Dear Friends of Cayuga-Syracuse Presbytery,
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.
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Auburn church, volunteers help children in need sleep better
Westminster Presbyterian Church in Auburn held a bed build for Sleep in Heavenly Peace
Westminster Presbyterian Church in Auburn teamed up with Sleep in Heavenly Peace to help children in need.
Sleep in Heavenly Peace believes all children deserve a safe, comfortable place to lay their heads. "Too many boys and girls go without a bed – or even a pillow – to sleep on," according to the organization. "These children end up sleeping on couches, blankets, and even floors. This can affect their happiness and health."
Church groups, non-profits and community groups team up with local chapters of Sleep in Heavenly Peace to build beds.
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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 keep all those who are battling sickness in your prayers. COVID, the flu, cold viruses and stomach viruses are continuing to impact so many in our churches and our communities.
- Please keep Communications Coordinator Sarah Buckshot in your prayers. She's 33 weeks pregnant with her second set of twins, who are due to arrive on Valentine's Day. Please keep her in your prayers as she deals with complications due to another high risk pregnancy.
- Please pray for Frank Campagna from the Cazenovia Church. Frank was diagnosed with cancer. Please keep him, his doctors and his family in your prayers.
- Please pray for everyone who is struggling with their mental health and mental illnesses.
- 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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A stated meeting of the Presbytery of Cayuga-Syracuse have been called for Tuesday, January 31, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. on Zoom.
All requests for time on the docket and all supporting materials are due to the state clerk by noon on January 21, 2023. The packet will need to go out the same day.
PLEASE, do not assume that requests for time mentioned in passing will be honored. In order to ensure time, please email statedclerk@cayugasyracuse.org
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Congregational Learning Day - March 4, 2023 |
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Registration is now open: Register HERE
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First Presbyterian Church in Baldwinsville welcomes new pastor
Pastor Kirsty Dickson-Maret was born and raised on Long Island in a small bayside village called East Moriches. She is the daughter of the late Rev. Gordon G. Dickson. Gordon was ordained by the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh and served as a missionary for several years in British Guyana. Gordon then pastored two small churches on the east end of Long Island for 27 years. He was well loved in the community, serving as a volunteer fireman and EMT and as the fire department Chaplain. When taking a break from ministerial duties, Gordon could be found in his woodshop making dulcimers or furniture or toys. He could also frequently be found out back in his one-acre vegetable garden or out on the Moriches Bay fishing for flounder with his daughter. Gordon served on Long Island Presbytery with his father-in-law, the late Rev. Donald Yule, who was also ordained by the Church of Scotland. This makes Kirsty not only a “PK,” but a “PGK.” A portrait of Rev. Yule can be found hanging in the “Yule Room” of the Amagansett Presbyterian Church, on Long Island.
Kirsty’s mother, Margaret, who was born and raised in South Africa, became a self-taught gourmet. It was not unusual for Kirsty to come home from school to find her mother spinning sugar over puff pastry swans or hanging homemade pasta in the kitchen to dry. Her mother was the choir director at the church was known locally for her strong soprano voice. She was fond of telling stories about life as a missionary in Guyana, to include stories about snakes and tarantulas.
All three of Kirsty’s brothers were born in Guyana, so it was often said in the Dickson household that Kirsty was the only member of the family who could become president of the US.
Kirsty left Long Island to attend Mary Washington College in Virginia, but part-way through her studies decided to join the U.S. Navy. She worked as a dental technician at Roosevelt Roads in Puerto Rico for eighteen months, and then as a maxillofacial surgical technician, working in the main OR of Portsmouth Naval Hospital. Kirsty was the lead Petty Officer and was in charge of the other enlisted at PNH and obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Business Management while attending night classes at Virginia Wesleyan College.
Kirsty became a registered nurse with an Associate Degree and began her career as psychiatric nurse, but she soon found her true calling in nursing was to work in the emergency department. She has worked as a travel nurse in many hospitals across the country including California, Colorado, Maine, Virginia, New York, Maryland, Florida, Washington D.C., and Arizona. She responded on 9/11 by driving into work at a hospital in Washington D.C. to care for the wounded after feeling her apartment building shake from the impact at the Pentagon, which was less than two miles away.
By the time she had become an RN, Kirsty had transferred from active duty to the Naval Reserve Corps, and then obtained a full Commission as an Army Nurse for a short period of time, but resigned her commission to attend law school. She graduated from George Mason University School of Law with a Juris Doctorate, passed the Virginia Bar, and then returned to full time work as an emergency department RN. She also started her own legal nurse consulting business and worked on case review for other attorneys. After many years of bedside nursing, Kirsty answered the call to become a nursing instructor, and taught at both the college level and the vocational level. She obtained her Master of Science in Nursing degree from Loyola University New Orleans.
Kirsty’s call to the ministry was very much inspired by her reconnection with a childhood friend, Denise, who was facing a terminal illness. Denise’s deep and abiding faith was contagious and her relationship with the Holy Spirit was palpable. Denise used to have a distinctive way of ending a prayer which was “ … and make it obvious God.” While praying about whether or not she had a call, Kirsty took on Denise’s prayer. “Dear Lord, am I sensing a call, let me know … and please make it obvious.” The next day the sermon was about the importance of answering a call – obvious enough!
Since that time Kirsty found that the experiences of her pre-seminary internship, her time at Presbyterian College, Montreal (in association with McGill University), her internship back on Long Island and her experience as a chaplain CPE intern at Mount Sinai hospital have all solidified her sense of rightness of call. She interviewed with a great many churches and visited with PNCs in several states before feeling called to Baldwinsville. She and her husband Doug are very excited about living in Baldwinsville. Their pet conure of 26 years, though a tropical bird, seems to be excited as well!
Kirsty is an avid wildlife photographer, plays a bit of classical flute (but is just as happy improvising the blues), loves reading, hiking, and the occasional Wordle. She is also a double-dyed fan of the New York Mets. She has become a creative vegan cook, and looks forward to a time when “The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox …”
Kirsty also sings soprano and has been in many choirs over the years. Her love of nursing and music were combined over the past couple of summers when she worked as camp nurse at Itzhak Perlman’s music camp on Shelter Island, NY. Working with those amazing virtuoso children was a great joy.
Kirsty greatly looks forward to getting to know the members of the First Presbyterian Church, Baldwinsville and the surrounding community. Her hope is to serve in the area if so allowed, and to do so in the manner that God would have her do She is prayerful that God will continue to illuminate her path ahead and gives her the wisdom and fortitude to remain on that path.
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In the absence of a Resource Presbyter, please contact the following individuals:
And, as always, questions regarding church polity, minutes, parlimentary procedure should be directed to our Stated Clerk, Rev. Ben Fitzgerald-Fye (statedclerk@cayugasyracuse.org)
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Wednesday, January 25, 2023
2:00 - 2:30 PM EST
Leader - Melissa Gepford
Dandelion Marketplace is a digital multivendor platform that provides reliable progressive spiritual formation resources for families and communities. Dandelion serves as a colander, offering the most reliable progressive faith formation resources to families and churches, without having to sift through fundamentalist search options. Additionally, this marketplace platform provides a tried-and-true location for progressive authors to house and sell their own materials that will increase their sales and personal brand.
Tuesday, February 7, 2023
2:00 - 3:00 PM EST
Leader - Rebekah Simon-Peter
In this fascinating webinar, learn from Rebekah Simon-Peter, author of Forging a New Path: Moving the Church Forward in a Post-Pandemic World, lessons from pandemics past. The church has successfully weathered pandemics before. Discover the top three takeaways from history. And how you and your people can benefit from them. Leave with actions steps you can put into place.
Thursday, February 16, 2023
2:00 - 3:00 PM EST
Leader - Rev. Dr. Sarah Griffith Lund
Join author, advocate, and pastor Rev. Dr. Sarah Griffith Lund for conversation, stories, and practical steps about how faith communities can offer support and hope to children, teens, and their families living with mental health challenges.
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GREAT REMINDER: The sign at the Columbian Presbyterian Church in LaFayette has a great reminder to all of us that it is "all about about progress, not perfection!"
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Do you live-stream your service on Sundays?
droppable-1673496502490
We are compiling a list of live-stream links to feature in Presbytery Matters. This will allow others to join in on your services.
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Join in on these services virtually on Sundays:
Faith United Oswego - Live on Zoom (Meeting ID: 207 196 571)
Isaiah's Table will send a link for people to join our hybrid worship at 10 a.m. on Saturdays. Send email to isaiahtable@gmail.com by Friday evening.
Scipioville Presbyterian Church - Live on Zoom (Meeting ID: 836 3163 8403
Passcode: SPC13147)
More to come...
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Teens in 9th to 12th grade from any church and any school district are welcome to join. Youth group leaders, teachers and volunteers are also welcome. Please reach out to Bob or Craig for more details. |
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Ben Fitzgerald-Fye, Stated Clerk, can be reached by emailing statedclerk@cayugasyracuse.org OR by calling or texting (315) 604-8535. Ben will be out of the office from Monday, December 26, 2022 through Monday, January 9, 2023.
Sarah Buckshot, Communications Coordinator, can be reached by emailing caysyrnews@gmail.com. Sarah will be on vacation from Sunday, December 25th to Saturday, December 31st.
Please Note: Our new address change -- PO Box 438, Syracuse, NY 13214 -- also applies to mail sent to the Bookkeeper.
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Administrative Assistant
Jamesville Church seeks energetic administrative assistant, 10 hours/week, $15/hour. Perfect for someone with children in school! Mature faith, skilled in MS Office, people lover, self-starter, good planner, team player, problem solver, task finisher.
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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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Stated Meeting - Tuesday, January 31, 2023 at 7 p.m. on Zoom
Annual Meeting - Saturday, May 6, 2023. Time and Location TBA
Stated Meeting - Tuesday, July 11, 2023 at 7 p.m. Time and Location TBA
Stated Meeting - Saturday, September 16, 2023. Time and Location TBA
Stated Meeting -Tuesday, November 14, 2023 at 7 p.m. on Zoom.
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Around the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) |
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PC(USA) churches in New York provide a genuine welcome to all God’s children
Transgender ministries are transforming churches
By Mike Givler
Presbyterians Today
“Welcoming all in the name of Christ” might be easy to write into a church’s mission statement, but the challenge comes when faced with living it out and extending a hand to those in the transgender community. An inclusive, loving welcome is possible, though, with education and courage to open up those sanctuary doors.
People were being persecuted for their beliefs. They had to dodge rocks and shield themselves from spit being hurled in their direction. No, this is not a reference to a biblical story that occurred 2,000 years ago in Jerusalem. This happened in 2020 in a small, suburban area in the Finger Lakes region of New York, where the hatred was aimed at middle school youth who are transgender.
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A word from the Stated Clerk
J. Herbert Nelson builds on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in this week’s devotional
Who’s in and who’s out? That’s the question from the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) this week. The Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II reflects on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
In this week’s devotional, Nelson focuses on the struggles faced by millions in this country, including poverty, health care and education.
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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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