Welcome to this week's edition of our e-letter, Presbytery Matters. | | | |
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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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!
| | Joys and Concerns around the Presbytery | | |
In our prayers together this week:
- Please pray Jerry Armstrong (Whitelaw Presbyterian) Jerry is a teenager with recurrent bone cancer. Please continue to pray more than ever for both Jerry and his family. He is back in NYC for another clinical trial and will be starting radiation again soon for the tumors in his lungs. Cards can be sent to Jerry Armstrong at PO Box 414 Wampsville, NY 13163.
- Please pray for 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.
- 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.
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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: Northminster, North Syracuse; Onondaga Hill; Faith United Church of Oswego; Presbyterian Church of Otisco; New Hope, Parish
| | Pentecost reminds us that the Holy Spirit is alive and moving through every generation, every language and every community of faith. This collage captures moments of worship, joy and unity as our churches celebrate the birth and ongoing mission of the Church. | | |
The Annual Stated Meeting of the Presbytery of Cayuga-Syracuse will be held on Saturday, June 13, 2026. The time and location are TBA.
All requests for time on the docket and all supporting materials are due to the stated clerk by 5 p.m. on Friday, June 5th. The stated clerk can be reached via email at statedclerk@cayugasyracuse.org.
Requests to be excused and Commissioner's names should be sent to the Stated
Clerk via email statedclerk@cayugasyracuse.org.
NO MATERIALS OR REQUESTS WILL BE HONORED AFTER THE DEADLINE!
Please Note: We are seeking a church willing and available to provide space for the gathering. If your church is able to host, please email Moderator Michael Hill (revhill@skanpresby.org) to let him know of your interest and availability.
| Help Us Keep Our Presbytery Records Current! | |
We’ve made the Church Information Form easier than ever — it is now completely digital.
Each church is asked to complete the updated form so we can maintain accurate contact and leadership information throughout the presbytery.
✅ Takes only a few minutes
✅ Easy online submission
✅ Helps us serve your congregation better
Please click the link below, complete your church’s information, and submit the form.
Church Information Form
Once submitted, it will be automatically sent to the Stated Clerk’s office.
A Microsoft Form version is currently under development but is not yet ready for publication.
Please complete this form as soon as possible. This will become an annual process moving forward.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at statedclerk@cayugasyracuse.org.
If you or your church do not have access to the digital form or the necessary technology --or if you know of a congregation that does not -- please let me know. I will gladly provide a physical copy of the form.
Thank you all for your cooperation. I truly appreciate it.
Rev. Ben Fitzgerald-Fye
Stated Clerk
Presbytery of Cayuga-Syracuse
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Confession in a Time of Reconciliation: Tell Congress to Vote No on This Reconciliation Package
The current reconciliation proposals make these priorities unmistakably clear. There is significant new funding toward enforcement and militarization, including $38.2 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and between $22 and $26 billion for Customs and Border Protection (CBP), along with additional funding for the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Secret Service. Altogether, this package represents approximately $72 billion in new spending. At the same time, the broader budget framework calls for $1.2 trillion in additional defense spending over the next decade, including nearly $250 billion in increased spending—about a 27 percent surge—in a single year.
At the same time, the recent reconciliation policy—and the trajectory this package continues—has required deep sacrifices from programs that sustain human dignity:$700 billion in cuts to Medicaid, limiting access to healthcare, a $90 billion cut from SNAP, and $294 billion in changes to student loan programs. Meanwhile, tax policy has reduced federal revenues by $4 to $5 trillion over the next decade. Learn More...
| | Instead of Chicken BBQs, have you ever tried Turkey BBQ? It's delicious. | | |
Wee Kirk Conference 2026
October 12–14 at Laurelville Retreat Center, Mt. Pleasant, PA
Registration is open for Wee Kirk 2026. This conference is for church leaders of smaller congregations — pastors, session members, deacons, committee members, and anyone involved in leading the ministry of their congregation.
Wee Kirk is a gathering of church leaders for education, renewal, and fellowship. Its purpose is to inspire, equip, motivate, and encourage small churches and to provide rest and refreshment for pastors and church leaders like YOU!
Small church leaders play a critical role in the faithful work of God’s kingdom, and Wee Kirk is an invaluable means of support, learning, innovation, and encouragement for you.
Learn more and register at wee-kirk-ne.org.
Conference brochure
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How to contact our Lead Presbyter, the Rev. Greg Garis
Email: leadpresbyter@cayugasyracuse.org
How to contact our Assistant to the Lead Presbyter, the Rev. Mary Anderson
Email: asst.presbyter@gmail.com
How to contact our Stated Clerk, the Rev Ben Fitzgerald-Fye
Office Phone: 315-291-0360 (call or text)
Email: statedclerk@cayugasyracuse.org
Mail received at:
Scipioville Presbyterian Church
Attn: Pastor Ben
3428 State Route 34B
Scipio Center NY 13147
How to contact our Bookkeeper, Kristin Schierer
Email: finance@cayugasyracuse.org
More information is linked below:
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Our Address: PO Box 438, Syracuse, NY 13214
Click Here for Staff Contact Information
Click Here for a list of Live Streams from our churches
Click Here for a list of Past Editions of Presbytery Matters
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Director of Music Ministries / Organist / Choir Director
The United Church of Fayetteville, N.Y. seeks a part-time Director of Music Ministries for our strong music program. UCF is a warm and welcoming church, committed to serving our community and loving our neighbors. As DMM, you would provide music for Sunday worship, direct the church’s vocal choir and handbell choir, incorporate guest instrumentalists into worship as needed, and participate in weekly rehearsals and the weekly worship service.
Candidates should be proficient piano and organ accompanists and choral/handbell conductors. We will consider separate candidates for the positions of organist and choir director. UCF has a 27-rank Johnson pipe organ, a four-octave set of Schulmerich handbells, and an extensive music library. Learn about our community at www.theucf.org. Please send a letter and resume to employment@theucf.org or Music Search Committee, The United Church of Fayetteville, 310 E. Genessee St., Fayetteville, N.Y. 13066.
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Are you hiring?
If your church is hiring, please send an announcement and job description to Communication Coordinator Sarah Buckshot at caysyrnews@gmail.com
Please Note: Hiring announcements will run in Presbytery Matters for 3 weeks. If the position remains open after 3 weeks, please resubmit.
Thank you, Sarah Buckshot, Communications Coordinator.
| | Around the Synod of the Northeast | | |
Grant Opportunity
The 2026 Emerging Gospel Community Grant is a unique opportunity for emerging Christian communities to receive support and funding to bring their Spirit-led ideas to life. The grant provides up to $20,000 per year in funding, renewable for a second year through reapplication, and focuses on creating spaces for healing, justice, and community building. The application cycle opens June 1, and a full listing of application criteria and guidance will be available at that time. This grant aligns with the Synod's core values of diversity, inclusion, justice, and community, and is a key part of the Synod's mission to foster a grace-filled, accessible community centered on justice, equity, and spiritual growth.
The application cycle for the Emerging Gospel Community Grant opens on June 1, with a full listing of application criteria and guidance available at that time.
Apply Now
| | Around the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) | | |
Hymns that resist Christian nationalism
Two Presbyterian pastors and hymnwriters, the Rev. Dr. Stephen M. Fearing and the Rev. Carolyn Winfrey Gillette, offer up a meaty workshop
A pair of Presbyterian pastors and hymnwriters, the Rev. Dr. Stephen M. Fearing and the Rev. Carolyn Winfrey Gillette, joined earlier this month to offer a workshop on “Hymns That Resist Christian Nationalism.” Together with the Rev. Dr. Leah Schade, Fearing founded the Clergy Emergency League, which hosted the 92-minute workshop for which more than 300 people registered. Watch the webinar here.
Fearing is pastor of Guilford Park Presbyterian Church in Greensboro, North Carolina. Gillette is designated pastor at First Presbyterian Union Church in Owego, New York.
“Hymns teach. Hymns form memory. Hymns give language to our loves, our fears, our hopes and, of particular interest to us tonight, our loyalties,” Fearing said. “Long after a sermon is forgotten, this preacher will freely admit a congregation will often remember what it has sung.”
A lecture for The Hymn Society last summer by Andreas Teich “reminded us that hymns are not neutral documents,” Fearing said. “They are theological projects. They teach people how to imagine God, themselves and their neighbors.”
Continue reading...
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Experts stepping up efforts to train faith communities in gun violence prevention
Presbyterian Peace Fellowship’s James Atwood Institute, set for Sept. 15-18, will feature the Rev. Dr. Jer Swigart and Dr. Marvia Jones
As the nation grieves another shooting at a house of worship and learning — most recently at a San Diego mosque — the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship invites faith leaders and congregations not to succumb to the narrative that all we can do in response is offer “thoughts and prayers.” Instead, you are invited to the James Atwood Institute for Congregational Courage, taking place September 15–18 at Heartland Retreat Center near Kansas City, Missouri.
Now in its third year, the Atwood Institute is a national gathering to equip faith communities to respond to gun violence with practical, pastoral, and prophetic action. Prior Institutes were held at Ghost Ranch Education & Retreat Center in Abiquiu, New Mexico, and at Massanetta Springs Camp and Conference Center in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
Registration for the 2026 Atwood Institute is now open and scholarship information is available.
Continue reading...
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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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