February 23, 2023
Dear Friends of Cayuga-Syracuse Presbytery,

Welcome to this week's edition of our e-letter, Presbytery Matters. Our goal is to highlight things going on throughout the Church: within our Presbytery, in our congregations, as well as in the Synod of the Northeast and across the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). We hope that these are things that will be helpful, informative, challenging, encouraging and supportive. In other words, we hope that these things will matter. Your input is valued, and your comments are always welcomed.
From the Treasurer
The purpose of this note is to let you know that each church will be receiving a check for $468.68 from the Presbytery soon. The Presbytery has a Permanent Endowment Fund account at the Presbyterian Foundation with the income from the fund being used for missions within the Presbytery. The Presbytery has voted to distribute the income from the Permanent Endowment Fund Mission Initiatives account equally among member churches and worshiping communities each year. The check churches will be getting soon is the distribution of last year's earnings and is intended to be used for missions. You may notice that this check is substantially less than what was distributed last year. This is because last year's distribution was for earning accumulated in the account since its inception.
END OF THE YEAR FINANCIAL REPORTS
Mission Stories
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.

Joys and Concerns around the Presbytery
In our prayers together this week:

  • Please pray for the Rev. Debra Thomas after the death of her mother, Evelyn Hirst. Please keep the Hirst family in your prayers. Evelyn will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her. Read her obituary HERE.
  • Rita Hooper (First United Fulton) is happy to announce she has finally gotten rid of her arthritic encrusted and badly worn hip and replaced it with a bright shiny new one. She is hoping to once again walk some trails in the ADKs, visit with her PW Sisters and celebrate life! Please keep the prayers going so she can reach her goals.
  • Please pray for Frank Campagna from the Cazenovia Church. Frank was diagnosed with cancer. Please keep him, his doctors and his family in your prayers.
  • Please pray for everyone who is struggling with their mental health and mental illnesses.
  • 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: United Church of Fayetteville; First United Church of Fulton; God’s Vision Christian Church, Hannibal; Jamesville Community Church; First, King Ferry

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.
Congregational Learning Day - March 4, 2023
Deadline to register is approaching!
Register for this free learning opportunity today!
Registration is now open: Register HERE
Learn more: Here
Important Contacts
In the absence of a Resource Presbyter, please contact the following individuals:

Church or Clergy Transitions, conflict resolution, pulpit supply: COM Chairs Mike Depew (mdepew12@yahoo.com) and Shawn Reyburn (sdreyburn@gmail.com) as well as your COM liaison.

Questions regarding the work of the Presbytery: Moderator Garrett Anderson (revgarrettanderson@gmail.com), Vice-Mod Bill Newell (bnewell44@gmail.com), and Chair of Leadership Team, Patrick Heery (pastor@westminsterauburn.org)

And, as always, questions regarding church polity, minutes, parlimentary procedure should be directed to our Stated Clerk, Rev. Ben Fitzgerald-Fye (statedclerk@cayugasyracuse.org)
Church Streaming
Do you live-stream your service on Sundays?
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We are compiling a list of live-stream links to feature in Presbytery Matters. This will allow others to join in on your services.

Please send links to CaySyrNews@gmail.com
Join in on these services virtually on Sundays:

LaFayette Columbian Presbyterian Church - Live on Facebook
Faith United Oswego - Live on Zoom (Meeting ID: 207 196 571)
First Presbyterian Church in Baldwinsville - Live on YouTube
First Presbyterian Church of Cazenovia - Live on YouTube
First Presbyterian Church of Chittenango - Live on Facebook
First Presbyterian Church of King Ferry - Live on Zoom
First Presbyterian Church of Mexico - Live on Facebook
First Presbyterian Church of Skaneateles - Live on Facebook
First United Church of Fulton - Live on Facebook
Isaiah's Table will send a link for people to join our hybrid worship at 10 a.m. on Saturdays. Send email to isaiahtable@gmail.com by Friday evening.
Jamesville Community Church - Live on Facebook
Liverpool First Presbyterian Church - Live on YouTube
Marcellus First Presbyterian Church - Available on Website or Live on Facebook (Don't need an account to view) or after on YouTube
Otisco Presbyterian Church - Email otiscopcusa@yahoo.com to receive weekly livestream links
Park Central Presbyterian Church - Live on YouTube
Pebble Hill Presbyterian Church - Live on Website
Robinson Elmwood United Church - Live on YouTube
Scipioville Presbyterian Church - Live on Zoom (Meeting ID: 836 3163 8403
Passcode: SPC13147)
Sennett Federated Church - Live on Zoom. To get the login information, email pastor@sennettfederatedchurch.net
United Church of Fayetteville - Live on website and Live on YouTube
Westminster Presbyterian Church, Auburn - Live on Facebook
Whitelaw Presbyterian Church - Live on Facebook

More to come...
Around the Presbytery
The Manor is an affordable senior living community located at 49 West Genesee St. in the village of Skaneateles. It is intended for well seniors and includes all meals prepared by our staff. All suites include a private bath. Internet access and cable TV are included in the price. The Manor is located within the heart of the Village and is a short walking distance to lake-side parks. It is located on bus route serving the central New York and Syracuse vicinity. Local transportation services are available.

The Manor is a non-profit mission of the First Presbyterian Church of Skaneateles and is operated by an independent board of directors. It is maintained through the volunteer efforts and monetary donations of the church and community members who take a personal interest in The Manor and its residents, visiting and hosting regular social gatherings and holiday events.
Staff Information
Ben Fitzgerald-Fye, Stated Clerk, can be reached by emailing statedclerk@cayugasyracuse.org OR by calling or texting (315) 604-8535.

Sarah Buckshot, Communications Coordinator, can be reached by emailing caysyrnews@gmail.com. Sarah will be on maternity leave beginning on Tuesday, February 14th for two to three weeks. She'll be checking emails. Contact Ben Fitzgerald-Fye if your matter is urgent.

Kristin Schierer, Bookkeeper can be reached by emailing finance@cayugasyracuse.org

Please Note: Our new address change -- PO Box 438, Syracuse, NY 13214 -- also applies to mail sent to the Bookkeeper.
Job Postings
Solo Pastor at Pebble Hill Presbyterian Church in DeWitt

Pebble Hill Presbyterian Church is currently seeking a solo pastor who is spiritually grounded, intellectually curious, compassionate, and forward-thinking. PHPC has a history of community engagement and a commitment to social justice. Our congregation thrives on preaching that enriches and propels us to expand our thinking and motivates action. We are nourished through inspiring music and the loving nature of our faith community. We seek someone who is flexible, has a sense of humor, and flourishes in contexts where collaboration in leadership is the norm.

Position tasks include worship leadership & preaching, pastoral care, oversight of Christian education, moderating the Session, representing the congregation to outside groups that use our facility, assisting committees with guidance and insights as needed, participating and motivating members to become more active in social justice and mission projects.

PHPC was formed in 1956 in a suburb of Syracuse, NY. The church is located less than five miles from Syracuse University and Upstate Medical University, along with other institutions of higher education, multiple hospitals, and successful manufacturing facilities. The church is also situated within a very strong K-12 school system. We enjoy the benefits of a city with close proximity to the Finger Lakes, a pleasant drive to the Adirondacks, and a multitude of hiking and biking options in the immediate area, including those associated with the Erie Canal corridor. Onondaga County is on the cusp of major growth due to its selection as the site for an investment of $100 billion over ten years by Micron computer chip company. Finally, Syracuse was recently identified by FEMA as the safest city in the U.S. from natural disasters.

To receive more information or to express interest in the position, please email the Pastoral Nominating Committee at pncpebblehill@gmail.com. Website: https://www.phpchurch.org
Are you hiring?

If your church is hiring in 2022 or still looking to fill a position from 2021, please send a new or updated announcement and job description to Communication Coordinator Sarah Buckshot at caysyrnews@gmail.com
Dates to Remember
Annual Meeting - Saturday, May 6, 2023. Time and Location TBA
Stated Meeting - Tuesday, July 11, 2023 at 7 p.m. Time and Location TBA
Stated Meeting - Saturday, September 16, 2023. Time and Location TBA
Stated Meeting -Tuesday, November 14, 2023 at 7 p.m. on Zoom.
Around the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Third round of Bilateral Dialogues continues between the Episcopal Church and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Participants move toward completion of final report by end of year
Rick Jones | Office of the General Assembly - February 22, 2023


LOUISVILLE-Representatives of both the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the Episcopal Church recently gathered for the winter meeting of the Bilateral Dialogues between the two denominations. The latest round of conversation centered around the draft “Episcopal-Presbyterian Agreement on Local Sharing of Ministries,” which was commended for study and feedback by both the 80th General Convention (2022) of the Episcopal Church and the 225th General Assembly of the PC(USA) (2022).
The Dialogue invited participants to offer their perspectives and insights on the draft. Invited guests included the Very Rev. Dr. Cynthia Briggs Kittredge (president/dean and professor of New Testament at the Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest), the Rev. Sarah Gaventa (dean of students at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary), the Rev. Matt Gaventa (senior pastor of University Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas), the Rev. Sallie Watson (general presbyter of the Mission Presbytery), and the Rev. David Simmons (rector of St. Matthias Episcopal Church in Waukesha, Wisconsin). The Rev. Dr. José Irizarry (president of Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary) joined the Dialogue for dinner fellowship.

PC(USA) team journeys to South Sudan
Starling-Louis and Wright join mission leaders on ecumenical peace visit
Fred Tangeman | Office of the General Assembly - February 2, 2023
LOUISVILLE
Dianna Wright (left) and Shavon Starling-Louis in South Sudan, February 1, 2023.
A team of Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) leaders is traveling to South Sudan the first week in February, joining an ecumenical delegation that includes the Pope, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
Civil war began in South Sudan in 2013. As Reuters reported, “Despite a 2018 peace deal between the two main antagonists, violence and hunger still plague the country.”
Beyond dialoguing with local stakeholders as part of an international effort to encourage reconciliation, the PC(USA) team is gathering with Presbyterians from two South Sudanese denominations: the South Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church and the Presbyterian Church of South Sudan. Discussing, and mostly hearing about, ways the PC(USA) can support South Sudanese Presbyterians in the coming years is a major trip goal.


P.O. Box 438, Syracuse 13214
(315) 632-5698
"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