Presbytery Matters

February 19, 2026

Welcome to this week's edition of our e-letter, Presbytery Matters.

Mission Stories

A Symbol of Solidarity

Red Hat Witness at Liverpool First Presbyterian Church

During World War II, the people of Norway began making and wearing red hats as a quiet but powerful symbol of resistance to the Nazi regime. What started as a simple act of solidarity became a visible sign of courage and unity in the face of injustice.

Today, that spirit has found new life in the United States. The Red Hat Resistance movement has reemerged as individuals and guilds craft red hats to express concern and protest over unjust detainment and deportation practices affecting immigrants in our communities.

Inspired by this history, Lisa Bricault of Liverpool First Presbyterian Church has begun making red hat pins for congregants to wear on their coats or shirts. These small but meaningful symbols offer a visible sign of compassion and opposition to what many see as unfair treatment by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Border Patrol.

Through simple acts of witness, our churches continue to standing with neighbors in need and live out faith with courage and love.

Community Gathers to Support Benjamin House in Uganda

The United Ministry of Aurora, in partnership with the Auburn Rotary Club, recently hosted a pasta dinner and fundraiser to benefit Benjamin House in Uganda.

In Uganda, where few adults live beyond the age of 30, many children and young people are left to survive on the streets. Benjamin House provides these vulnerable youth with safe housing, education, and vocational training -- offering stability, opportunity, and hope for a brighter future.

Last year, Joakim Matande, Director of Benjamin House, visited the community to share firsthand about the ministry’s work and the vital importance of investing in Uganda’s young people. His message continues to inspire local support.

Despite uninviting weather, a generous and enthusiastic crowd gathered for the dinner, demonstrating once again the community’s commitment to making a meaningful difference in the lives of children and youth across the globe.

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.

We are asking our churches to share this newsletter with your members each week. Click the button below to forward the email or to obtain the newsletter link.

Thank you!

Forward this Email

Joys and Concerns around the Presbytery

In our prayers together this week:

Please keep the firefighters and pastor who were injured in the explosion at Abundant Life Fellowship Church in the town of Boonville in your prayers for healing and speedy recoveries. Please keep the congregation in your prayers.
We lift up the Rev. Karen Chamis as she recovers from knee replacement surgery. Please surround her with your healing presence and bless her with a full, swift recovery.
Please keep Doug Russell, of Baldwinsville Presbyterian Church, in your prayers as he battles cancer. Pray for strength, healing, and peace for Doug and his loved ones during this difficult time.
Please pray Jerry Armstrong (Whitelaw Presbyterian) Jerry is 15 years old with recurrent bone cancer that has spread to his esophagus. Please continue to pray more than ever for both Jerry and his family. Cards can be sent to Jerry Armstrong at PO Box 414 Wampsville, NY 13163.
Prayers for peace for the people and country of South Korea.
Pray for those who are grieving the loss of a loved one.
The voiceless.
All those who have been separated from their families.
All those in America.
Our brothers & sisters in Haiti.
All those in Cuba.
All those in Sudan.
All those in Ukraine.
All those in Lebanon.
All those in Israel and Gaza.
All displaced people.
All those who are homebound.
All those who battling addiction and their loved ones.
Keep all those who battling cancer and other chronic illnesses in your prayers. Please ask God to be by their side and to be with their doctors and families.
Please pray for all those who are dealing with the painful grief of losing a beloved family pet.

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

From the Lead Presbyter for Transformation

I have been struck by the sweet melody and harmonies of a song sung by Sara Bareilles and Brandi Carlile called “Salt Then Sour Then Sweet.” I’m not a connoisseur of music like others, but the sweetness of the song and the lyrics don’t seem to match. The lyrics mention grief, and living and dying, and a strange line in the chorus where they sing “So keep the Novocain out of my wisdom teeth. Want to feel it all.”

A quick internet search revealed the genesis of the song. It’s about a poet named Andrea Gibson who battled cancer and died. Bareilles was captured by their story, which can be seen in a documentary called “Come See Me in the Good Light.”

Those of us who have had to move through the valley of the shadow of death with others know that sometimes death is not pretty. It can be disturbing, yet there are a few who describe death as beautiful.

Throughout the scriptures, we find that there is evil in this great, big, beautiful world. Sprinkled throughout the bible we find that good and evil dwell together. Even in the Revised Common Lectionary for the first Sunday of Lent. As a pastor, I sometimes wanted to skip over this theology, but we have to wrestle with theodicy. But this is not easy for anyone.

On Wednesday, I wore ashes on my forehead again with the words ringing in my ears, “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.” It seems so countercultural, this faith we believe in, but we nevertheless call it “Good News.”

I remember a dear, sweet woman, a member of one of my former churches and a former poet laureate herself, who protested a line in the creed where we profess that Jesus “ascended into hell.” She said to me, “I can’t imagine my sweet Jesus going to hell.” So even though it is not a religious song, Bareilles, Gibson, and Carlile’s song is about real life and real death. This is part of the faith I profess in Christ through his life, death, and resurrection.

So, I choose to follow Jesus, the salt of the earth, who called me to be salt. And I follow a Jesus who would not take sour wine hanging on a cross before his death, and I follow a sweet Jesus who, after he was dead and buried, broke the bonds of death and entered life again.

May you journey with Jesus this Lenten season and note how he moves through life with salt, then sour, then sweet.

Grace and Peace

Greg

Reclaiming Our Time

Rev. Ben Fitzgerald-Fye invites you to join Reclaiming Our Time, a five-week study exploring how our faith shapes our public life in a time of division, anxiety, and competing narratives. Together we will reflect on what it means to confess Christ as Lord, live as a community marked by covenant and humility, and embody justice, reconciliation, and hope in the world. In a season when religious language is sometimes used to advance fear, exclusion, or national identity, this study offers a thoughtful and faithful space to examine those claims and to renew our commitment to a gospel-centered witness. Through Scripture, the PC(USA) Constitution, group conversation, personal reflection, and good old-fashioned Presbyterian discernment, we will ask what stories are forming us and how the church can respond with courage, wisdom, and grace. Clergy, elders, and members across the presbytery are warmly invited to participate in this shared time of learning, discernment, and renewal.

Congregational Learning Day 2026

Congregational Learning Day

It’s almost here! Congregational Learning Day is right around the corner! Join members of the Presbytery of Genesee Valley and other neighboring presbyteries on Saturday, March 7, for a morning of learning, connection and inspiration. This year’s event will be held on Zoom, so you can stay warm and cozy while taking part in some great classes.

Congregational Learning Day will offer Elder and Deacon training, a panel on grants and how to access them, Anti-racism training and more. The day includes two learning sessions (9 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.), with worship in between.

The brochure with class details and registration information is below.

Click here to view the brochure and details about the event.

From the Stated Clerk

ATTENTION: Moderators and/or Clerks of Sessions:

Dear Clerks of Session,

I am writing to let you know that the PC(USA) Statistical Reporting (Statistics of Congregations) portal is now open.

You may access the portal at the following link:

https://ogaapps.pcusa.org/security/Login.aspx?RequestUrl=http%3a%2f%2fogaapps.pcusa.org%2fsoc%2f

If you do not know your password or are having difficulty logging in, please email: statedclerk@cayugasyracuse.org

Completed statistical reports are due no later than February 20, 2026.

Thank you for your faithful work in completing this important annual report, which helps the church understand its life, ministry, and mission more fully. If you have questions or encounter problems beyond login issues, please do not hesitate to be in touch.

Grace and peace,

Ben Fitzgerald-Fye

Stated Clerk

Presbytery of Cayuga-Syracuse

From the Social Justice Committee

OVERTURES

On January 21, 2026 the Presbytery Social Justice Team, chaired by the Rev. Monica Stryon, passed a good number of overtures which are headed to the General Assembly this coming June. For the next several weeks, we will be highlighting two or three of these overtures for your informed reading.

Overture: Recognition that Israel has Violated the International Law Prohibiting Genocide

Originating Body: Presbytery of the Redwoods WHAT THIS

OVERTURE PROPOSES

This overture calls upon the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to recognize and condemn violations of international law prohibiting genocide in the war against Gaza that began in 2023, and to take specific actions grounded in human rights, international law, and Christian ethical witness.

KEY ACTIONS REQUESTED

Condemn Israel’s violation of the UN Genocide Convention.
Encourage advocacy to halt U.S. military aid until compliance with human rights law.
Encourage refraining from purchasing products made or distributed by Israeli companies.
Explicitly oppose antisemitism and Islamophobia, affirming that human rights advocacy is not antisemitism.
Encourage preaching and teaching on this issue.
Publicize the overture and encourage congregational adoption.

WHY THIS MATTERS

The overture cites findings of the International Court of Justice, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the UN Special Rapporteur. It condemns the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks while asserting that Israel’s military response constitutes genocidal action against Palestinians in Gaza.

INTENDED OUTCOMES

Clear denominational stance grounded in international law
Increased advocacy to prevent civilian harm
Faithful Christian witness opposing violence and racism
Support for education and moral discernment in congregations

Call to Clergy

The Cayuga-Syracuse Presbytery recognizes we are in an emergency situation regarding the detaining and imprisoning of immigrants in our communities. We ask that clergy review and determine if these materials are helpful to you and your congregations.

WATCH: That Will Preach – Rev. Dr. Leah Schade - Countering Christian Nationalism in Lent: Sermon Ideas for Preachers - February 3, 2026

PASSCODE: #=vZ4W*e

Clergy, Prepare for ICE: Guidance from Minnesota Pastors

Minnesota pastors urge U.S. clergy to prepare now for ICE incursions. Their wisdom and experience show us how.

In early January 2026, ICE launched “Operation Metro Surge” in Minnesota’s Twin Cities and surrounding areas. The communities have been under siege and terrorized by ICE raids, kidnappings, violence, and murder. In response, Minnesota pastors and congregations have faithfully and peacefully resisted the blatant and horrifying federal overreach through tremendous efforts of mutual aid, community support, and prophetic resistance to tyranny.

On Jan. 27, the Clergy Emergency League invited a panel of Minnesota pastors and faith leaders to share what they’ve learned about organizing faith-based resistance to ICE. This was a time for witness, mutual support, and honest conversation about what faithfulness looks like in this moment. We hope this summary of their collective wisdom will compel clergy and congregations around the country to prepare now to actively protect vulnerable communities most threatened by ICE’s unchecked and unlawful behavior.

Action

Congress is currently negotiating funding and policy changes related to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and federal immigration enforcement. Recent proposals would expand funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other enforcement agencies without sufficient safeguards for due process, civil and human rights, or humane treatment. At the same time, aggressive enforcement actions, including reported violence by federal immigration agents and enforcement activities near churches, schools, and hospitals, have created fear in immigrant communities.In an ecumenical letter signed by the Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and other Christian leaders, our churches called on Congress to enact just and humane immigration reforms. Specifically urging Congress to:

Codify protections from immigration enforcement at churches and other sensitive locations.
Limit excessive funding for immigration enforcement and prioritize community well-being.
Reaffirm restrictions against racial and ethnic profiling.
Require due process and independent investigations of alleged misconduct.
Ensure humane standards in detention facilities and halt the detention of children.
End the reinterviews and arrests of lawfully present refugees.

Congress must reject harmful expansions of immigration enforcement and enact policies that protect due process, human dignity, and the freedom to worship.