Hudson Happenings
H u d s o n  R i v e r  P r e s b y t e r y
In This Issue
October 26, 2017
Dear Friends,

In Advice to a Prophet, America's second poet laureate, Richard Wilbur, exhorts the one who would signal our world's destruction to not proclaim our fall but to beg us in "God's name to have self-pity." He writes,

Speak of the world's own change. Though we cannot conceive   
Of an undreamt thing, we know to our cost
How the dreamt cloud crumbles, the vines are blackened by frost,   
How the view alters...
                            ... What should we be without   
The dolphin's arc, the dove's return,
These things in which we have seen ourselves and spoken?   

Wilbur urges the prophet to understand our human condition as situated upon this earth, within the community of creatures, generating the question what does prophetic speech look like if not directed to human beings as dominators over creation?  What different sort of approach is required?  How should a prophet hold humanity accountable for the misuse of our stewarding power?  How does remembering how human beings are a part of creation shape our ability to love, protect, and, perchance recover life abundant?  

The next issue of Hudson Happenings will be published on Thursday, November 16. Please email your submissions to noelle@hudrivpres.org by Tuesday, November 14.  

Peace,
Noelle
Presbytery News & Events
Hudson River University, Oct. 28 is CANCELLED
RESCHEDULED for Feb. 24, 2018
HRU is cancelled for October 28, but mark your calendars now for HRU's next session on Saturday February 24.  More information will follow soon about the educational offerings for the day.
Workshop for Leaders and Pastors Considering Going from
Full-time to Part-time, Nov. 17-18 - Reserve your spot now!
The Transitional Ministry Education Consortium (TMEC) of the PCUSA is providing a brand new education/training event and it is being supported by the HRP's Committee on Ministry (COM). It is for congregational and pastoral leaders in congregations who have recently had  to go, or may soon need to go, from full-time to part-time pastoral leadership. This workshop will provide some training to help with that transition, to help accentuate the positives and possibilities while addressing the fears a
nd challenges.

The event will run from Friday, Nov. 17 at noon - Saturday, Nov. 18 at noon and held at Holmes Camp and Conference Center.
 
It is expected that this offering will be helpful for those making this transition and hoped that it will be utilized as we believe there is a great need for this type of event. Since this is the first time this is being offered in the PCUSA, TMEC is covering half the costs while our COM is covering the other half.   Be sure to share this information with your church's session/council and pastoral leader!
 
To reserve spots for your council/session or if you have questions, please contact our Interim General Presbyter, Gavin Meek, ASAP!   Gavin@hudrivpres.org.   
Holmes Clergy & Church Leader Trip to Nicaragua, 
Feb. 17-25, 2018
Be introduced or reconnect with Bridges to Community as you learn about issues facing developing countries, the positive impact of service learning trips done in a way that supports the community, gain practical training in how to do your own service learning trip and much more!  For information contact Linda Burpee (914) 248-6055 or lrbesq@gmail.com.              Subsidies for clergy may be available.  Download the flyer.
Emerging Leaders Gathering
Nov. 9-11
At Silver Bay YMCA Camp & Conference
Center, Silver Bay, NY.  Emerging Leaders are people between 25-40 who, with the Synod's help, have begun gathering annually as a synod-wide group for community and connection. These gatherings have been critical in helping our emerging leaders connect with one another and begin establishing ways to collaborate with and support one another. Learn more about the network and come or invite others to attend the Gathering!

Young Adult Advisory Delegate Nominations for General Assembly
The Committee on Representation and Nominations (CORN) is looking for nominees for Young Adult Advisory Delegate to be nominated to go to the 223rd General Assembly (GA) meeting in St. Louis, June 16-23, 2018.
 
Young Adult Advisory Delegates shall be an active member of the PCUSA and between the ages of seventeen and twenty-three years old on the date the GA convenes.

If you are interested or know of someone who would be good and appropriate for any of these positions, please contact Heather Benedict, at hrbie1030@aol.com or 845-361-1002.
HRP is looking for Budget, Finance and Property Committee members
If you are looking for ways to serve the realm of God and the larger church and have the needed  financial, investment, accounting, budgeting, legal and/or real estate knowledge, skills and/or experience , then consider this opportunity!  Read more.
Peacemaking Offering: Proyecto Faro,  One Story of Local Hope
Last spring the Peacemaking Team of HRP made a $2,500 grant to a new initiative around growing concerns in welcoming immigrants to the United States.  Begun in response to the surprisingly large attendance (150) at the Sanctuary Forum at Nauraushaun Presbyterian on February 6th, members of the Community of Living Traditions, members of the Rockland Immigration Coalition, and some Rockland County Presbyterians gathered at Stony Point with Rick Ufford-Chase.   Rick had identified a woman, Rosario Urena (Charo), who had been instrumental in organizing the Braemar community after Sandy Hook devastated homes there, and he suggested that she might be engaged as an organizer to reach out to the several immigrant enclaves in the county.  After several meetings this initiative was named the Lighthouse Project, or Proyecto Faro. and a mission statement and a position description were developed.  Read on to see the impact!
Congregational News and Events
Help Your Congregation Go "Zero Waste!"
Have your congregation go Zero Waste!  At the last Presbyterian Meeting hosted at Hitchcock Church we had the pleasure of seeing their zero waste program in action.  

As those at the meeting saw, there was no trash from the lunch!  Food was served on reusable dishes and compostable serveware (which was made from renewable resources such as sugarcane leaves and corn).  At the end of lunch any leftover food scraps and all of the compostable serveware went into a Compost Bin instead of the trash.  

The bags of compost are picked up each week from Hitchcock Church and brought to a compost facility where all of the food scraps and compostable serveware are turned into soil!  

If you would like to bring Zero Waste to your congregation please reach out to Michelle Sterling ( michellesterling1@gmail.com ) and Ron Schulhof ( rkschulhof@gmail.com ) who are two volunteers that helped bring Zero Waste to Hitchcock Church and are happy to help other congregations as well. 
Dayspring Interfaith Thanksgiving Gathering
Nov. 14, 6:00-8:00pm
You are welcome at the Interfaith Thanksgiving Gathering  at Dayspring Community Center!  The evening gathering will bring folks from around the County together to learn more about this effort to transform one of Westchester's most distressed neighborhoods in Yonkers.  Housed in the building of Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church, Dayspring is a community center that provides after school programs and much more! Come learn about the partnership between Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church and Westhab that is transforming the neighborhood. Share the flyer and come on Nov. 14!
FPC Mahopac Welcomes Interim Pastor and New Music Director
First Presbyterian Church of Mahopac (FPCM) has been blessed with a new Interim Pastor and a new Music Director. On September 10, First Presbyterian Church of Mahopac welcomed Jennifer Sung as the new Music Director.  Rev. Glen Reichelderfer is the new Interim Pastor, who began his ministry here on September 24. Both new leaders bring a unifying sense of spiritual and social renewal to the congregation. Read on to learn more about these leaders.
Nauraushaun Presbyterian Church "We Are All Neighbors" Vigil
Last Thursday, October 19, Nauraushaun Presbyterian Church invited all the faith communities of the 10965 zip code to join us at the public park by the train station from 5 to 7 p.m. for a "We All Are Neighbors" Vigil. About 30 folks came: 3 faith communities participated and a few guests. Participants held signs saying "Immigrants Make America Great!" and "We Choose Welcome!"
Regional and National News
Secretary General of Presbyterian Church of East Africa Urges Us to Pray as Kenya Holds Second Round of Elections, Oct. 26
On the eve of a contested second round of elections in Kenya, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) partner the Rev. Peter Kaniah, Secretary General of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa, implored:
 
As leaders of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa in Kenya we ask that you join with us in prayer for peace throughout the national Kenyan re-election process.  
Kenyan elections held on Tuesday, August 8th were by and large peaceful and within a few days the incumbent, President Uhuru Kenyatta, was declared the winner. The opposition filed petitions with the Supreme Court, and on September 1st, the Supreme Court annulled the presidential election results based on the failure to follow clean constitutional processes.

A second election is now scheduled to be held on October 26th. There is growing concern about whether or not peace will be maintained through the process. Church leaders are stepping in as mediators, and many sectors of society are calling for sobriety and peace, urging that campaigning proceed peacefully and in a spirit of civility and peace.
Please join in praying over Kenya. We do not want to go the way of violence and destruction like happened after the 2007 elections.  Read more.
Rebuilding Lives Amid War
In the bomb-torn streets of Aleppo, Syria, families endeavor to rebuild lives and livelihoods.  The PC(USA)'s Jinishian Memorial Program provides grants and assistance that is enabling sustainable, local renewal even in these difficult times.    Read about Anto and his new store.

The Jinishian Memorial Program began in Beirut in 1966  to meet the needs of the post-genocide Armenian population. Today JMP reaches more than 65,000 people each year in seven countries - Armenia, Lebanon, Syria, Istanbul, Jerusalem, Artsakh and Georgia. The leadership and staff are 100 percent local and unite across Apostolic, Catholic and Evangelical traditions to share God's love with the most vulnerable. 

Give to support the Jinishian Memorial Program. Donors have an important role in supporting this outreach, which is only partially funded by endowment. Giving truly makes a difference in turning life around for these young women.
Regional and National Events
Acoustic Harvest Benefit Concert for Stony Point Center,  Nov. 2
Acoustic Harvest   is an evening with classical Spanish guitarist Jacqueline Henry-Ross of Northern California and poet, author, and Stony Point Center artist-in-residence Jake Jacob. This combination of musical stylings and locational vignettes will take the audience on a journey through the seasonal landscapes of North America, and autumn in New York.
When: Thursday, November 2nd @ 7:30 P.M.
Where: Art Space
Westchester/Fairfield Annual Diversity Breakfast, Nov. 16
The Rev. Kymberly McNair, Minister of Community Education and Engagement at Bedford Presbyterian Church, is among religious leaders being honored at the Diversity Breakfast organized by the American Jewish Committee and co-sponsored by various religious and grassroots organizations.  Held from 7:30-10:00am at Manhattanville College, the cost is $16 per person.

The topic for this year is "Healing Our Fractured Society."  Download the flyer and register here.
Holy Land Travel Study, 2018
The Presbyterian Peacemaking Program is offering individuals an opportunity to visit the Holy Land through its Mosaic of Peace Conference in Israel/Palestine,  April 29 - May 12, 2018.  Learn more.
Fall ConEd at Union Richmond
Check out Union Seminary, Richmond VA's offerings for this fall which include strategic church mission planning, Christian Education certification, and Interim Ministry training!  Upcoming courses listed here.
Take Action
Join Union Theological Seminary's Sign-On Letter Urging US Banks to Cease Fossil Fuel Financing, Deadline Oct. 29
Union Theological Seminary's Climate Justice Initiative invites religious leaders to sign-onto a letter urging US Banks to cease fossil fuel financing as they prepare for the 2017 Equator Principles Gathering.  

To sign-on, email Vicky Furio ASAP climate.justice2013@gmail.com with your name and title as you would like it to appear.   Learn more about the Equator Principles and supporting institutions.
Harvest Without Violence Campaign Comes to NYC, Nov. 10-20
The Coalition of Immokalee Workers' Harvest Without Violence campaign which focuses on how the Fair Food Program has ended and is now preventing sexual assault and harassment in the fields of participating farms.  As 4 out of 5 farmworker women working outside the Fair Food Program face this violent norm and Wendy's continues to choose to profit from such exploitation rather than join the Fair Food Program, the CIW has created a mobile exhibit to educate consumers on the realities of harassment and assault in US and Mexican agriculture and the proven effectiveness of the Fair Food Program.  This mobile exhibit will be in NYC from Nov. 10-20 and there will be a mass rally outside of Wendy's chairman Nelson Peltz's offices at Trian Partners on Park Ave on Monday, Nov. 20 at 5:30pm.  More information on dates and locations of the museum and details about the 11/20 action will be posted to http://ciw-online.org.  The PC(USA) supports the Wendy's boycott and the CIW is a long-standing mission partner of the church.  So mark your calendars for Nov. 20th and stand for a new day of justice and dignity in US agriculture together with the CIW!
Through PDA, Help Mexico Rebuild following September Earthquake
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) is connecting with its ecumenical partners to support recovery efforts and develop long-term response plans. The quake on September 19th, which registered 7.1 on the Richter Scale, was the second to strike the region in less than two weeks, causing buildings and houses to collapse, killing or trapping hundreds. Learn more and give.
Challenge to Change
Hudson River Presbytery offers Challenge to Change grants that have been inspiring and resourcing congregations to innovate.  Check out how Wappinger's Falls Presbyterian Church jumpstarted a community dinner and speker program!  Learn more about this grant and how it can help your congregation take new and exciting steps into God's future! Thank you to Janis Upeslacis for writing up this inspiring story. 



HRPGreen Congregational Outreach
Since its inception in mid-2015, HRP Green has been dedicated to working on environmental issues and helping our congregations learn to live lightly on this Earth.  Their goal is to do all they can to insure a livable world for future generations and to stand with and on behalf of the poor, who are the most adversely affected by climate change.  Although supported by modest grants by the First Presbyterian Churches of Yorktown and White Plains, more than twenty additional HRP congregations as well as both conference centers had participated in one or more of their programs during their first year of existence.  For 2016, HRP Green wanted to present at least two training sessions regarding climate change and related environmental concerns, and purchase topical environmental films that would be available for viewing by congregations without charge.  In addition, they wanted to establish a volunteer Presbytery "Engineer Geeks" group to help advise congregations how to "green" their buildings.  So HRP Green requested and received a $3,000 Ch 2 Ch grant in 2016.  Read more!
Resources for Education, Liturgy & More!
Presbyterian Advent Devotional for Dec. 2017
En Ingles Y Espanol
During the holy season of Advent, we are invited to contemplate the powerful words of the Psalms. The Scriptures - and Jesus, the Word Incarnate - impel us to speak and act in more just and loving ways, especially towards the strangers and foreigners among us. Magdalena I. GarcĂ­a, PC(USA) minister of Word and Sacrament and hospital chaplain for Vitas Healthcare in Chicago, has put together a collection of challenging daily reflections and prayers called "Let Love Speak" based on the Psalms to help us experience the promise and power of Christ's coming. 

Perfect for congregations, families and individuals each day provides a Psalm excerpt, meditation and prayer to deepen the Advent experience.  Order now in English y en Espanol!
Resources for Organizing Donations! 
On November 28, 2017, Giving Tuesday, the world comes together to give, and faith-based organizations have fared well in this online fundraising movement. The Presbyterian Foundation makes it easy to give online.
 
#GivingTuesday is a great opportunity for your church to kick-off a year-end campaign and promote your online giving program. If your church doesn't accept online gifts, the Foundation's Ministry Partnership Program  can help you add a GIVE NOW option to your website for secure online donations.
 
#GivingTuesday also provides an opportunity for you to support other Presbyterian mission and ministry at home and around the world.  Learn more!
Coaching Network: Scholarships for 5 Professional Sessions
Are you a leader (or team of leaders) involved in transformational ministry, developing an emerging ministry, or moving forward after being recognized as a network? A coaching relationship can provide time and space for Holy Spirit to be heard and lead you forward in a thoughtful, creative way.  As your coach listens deeply and asks powerful questions, you can become aware of and commit to new possibilities for action and become more aware of obstacles that may be holding you back. For more information on the coaching scholarships and to apply, go to http://www.synodne.org/coaching .
Help for Grandparents Raising Children in Westchester
Are members of your congregation or community looking fo free, bi-lingual services for people raising grandchildren and other children? There are over 7,200 grandparents and other relatives raising children in Westchester, yet 92% do not receive support or services from the Westchester County Department of Social Services.  

We are particularly interested in reaching out to those who could use some assistance and support, especially those who are older, living on limited fixed incomes.  

Our staff makes home visits to caregivers unable to come to Yonkers.  For more information contact Carolyn Fluckinger at CFluckinger@fssy.org and share this flyer.
Employment Opportunities
Hudson River Presbytery Seeks Treasurer
The Treasurer is a volunteer position to provide oversight for the financial activities, procedures, policies, reports and statements for the Presbytery of Hudson River (HRP) and its corporation in consultation with the Budget Finance and Property Committee/Trustees (BFP) and the Council. The position requires knowledge of General accounting procedures; QuickBooks and computer skills; follow through; and confidentiality.   Read the full position description .
Brick Presbyterian Church Seeks Transitional Pastor
The Brick Presbyterian Church in the City of New York, New York;  brickchurch.org. 250-year-old Brick Church is seeking a Transitional Pastor to lead our 1,800 members on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Our engaged, open-minded and multi-generational congregation prioritizes worship, education, fellowship and mission, with a particular emphasis on families with children. With compelling and intellectually challenging preaching, the Transitional Pastor will inspire our worship on Sundays and Wednesdays. Our Transitional Pastor will provide guidance, unity and stability as we continue our mission and prepare for our next Pastor. Please see our MIF #05618.AF0 on clc.pcusa.org or www.brickchurch.org/transition or email transitionteam@brickchurch.org
Union Theological Seminary Seeks "RISE Together" Assistant
The Rev. Dr. Lisa Rhodes, Executive Director of RISE Together, a soon-to-be-launched national mentorship network for women of color in ministry that will be based at Union, is seeking to hire a part-time assistant for the RISE Together initiative.  Read more here.
FPC Philipstown Seeks Stated Supply Pastor
The church is seeking a part-time stated supply pastor for 30 hours a week with a one year renewable contract to begin immediately.  Read the full position description .  Send your resume or PIF to Clerk of Session Lynn Brown, of the Search Committee, whom you may email at lebnab@optonline.net or phone at (845)-809-5200.
Executive Director Search for Holmes Camp
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.
Reformed Church of Bronxville Seeks 
Senior Minister / Head of Staff
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.  
Share Hudson Happenings
In every season, Hudson Happenings will give you the scoop on what's going on in Hudson River Presbytery.  Why not invite friends to subscribe?! With links to local, regional and national news as well as information on fabulous educational and advocacy events, it's your "one stop" for the latest and greatest of what's goin' down in Hudson River Presbytery, Synod of the NE and PC(USA). And with this link, your friends can also subscribe to other e-updates from the Presbytery Prison Partnership, the Food Justice Network and more! Again, just invite them to go to http://tinyurl.com/m2l9kpj or send along this foxy photo of me pattering in the fall foliage. (the link is embedded).