We are asking our churches to share this newsletter with your members each week. Click the button below to forward the email or to obtain the newsletter link.

Thank you! 

In our prayers together this week:

• Pray for all those impacted by the wildfires in California. We pray that for the residents, first responders and all of God's creatures.
• Prayers for Westminster Presbyterian Church's former pastor Cyndie Crowell and her church Trinity Presbyterian of Pasadena, CA. Cyndie and Rob have had to evacuate their home because of the wildfires, as have many members of their congregation.
• Please keep the Rev. Debra Thomas in your prayers. She had surgery last month after suffering a painful shoulder dislocation and a severe broken arm from a fall. Deb thanks everyone for the continued prayers and support.
• Pray for those who are struggling with the holiday season.
• Pray for those who are grieving the loss of a loved one.
• All those in Sudan.
• All those in Ukraine.
• All those in Lebanon.
• All those in Israel and Gaza.
• All displaced people.
• All those who are homebound.
• All those who battling addiction.
• Keep all those who battling cancer and other chronic illnesses 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. "

A stated meeting of the Presbytery of Cayuga-Syracuse will be held on Wednesday, January 15, 2025 at 6 p.m. on Zoom.

Requests to be excused should be sent to the Stated Clerk (paulrack@optonline.net or

statedclerk@cayugasyracuse.org) by January 15th.

Prayer Requests should be sent to the Moderator by January 14th.

The Zoom link will be available soon.

Please read all supporting documents prior to the meeting.

We look forward to a productive time together!

A copy of the Guide for Commissioners can be found here.

Papers for this meeting can be found below:

Docket (updated)

October 23, 2024 Meeting Minutes

October 23, 2024 Meeting Attendance

November 16, 2024 Meeting Minutes

June 20, 2024 Meeting Minutes

CONG/Congregational Development Committee Report

Human Resources Committee Report

2024 Finance and Property Committee Year End Report

Stated Clerk Contract

Non-Pass Through Budget Performance - November 2024

Statement of Financial Position Prev Year Comparison

Attention Churches: Do you need event graphics created for social media and online use? Communications Coordinator Sarah Buckshot can help create graphics for you to share online. Do you need a Word Document or PDF converted to an image file for better sharing online? Sarah can help. Please don't hesitate to reach out and request a graphic at anytime! Sarah can be reached at caysyrnews@gmail.com

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.

MUSIC AND A MISSION: On Sunday, the United Ministry of Aurora invited two young musicians and their parents to service. Their father is Auburn Cayuga NAACP President Eli Hernandez. The young people delighted the congregation with their music. Following the service, Eli talked about the NAACP and how the community can support their work.

The beautiful thing about this photo, in addition to the young people, is that the stained glass window behind them was donated to the church by one of the Freedom Seekers’ family who settled in Aurora after finding safety. The window represents the Biblical journey from Adam and Eve to the resurrection.

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

Click Here for a list of Past Editions of Presbytery Matters

Appreciative Inquiry: Finding your church’s positive core

Tuesday, January 14, 2024

2:00 – 3:00 pm EST

Leader – Paul Breda

Explore your church’s best self through Appreciative Inquiry - a strengths-based philosophy and framework for creating positive organizational change. AI builds from our positive core of spiritual faith: it believes that when you seek evidence of positive, life-affirming human activity, you will find it; humanity has the opportunity to create the reality we seek through meaningful interaction with others.

After this webinar, you will have a starting point for exploring your church’s positive core as a pathway to a reinvigorated future.

Reaching New People in New Ways in a Traditional Established Church

Thursday, January 23, 2025

2:00 – 3:00 pm

Leader – Brett DeHart

New offerings such as Messy Church, Dinner Church, Single Parents, and Recovery offer traditional established churches the opportunity to reach new people in new ways without blowing up what we already love. At first though, these can be perceived as a threat to the way we've always done things. Thus, starting and sustaining new offerings requires a grace-filled approach. In this webinar, Rev. Brett DeHart reveals a transformative seven-action process proven to galvanize set-in-their-ways congregations forward into a new adventure.

You'll learn how to:

·        Maximize the gift of desperation.

·        Create an environment where tradition and innovation together ignite vitality.

·        Move your dream from passionate fire to fruition.

Funding Fresh Ministry Initiatives

Thursday, February 6, 2025

2:00 – 3:00 pm

Leader – Brett DeHart

God has put a big dream on your heart to reach new people in new ways. Sadly, that fire is quickly doused when you think about paying for it. This workshop will equip you with the tools and confidence to pursue your God-given vision without limitations. Rev. DeHart will guide you through proven methods to go beyond your operating budget to tap into alternative sources of funding. Never let money dictate the scope of your reach ever again!

Help Wanted: Church Organist for Rural Country Church



Position: Church Organist/Pianist

Location: Whitelaw Presbyterian Church, Canastota NY

Job Type: Part time - 5 hours weekly

"Whitelaw Presbyterian Church is seeking a skilled and dedicated organist to enrich our worship services with music. This role involves accompanying weekly services, special ceremonies (such as weddings and funerals), and family choir rehearsals 6:30 pm on Thursday. We are looking for someone who is musically proficient, dependable, and passionate about enhancing the worship experience through music."

Key Responsibilities:

• Play organ for weekly services and special church events
• Select and arrange hymns and music pieces in coordination with church leadership
• Support choir rehearsals 6:30 pm on Thursday
• Perform basic maintenance of the organ and report any issues

Qualifications:

• Proficiency in organ performance, sight-reading, and music selection
• Previous experience in a church setting is preferred
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Commitment to regular attendance and participation in church services and events

Compensation: Depends on Experience

How to Apply: Interested candidates are asked to call Donna Chapman, CLP at (315) 447-9196. Auditions will be part of the selection process.

Northville United Presbyterian Church seeks pastor

Northville United Presbyterian Church (NUPC), nestled in the bucolic village of Northville, New York is searching for a vibrant, compassionate part-time to full-time Pastor to lead and accompany us on our quest to becoming better Disciples of Christ. Located on the Great Sacandaga lake in the beautiful Adirondack Park of Upstate New York, we are a small but active congregation serving the Lord and community in various outreach and inhouse programs who desire a forward-thinking pastor to preach the teachings of Christ and relate them to our daily lives. Our pastor will also shepherd our efforts in our music program, develop programs to attract youth and minister to the needs of the elderly in our midst. Read More...

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.

The many gifts of the magi

Scholar and author Dr. Eric Vanden Eykel explores why they continue to fascinate on ‘A Matter of Faith: A Presby Podcast’

Dr. Eric Vanden Eykel notes that Matthew’s account of the visit of the magi is remarkable for how little information is included. 

“They come, they go and then they’re gone,” Vanden Eykel, Associate Professor of Religion at Ferrum College and the author of the 2022 book, “The Magi: Who They Were, How They’ve Been Remembered and Why They Still Fascinate,” said during the most recent installment of “A Matter of Faith: A Presby Podcast,” which can be heard here. “It’s a super simple story and it’s told without any guidance from Matthew in terms of what he wants readers to get from this.” 

According to the first gospel, the only quote from the magi is, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Judeans,” Vanden Eykel pointed out. “They came to Jerusalem, the right place to find the king of the Judeans, but the proper one isn’t there.” So they go to Bethlehem, “find the king and deliver their gifts. It is an interesting story about seeking, and it is a very political story.” 

For Vanden Eykel, the Epiphany story “is intended to validate the kingship of Jesus, to say this is the true king and this is who people should be seeking as the true king.” By contrast, Herod is “a tyrannical king who’s in cahoots with the Romans.”

Continue reading...

An Epiphany reflection

Celebrating ‘El Día de los Santos Reyes’

Rev. Dr. Jesse González

Special to Presbyterian News Service

In my experience both as a believer as well as an ordained pastor, although not impossible, I have found it difficult to grasp the full significance of the celebration of the Epiphany, which Christians observe on Monday, Jan. 6.

Due to time constrictions in putting together the Nativity scene either on Christmas Eve or on the Sunday before, everything is brought to the stage at the same time: the chaos in Bethlehem, the birth, and the magi, who were wise men, kings or astrologers from Orient. The lack of emphasis on the liturgical follow-up of the Christmastide or Twelve-tide also contributes to overlooking the Epiphany celebration with the visitation scene: What for? We already had it and saw it on Christmas Eve. 

Another minus for the meaning of the magi’s visitation is the competition with Santa Claus about the Christmas presents. And here is where my native Latin American and specifically Mexican traditions bring a pleasant memory of it. Roman Catholic traditions were brought by Spain to American continent colonies starting in the 16th century.

Continue reading...