In
Fragment 3,
English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge penned
Come, come thou bleak December wind,
And blow the dry leaves from the tree!
Flash, like a Love-thought, thro' me, Death
And take a Life that wearies me.
Advent is an apocalyptic season where our world and its commitments are weighed in God's balance. What might Advent feel like if we gave ourselves over to death; to the death of those things that unmake us and the world around us? What might such an end, such a Love-thought, make possible?
The next issue of Hudson Happenings will be published on Thursday, January 5. Submissions are due no later than Tuesday, January 3 and may be sent to
noelle@hudrivpres.org.
From Your Transition Team
Transition Team's FAQ on the New Design for Mission and Ministry -- Please Read and Come to Presbytery Prepared to Discuss
Why do we need a new design and structure? We used to have a Council and did away with it. Why bring it back? Isn't this design centralizing a lot of power in the hands of 9 Council Members? Why isn't there an Advocacy Ministry Team in the proposed design when HRP has been historically a presbytery known for advocacy? What about anti-racism work at all settings of the presbytery?
We'll be discussing the proposed new structure at the December 6 presbytery meeting. Please read and share this document with anyone coming from your congregation.
Please remember to share the
online registration link with Ruling Elders and any others from your congregation who plan to attend. It is very helpful to our host church to know how many plan to come, so
please do take a moment now and register.
If you are unable to attend and wish to be excused from the presbytery gathering, please ALSO use the online registration link to indicate that you will be unable to attend.
The theme of this meeting is "Discerning" so do send along your ideas for songs for the presbytery the spotify playlist to
noelle@hudrivpres.org.
Fossil-Free Investing with the Presbyterian Foundation
The PC(USA) is now offering fossil free investing strategies to presbyteries, congregations, and other institutional investors through the Presbyterian Foundation's subsidiary, New Covenant Trust Company. Learn more.
Regional and National News
Keeping the Faith with Tony De La Rosa, Ex. Dir. Presbyterian Mission Agency
Exploring Advent: Keeping the Faith with Tony De La Rosa
Synod of NE Announces Scholars and Fellows
Program, Deadline January 1
The Robert L. Washington Scholars and Fellows Program will provide resources for robust discernment regarding vocation, call and abilities of service for the Church. Bob Lee dedicated his life to teaching, and creating opportunities to further the church, civil rights and economic equality. During his life he served faithfully at all levels of the PC(USA).
This program, initiated by the Synod of the NE, seeks to identify and support those who have not previously had opportunity to use their leadership gifts within the larger councils of the church but who seek to do so. It will do this work by choosing three scholars per year to attend executive training at McCormick Theological Seminary and to journey together through Synod-sponsor retreats and training. This is also a way in which we might live into our aspirations to become the Beloved Community and a more faithful expression of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Applications are due January 1, 2017. Learn more.
PC(USA) Co-Moderators Urge Presbyterians to be Agents of Peace
In their November 23 statement, co-moderators Denise Anderson and Jan Edmiston wrote,
This is our time to rally for the sake of the Gospel. What we mean is that - whatever your political allegiances - we are asking you to reaffirm your allegiance to the message of Jesus Christ who commanded us to love our neighbors as ourselves and to care for "the least of these." Our neighbors include refugees, undocumented workers, and the poor. Our neighbors include LGBTQ friends. Our neighbors include the unemployed and the underemployed. Our neighbors include victims of torture and brutality.
From Blacksmiths to Lawyers Professional Services are in Demand at Standing Rock
The recent altercation between water protectors and law enforcement at Standing Rock proved the value of having professionals on site. Lawyers and medical personnel have been busy the past few days dealing with the legal and physical issues around Sunday night's (11/18) confrontation and the use of tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons. But those are just a few of the professionals who have brought their talents to the camp to assist during these difficult days. Read about what the Presbyterian Delegation offered and witnessed at Standing Rock during Thanksgiving.
The Roscoe Presbyterian Church
will hold its Annual Christmas Bazaar and Luncheon, Saturday December 3, 2016, from to 2:00pm, Old Route 17, At the intersection of County Road 179 and Stewart Ave., Roscoe, NY 12776.
A Celtic Christmas Celebration, Dec. 17
The Transformation Choir will present "A Tapestry of Light: A Celtic Christmas Celebration" by Joseph M. Martin in two showings on Saturday, December 17. The first showing will be at The Livingston Manor Presbyterian Church at 2:00pm. The second showing will be at The Jefferson Presbyterian Church at 7:00pm. A free-will offering will be accepted and proceeds will benefit local food pantries. All are welcome. For more information, contact Jane at 845-887-4346.
Download the flyer.
Regional and National Events
Welcoming Refugees to Westchester, Jan. 11 and Jan. 22
The Westchester Refugee Taskforce invites Westchester congregations to
join them for two programs. The first is "Stories of Escape and Resettlement" on Jan. 11 featuring Chris George, Ex. Dir. of Integrated Refugees and Resettlement as a keynote. The second is a hands-on training for congregations who are interested in exploring the details of what it means to resettle a refugee family on January 22.
Read more.
Winter Institute at SPC, Jan. 16-19
Stony Point Center's first ever Winter Institute will take place Monday-Thursday, January 16-19, 2017. Our focus will be working with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Beyond Vietnam - Time to Break the Silence" speech, given on April 4, 1967 at Riverside Church. Learn more and register now!
APCE 2017 National Event, Jan. 25-28, 2017
Register now for the Association of Presbyterian Christian Educator's national event, "God with us in the Chaos" happening in Denver in January. The event will bring Presbyterian educators from across the country to share in workshops, worship and fellowship. The Rev. Nadia Boltz Weber is among the featured presenters.
Living Our Values
Partnership
The Rev. Patricia Callahan traces how by placing community-integrated mission at the heart of Cornwall Presbyterian's identity surprising and life-giving programs have been renewed through a spirit of trust in partnership.
Cornwall is a typical small town in upstate New York. We have a Main Street and local shops. We have schools that we are proud of and a high quality local library. We also have several churches, with relatively small memberships and struggling with budgets that are stretched thin. Like most churches in this situation, we have each struggled to maintain a focus on reaching outside our congregations in ministry, while we try to maintain the churches we love so deeply.
A few years ago, our congregation, Cornwall Presbyterian Church, intentionally engaged this dilemma. We participated in a program called New Beginnings, which encouraged us to increase and broaden our mission efforts and helped us to see that mission is what we do in response to God's call. We can't stop doing mission because we feel we lack resources, and we can't engage in "mission" work that is actually a thinly veiled attempt at self-promotion. The purpose of mission is to follow God's call, not to get more people in our pews or help us with our budget concerns. Like most churches, we supported several mission projects faithfully: a food collection, coat donations in the winter, funding blankets for church world service. However, we began to discern a call to take a larger role in meeting the needs of our community. Continue reading.
Take Action
Last Chance to Donate Calendars for Men and Women in Prison!
Computer donations ongoing...
This time of year many of us receive beautiful calendars in the mail. They are sent to thank us for donations to many worthy causes. If you have more calendars than you need, please donate them to men and women in prison. Presbytery Prison Partnership will be collecting calendars between now until November.
Calendars may be brought to the Presbytery Gathering on December 6 or may be
dropped off at Peekskill Presbyterian Church, First Presbyterian (Ossining), Scarborough Presbyterian Church or the Presbytery office by December 15.
If you have an old laptop and don't know what to do with it, please consider donating it to Hudson Link. It will be wiped clean of all your information and refurbished for someone who has been released from prison. It can be old; it just needs to be able to access the Internet. And the computer donation is deductible up to $400. Contact Barbara Devir at barbdevir@gmail.com or 914-923-3517. Please take a moment to read
Barbara's full letter to understand the significance of these donations in the lives of our sisters and brothers who are incarcerated.
Urgent Call to Prayer for South Sudan
Our sisters and brothers in South Sudan urgently need our prayers and advocacy. Last week, renewed fighting erupted, dramatically compounding a humanitarian crisis that has been deepening ever since the collapse of the August 2015 peace accord. As South Sudanese government forces and rebel groups clashed in Yei and Unity State, civilian populations have been targeted along ethnic lines. On Friday, November 18, Ambassador Samantha Power, the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, told the UN Security Council "all the ingredients exist for the already horrific violence [in South Sudan] to escalate dramatically," warning that ethnic conflict raised the potential for genocide.
Read more.
Action Guide: Support the Standing Rock Sioux
From the PC(USA) Office of Public Witness: The Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) is a planned 1,172-mile oil pipeline, with an expected capacity of 500,000 barrels of oil per day. The pipeline would originate in the Bakken oil fields in North Dakota and terminate in Pakota, Illinois.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved the construction of the pipeline under the Missouri River just one mile north of the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, home to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. The proximity of this pipeline to the Missouri River could threaten the Sioux people's access to clean water, and in April 2016, the Standing Rock Sioux initiated a protest effort to protect this international human right.
The PC(USA) Office of Public Witness has prepared an action guide that situates Presbyterian witness with the Standing Rock Sioux in light of General Assembly Actions and in partnership with the Synod of the Lakes and Prairies. Read more and link to opportunities for prayer and action.
Resources for Education, Liturgy, Justice and more!
Two New Advent Resources
Names for the Messiah" and "Songs for the Waiting" are two new books from Westminster/John Knox that invite readers to experience Christ in a new way this Advent Season. Read more.
El Estudio Sobre Juan
El estudio sobre Juan termina nuestros encuentros con los evangelios. Este estudio nos guiará a ver a Jesús como el Verbo encarnado cuya vida, misión y enseñanzas desarrollarán en nuestro ser una fe que da vida. Los encuentros nos invitan a creer, a entender el significado de la cruz para nuestras vidas, a ver a Jesús como el pan, la luz y el camino que necesitamos, y a prepararnos para seguir compartiendo el mensaje de Jesús con el mundo.
Estará disponible a mediados de noviembre. Ver todos los Estudios Biblicos Reformados.
Lectures on Jesus' Politics and Ethics
Internationally known scholar Dr. Mark Allan Powell, the Robert and Phyllis Leatherman Professor of New Testament at Trinity Lutheran Seminary presented the Smyth Lectures at Columbia Theological Seminary on October 11-13, 2016.
These three, one-hour lectures are available online.
Jesus Takes Sides: The Beatitudes as God's Apology
Jesus Thinks Twice: A Kingdom for Unrepentant Prostitutes
Jesus Delegates Authority: Recovering a Mandate to Not Follow Scripture
About the lectures, Dr. Powell states, "Continued studies into the historical figure of Jesus have brought surprising new insights into his take on politics and ethics. In three separate studies, we will consider a) the function of his Beatitudes as offering a new paradigm for justice in a culture that no longer trusts God; b) the specific instance of social injustice that prompted Jesus to re-think his own moral vision and priorities; and, c) the conflict Jesus experienced when he realized "doing God's will" might mean not obeying the Bible. Together, the three talks will serve to highlight guiding principles for Christians struggling to be faithful to Jesus' vision of justice and the reign of God in the 21st century."
Visit the online video archive of these lectures to jumpstart important discussions in your congregation.
PC(USA) Advent Devotions Reflect on Mass Incarceration and Immigrant Detention
Each year the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program publishes Advent Devotion books that congregations can use as a resource for devotion, reflection, and action in the special time of the year leading up to Christmas. This year,
Proclaiming the Good News of God's Peace: Reflections on Mass Incarceration and Immigrant Detention,
invites you to consider the challenges of mass incarceration and immigrant detention, and focus on the need for Christ's transformative hope amidst the themes of desolation and isolation found in detention and imprisonment.
Presbyterian World Mission Stories
Need a story for Sunday school? Looking for a sermon illustration? Find stories from PC(USA) mission workers. Missionary in residence, Nancy Dimmock, used letters and stories from mission co-workers to create links for each Sunday New Testament reading for the Revised Common Lectionary. Access the stories!
Guide for Young Adult Ministry
Presbyterian Today
's Guide for Young Adult Ministry
is a must-read for everyone who wants to better understand young adults and engage them in worship, education, and service. Learn more.
Seeking and Finding
Holmes Farm Still Seeks Tools
The Farm program at Holmes camp is being reconfigured for next summer.
In preparation Holmes is looking for donations to help with the program:
Rototiller - have one sitting in your shed that is not being used? We will come pick it up.
Wheeled row cultivator
3 point hitch rototiller
Agricultural tractor
Hay wagon
For more specifics call 845-878-6383.
Free Office Furniture
Due to a local office going out of business Holmes Camp has 4 office desks, cubicle partitions and some lateral file cabinets free to anyone who will come and take them away. Contact
Peter Surgenor if you are interested.
Employment Opportunities
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.
Rural and Migrant Ministry Seeks
Popular Education Coordinator for Long Island Utilizing participatory education, the PEC will oversee the creation of a leadership development program with and among farmworkers on the eastern end of Long Island that leads to systemic change. This will all take place as we collaboratively develop a new Rural Worker Education Center.Read more.
Share Hudson Happenings
Hi! Just your friendly beast here to remind you that it's easy to share Hudson Happenings and let others know about our church's commitment to love that is strong, compassionate and courageous. HH is a tiny map to the plethora of events and opportunities in our presbytery to learn, connect, give, advocate, and heal.
Let your friends know that they can subscribe to Hudson Happenings and other HRP E-Updates, like those from the Presbytery Prison Partnership or the Food Justice Network. Just share the photo (the link is embedded) or this URL http://tinyurl.com/m2l9kpj Check "general interest" to subscribe to Hudson Happenings. Have a blessed Advent and wonderful Christmas!
Peace,
Noelle
The Rev. Noelle Damico Director of Communications Hudson River Presbytery noelle@hudrivpres.org http://hudrivpres.org 914-941-2100
Gathering that will be held at
Program, Deadline January 1
join them for two programs. The first is "Stories of Escape and Resettlement" on Jan. 11 featuring Chris George, Ex. Dir. of Integrated Refugees and Resettlement as a keynote. The second is a hands-on training for congregations who are interested in exploring the details of what it means to resettle a refugee family on January 22.
