Welcome to this week's edition of our e-letter, Presbytery Matters. | |
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Pancakes Served with Love | |
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On Saturday, December 2, members were dishing out good food and fellowship at the Federated Church of Port Byron! The Port Byron church has a great heart and food ministry -- and delicious pancakes to boot!
They offer free meals to seniors and are planning a community meal, too.
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HATE HAS NO HOME HERE
Cazenovia church says 'Happy Holidays to All'
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By Rev. Anna C. Gheen
Pastor, First Presbyterian Church of Cazenovia
If you take a stroll down Albany Street this week, you’ll see something unusual in the window of the Presbyterian Manse. Beginning today - December 7th - I’ll be displaying a menorah. This traditional Chanukah decoration isn’t common in most Christian households (much less in the homes of Christian ministers), but I’ve decided to display one anyway – not because I’m celebrating, but because my friends and neighbors are.
Earlier this year, antisemitic literature was distributed throughout our village community. While local law enforcement acted quickly in the matter, this combined with the spike in antisemitism since the October 7th Hamas attack in Israel has left many of the Jewish members of our community on edge. While I celebrate Christmas freely without fear of becoming the target of violence, they simply don’t. By displaying a menorah, I want to send a clear and poignant message: Hate has no home here.
I want my Jewish friends and neighbors to know that they are safe with me and, more importantly that they are safe in the community they call home. For this reason, I’m inviting others within the community – businesses and private individuals - to join in the display of this holiday symbol. Let’s let our Jewish neighbors know that they are loved and wanted here, that they aren’t in this by themselves.
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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: Isaiah’s Table, Syracuse; Korean Church of Syracuse; Park Central, Syracuse; Robinson Elmwood United Church, Syracuse; First, Weedsport; Whitelaw
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. | |
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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Basic Preaching Class for Elders | |
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How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? Romans 10:14
Congratulations to the following people who completed the Basic Preaching Class for Elders with flying colors:
Betty Armstrong (Whitelaw)
Sam Dance (Onondaga Hill)
Tom Eckrote (Baldwinsville)
Eliezer Hernández (Auburn Westminster)
Lynn Jacques (East Syracuse)
Jill Kilts (Whitelaw)
Susan Smith (Mexico)
Missed it??
Another class may be offered in the spring depending on interest. Topics covered are Sermon Preparation, Sermon Writing, Sermon Delivery and Foundations of Reformed Theology. Class size will be limited. The purpose of the class is to equip elders with tools, skills and confidence to fill in at their own church with invitation by their pastor or session. Those who complete the class may choose also to apply to COM for permission to be on the pulpit supply list. To find out more, contact Rev. Deb Thomas. revrndeb@gmail.com or text/call 315.657.0147.
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At a recent meeting of the Presbytery Vision and Strategy Committee, there was much discussion around communication and connections, two things that come up regularly in both church and non-church groups. To facilitate communication and being a connectional church, Rita Hooper has volunteered to find out what churches have a Bible Study or topic study group and are willing to have others, who are not part of their worshipping community, join them. These groups may be live and in person or via Zoom or be a hybrid model. 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 | |
Your Story
If a photo is worth a thousand words, than a video is worth a million!
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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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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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Amboy Belle Isle United Church
(6190-92 Airport Road, Syracuse, NY 13209) will be having their annual
COOKIE WALK
Saturday, December 9th
10am to 1pm
Cookies are $12.00 per pound
{everything will be individually wrapped}
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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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O CHRISTMAS TREE: Northminster Presbyterian Church is all dressed up for Christmas!
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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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The theology and practice of ordination
In-person meeting built community and identified ‘salient questions’ for General Assembly group
The Task Force to Explore the Theology and Practice of Ordination, formed as an action of the 225th General Assembly (2022), held its first face-to-face meeting in October in Chicago. The purposes of the meeting were to cultivate a sense of community among task force members and to follow up on discussions from previously held virtual meetings.
Per PC-Biz, the task force will recommend “any needed changes” to ordination processes at the 226th General Assembly (2024).
Teaching Elder Juan Sarmiento from the Presbytery of San Fernando is a task force co-moderator alongside Teaching Elder Paul Roberts from Greater Atlanta Presbytery. In remarks after the meeting, Sarmiento called the task force essential to the denomination’s attempt to connect its current reality, “where there are a lot of new leaders,” to its principles “of full participation, voice and vote.”
Sarmiento’s own presbytery submitted the overture recommending the task force, with the full General Assembly broadening the scope from exploring the theology and practice of ordination to ordered ministry “for ruling elders” to expressly including “commissioned ruling elders (CREs), membership, church structure, accountability and chartering” in its work.
Continue reading...
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Presbyterian educator sees everything that churches do as part of their teaching ministry
Sarah Dianne Jones is the most recent guest on ‘A Matter of Faith: A Presby Podcast’
By Mike Ferguson
Presbyterian News Service
From Sarah Dianne Jones’ perspective, Christian education “is everything the church does.”
“The church teaches from the pulpit, at the table, at the font, through our actions and in our words,” Jones, program associate for the Center for Excellence in Christian Education at Union Presbyterian Seminary, told hosts the Rev. Lee Catoe and Simon Doong during the most recent episode of “A Matter of Faith: A Presby Podcast.” “When the church is behaving as the church should, everything is teaching.”
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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