Presbytery Matters

February 12, 2026

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

Mission Stories

Serving with Heart

Blessings in a Backpack Supports 260 Students

Liverpool First Presbyterian Church's Blessings in a Backpack crew was hard at work Wednesday morning, filling bags with weekend meals for 260 elementary school students in the Liverpool Central School District who are experiencing food insecurity.

Liverpool First Presbyterian Church is one of four congregations that make up the Blessings in a Backpack Liverpool Chapter. Alongside St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church and Liverpool First United Methodist Church, each church takes a turn packing once a month during the school year.

In the Baldwinsville Central School District, the First Presbyterian Church of Baldwinsville donated to C.W. Baker High School’s Bee Full Food Pantry to support its Winter Break pantry delivery. Church parishioners generously provided gift cards, making it possible to purchase fresh produce for the pantry boxes and help ensure students had enough to eat while school was not in session.

This is what community looks like -- neighbors coming together to care for local students and families.

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:

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 for pastors Steve and Saunda Thomas as Steve is undergoing cancer treatments. Please keep them in your prayers and cards can be mailed to 130 Wade Hampton Dr., Beaufort, SC 29907.
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: Our Presbytery, the Synod of the Northeast, General Assembly staff

PRAYER FOR COMMUNITY

God of life and community,

we give thanks that we were never created to stand alone.

From the beginning, you formed us for relationship—

for shared responsibility, mutual care, and lives bound together in love.

You call us not into isolation, but into belonging.

In a world that tells us we must save ourselves,

you proclaim a deeper truth:

that our strength is found together,

that our freedom is discovered in care for one another,

that our future depends not on domination,

but on compassion and cooperation.

You have shown us that community is not weakness.

It is the foundation of justice.

It is the soil where peace takes root.

It is the place where hope becomes visible.

Where voices from the margins are heard,

where difference is not erased but honored,

where no one is expendable.

You call us to resist the forces that divide,

to refuse fear that sets neighbor against neighbor,

to reject the lie that only some belong.

You send us to practice a love that is active and courageous —

a love that shows up,

that does good,

that binds wounds and builds bridges.

When the work is difficult,

when the path feels uncertain,

remind us that this is holy ground.

That every act of care matters.

That every choice toward community strengthens the world you love.

Bind us together, O God,

not by sameness, but by shared hope;

not by power over one another, but by responsibility for one another;

not by fear of difference, but by trust in your abundant grace.

Send us out as people formed for community,

committed to justice,

rooted in love,

and confident that in choosing one another,

we are choosing life.

Amen.

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: The Green Future Endowment Fund

WHAT THIS OVERTURE PROPOSES

This overture calls for the establishment of a permanent, fossil-free endowment fund—the Green Future Endowment Fund—held by the Presbyterian Foundation, to support climate justice, environmental repair, and a just transition to renewable energy.

KEY ACTIONS REQUESTED

● Establish a permanent endowment fund invested in fossil-free

portfolios, with earnings distributed to PC(USA) agencies.

● Direct funds toward:

Greenhouse gas reduction and renewable energy transition
Repair of environmental harms, especially to marginalized communities
Addressing displacement and community harm related to energy transition

● Create a six-person Design Team (staff and at-large members) to design governance and grant processes and report to the 228th General Assembly (2028).

● Encourage early contributions and ecumenical collaboration.

WHY THIS MATTERS

The overture frames climate action as an expression of corporate repentance, building on the 225th General Assembly’s confession of failure to adequately respond to climate change. It emphasizes moving from confession to material accountability by aligning financial practices with the church’s stated commitments to creation care and restorative justice.

INTENDED OUTCOMES

● A lasting funding mechanism for climate repair and justice

● Tangible alignment of denominational finances with ecological commitments

● Stronger partnerships with ecumenical and interfaith justice efforts

Overture: Changing Course for a Green Future

WHAT THIS OVERTURE PROPOSES

This overture calls the PC(USA) to declare that continued investment in fossil fuel companies is incompatible with the church’s mission and to undertake an orderly, denomination-wide divestment from fossil fuels.

KEY ACTIONS REQUESTED

● Declare fossil fuel investment incompatible with PC(USA) mission.

● Commend reductions already made by church-related institutions.

● Affirm that divestment criteria have been met.

● Call for divestment by 2030 or as soon as prudently possible.

● Cease new fossil fuel investments and increase renewable energy investments.

● Expand advocacy for a just energy transition and pastoral care for affected communities.

WHY THIS MATTERS

The overture argues that decades of shareholder engagement have failed to produce sufficient change and that continued investment undermines the church’s public witness and climate commitments. Divestment is framed as an act of repentance and integrity.

INTENDED OUTCOMES

● Alignment of investments with theological commitments

● Stronger moral credibility

● Expanded advocacy for renewable energy

● Support for communities facing transition impacts

Overture: On the Importance of Regenerative Farming Practices in Caring for Creation

WHAT THIS OVERTURE PROPOSES This overture calls the PC(USA) to affirm, learn about, and support regenerative farming practices as a faithful response to climate change, food insecurity, and creation care.

KEY ACTIONS REQUESTED

● Encourage learning and support for regenerative farming.

● Equip Presbyterians for advocacy and education on soil care.

● Encourage congregations and members to practice soil stewardship and support local food systems.

● Advocate for regenerative agriculture policies and support for family farms, particularly farms owned by people of color.

WHY THIS MATTERS Regenerative agriculture improves soil health, sequesters carbon, enhances biodiversity, strengthens food security, and supports rural communities. The overture builds on previous General Assembly policy and calls for both public advocacy and personal practice. INTENDED OUTCOMES

● Increased engagement in sustainable agriculture

● Stronger regional food systems • Support for farmers during transition

● Faithful witness through care for land and future generations

Action

Protect the Freedom to Vote

The SAVE America Act would create a new federal requirement that goes beyond existing voter ID laws in most states by mandating specific documentary proof of U.S. citizenship in order to register to vote. This proposal fundamentally changes federal voter registration by replacing the long-standing system of sworn attestation, in which applicants affirm their citizenship under penalty of perjury, with a system that conditions registration on possession of specific government-issued documents that are not easily obtained by many Americans who are eligible to vote.

Learn more and take action...

Courage in the Face of Authoritarianism:

Historical Roots and Modern Responses

February 25th - 12 p.m.

What we are witnessing in the United States right now is chilling: the normalization of cruelty, the targeting of vulnerable communities, and the steady weakening of democratic safeguards that are meant to protect people from state abuse. As immigrant communities face ICE raids and dissent is increasingly treated as a threat, many Presbyterians are feeling grief, fear, and urgency, and asking what faithful courage looks like now.

Join us for a Presbyterian Advocacy Hour offering historical perspective, theological grounding, and practical next steps for faithful public witness. Together, we will explore how tactics of control and repression have long been used within the United States and abroad, and how they continue to shape life here through militarized policing, expanded surveillance, and efforts to silence dissent. We will also reflect on what disciplined nonviolence and protest can look like in this moment, rooted in community, solidarity, and moral clarity.

Paper Doll Campaign to Free Families

Across the country, ICE is ripping children away from their communities and detaining them alongside their parents. In March of 2025, the administration reopened the South Texas Family Residential Center (also known as “Dilley”) in rural Dilley, TX. This is the center where 5-year-old Liam Ramos is currently being detained after ICE agents took him and his father from their home in Minnesota, 1,200 miles away.

Conditions in Dilley are horrific. Families lack access to clean drinking water, nutritious food, and basic medical care, all posing serious health risks. Children’s chronic medical conditions, acute illnesses, and injuries are being overlooked or ignored. Studies have consistently shown that placing children in detention, under any conditions, is traumatic and creates long-lasting harm, such as developmental delays, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicidal thoughts.

Here’s how you can help...

No New Nuclear Arms Race

The PC(USA) has advocated for the complete dismantling and abolition of nuclear weaponry, declaring that “nuclear war is totally unacceptable as a solution to human problems.” (195th General Assembly, 1983). Our faithful commitment to peacemaking compels us to abandon national interest and rather “seek the good of all humanity and not just of ourselves.” (192nd General Assembly, 1980) Repeatedly over the last few decades, the church has reaffirmed that we seek the good of all humanity by pursuing international treaties like New START which limit or dismantle the nuclear arsenals of the US and other major powers.

Take Action...

Around the Presbytery

Take Your Sweetheart to Hear Pepper and Sassafras at the Steeple Coffee House on Valentine’s Day - February 14th!

Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers, grand prize winner of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, teams up with multi-instrumentalist/songwriter Wendy Sassafras Ramsay in this dynamic acoustic duo.

Rodgers, also the founding editor of Acoustic Guitar magazine, delivers masterful band-in-a-box guitar work while Ramsay, harmonizer extraordinaire, adds flute, clarinet, guitar, accordion, and her quirky originals to the mix. Ramsay also plays in the alternative rock band Starting Off Red. For this Steeple performance, they'll be joined by John Dancks (The Cadleys) on upright bass.

Pepper and Sassafras were finalists for Best Duo at FreshGrass and have been featured on the public radio show Folk Alley. Along with performing original music, Rodgers and Ramsay - and Dancks - play together in the acoustic Grateful Dead collective Dead to the Core. For more information check out pepperandsassafras.com.

The collaboration between Rodgers and Sassafras makes music that is witty, humorous, and accessible. You don’t want to miss this performance!

Where: Steeple Coffee House is in the United Church of Fayetteville at 310 E. Genesee St. in Fayetteville, NY. The venue is Accessible. Plenty of free parking behind the church with entries from E. Genesee St., Chapel St., and Walnut St.

When: Saturday, February 14^th - Show starts at 7:30 PM and runs until 9:30 PM. Doors open at 7:00 PM

Cost: Suggested donation is $15-20 (cash) includes refreshments

Catch Brian Thomas and The Strikes at the Steeple Coffee House on February 28th!

Please welcome a group that is new to Steeple Coffee House: Brian Thomas and The Strikes. Hailing from Upstate NY, Brian’s journey in music began at an early age, listening to his uncles play blues and bluegrass music. Drawing inspiration from the rich storytelling traditions of folk music, Brian weaves narratives that explore themes of love, loss, and the beauty of nature. Brian is backed by The Strikes comprised of Jeff Ingersoll on pedal steel, Mike Teixeira on electric guitar, Michael Fishman on drums, and Mike Sloan on bass. Together, this group pulls from folk, Americana, blues, Irish and country roots to create music that resonates with listeners from all walks of life. Over the years, their songs have found a home in intimate venues like Steeple Coffee House and their presence and raw emotion leave a lasting impression on audiences.

For more info. see: YouTube.com/@brianthomasband

When: Saturday, February 28th - Show starts at 7:30 PM and runs until 9:30 PM. Doors open at 7:00 PM

Cost: Suggested donation is $15-$20 (cash) includes refreshments

PRC Webinars

Fields of Green: Unlocking Ministry Potential through Asset Stewardship

Thursday, March 5, 2026

2:00 – 3:00 PM EDT

Leader – Steve Lindsley

Increase Giving through “Story-Listening”

Tuesday, March 24, 2026

2:00 – 3:00 PM EDT

Leader – Susan Howlett