
In 2024, PW Churchwide’s Justice and Peace Committee is hosting book discussion groups again. Consider participating in one or all of the book discussions! The discussions will be held on Zoom, bimonthly, on the second Monday, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. It’s free to participate, but registration is required. You will receive questions for reflection/discussion and a Zoom link 24 hours before each session. Learn more.
Scipioville Bible Study - "Beverages and Bibles" meets at 7 p.m. on Thursdays in December. Register Here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing needed information.
Isaiah’s Table meets Wednesdays at 7 p.m. It is part of their adult education program and concentrates on Spiritual Nurture and Social Justice. During Advent they have been reading The First Advent in Palestine by Kelley Nikondheha. Join Zoom.
Meeting ID: 838 0808 2621
Passcode: 203109
A Presbyterian Women’s Group (that sometimes has men join them) began during COVID to keep PW of C-S together … The group includes members from New Jersey, Connecticut and Iowa, and about half are Presbyterian. (God does have a sense of humor!) The group focuses on books that tend to deal with discrimination. Sometimes they even read novels! Contact Rita at twohoops2@gmail after the first of the year if you would like to check this out! They meet Thursdays at 7 p.m.
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Does your church have a Bible Study, book clup or topic study group and are willing to have others? You are asked to send your information to:
Rita Hooper
210 Meadowbrook Circle
Fulton, NY 13069
or
twohoops2@gmail.com
For questions, text or call her at 315-706-3564.
Information Needed:
Book of Bible you are studying
Bible Study you are using (Title, Author, Publisher) if you are using one.
Topic you are studying eg: the border, Palestine-Israeli situation, Ukraine, Christian Nationalism, literacy,homelessness, refugees, aging, discrimination of any and all kinds etc
When the group meets eg. third monday at 10am, weekly on Tuesdays at 7 pm etc.
Where they meet - church name and location
Zoom information
Contact information (name, phone, email) of person who is responsible for this group
We are family and we are better together … help us share the good things happening in Cayuga-Syracuse Presbytery.
Don’t wait for someone else to do it … if you know the info, please let Rita know, she would rather get it 5 times than not at all!
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Interim Resource Presbyter Announcements | |
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Under the new guidelines from the Book of Order, boundary training is required every three years for: Ministers of Word and Sacrament, Certified Christian Educators (CCE), Certified Christian Ruling Elders (CRE) and Inquirers before moving to candidacy.
The presbytery has contracted with SafeGatherings https://safegatherings.com for the online boundary training course. To learn more, or to register for the course, please contact your committee chair or the interim resource presbyter.
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Background checks for incoming Ministers of the Word & Sacrament are now conducted through Praesidium.
https://www.praesidiuminc.com
To request a background check, please contact your COM liaison.
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The next "Can We Talk?" gathering will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, December 15th (due to the holiday) in the Lounge behind the Sanctuary at Pebble Hill Presbyterian Church, 5299 Jamesville Road in Syracuse.
Coffee and goodies will be served.
The gathering is for retired pastors and CLP's or for folks who are about to retire. First-timers are always welcome!
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Park Central Church in Syracuse received a ReKindle Grant from the Columbia Theological Seminary which allowed the church to provide a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB)training with their congregational leadership and members this fall. The funding also gives the church the ability to offer this training in the Spring to congregational leaders from other local Presbyterian churches.
The trainings are in-person for 5 weeks and end with an all day in-person retreat at Christ the King Retreat Center in Syracuse.
Two virtual information sessions have been scheduled for Monday, January 8 at 11 a.m. and Thursday, January 11, at 6 p.m. You only need to attend ONE of the information sessions. If you are interested in learning more about the trainings please send an email with your desired information session date/time to Marissa Saunders at niaministriesworldwide@gmail.com to RSVP and receive the Zoom link.
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Rev. Shawn Reyburn from the Columbian Presbyterian Church in LaFayette is wondering if there are other congregations who would be willing to share the 25 count offering envelopes. Shawn says his congregation does not need all 25 and wants to split the cost and the envelopes with another congregation in the same spot.
Interested? Contact Shawn Reyburn at (315) 663-6851
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Fellowship Hall Rental
The Collamer United Church fellowship hall is available for rent for special occasions, meetings, and other activities. Maximum capacity is 140. We have seating for 122 people. We also have a very nice commercial kitchen which is available for an extra charge.
Please contact the church office for information.
Collamer United Church
6865 Collamer Road
East Syracuse, New York 13057
(315) 463-4939
collamerunitedchurch@verizon.net
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Practical Resources for Churches Webinars | |
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Our Address: PO Box 438, Syracuse, NY 13214
Click Here for Staff Contact Information
Click Here for a list of Live Streams from our churches
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Part-time Pastor Search
My sheep, pastured in Fulton, 40 minutes north of Syracuse have come together as a united flock of American Baptists and Presbyterians. They are looking for a part-time, interim, bridge, tentmaker shepherd who has that spirit of adventure and is looking for new fields to share their skills and talents with.
If you would like to talk about this position please contact me at 1Godlovesya or my assistant Rick Casella at rickccasella@gmail.com or 315-440-9115.
Hoping to hear from you,
Thanks, God.
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Seeking Nursery School Director in Baldwinsville
The First Presbyterian Nursery School of Baldwinsville is beginning a search for a nursery school director for the Fall 2024. The position is part-time from 8:30am-12:30pm on Tuesday through Friday. A qualified candidate will ideally have a Bachelor’s degree in the field of education and experience working with 3,4 and 5 year old children.
Some of the responsibilities performed by the director are as follows:
- Organize and maintain all student files
- Oversee the preschool program and offer support and guidance to classroom teachers
- Collect and keep tuition records & expense records for the school
- Assemble and mail all summer communications to families
- Day to day operations of program and building
Email resume to Baldwinsville Presbyterian office: admin@presbville.com
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Seeking a Creative and Caring Pre-School Teacher
Friends in Faith Christian Preschool is seeking a compassionate, and creative individual to team teach three-year-olds. Individuals who love working with children and creating an educational experience that develops curiosity and kindness for others should apply. The position requires experience working with children, a commitment to modeling love and respect, knowledge in child development, and effective communication skills.
The position is 8 to 10 hours per week with a salary range of $15.50 to $16.00 per hour. Please submit resume to Tracie Folley, Director, Friends in Faith, 603 Tulip Street, Liverpool, NY 13088 or fifcps@gmail.com
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Two East Syracuse churches seek to share Presbyterian pastor
The Collamer United Church and the First United Church of East Syracuse are two separate churches seeking to share a full-time solo Presbyterian pastor. Our churches are both located in East Syracuse, New York, only 2.3 miles apart. We are both united Presbyterian and Methodist denominations. We are blessed to have a hard-working core of active participants in both churches who manage the church business, coordinate the worship services (one at each church building), and hold mission events. We are working together and sharing some staff and resources. We believe this to be a very supportive environment. In addition, we believe that Central NY can provide an attractive quality of life, with our parks, culture, and quality schools.
The pastor’s duties would include worship leadership and preaching, pastoral care, oversight of Christian education, moderating the Sessions, guidance with mission projects, and representing the congregation to outside groups. We are mindful that we are two churches and do not expect a pastor to provide full-time services to each church.
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Are you hiring?
If your church is hiring in 2022 or still looking to fill a position from 2021, please send a new or updated announcement and job description to Communication Coordinator Sarah Buckshot at caysyrnews@gmail.com
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Sunday, December 10: 2nd Sunday of Advent
Sunday, December 17: 3rd Sunday of Advent
Sunday, December 24: 4th Sunday of Advent - Christmas Eve
Monday, December 25: Christmas
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Around the Synod of the Northeast | |
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NOW HIRING:
OFFICE ADMINISTRATIVE CLERK
Learn More
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A message from Nancy Talbot, Synod Stated Clerk:
As you know all councils of PCUSA are now required to have Anti-Racism and Harassment Policies that have been approved by the council. In an effort to make sure that each individual council does not have to start from a blank page, a group of mid council leaders without our synod came together and developed draft policies for your presbyteries and churches to use in whatever way you see fit. They are basically templates that allow you to include the information you deem appropriate and necessary as you develop your policies.
Download Anti-Racism policy
Download Harassment policy
Many thanks to the people who gave their time and effort to provide these templates to the rest of us. The groups even met during meals at the Polity, Benefits and Missions Conference in St. Louis to accomplish this task. Steve Shussett, facilitator, Kate Jones-Calone, Kathy Dain, Becky Kindig, Mary Westfall and Jean Woodman created the Anti-Racism policy template. Steve Houston, facilitator, Becky Kindig, Steve Shussett, Mary Westfall, and Jean Woodman created the harassment policy. As you can see, there was a quite a bit of overlap of these dedicated folks between the two groups.
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Around the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) | |
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PC(USA) webinar touches on multiple aspects of Israel-Palestine crisis
Christian and Jewish voices describe current situation in Gaza
By Scott O’Neill
Presbyterian News Service
LOUISVILLE — More than 250 participants logged in to watch the first in a scheduled series of webinars devoted to the ongoing crisis in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank. Rabbi Alissa Wise, the lead organizer of Rabbis for Ceasefire, and the Rev. Fursan Zu’mot from the Arabic-speaking Congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan & the Holy Land (ELCJHL), led participants through an hour-long discussion that touched on humanitarian issues, differences between Christian Zionism and antisemitism, and the school of hatred seemingly being perpetuated from the ongoing conflict. Watch the webinar here.
Wise kicked things off, apologizing for a crackling voice borne from “screaming in the streets for a ceasefire for too many days.” Wise acknowledged the Israel Palestine Mission Network, whom she called “beloved friends” cultivated from working with Presbyterians a decade ago on the divestment issue and years of witness and advocacy for Palestinian rights.
Continue reading...
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P.O. Box 438, Syracuse 13214
(315) 632-5698
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"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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