Welcome to this week's edition of our e-letter, Presbytery Matters. | |
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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. Karen's father passed away recently. Our former Resource Presbyter also fell earlier this month and broke her leg. Please keep her in your prayers as she recovers and heals.
- Please keep Karen Green in your prayers. Her brother passed away recently.
- 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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Attention churches, please send your Holy Week and/or special Lent service schedules to caysyrnews@gmail.com | |
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The Moderator has called a Meeting of the Presbytery of Cayuga-Syracuse to take place at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 29, 2024, via Zoom.
This meeting is called for the purpose of acting on motions brought by the COM regarding the call of a candidate to serve the First United Church of East Syracuse and the United Church of Collamer.
Registration is required. Click Here to Register
Requests to be Excused should be sent to the Stated Clerk (statedclerk@cayugasyracuse.org) by February 28, 2024.
Please read all supporting documents prior to the meeting:
Presbytery Docket 02-29-24
EA Speaker Bio
Statement of Faith for Eric Adamcik
We look forward to a productive time together!
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Church Transformation Grant Update | |
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At the November Presbytery meeting, Interim Resource Presbyter Kathy Dain, presented information on a grant that she had obtained through the Synod to use for church transformation. At that meeting, she requested a Commission to be formed to oversee the application process and distribution of the money. A Commission was appointed by our Moderator, Garrett Anderson. The members of the Commission are Marissa Saunders (RE Park Central) chairperson, Lynn Jacques (RE East Syracuse), secretary, Ben Fitzgerald-Fye (TE Scipioville), Shavonn Lynch (RE Auburn Westminister and Minister Candidate) and Jessica Gorman (RE LiverpooL).
The purpose of the fund shall be to provide grants to assist congregations in the transformational work within the bounds of the Cayuga-Syracuse Presbytery. The Commission has been meeting to establish criteria and provide application form for distribution of the funds. The application will be available soon. Any application received by the 15th of the month will be reviewed at our monthly meeting and applications received after the 15th will be reviewed at the next monthly meeting.
Keep reading Presbytery Matters for further information on how to obtain an application. Criteria for the grant will be included on the application form.
Let us keep our churches working to improve our communities and the world!
csptransformation@gmail.com
Lynn Jacques
Secretary
Church Transformation Commission
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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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Congregational Learning Day
Saturday, March 2, 2024
9:00 a..m. - 1:00 p.m.
Zoom
Free
There will be two sessions for courses with a worship time in between, all done via Zoom videoconferencing.
All are welcome to participate!
Course topics include:
- Deacons Training with Rev. Dr. Stephanie Sauve
- Elder Training with Rev. Carson Mouser
- The PC(USA)’s Long-standing Support for Justice in Palestine with Moderator-elect Mindy Shaffer
- Sexual Misconduct Prevention POLICY Training with Elder Janette Henderson, Rev. Kevin Hershey, Rev. Elaine Loggi, Elder Susan Orr, & Rev. Anne Waasdorp
- Property Guys: Trustees & Property Training with Brian Shaffer, David McDowell, Don Fairman
- Answering the Where & How—PGV Website, Google Drives & more with Lisa Bennett
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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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If you are involved with a church book club and are open to having new folks join your group, please contact Rita Hooper at twohoops2@gmail.com with your information. Please include Zoom info, time, place and contact person and anything else you find useful.
Nancy Wind and Isiah’s Table are inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting, on Tuesdays at 7 pm. Feb 14th, Isiah’s Table will begin their new Lenten study - Pause:Spending Lent with the Psalms by Elizabeth F. Caldwell. They will discuss the chapter "Reflection for Ash Wednesday."
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83276947441?pwd=dElVL2c3UTducVlIUmdPYXRJdUVIZz09
Meeting ID: 832 7694 7441
Passcode: 065105
Rita Hooper and Presbyterian Women invite you to check out their book club, unfortunately meeting at the same time as Isaiah’s Table: Tuesdays at 7 pm. Their current selection is Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng. Missing Hearts is a suspenseful and heartrending novel about the unbreakable love between a mother and child in a society consumed by fear. They began last week but feel free to join them anyway! You don’t have to be a woman, a Presbyterian or even live in CNY to join. This club focuses on peace and justice issues and began during covid. We have read both fiction and non-fiction selections. We aim to support each other on our journey’s so sometimes we get a little off track!
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87193947627?pwd=SDZkanB0ZFVDZFoybmczU0F4QWpNQT09
Meeting ID: 871 9394 7627
Passcode: 748784
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The next "Can We Talk?" gathering will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, February 23rd in the Lounge behind the Sanctuary at Pebble Hill Presbyterian Church, 5299 Jamesville Road in Syracuse.
Coffee and goodies will be served.
The gathering is for retired pastors and CLP's or for folks who are about to retire. First-timers are always welcome!
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Black History Month Event
Park Central hosts Movie & Conversation Night
In honor of Black History Month, Park Central Presbyterian Church will be holding a in person movie and conversation night. On Saturday, February 24th, 4-7 p.m.
We will gather at 4 p.m. to watch "The Help," and afterwards we will discuss the themes of the film and how they relate to our own anti-racism work. We will have popcorn and banana pudding provided by Pudding Queen.
All are welcome!
Please RSVP by calling the church office at:315-475-1677 or email:
office@parkcentralchurch.org
Park Central is located at: 504 E Fayette St. in Syracuse.
Parking Lot is directly across from the church.
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Practical Resources for Churches Webinars | |
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Well Done: A Good and Faithful Path to Church Closure
Tuesday, February 27, 2024
2:00 - 3:00 PM
Leader - Charlie Kuchenbrod
Does your church’s culture impede creativity and change?
Thursday, February 29, 2024
2:00 - 3:00 PM
Leader - Meghan Hatcher
Practical Practices for Faith in Families
Tuesday, March 5, 2024
2:00 - 3:00 PM EST
Leaders - Elizabeth Christie, Johannah Myers
Leading Faithful Innovation
Thursday, March 7, 2024
2:00 - 3:00 PM EST
Leader - Dwight Zscheile
Managing Investments and Endowments for Churches
Thursday, April 18, 2024
2:00 - 3:00 PM EDT
Leader - Charlie Kuchenbrod
Raising Kids Beyond the Binary in Church
Tuesday, May 7, 2024
2:00 - 3:00 PM EST
Leader - Jamie Bruesehoff
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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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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 | |
Around the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) | |
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A quartet of PC(USA) scholars and preachers offers up a how-to on preaching hope this Easter
Presbyterian Publishing Corporation features four of its authors engaging in a lively and helpful discussion
By Mike Ferguson
Presbyterian News Service
Presbyterian Publishing Corporation gathered four gifted scholars and preachers — all of them with books published by Westminster John Knox Press — for a Tuesday webinar called “Leading with Good News in Difficult Times: Preaching and Teaching at Easter.” PPC President and Publisher David Dobson hosted the 45-minute event, which featured these well-known and beloved scholars:
- The Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Caldwell, professor emerita at McCormick Theological Seminary and author of “Pause: Spending Lent with the Psalms”
- The Rev. Dr. Cynthia Campbell, president emerita at McCormick Theological Seminary who co-authored, with Christine Coy Fohr, “Meeting Jesus at the Table: A Lenten Study”
- Dr. Thomas Long, professor emeritus at the Candler School of Theology and author of “Proclaiming the Parables: Preaching and Teaching the Kingdom of God,” available beginning March 11
- Dr. Brian K. Blount, president emeritus at Union Presbyterian Seminary and author of “Invasion of the Dead: Preaching Resurrection.”
Dobson led with this question: How do you suggest those who need to preach the good news of Easter do so in this time?
“The thing that jumps out to me is God’s people have been this way before,” Campbell said. “The Christian hope always looks fear in the face and faces trouble realistically.”
Long called Easter “an opportunity for preachers to face fear defiantly.”
Continue reading...
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Calling for a stop to the destruction of Gaza
Stated Clerk joined other church heads of communion with an urgent message of peace
By Fred Tangeman
Office of the General Assembly
Last week, the Rev. Bronwen Boswell, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly, joined other church heads of communion in the nation’s capital to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
The leaders also pressed U.S. government officials to renew funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and to work for the release of all hostages in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israel.
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) belongs to the ecumenical group Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP), which has pushed for the ceasefire since November, when Boswell co-signed a letter asking the Biden administration to promote de-escalation. Following last week’s D.C. meetings, the group issued another letter.
In each of the four months since the October 7 attacks by Hamas on Israel, the situation has worsened in Gaza, with a million Palestinians now gathered along the border with Egypt amid growing concerns of a full-scale ground invasion and bombardment of Rafah. CMEP’s call for the U.S. government to fully fund UNWRA recognizes the central role the agency plays in alleviating suffering throughout Gaza.
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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