Looking to meet with or speak to Rev. Mary Newbern-Williams, the Presbytery's Transitional Leader? You can reach her via email can at RevMaryNW@presbynyc.org or by calling the office at 212 870-2212 ext. 1

Friends Rev. Mark Koenig, a member minister of New York City Presbytery who serves in a validated ministry at OGA in the Presbyterian Center in Louisville, KY only a short distance away from the recent gun violence that took place in Louisville offers the following prayer. We also lift this prayer up to the members, staff, family and friends of First Presbyterian Church of Jamaica who recently encountered an incident of gun violence at its door steps.

He offers up the following prayer as well as resources he/we hope you will find helpful.

Sign a petition to Congress urging legislation to ban assault weapons and large-capacity magazines. From the Brady Campaign.

Take one or more advocacy actions recommended by Sandy Hook Promise.

Participate in an organizing action from Everytown for Gun Safety.

Organize a Guns to Gardens event sponsored by the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship. Download a brochure about this effort.

Use the Gun Violence Congregational Toolkit and other resources from the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship. Pre-Order Printed Copies ($12) of the UPDATED Gun Violence Prevention Congregational Toolkit, 3rd Edition, coming in late 2022. 

Read “Gun Violence Report and Recommendations” approved by the 225th General Assembly (2022) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) for additional ideas. Support the initiatives recommended in the report.

Presbyterian Peace Fellowship

The Committee on Congregational Ministry and Nurture (CM&N) is happy to announce that for the first time in three years, a limited number of grants are being made available from CM&N for those churches planning to hold Vacation Bible Schools this summer. The deadline for submission of applications with required documentation is May 31, 2023.

All applications should be filed via email following completion of the form below. The application should be filled out completely. If there are questions for which you do not have an answer, simply leave it blank. Please return the completed application to the Presbytery Office via email to yswavylipton@presbynyc.org.

If you have any questions, please contact Jaime Staehle at jstaehle@fapc.org.

To assist you with protecting the church properties and safeguard against loss you are asked to submit your current certificate of insurance (COI) as soon as possible. Please send a copy to me (via email) Rev. Georgiette Morgan-Thomas at Propertyconsultant@presbynyc.org.  You can also email me if you have any questions.

Have you read the Justice Ministries Committee's latest newsletter? Click here for their newsletter and to subscribe.

Email CMassiah@presbynyc.org, call or text her at 347-401-4598. Feel free to send her your upcoming announcements and social justice activities. We will share them in our newsletter and social media platforms.

Princeton Theological Seminary will be hosting a "meet and greet' for Rev. Dr. Walton, President of Princeton Theological Seminary, at Brick Presbyterian Church on April 17 at 1:30 pm.

If you are interested and would like to attend the meet and greet contact Dayle Rounds (dayle.rounds@ptsem.edu) for registration information This event is free, but registration is necessary to determine how many people will attend.

Friday, June 9, 2023, the Center for Earth Ethics will host a one-day training under the theme, Resilience, and Resolve: A Climate Justice Training for New York Faith Communities at Union Theological Seminary faith leaders engaging with their communities in the context of the climate crisis.

To date confirmed speakers include climate scientist Dr. Christian Braneon, Nobel Laureate Al Gore, Dayenu’s Rabbi Jennie Rosen, environmental justice advocate Kizzy Guzman-Charles (formerly with WeAct, currently with the Mayor’s office), and Unions’ own Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas and New York City Presbytery's own, Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis.

Applicants should have a strong connection to a community based in or near New York City that is grounded in a faith, religious, spiritual and/or ethical tradition, and preferably hold a leadership role in their community. Attendance will be limited in order to create an intimate environment that allows for more candid and meaningful discussion. Application deadline is Friday April 28, 2023. Application decisions will be communicated on a rolling basis.

Hello everyone. I'm writing to share some opportunities for coaching from the Synod Coach Network. We are offering both scholarships and training opportunities and hope you will share them with your presbytery membership.

The Network is partnering with Loaves and Fishes Coach Training to encourage more people to become ICF trained coaches. Members of the Synod of the Northeast will receive a $500 scholarship, and more if there is need.

The first cohort of coaches will finish their training in June and will add to the diversity of coaches available in our synod and for the various ministry settings in your presbyteries.

Scholarships to work with an ICF trained coach are available to individuals and teams for 7 hours of coaching (1 free hour and 6 paid). Apply for the scholarship at https://forms.gle/1suPLoq2YP6cXivY9.

Click here to email us any questions you may have.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) 2023 standard mileage rate for business travel is now 65.5 cents per mile.

In order for an eligible organization to receive an exemption from water and sewer charges, it must file an application with the NYC DEP Bureau of Customer Services. Having a NYC Not-For-Profit Property Tax Exemption does not automatically qualify the organization for an exemption from water and sewer charges. Download the application.

Click here to view a recording of the water and sewer application process webinar held by the Presbytery's Property Consultant, Rev. Georgiette Morgan-Thomas.

Over the course of the past year, the New York City Department of Finance (DOF) has implemented a policy whereby 420-a exemptions for properties used for religious or non-profit purposes will be revoked due to the presence of Class 1 New York City Department of Building’s (DOB) violations at the premises, regardless of the nature of the violations or whether they actually impact the exempted use of the premises. It is our understanding that it is now DOF policy that the tax exemption will not be reinstated, and no appeals will be granted, until after the violation is removed. 

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many religious and non-profit organizations have been operating remotely and may not have received the notice of revocation from DOF, so we encourage you to review your recent tax bills to confirm if your building has been impacted by this new policy. You can view your tax bills and find other valuable information here.

If you do discover that your exemption has been revoked or would like more information on this new DOF policy, please contact Nathaniel H. Christian III nhc362@gmail.com with the Presbytery’s Board of Trustees.