October 29, 2020

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 and supportive. In other words, we hope that these things will matter. Your input is valued, and your comments are always welcomed.

Churches in our Presbytery are helping out during the pandemic in a variety of ways.

Morrisville Community Church hosted the recent Madison County Health Department's COVID-19 testing drive-thru. At the site, 89 people were able to be tested.

Our missions may look different in 2020, but the goal remains the same: Help others in anyway that we can!

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In the cycle of prayer our Presbytery, please pray for these congregations, faith communities,and individuals: United Church of Fayetteville; First United Church of Fulton; God's Vision Christian Church, Hannibal; Jamesville Community Church; First, King Ferry

Dear friends in Christ,

 

Several years ago the Presbyterian Church did a deep dive into scruples. If you missed it, the gist of the nationwide discussion was how to provide clergy an opportunity to declare if they had scruples regarding the Constitution of the PCUSA. The idea was that they would be able to state their scruples up front when being examined by the Presbytery. This would provide transparency as well as the ability for a pastor to attend to their own conscience.

 

You've got to love a denomination that provides an opportunity for someone to say, "I disagree with this" and still be accepted by the larger body. Bonus points for us deciding to use a word like "scruples".

 

Part of the discussion regarding scruples was to determine if there were some lines that could not be crossed. What were the essential tenets that were, well, essential? As a church we are encouraged to practice mutual forbearance in those areas that are "scruplely" (my word), understanding that "there are truths and forms with respect to which men of good characters and principles may differ." (F-3.0105). You've also got to love a denomination that uses a phrase like "mutual forbearance".

 

This moment in our nation feels like a battle over essential tenets without the benefits of a bonus word.

 

I've seen friendships fall apart over the last few months, and the conversation goes like this:

            "You can't vote for A and say you love me"

            "I can vote for A and love you because I'm capable of doing both"

            "No, you can't vote for A, because what A stands for threatens my existence"

            "Friends can have a difference of opinion ... right?"

 

What's happening here is that one person believes this is a conversation about scruples, whereas the other individual believes this is about essential tenets. For one individual this is about philosophy (or theology) for the other it is about the direct impact this will have on their lives. It's hard to have a conversation about something when we can't even agree what the conversation is actually about. One party walks away from the friendship shaking their head at how narrow-minded the other is, and the other walks away wondering if they were ever actually seen by this person in the first place.

 

Both. Grieve.

 

By this time next week the election will be over and the waiting for results will have begun. Regardless of what the result is, we've changed as a nation and there are things we can't unsee. We have work to do as the church, not in pretending the divisions don't exist and worshipping (again) at the idol of niceness, but in building the kin-dom.

 

Here's the thing ... you'll be hard-pressed to find a list of essential tenets on the denominational website. There's no checklist, but we do have the Book of Confessions which is a witness to the Reformed faith. We may not be able to walk around with a list, but we can agree to how we will talk about difficult topics together.

 

My suggestion? Listen deeply enough to understand if what you are disagreeing about is a scruple or essential. Listen deeply enough to hear not only WHAT is that line in the sand for the other, but WHY it is a "bridge too far". You may not find agreement, but do not fall into the trap of discounting the other's belief as non-essential (only they know what is essential for them). Finally, do not ask them to lay aside something that is essential in order for you to be more comfortable. Understand that your essentials deserve the same level of care, but know that you may need to model that behavior first.

 

These next few weeks and months (and years) require us to be the folks God has called us to be, and to serve not just the church but also the world with energy, intelligence, imagination, and love.

 

Blessings -

 

Karen

We continue to explore ministry to Refugees and others in our midst by watching the film "Locked in a Box".  "Locked in a Box" is an award winning short documentary that follows the stories of individuals held in the U.S. Immigration detention system and those who visit them. The film traces the lives of individuals who fled their homelands in search of safety and freedom only to end up in U.S. prisons under a mandatory bed quota system run by Immigration Customs & Enforcement (ICE). Since the 1990's there has been a massive expansion of the immigration detention system up to 34,000 immigrants in detention on any given day in approximately 200 different facilities, many of which are for-profit prisons. "Locked in a Box" helps strip away the political rhetoric to see the human cost of detention.

 

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Did you know that Sexual harassment prevention training is required for all employees of churches (from pastors to day care workers and sextons and all in between) in NYS on an annual basis? We're grateful that our new partnership with the PRC means access to their webinar on this topic which fulfills NYS's mandates.

To register, click on the date below.  For people watching as a group only one registration is needed. Send a list of those in your group to charlaine@prcli.org 

Our Resource Presbyter, the Rev. Karen Chamis, will be holding virtual office hours from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Wednesdays.

Karen will be available for drop-in conversations on Zoom. Come say hello, share concerns or learn a bit on how to use this important tool.  

Email office@westminsterauburn.org, with "security system info" in the memo line.

Virtual worship service to be made available to congregations

PC(USA) leadership and staff record service based on the Matthew 25 vision

LOUISVILLE - In time for Reign of Christ Sunday (Sunday, November 22, 2020), a prerecorded complete worship service will be made available for congregations to use on that day or any day. The worship service will be based on the Matthew 25 vision and draws from the Worship in a Matthew 25 Church resource available on the Matthew 25 website.

The worship resource opens with a nod toward the beatitudes: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. And blessed is the church that serves with the love of God to eradicate systemic poverty."

The service will also include the new Matthew 25 hymn, "Jesus, Be With Us," sharing the vision of Matthew 25 through images and song.

The Rev. Dr. Diane Moffett, president and executive director of the Presbyterian Mission Agency, will bring the sermon, and the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), will bring the blessing and charge.

"The Reign of Christ ends our marking of Ordinary Time after the Day of Pentecost and moves us to the threshold of Advent, the season of hope for Christ's coming again at the end of time," said Moffett. "This celebration is not just about what was, but what is to come and from where our life, our light and our redemption comes. May this worship help us to give our whole selves, all in for Christ's ongoing work of compassion, justice and peace."

Other participants will include the Co-Moderators of the 224th General Assembly (2020), the Rev. Gregory Bentley and Ruling Elder Elona Street-Stewart; and special music from Carter Anderson, William McConnell and Mondre Moffett.

The video will be shared at pcusa.org/matthew25-worship for viewing and downloading by Nov. 18, 2020. Congregations are welcome to use the video however and whenever they like. The planning team hopes that congregations find it helpful during a busy season of virtual and in-person worship services.

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For three-quarters of a century now, the United Nations, through its member states, has made significant changes in the lives of individuals across the world. What began on October 24, 1945, "to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to [hu]mankind," [this is a quote from the preamble to the UN Charter] continues to this day. But what makes this special to me, is the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has been there from the beginning, stressing the importance of an international community committed to preserving peace, maintaining international law, promoting economic and social development, and adapting to changing conditions. If there has ever been a need for the United Nations in our world, now is that time.

The PC(USA) holds special consultative status through the UN Economic and Social Council. This gives the church a global voice on the issues of peace and security, hunger, poverty, and human rights violations. Through the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations, we are able to take part in advocacy by meeting with member states, attending conferences, and making oral and written statements.