June 1, 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.
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. Patrick Heery and his family as they make plans to move to Cincinnati this summer to be closer to family. Please pray for Westminster Presbyterian Church in Auburn as they make plans for an interim pastor and a search process.
  • 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: Minister members of the Presbytery who are engaged in specialized ministries, who are at-large members, or who are retired.

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.
Prayers for Pentecost

Living God, you sent the Holy Spirit
to breathe life into your church.
Let us no longer be captives to fear,
but messengers of your saving love,
so that all may be reconciled in you;
through Jesus Christ, our peace.
John 20:19-23
Special Presbytery Meeting
In accordance with current bylaws, a special meeting of the Presbytery of Cayuga-Syracuse has been called for Tuesday, June 6, 2023 at 4 p.m. at the Liverpool First Presbyterian Church. This is an in-person meeting.

The purpose is to meet and vote on the candidate presented by the Interim Resource Presbyter Nominating Committee. This will be only business for the meeting.

Liverpool First Presbyterian Church is located 60 Tulip St., in Liverpool.

Please Note: The previously scheduled in-person Stated Meeting of the Presbytery for July 11 has been changed to a Zoom meeting on July 6 at 6:30 p.m. It will include the first reading of the new by-laws and other business to come before the presbytery.

Below is the report of the nominating committee:


The docket for this meeting will be available at the registration table on the day of the meeting along with worship materials.

Registration for this meeting will be on-site via sign-in with the stated clerk.

Questions can be emailed to statedclerk@cayugasyracuse.org
Mark your Calendars
Please share the above PNG file and share on social media, and download the PDF file, print and share at your church.
This event will be live-streamed on YouTube.

Please note, it will also be available for later viewing if the actual event time is inconvenient for you.
Around the Presbytery
Practical Resources for Churches Webinars
Tuesday, June 13, 2023
2:00 - 3:00 PM EDT
Leaders: Patti Berner & Rev. Traci Smith
HR can be stressful and challenging, but it doesn’t have to be!
This webinar is best suited to small to medium size churches where HR is decentralized, and the pastor, along with a discreet, knowledgeable and professional team of volunteers handle these important tasks. Recruiting, hiring, and dealing with "sticky situations" are some of the areas we'll cover. You will learn our Top Five Best Practices, get some starter templates and feel more empowered to meet your next HR challenge with confidence.
Patti has a MBA in Organizational Leadership, had a successful career in the staffing and recruiting industry, and is owner of Johnston Solutions, founded in 2005, a HR consulting practice dedicated to small businesses and faith-based organizations. Currently, she is the Clerk of Session and has served for many years as the HR Team Chairperson at EPC (Elmhurst Presbyterian Church) in Elmhurst, Illinois. Left wanting more? Terrific! Call Patti at (312) 286-4606 or email, Patti.Berner@gmail.com.
Traci Smith is an ordained minister, mother of three, and author of the bestselling Faithful Families series of books. Traci’s passion is helping families find times for connection and spiritual nourishment amid the hustle and bustle of daily life. What began as a quest to help her own family has provided valuable insight for thousands of others. Traci believes faith practices should be fun, easy to fit into daily life, and accessible to all. Visit her at traci-smith.com. In this webinar Traci will be acting with her “pastor hat” on. Patti and Traci have worked together for years and both have a passion for helping to demystify HR challenges.
Patti and Traci are speaking out of their own professional experience working with a variety of different churches from their respective consulting work and experience. Their opinions do not represent the views of any particular church or denomination with which they are affiliated.
  
Thursday, June 15, 2023
2:00 - 3:00 PM EDT
Leader - Bonnie Ives Marden
This webinar will equip and empower ministry leaders to talk about money and raise funds for their ministries by cultivating donors and building relationships.
Bonnie Ives Marden's passion is strengthening the leadership and stewardship dimensions of organizations especially congregations, agencies and boards. Trained in organizational development, behavioral sciences, mediation and leadership skills, she learns best by doing and invites others to do the same! Every retreat, workshop or seminar, webinar or presentation she offers provides practical and experiential engagement. Her diverse experience and extensive knowledge about churches and people, plus group process skills, are woven into each customized offering created to fit your vision.
New York State Sexual Harassment Prevention Training Webinars
You can take this training any time during the year


10 - 11:30 AM

1 - 2:30 PM EDT
 
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM EDT
 
2:00 - 3:30 PM EDT
 
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM EST
 
3:30 - 5:00 PM EST
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 - Live on Facebook
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...
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.

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
Westminster Presbyterian Church, Auburn seeking Temporary Pastor 
 
Westminster Presbyterian Church in Auburn, NY is seeking a full-time Temporary Pastor to work with the church while it seeks a new installed pastor. The church will consider a part-time position with responsibilities and compensation negotiated and adjusted accordingly. 
 
Position tasks include worship leadership and preaching/sacraments, moderating the Session, pastoral care, serving as head of staff, administrative leadership, assisting boards, committees, and teams, and other duties as needed (funerals/weddings, representing the congregation with outside organizations, assisting with communications, occasional leadership of educational programs, assisting with mission, outreach, evangelism efforts, etc). 
 
Effective Salary will be commensurate with experience, with benefits and mileage to be included as negotiated individually. Starting date will be on or before September 1, 2023. Please send a letter of introduction and resume by email to office@westminsterauburn.org or by mail to Westminster Presbyterian Church, 17 William St, Auburn, NY 13021 Attn: Temporary Pastor Search Team. For more information or questions, please call 315-253-3331 or email office@westminsterauburn.org. More information about the church can be found at www.westminsterauburn.org or facebook.com/westminsterauburn.
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
Special Presbytery Meeting - Tuesday, June 6, 2023 at 4 p.m. at Liverpool First Presbyterian Church
Stated Meeting - Thursday, July 6, 2023 at 6:30 p.m. on Zoom
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.)
‘A Matter of Faith: A Presby Podcast’ takes up race and racism
Dr. Jonathan Tran: ‘God will take all the time in the world to make us faithful, and it will probably take at least that long, if not more’

By Mike Ferguson
Presbyterian News Service

In the most recent edition of “A Matter of Faith: A Presby Podcast,” Dr. Jonathan Tran pushes against racial capitalism, a task begun in his 2021 book, “Asian Americans and the Spirit of Racial Capitalism.”

Tran is associate dean for faculty in the Honors College and Professor of Theology in Great Texts at Baylor University. He was the guest of the Rev. Lee Catoe and Simon Doong for a podcast that can be heard here. Tran comes in at the 23:10 mark.

Racial capitalism, Tran said, is a way of thinking about race and racism that begins with structures and systems. “It tries to push against what I call the orthodox view of race and racism, where you have individuals with prejudicial or racist beliefs or thoughts or attitudes … [Under this view], the primary site of racism is the individual racist mindset.”

SDOP panelist: Veterans need support beyond Memorial Day
Webinar offers tips to churches on connecting with veterans and addressing issues related to poverty and homelessness


By Darla Carter
Presbyterian News Service

A woman with lived experience as a homeless veteran brought home the importance of ongoing support for veterans during a recent webinar that explored issues related to poverty among veterans and how churches can help.

Wendy McClinton, president and chief executive officer of Black Veterans for Social Justice in New York, said there’s a flurry of attention given to veterans by civic leaders and other individuals during special holidays but not enough at other times.

“It’s sad because after Veterans Day and after Memorial Day, then I think, ‘What happened to all that enthusiasm?’” she said. “We have to be veteran-friendly every day, not just one day, not just two days.”

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