Welcome to this week's edition of our e-letter, Presbytery Matters. | | | |
United Church of Fayetteville Puts Faith into Action on 'Church in the World Sunday'
On Sunday, October 5th, the United Church of Fayetteville stepped outside its walls to live out its mission during the annual “Church in the World Sunday.” After their worship service, congregants broke into three service groups, each focusing on outreach projects that reflect the church’s values of compassion, service and community engagement.
One group took to the outdoors, partnering with the Adopt-a-Highway program to clean a two-mile stretch of Route 5 in Fayetteville. With gloves on and trash bags in hand, volunteers helped clear debris and reduce litter along the busy roadway, making a visible impact on the local environment.
Meanwhile, another team headed to Brown Memorial United Methodist Church, where they prepared and served a full, hearty meal for approximately 50 people. This act of hospitality provided not only nourishment but also a sense of community for those in need.
Back at the church, a third group rolled up their sleeves for a project benefiting patients at Upstate Medical Center. Volunteers cut and assembled fabric into dozens of cozy lap blankets, offering warmth and comfort to individuals undergoing treatment or facing extended hospital stays.
This meaningful day of service was a beautiful reminder that church is not just a place but a way of being in the world.
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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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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:
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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 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: Amboy Belle Isle; First, Auburn; Westminster, Auburn; United Ministry of Aurora; First, Baldwinsville
| | Focus and Coordination Team | | |
Your F&C Team has been meeting regularly. Originally called the Vision Committee, we renamed ourselves as we believe the way forward is to focus on what the myriad needs are as we seek to merge our two presbyteries but just as importantly to coordinate with and seek the wisdom of the body.
We have been working on a vision statement while also keeping a keen eye on the strategies we will need to propel us down the road of this process. Our next step is to share our vision statement with the “councils” of both Cayuga-Syracuse and Susquehanna Valley in a joint meeting. Our intent is to then share our work with the two presbyteries seeking your feedback and counsel as well as hearing your questions and concerns in small group meetings.
After this period of information sharing and relationship building, we will begin the detailed work of developing a merger proposal for consideration.
Geneva Presbytery had expressed some interest in joining with our two presbyteries in exploring merger and in fact came to a couple of our meetings. However, at the present time they have decided to explore other options.
We ask that you hold us in your prayers as we continue to meet and strategize our way forward. We are excited and hopeful and it is our prayer that each and every member of our presbyteries will choose to get involved in the coming months. We can all be assured there will be much to do and it is our goal to keep you informed of our progress as well as opportunities for involvement.
Draft Vision Statement:
We follow God’s call to be the hands and feet of Jesus. The presbytery will support this vision through dynamic collaboration with and support for our congregations and their leaders, encouraging them to reflect the Spirit’s gifts of love, grace and justice in their midst, in their communities and in the world at large.
FEEDBACK: Send your feedback to the committee by emailing Ricerobbiej@gmail.com
| | Looking Ahead to our Next Stated Meeting | |
The Rev Ashley Detar-Birt, Program Director from the Center for Jubilee Practice, will be offering a presentation at our next Presbytery Meeting in November. The presentation will be entitled: "What could Jubilee look like today?"
DeTar-Birt is the Program Manager for New York Unitarian Universalist Justice and an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA). She obtained her Masters of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary, an MA in Theater Arts from the University of Pittsburgh, and a BA in Creative Writing from Carnegie Mellon University. During her time at Union Theological Seminary, she received the Malcolm Boyd Veritas Award which recognizes promise for the work of social justice on behalf of the LGBTQ community. She currently serves on ACQ+E (the LGBTQIA+ Advocacy Committee) and has previously served on the Racial Equity Advocacy Committee and the Disparities Experienced by Black Women and Girls Task Force for the PC(USA). An outspoken advocate for youth ministry and social justice, Ashley is a former Co-Moderator of the Board of Directors for More Light Presbyterians and has written for the NEXT Church blog, Believe Out Loud, Illustrated Ministries, and more. She lives in the Bronx, NY with her wife, Rev. Emily DeTar Birt, on Munsee Lenape land.
This presentation is organized by the Social Justice Committee.
Stay Tuned for more information
on the November Stated Meeting!
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Pastor shot by ICE agents while he was praying in Chicago
A Chicago pastor was shot in the head with pepper-spray by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during a protest in September.
The Rev. David Black, pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Chicago, said he was taking part in a protest outside the Broadview ICE facility last month when federal agents fired on him, striking him seven times in rapid succession with pellets that release a chemical irritant, including two shots to his head,
Black said he had arrived at the building and felt moved to pray and warn the agents of the spiritual consequences of what they were doing.
"I need to see justice and accountability for their actions and for the actions of those who are creating the protocols and giving them orders, because this is not acceptable," he said.
The federal appeals court has temporarily upheld a lower court's decision blocking the Trump administration from deploying National Guard troops in Illinois. The ruling allows the troops to remain under federal control but prevents their use on the streets of Chicago or elsewhere in the state while litigation continues.
The Presbytery of Chicago has set up a Legal Defense Fund for those who have been arrested by ICE. Donations are appreciated and a check may be sent to:
Chicago Presbytery
Rice Building
815 W. Van Buren St,, Ste 415
Chicago, Ill 60607
Memo to read: Legal Defense Fund (arrested by ICE)
| | Reminder: Video available of Palestine-GAZA & West Bank History & Update from August presentation | |
Professor Dr. Osamah F. Khalil presented "Palestine-GAZA & West Bank History & Update" on August 25th at Pebble Hill Presbyterian Church. Khalil's presentation was livestreamed on YouTube. You can watch it here. You can view his PowerPoint presentation here.
The event was sponsored by the Joint Justice in Ministry and Mission Teams of Cayuga-Syracuse and Susquehanna Valley Presbyteries
Dr. Osamah Khalil is a Professor of History at Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, chairing the International Relations Undergraduate Program. And Senior research Associate, Middle Eastern Studies Program.
Khalil is a historian of U.S. foreign relations and the modern Middle East. He is the author of "America’s Dream Palace: Middle East Expertise and the Rise of the National Security State" (Harvard University Press, 2016), which examines the influence of U.S. foreign policy on the origins and expansion of Middle East studies and expertise from World War I to the Global War on Terror. It was reviewed widely, including in the London Review of Books, Al Ahram, Publishers Weekly, the CIA’s Studies in Intelligence, Commonweal, and was named by Foreign Affairs as a Best Book of 2017.
He has also been a frequent media commentator and contributor, including for the Huffington Post, Los Angeles Times, The Hill, Al Akhbar, and Al Jazeera. He teaches courses on the history of U.S. foreign relations, the Cold War, the history of international relations, America and the Middle East, and the Vietnam War and popular culture. In 2018, he received the Chancellor’s Citation for Faculty Excellence and Scholarly Distinction.
| | Presbyterian Advocacy Hour | |
Join us for Presbyterian Advocacy Hour
Full Dignity, Full Humanity: Advocating for Trans Lives
October 22, 2025
12 p.m.
Zoom
Join the October Presbyterian Advocacy Hour as they focus on the real impact of current policies on trans youth and the global ripples they create. This conversation will help us ground ourselves spiritually, deepen understanding of gender-affirming care, and hear powerful stories from a parent of a trans child in the U.S. to global partners navigating the effects of U.S. policy abroad.
This conversation builds on the 223rd General Assembly’s affirmation that “all people are created in the image of God” and its commitment to the full inclusion of transgender and non-binary people in church and society. The Assembly declared the church’s obligation “to stand for the right of people of all gender identities to live free from discrimination, violence, and every form of injustice,” confessing complicity in harm.
Speakers will include:
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Samantha Davis — Office of Race and Gender Justice, PC(USA) Interim Unified Agency Samantha serves within the Office of Race and Gender Justice, supporting initiatives that advance equity and inclusion across the denomination.
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Kevin Omondi Oyonge — Head of Kartekri (Kenya); Member, Rainbow Pilgrims of Faith Kevin will share from his lived experience about the ripple effects of U.S. policies on LGBTQIA+ communities in Kenya and the work of building inclusive faith movements globally.
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Slats Toole — Co-Moderator, Covenant Network of Presbyterians Slats is a musician, writer, and theater artist whose creative work—including Queering Lent and collaborations with A Sanctified Art—explores expansive language and queer theology with a particular emphasis on gender identity. They have led workshops across the United States and Canada, centering their ministry on creating space in the church where all are welcomed, embraced, and loved.
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Lee Catoe — Editor, Unbound: An Interactive Journal of Christian Social Justice, PC(USA) Interim Unified Agency. Lee will introduce Trans Advent, a new all-trans Advent devotional resource forthcoming from Unbound.
Register today!
| | Reformation Sunday Resources | Presbyterians celebrate the tradition that grounds their faith on Reformation Sunday. It is always the last Sunday in October, marking the occasion in 1517 when Martin Luther posted his 95 theses on the church door in Wittenberg, Germany. See Presbyterian Church(USA) Resources | | |
Applications are now being accepted for the Benevolent Care Grant Funds.
“The purpose of this fund shall be to provide benevolent grants to assist in the care of elderly persons within the bounds of Cayuga-Syracuse Presbytery.”
Criteria:
- Applications must be submitted by churches/sessions/boards or institutions. If an institution, a worshiping community within the Presbytery must indicate concurrence with the request.
- A financial need must be clearly stated. i.e., sample budget
- Grants will be awarded for benevolent care of the elderly residing within the bounds of Cayuga-Syracuse Presbytery.
Download Application HERE
Applications must be received by November 1, 2025
Please email the completed Application Form to:
Lynn Jacques at lmjacques@verizon.net
| | Christian Nationalism - Zoom Event | | |
“Let’s Talk Community” at United Church of Fayetteville
Dr. Ludger Viefhues-Bailey, Le Moyne College Distinguished Professor, will give an overview of his recent book, No Separation: Christians, Secular Democracy, and Sex at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, October 19, 2025 in the Board Lounge at the United Church of Fayetteville. This is a particularly timely work given the recent legislative action in several states regarding display of the Ten Commandments and restricting books available in public schools. Such a move is consistent with a major premise behind Dr. Viefhues-Bailey’s book.
In No Separation: Christians, Secular Democracy, and Sex, Dr. Viefhues-Bailey explores the history of how political Christianities use the creation of national identities to define and bind together who makes up the sovereign People. Concomitantly, these political Christianities decide who does not make up the People, i.e. the Other. As evidenced by the rise of authoritarian nationalist movements in Western secular countries, the exclusion of the Other (e.g., non-Christians, women, non-Europeans, migrants, and the LGBTQIA+ community) ensures that those deemed to be the People will remain in power.
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Refreshingly, Dr. Viefhues-Bailey addresses mechanisms that might enable everyone to take part in governing. Instead of striving for a uniform national identity of the People, a more humane approach is suggested wherein mutuality and equality are developed among different identities such that all members of a democracy will flourish.
Dr. Viefhues-Bailey works in the fields of Philosophy of Religion and Political Theology. He received his Ph.D from Harvard University and has also taught in the Religious Studies Department at Yale. He is Chair of Philosophy, Gender, and Culture at Le Moyne College.
United Church of Fayetteville is located at 310 E. Genesee St., Fayetteville, NY 13066. the church is accessible. All are welcome! Free-will donations will be sent to non-profit ACR Health. https://www.acrhealth.org/
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Please come out and hear an amazing band play some rock and roll classics – “that
kind of music just soothes the soul!”
Where: Steeple Coffee House is located in the United Church of Fayetteville at 310 E.
Genesee St. in Fayetteville, NY. Plenty of free parking behind the church with access
from E. Genesee St., Chapel St., and Walnut St.
When: Saturday, October 25th - Show starts at 7:30 p.m. and runs until 9:30 p.m.. Doors
open at 7 p.m.
Cost: Tickets are $15 (cash) and include refreshments.
| The First Presbyterian Church of Cazenoiva is planning a luminary memorial walkway on All Saint's Day Eve (Oct 31, 2025) to remember family members and friends who have gone on before us. The luminaries will be located on the walkway in front of the church. All are welcome to submit names to be included on the luminaries by filling out the form. Please submit names by Tuesday, October 28th. | |
The Collamer United Church is very pleased to announce that it will present a public
Drive-Thru Only
Chicken & Biscuit Dinner
On Saturday, November 1, 2025.
Serving will be from 4:30 p.m. through approximately 6:15 p.m.
The church is located at 6865 Fly Road in Collamer (East Syracuse), just South of the intersection of Fly Road and Route 298 (about 2 miles East of Carrier Circle, or take Exit 7 off from Route 481).
This delicious chicken dinner will include homemade biscuits, mashed potatoes and gravy, fresh cooked vegetables, and dessert.
Collamer Church is well-known for its great cooks!
Tickets may be purchased at the door.
$15 for ALL adults
$6 for children under 10
(We apologize but we cannot accept credit cards)
| | McClendon Scholar Programs | | The McClendon Scholar Program is offering two presentations later this month -- one on October 22 and the other October 30. Events are in-person and online. Registration required. | | Rev. Adam Russell Taylor, President of Sojourners, will speak on October 22 at 7:00PM EDT on “A Call for Moral Courage.” You can register here to hear him discuss the growing threats to vulnerable communities and the spiritual resources we need in these difficult times. | John Munayer, Palestinian theologian and author, will be with us on Thursday evening, October 30 at 7:00 PM EDT and you can register here for in person or to attend the webinar. His topic will be: “The Cross and the Olive Tree: A Palestinian Christian Reflection.” | | SUNDAY SCHOOL JOY: Ruthie Buckshot, a 3-year-old student in the Worship Center at Onondaga Hill Presbyterian Church, proudly displays her colorful artwork with the message “God is Love,” reflecting the heart of Sunday’s lesson. | | |
Cross-Cultural Ministries
Tuesday, October 21, 2025
7:00 – 8:00 PM EDT
Leader – Kim Pope-Seiberling
Resisting Erasure and Isolation as Pathway to Belonging
Thursday, October 23, 2025
2:00 – 3:00 PM EDT
Leaders - Craig Lemming, Erin Weber-Johnson
Practical AI for Churches
Tuesday, October 28, 2025
2:00 – 3:00 PM EDT
Leader – Eric Seiberling
Full Day VBS - it's not that scary!
Thursday, October 30, 2025
2:00 – 3:00 PM EDT
Leader – Kelsey DeCarlo
Can We Talk? What the Bible Can Teach Us about Dialogue in a Divisive Time
Thursday, November 6, 2025
2:00 – 3:00 PM EDT
Leader – Rev. Dr. Leah Schade
Creating Ministries for Neurogent Families
Thursday, December 4, 2025
7:00 – 8:00 PM EDT
Leader – Kim Pope-Seiberling
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How to contact our Lead Presbyter, the Rev Greg Garis
Email: leadpresbyter@cayugasyracuse.org
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
More staff contact 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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Now Hiring | Finance Clerk
To apply for this position, submit a resume with references to Rev. SanDawna Ashley at sandawna.ashley@synodne.org. This is a part-time (15 hrs. week) position located in East Syracuse, New York. The applicant must live in the Syracuse, NY area. The position continuation is subject to a satisfactory 90-day orientation period and performance reviews. In accordance with New York State Law, this position is an “at will” employment. Position description: Synod Finance Clerk Position Description
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Position Opening: Music Director
The Jamesville Community Church is seeking a part-time Music Director, who can play the organ, piano or guitar. The paid position is for an average of 7-9 hours a week. The
Director will assist the pastor with Sunday morning worship, special services, lead a
small choir and congregational singing and play both contemporary and traditional
worship music.
Competitive Salary.
Please prayerfully consider joining our faith community in worshiping God together.
Interested candidates can contact Church Office at 315-492-1465 or
admin@jamesvillecommunitychurch.org
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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 and then moved to our website. If you have a hiring announcement from 2023 and are still looking to fill it in 2024, please send a new announcement.
Thank you, Sarah Buckshot, Communications Coordinator.
| | Around the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) | | |
Rooted: the foundations of Presbyterian polity — basic operating principles, part one
Regarding Ruling Elders: A monthly series for serving faithfully
The third and final chapter of the Foundations of Presbyterian Polity section of the Book of Order opens by presenting two sets of “principles” that have shaped the Presbyterian Church since its early days. By including these historical statements we reaffirm “the historic principles of church order, which have been a part of our common heritage and which are basic to our Presbyterian concept and system of church government …” (F-3.01).
While chapter two of the Foundations of Presbyterian Polity, “The Church and Its Confessions,” explores the theological affirmations that constitute us as a particular denomination, articulated in our confession of faith, the Book of Confessions, chapter three of the Foundations section leads with two sections. These explore two sets of principles that shape our life together: historic principles of church order and principles of church government. These sets of principles articulate basic convictions about how our denomination functions. They are a step between the theological affirmations made in the Book of Confessions and the more detailed instructions found in what follows in the rest of the Book of Order.
One marker of the shift from theological affirmation to functional convictions is a change in the documents that make up these two sections. The confessional documents named in chapter two are drawn from across the history of the Christian church and from around the world. The functional convictions in chapter three are articulated in two documents written and published by Presbyterians in the United States. The two documents were written and published within a few years of one another in the late 18th century.
The first section of chapter three, “Historic Principles of Church Order” (F-3.01), quotes a document from 1788, the year before the first General Assembly in the United States. Eight principles of church order are cataloged (F-3.0101–F-3.0108).
Continue reading...
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How to make the offering a highlight of worship
Stewardship Kaleidoscope speaker focuses on cultivating donors using the theology of grace
Reframing the traditional blip-in-the-bulletin offering to a worship highlight can change the emphasis and help churches bind their work with the offering, the Rev. Tim Brown said at Stewardship Kaleidoscope 2025 in New Orleans.
Brown is an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America pastor who has served parishes in Chicago and Raleigh, North Carolina. He currently helps curate Anam Cara Community, a digital-first offering for the church. He also serves in the Office of the Presiding Bishop as Director for Congregational Stewardship Support. Last month, Brown presented a workshop at Stewardship Kaleidoscope in New Orleans. The annual conference is presented by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Traditional thinking about the church offering is that it’s a moral obligation, it is institution-centered, that institutions are to be trusted and that institutions stand alone, Brown said. Emerging thinking is different: We need to cultivate donors using the theology of grace, make the effort donor-centered, and remember that donors are collaborative partners and institutional trust must be earned.
“Jesus mentions economics 288 times in the Gospels. That’s one out of every 10 verses, which means that economics is a big part of discipleship,” Brown said. “You cannot be a Christian and not be generous.”
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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