Celebration for Peter Surgenor

Contribute to the online Memory Book (by July 2nd)

Come celebrate Peter Surgenor  and his 18 year vital, dynamic ministry leadership  as Director of Holmes Camp and Conference Center on  Saturday, September 16.

Celebration begins: 11 a.m.

Lunch:  11:30 a.m.

Brief Program: 12:30 p.m.

Following the program we'll celebrate Peter's ministry and enjoy all the fun activities at Holmes!  Download the flyer and spread the word.  And don't forget to contribute your memory to the Memory book being assembled for Peter.  Click here to share your story.  The deadline for contributions is July 2nd.

HRP Green is looking for youth groups to each produce a five minute Youtube video on one of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. We hope to sponsor a trip to the United Nations as part of this project.  By November of 2017 we will bring all the youth groups together for a day of sharing and developing recommendations for congregations and the Presbytery. Four of the goals are already taken, so be in touch with Kathy Dean at  [email protected] to reserve your topic.  More about the goals at http://17goals.org.

"Talitha Cum"

Jesus took the hand of the daughter of Jairus

and he said to her, "Talitha cum," 

which means, "Little girl, get up!" (Mark 5:41)

The First Presbyterian Church of Marlboro believes  Christ is speaking similarly to us.  God has a new vision for our 250 year old congregation.  Small, we are.  Dead, we are not.  We are called to arise with  new life.

Our church is located on the only undeveloped property in the center of our town.  Because we wish to be good stewards of our land and buildings, we are forming a team of visionaries who are retired or willing to work pro bono to create a dynamic development that will enliven our town and church.

Engineers, architects, town planners, grant writers, and developers are invited to join our project: Talitha Cum.  

Please contact Elder Donna Restaino, the Clerk of Session, at  [email protected], or the Rev. Laurie McNeill at  [email protected], 845-282-3797, if you would like to be a part of the Talitha Cum planning team for First Presbyterian Church of Marlboro.

World Mission is seeking stories from churches that have experience connecting with their Muslim neighbors. If your church has established a relationship with a local Muslim congregation, we'd love to hear about it and possibly feature it in an upcoming mission toolkit on Christian-Muslim interfaith relations. Please share your story with Stephanie Caudill at  [email protected]  or 800-728-7228, ext. 5279. Together we are accomplishing much more than we could ever do alone!  Above, Ruling Elder Rick Ufford-Chase (left), the Presbyterian Mission Agency's associate for interfaith formation, with Dr. Sayyid Syeed, national director of the Islamic Society of North America's Office of Interfaith and Community Alliances.

June 25 marks the beginning of the Korea War, in 1950, as understood in South Korea. For the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) it also marks the beginning of the "Season of Prayer and Reflection in the Korean Peninsula," which runs until August 15, the day in 1945 when Korea was liberated from the Japanese occupation of WWII.

For a number of years, leaders from the PC(USA) and the Presbyterian Church in Korea (PCK) have called on members and friends of both churches to pray for peace on the Korean Peninsula and to engage in a season of prayer and reflection from the key historic dates of June 25 through August 15.   Read more.

In a public letter to the CEO of Ben & Jerry's, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) General Assembly Stated Clerk J. Herbert Nelson, II, has implored Jostein Solheim to honor his commitment and sign onto Migrant Justice's  Milk With Dignity program so that the anticipated transformational gains may become a reality in Vermont's dairy industry. The MWD Program, which would improve conditions for dairy farmworkers and help sustain small Vermont dairy farmers, is based on the Coalition of Immokalee Workers' Fair Food Program which the denomination has supported since 2002.   Read the stirring letter.

Invite a PC(USA) International Peacemaker to your Church!

Tickets are now on sale for Stony Point Center's fourth annual Farm-to-Table Gala, which will take place on Sunday, September 10 from 4-8pm. This year's theme is "Staking Up a Fair Economy" and will feature the presentation of the Living Tradition Award to a champion for economic justice. Join us to stake up SPC's mission and celebrate all its fruits! More info and tickets.

Synod of the NE invites you to "Come to the Table," a gathering to share passions for ministry, nurture innovation, and strengthen communities to live into the Gospel. We will worship, exchange ideas, dream into the future, and break bread together.

In 2018 world leaders will come to the UN to agree on a more just way of managing the global refugee crisis. This agreement, called The Global Compact for Refugees  is all about sharing responsibility; where all parts of society stand together #WithRefugees and do their fair share instead of leaving individual states to bear the burden of mass forced displacement.  UNCHR, the refugee agency of the United Nations, invites you to sign their petition urging all UN nations to adopt this Global Compact for Refugees.  Click here to add your name.  And spread the word!

Farmworkers Feed New York!  Join Rural and Migrant Ministry and farmworkers who harvest the food that reaches our tables on  Wednesday, August 2nd, from  12:00-1:00pm for a rally at  Renaissance Plaza- Corner of Mamaroneck Ave.and Main St., White Plains, NY.  Download and share the flyer.

For more information contact: Hannah Van Dolsen, [email protected] , 914-420-7954.

In 2016 the Coalition of Immokalee Workers called for a boycott of Wendy's after the fast-food company refused to join the Fair Food Program that protects the human rights of farmworkers harvesting tomatoes and other produce and sent its purchasing to Mexico, including a farm that was exposed for using child and slave labor by the LA Times.  Students, faculty, faith leaders and international labor experts called on Ohio State University to not renew its contract with Wendy's and stand with them in the boycott.   But OSU just renewed the contract with Wendy's.  Join denominational and interfaith religious leaders across the nation in signing onto this letter urging Ohio State University to terminate its contract with Wendy's now.   Read and sign on to the Letter.

Who Counts? is a creative retelling of three of Jesus' most popular parables: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son. As young readers count to help the characters find what's missing,  Who Counts? teaches that every one of us counts in God's eyes and that everyone should feel counted.

The stories are beautifully illustrated with modern-day characters and a diversity of ethnicities so that all children will be able to see themselves in the stories. Ideal for children ages 4- 8. Includes a note for parents and teachers.  It makes a great addition to your church or home library!  The authors are biblical scholar and Vanderbilt Divinity School professor A. J. Levine and Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso,  Director of Religion, Spirituality and the Arts at Butler College. They read Christian scriptures with a keen eye for resonance in ancient and contemporary Judaism.   Learn more and order from Westminster/John Knox Press.

El propósito de este manual de trabajo es introducir o repasar algunas de las maneras en que la iglesia entiende el Bautismo, utilizando tanto la Escritura como la reflexión y experiencia de la iglesia a través del tiempo. Estará disponible a un costo de $8.85 en the PC(USA) Store.  The English Language version is already available.

With Peter Surgenor's retirement, Holmes is looking for a new Executive Director.  Ideal candidates should be innovative, open, collaborative, excited to plan and implement programs that continue to nurture current constituencies, reach new constituencies and markets for faith formation, and able to share the depth of their own Christian faith; however, candidates need not necessarily be either ordained clergy or Presbyterian.   Read the full description which includes a link for submitting applications. The search committee will continue receiving applications until the position is filled.

Working with a determined Development team that includes: the Executive Director, Managing Director, Board members, other staff members and volunteers, the Development Coordinator will be responsible for the coordination and enhancement of donor development within the organization, and will coordinate the development and implementation of the yearly Strategic Plan.  Learn more.

The congregation welcomes resumes/PIFs from any pastor within the 5 denominations in the Formula of Agreement: RCA, PC-USA, UCC, DoC, and ELCA, and has a long history of hiring Presbyterian pastors.  Read the summary job description and link to the full position posted on the RCA employment site.