Welcome to this week's edition of our e-letter, Presbytery Matters. | |
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Fulton First United Church serves food
with a side of fellowship to those in need
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By Rita Hooper
Fulton First United Church has taken a giant leap in faith this past weekend when they began a feeding program for the homeless. We had learned that there was no place on the weekend for the homeless to get food. The idea was to pack lunches on Friday, to be handed out Saturday morning. One of the retired grocer’s in town, unbeknown to most of us, has a remarkable ability to find food when needed. “Doc” has visited a number of groceries, gas station stores and restaurants and gotten them to donate many items we needed and another couple procured tote bags from a local company. This past weekend we had a ‘soft opening’ to see if this would work, if anyone would show up on Saturday and how many would show to put the bags together. Sort of working the kinks out of the program.
More than enough people showed to make sandwiches, bag chips and cookies and assemble other items for the bags. Saturday morning God intervened and took over. We had planned to just hand out the bags BUT THEN when the folks arrived, they took their bags and proceeded to sit down and eat in our warm kitchen. It was good to see them gather around the tables and chat with others including some of our members. The interaction was wonderful and not what we had expected. We learned that our guests really needed a hot meal, so this week we are going to pack bags but also have a large pot of sauce and pasta ready when they arrive. Friends from other churches have heard about this and have volunteered to work with us as has Morning Rotary. We had 12 homeless show on Saturday and church attendance dramatically increased on Sunday.
We ask for your prayers that God continue to direct our paths and that we will hear Him and be willing to respond!
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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 Karen Chamis in your prayers. Our former Resource Presbyter fell on Tuesday and broke her leg. She underwent surgery on Wednesday. Please keep her in your prayers as she recovers and heals.
- 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: Columbian, LaFayette; First, Liverpool; First, Marcellus; First, Mexico; Morrisville Community Church
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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TODAY IS LAST DAY TO RSVP! | |
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Topic: Clergy Network
Time: Feb 6, 2024 01:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/93988157544
Meeting ID: 939 8815 7544
(Please Note: The date for the Clergy Network was moved to February 6th. It was previously advertised for February 7th.)
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From the Nominating Committee | |
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Greetings from the Nominating Committee,
The Nominating Committee greatly appreciates the work and dedication of all who serve on committees and commissions of the Cayuga-Syracuse Presbytery. We recognize that we cannot hope to live into God’s mission for us as a collective body without those who feel called to serve.
The Nominating Committee needs to establish a broader pool of names for consideration as we seek to populate committees and commissions. We are asking that pastors/churches provide the committee with a list of elders, especially those who are willing to serve on a committee on the presbytery level.
Currently, we are seeking people to serve on the following: Commission on Ministry, Committee on Representation, Social Justice, Human Resources, Finance and Property, Nominating Committee. Suggestions can be emailed to the Nominating Committee at lynchshavonn@yahoo.com.
Shavonn Lynch
Nominating Committee Chair
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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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Joy & Justice Education Series
Park Central in Syracuse received a ReKindle Grant from the Columbia Theological Seminary, which allowed the church to provide Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) training with their congregational leadership and members in 2023. The funding also gives the church the ability to offer this training for FREE in the Spring to congregational leaders from other local Presbyterian churches.
The trainings are in-person at Park Central for 5 weeks, ending with an all day in-person retreat at Christ the King Retreat Center in Syracuse and is limited to 16 participants with 2 leaders from each church. There is required reading of two books, “White Fragility” by Robin DiAngelo and “Just Mercy” by Bryan Stevenson. Additionally, participants are required to take the online Intercultural Developmental Inventory Assessment that identifies their individual level of cultural awareness. You can read more about this assessment at https://www.idiinventory.com.
The sessions, which will be held on Monday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m. with dinner at 6:30 p.m., will start on April 8th and end on May 6th. The retreat will take place on May 18th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Light refreshments and lunch will be included.
If you are interested there is a virtual information session scheduled on Thursday, February 8th at 6 p.m. To register and receive the zoom link please send an email to niaministriesworldwide@gmail.com.
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SAFE AND WARM
Volunteers Needed!
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Pastor Barb Blom of Aurora has been working with Auburn community leaders and pastor Paris Price of the Harriet Tubman Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (formally Calvary Presbyterian) in the development of a warming center for homeless residents.
The center is now open Friday afternoons from 3 to 5 p.m.
Volunteers are needed. If you would like more information, please call 315-252-2000.
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Northminster did an Advent Study and they currently have 13 copies of the study book as well as the leader’s guide. The church would like to share them with another congregation to use next Advent Season, as they will not be doing the same study the next year.
The name of the study is “Experiencing Christmas” by Matt Rawle.
If a church is interested in these books, please contact the church office at (315) 458-0393 or by email at npc7444@nmpres.org.
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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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WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
17 William Street – Auburn, NY
JOB POSITION TITLE: CHILDREN’S WORSHIP CENTER LEADER
1) PURPOSE
a) To lead the Children’s Worship Center for children three (3) years of age through second grade, following the guidelines of Sonja Stewart’s Children and Worship program.
2) STATUS OF POSITION
a) The Children's Worship Center Leader is a part-time employee of the Westminster Presbyterian Church normally working five hours per week.
b) The Children’s Worship Center Leader is responsible to the Pastor/ Head of Staff, the Children’s & Youth Ministry Coordinator, and the Personnel Committee. The position of the Children's Worship Center Leader is approved by the Session upon the recommendation of the Personnel Committee.
Read full job description
Apply online
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Are you hiring?
If your church is hiring, please send an announcement and job description to Communication Coordinator Sarah Buckshot at caysyrnews@gmail.com
Please Note: Hiring announcements will run in Presbytery Matters for 3 weeks and then moved to our website. If you have a hiring announcement from 2023 and are still looking to fill it in 2024, please send a new announcement.
Thank you, Sarah Buckshot, Communications Coordinator.
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Around the Synod of the Northeast | |
Message from the Transitional Synod Leader: Pray With Us
What is discernment and how do we know we are going in the right direction? This is a common question asked by every conscientious person and organization.
The Discernment Year is a dedicated time to evaluate our ministry's direction and seek clarity on how we can better serve our congregations and presbyteries. For the last two years, the Staff and Leadership Teams have met in retreat in January to evaluate the previous ministry year. This year we began with intentional prayer and a posture of listening. Together we adopted the prayer “In Us, Through Us, Among Us.” As we embark on a new Discernment Year for the Synod, your participation is crucial for guiding us in the right direction to achieving the goal of a stronger Synod Community.
Ministry today can be challenging, and many tried and true efforts of the past seem to be no match for today's indifference towards the institutional church. We are seeking ministry clarity that allows us to impact the Synod through a joint effort to keep Jesus as our central reference point and to allow the Gospel message to transform local communities through our efforts to be visible and tangible expressions of God's presence in our ministry context. People still long to know God, and having an authentic community of sojourners has never become old or outdated. Our works of radical hospitality, caring for the least of these, and, most importantly, the preaching and teaching of the Word never grow old. The question is the contextualization of our message and practices. With God's help, we can prioritize our efforts and discern new ways of doing our mission that capitalize on collaboration, shared learnings, and partnerships. The Synod's vision is to be a ministry laboratory where innovation can be actualized, and small steps of faith will prove to be the answers for congregations and communities.
Continue reading...
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Around the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) | |
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The PC(USA)’s Daily Prayer app gets a big update
App’s readings and prayers are perfect for Lent and to share with friends
By Beth Waltemath
Presbyterian News Service
An updated version of the PC(USA)’s Daily Prayer app is now available for Apple, Android and Amazon devices. The app has been downloaded more than 10,000 times since its debut in 2012. This is the first significant update to the app, and it comes in response to requests to have the new version match the latest (2018) version of the Book of Common Worship.
The app also has “a new look,” said the Rev. Dr. David Gambrell, associate for Worship at the Presbyterian Mission Agency’s Office of Theology & Worship. The app’s artwork has been changed to reflect the art in the 2018 Book of Common Worship from Memphis artist Martha Kelly.
The Daily Prayer app provides brief services for daily prayer, including psalms for the day, readings from the daily lectionary, and prayers of thanksgiving and intercession. Also included are the Revised Common Lectionary readings for Sundays and festivals, a two-year cycle of selections from the PC(USA) Book of Confessions, and an eight-week schedule for praying all 150 psalms. Readers can choose between weekly readings of the Revised Common Lectionary or a two-year cycle of daily readings when praying along with the app.
Continue reading...
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Free devotional marks 40 years of PC(USA) Peacemaking
Contemplative resource is ideal for Lent
By Darla Carter
Presbyterian News Service
LOUISVILLE — A new publication from the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program showcases reflections by people of faith who’ve been involved in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s long history of peacemaking and reconciliation.
The daily devotional booklet, “40 Reflections for 40 Years of the Commitment to Peacemaking,” is available through the PC(USA) store for free and features various authors, such as the Rev. Jimmie Hawkins, PC(USA)’s advocacy director; Mission Co-Worker the Rev. Sarah Henken; and Sue Rheem, the PC(USA) representative to the United Nations.
“We created this devotional booklet to celebrate four decades of the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s Commitment to Peacemaking,” said the Rev. Carl Horton, coordinator of the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program. “It touches upon a number of the peacemaking emphases over the years and includes a wide variety of contributors.”
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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