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.
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Volunteers spruce up the Manor!
Volunteers pruned bushes, pulled weeds, planted flowers and filled the raised garden beds with veggies and herbs at the Manor in Skaneateles.
The Manor is a non-profit senior living residence that is operated by the Presbyterian Church of Skaneateles.
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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.
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Joys and Concerns around the Presbytery |
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In our prayers together this week:
- Please pray for those who are dealing with the impacts of the forest fires in Canada.
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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 also pray for the Rev. Jenna Heery and First United Fulton where she is the bridge pastor.
- 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: Amboy Belle Isle; First, Auburn; Westminster, Auburn; United Ministry of Aurora; First, Baldwinsville
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.
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From the Interim Resource Presbyter |
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Yo soy la vid y ustedes las ramas
Recently, my other mother, June, celebrated her 90th birthday. June has always loved puzzles, from the Sunday Jumble to a competitive game of Scrabble. Recently, June has become enamored with jigsaw puzzles. Her latest endeavor is a 1000-piece venture of varying shapes and colors. After filling in the frame, June and her daughters set about fitting everything together. June likes to work on particular sections of similar colors, while I like to find the pieces that link the parts together. This can often be challenging as some of the colors can be quite subtle and often deceptive on how they might fit. However, working as a team, our puzzle soon takes shape and before long we have a better picture of what we’ve been working on.
For many years I served as the executive director of Beth-El Farmworker Ministry -- a Presbyterian mission dedicated to providing opportunities for education, healthcare and spiritual development for the local Hispanic population southeast of Tampa, Florida. Carved into the entry doors of the sanctuary are these words from the Gospel of John: “Yo soy la vid y ustedes las ramas, “I am the vine, you (all) are the branches.” The ‘you’ here is plural, something that is frequently overlooked in our English translations.
Like June’s puzzle, our presbytery is a consortium of individual congregations joined together in the shared mission of Jesus Christ. Sometimes we lose sight that our work as the church is intended as a community effort. We are a diverse group encompassing rural to urban landscapes. We are a cornucopia of colors, genders, generations and ideologies linked together through the body of Christ. As your resource presbyter, I look forward to our work together and opportunities for collaboration.
Over the next several months, I will be visiting each of our congregations to hear your hopes and dreams for our shared life together. There will also be opportunities to join together informally as well as resources to help us discern our future course. I am grateful to be back in my home presbytery and to be walking with you during this season of transition.
In Christ’s Peace,
Kathy
Rev. Kathleen Dain
Interim Resource Presbyter
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Announcements from our Interim Resource Presbyter |
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Office Closure Sale
Office closure sale on June 16 and 17, 2023 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 7145 BUCKLEY ROAD.
Many items available including metal storage cabinets, metal filing cabinets, 3 desks, 2 copiers, various file and drawer organizers, book cases, chairs, sofa, deacon benches, seasonal decorations.
For more information you may contact Lynn Jacques at lmjacques@verizon.net. Better yet, just come to the sale and see all the treasures that are calling your name!
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Calling all retired pastors...
The next "Can We Talk?" gathering will be held at 10.30 a.m. on Friday, June 23rd in the Lounge behind the Sanctuary at Pebble Hill Presbyterian Church, 5299 Jamesville Road in Syracuse.
Coffee and goodies will be served.
The gathering is for retired pastors and CLP's or for folks who are about to retire. First-timers are always welcome!
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Book Release: N. Scott Cupp's "Come and See for Yourself" on sale now
N. Scott Cupp, a retired Cayuga-Syracuse pastor, has released his book "Come and See for Yourself The Gospel -- As if for the First Time." The book is on sale now.
About the Book:
People have been telling the story of Jesus ever since he was resurrected. In Come and See, author N. Scott Cupp offers a new perspective on this great story. Presenting a simplified narrative, it tells the gospel story from beginning to end in a chronological way unlike any other.
Answering a host of questions that arise throughout, Dr. Cupp shares the story as if meeting Jesus for the first time. Who was he, really? Did he really walk on water? Did he actually heal all those people? What was his message? Was he killed because he was proclaiming peace and love? Was he the message or the messenger? What is the message of the gospel for today, and how does it impact our world?
Presenting an understanding of Jesus’s life, Come and See for Yourself supplements what you’ve read and learned in your prior Christian studies. Dr. Cupp lets you decide what to think of the messenger.
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Practical Resources for Churches Webinars |
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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.
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New York State Sexual Harassment Prevention Training Webinars
You can take this training any time during the year
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
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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.
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Join in on these services virtually on Sundays:
Faith United Oswego - Live on Zoom (Meeting ID: 207 196 571)
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.
Scipioville Presbyterian Church - Live on Zoom (Meeting ID: 836 3163 8403
Passcode: SPC13147)
More to come...
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The Rev. Kathleen Dain, Interim Resource Presbyter, can be reached by emailing KDain@cayugasyracuse.org or by calling (315) 551-0413.
Sarah Buckshot, Communications Coordinator, can be reached by emailing caysyrnews@gmail.com or by calling (315) 877-8271.
Our Address: PO Box 438, Syracuse, NY 13214
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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.
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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
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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.
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Around the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) |
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A letter to ruling elders: Let’s help our pastors lead well
Every pastor deserves someone who loves them and their church equally
By Matthew Skolnik
Elders, your pastors are some of the best people around. By and large, they have great hearts, work diligently for God’s kingdom, and exhaust themselves serving in ministry.
However, as the church, we have failed them because we have not trained pastors to:
- Align the work of the church to God’s mission of redemption, deliverance and salvation.
- Equip Christians for the work of ministry.
- Build faith-based communities in and outside our congregations.
While pastors and elders share ministry, pastoral leadership comes with more responsibilities, including caring for the whole congregation and helping the community plan. Yet, as the church, we have not communicated that this type of forward-moving leadership is expected among our pastors. Because we have witnessed pastors who ran churches with iron fists, we actively trained toxic leadership out of our system.
Unfortunately, we have also trained healthy leadership out of our system as well.
This is no single person’s fault. But as we practice naming the staunch reality around us in love, it is high time that we encourage, empower and expect our pastors to lead.
As a presbytery executive who works with dozens of churches and pastors, I highlight this important conversation with love and grace. My thoughts are not comprehensive nor perfect, but my intent is to help us find simple changes that make a big difference in our shared life.
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Matthew 25 workshop on measuring effectiveness set for June 29
Series focuses on ending systemic poverty
By Scott O’Neill
Presbyterian News Service
We say we want to end poverty, but how do we know if we are being effective?That is a central question to be addressed in the second in a series of online workshops dedicated to the Matthew 25 focus on eradicating systemic poverty titled “End Poverty? Measuring Our Impact Holistically.” The Zoom event is Thursday, June 29, at 3 p.m. Eastern Time. Registration is required and participants can do so here.
Poverty is a complex issue that requires tools to interpret its complexity. In this online workshop, Andrew Kang Bartlett, associate for national hunger concerns with the Presbyterian Mission Agency’s Presbyterian Hunger Program, will introduce a resource called Whole Measures for Community Food Systems, which has been adapted to help account for the complex, interconnected nature of poverty. This holistic assessment model, created by the Center for Whole Communities, is a values-based, community-oriented tool that encourages dialogue geared toward change and features both qualitative and quantitative measures.
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P.O. Box 438, Syracuse 13214
(315) 632-5698
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"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
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