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Thank you! 

In our prayers together this week:

• Please pray for those who are struggling with teh upcoming holiday season.
• Pray for those who are grieving the loss of a loved one.
• All those in Ukraine.
• All those in Lebanon.
• All those in Israel and Gaza.
• All those who are homebound.
• All those who battling addiction.
• 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.

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.

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. "

A Thanksgiving prayer (When we’re tired of giving thanks)

Gratitude is the season's theme, but what if we are not feeling it?

Elizabeth Doolin offers a prayer for when thanksgiving is hard to come by.

Dear God,

We find ourselves in the season of turkey dinners, football games, sweater weather, and requests to share what we are thankful for. We are implored to be thankful; gratitude is the season’s theme.

But what if we are not feeling it? What if the weight of the world feels too heavy for platitudes of gratitude?

What do we do with the things we are not grateful for, that we wish were different? That list can feel longer than our list of thanks.

How do we give thanks around our tables, knowing there are many with no table to join?

How do we share thanks together, when our differences feel so painful, and the hurt feels too deep?

How do we gratitude-journal our way out of this?

This Thanksgiving, grant us imagination, compassion and safe spaces.

Maybe gratitude is not just noticing what we have, but envisioning what could be.

Maybe giving thanks is not a sign of our piety, but our longing for wholeness.

Maybe gratitude can be a call not only to notice but to act.

When we give thanks for our families, may we welcome those with no family.

When we find splendor in the fall colors, may we work to protect the earth.

When we graze over lengthy meals, may we care for those who are hungry.

May our gratitude be more than lip service to righteousness.

May our thanksgiving widen God’s table of grace.

Amen.

A Stated Meeting of the Presbytery of Cayuga-Syracuse was held at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, November 16, 2024 at Columbian Presbyterian Church.

Here are some highlights from the meeting:

• Thank you to LaFayette Columbian Presbyterian Church for hosting our stated meeting on a beautiful Saturday morning.
• The meeting started at 8:30 a.m. with prayer and worship service.
• Mary Heather Harrington and Neil Rotach from King Ferry Choir presented the Response in Song with “Thank you, Lord, For Your Blessing on Me.”
• The Rev. Michael Hill (our moderator) is giving the message this morning. His message is entitled “Through the Eyes of Christ.”
• Elder Linda Russell gave a report on the Synod Assembly, which was held in October. Emma Hill, our YAAD from Skaneateles, said the experience was awesome. She encourages more youth to get involved.
• MOTION PASSED: A task force - a five member team - will be assembled to discuss the merger.
• Moderator Michael Hill has announced the schedule for Stated Meetings for 2025

Wednesday, January 15: 6 p.m. on Zoom

Saturday, March 15: 10 a.m. at Skaneateles church and Zoom

Saturday, May 17: Time/Place TBD (Annual Meeting)

Wednesday, September 17: 6 p.m. on Zoom

Wednesday, November 19: 6 p.m. on Zoom

• The meeting ended at 11:25 a.m.

Papers for this meeting can be found below:

Docket

Budget Report

September 16, 2024 Meeting Minutes

Committee on Representation Meeting Notes

COM Report

Budget vs. Actuals - As of 10/31/24

Statement of Financial Position Prev Year Comparison

Attendance

Attention Churches: Do you need event graphics created for social media and online use? Communications Coordinator Sarah Buckshot can help create graphics for you to share online. Do you need a Word Document or PDF converted to an image file for better sharing online? Sarah can help. Please don't hesitate to reach out and request a graphic at anytime! Sarah can be reached at caysyrnews@gmail.com

Background checks for incoming Ministers of the Word & Sacrament are now conducted through Praesidium.

https://www.praesidiuminc.com

To request a background check, please contact your COM liaison.

SERVING LOVE: Members of the Northminster Presbyterian Church volunteered on Sunday at the Samaritan Center to help serve a warm meal to those in need within our community. They served 207 meals.

The next "Can We Talk?" gathering will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, November 22, 2024 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 clergy, clps, and retired Christian Educators - those who have served churches and those who have labored in other venues. First-timers are always welcome!

First Presbyterian Church Auburn has two upcoming events:

Sunday November 24: The church will be hosting a Thanksgiving dinner following worship at 11:30 a.m.. They will be collecting cash donations to provide for Turkey vouchers through the Calvary Food Pantry in Auburn.

Monday November 25: They are are hosting the Auburn Civic Band for a Holiday music concert that is also open to the public. Concert starts at 7 p.m.

Date: Saturday, December 7^th, 2024 at 7:00 p.m.

Place: Korean Church of Syracuse, 1800 E. Genesee St., Syracuse, NY 13210

Admission: General $15/ Students $10  

Contact: 315-474-8346 or info@kcsyr.org

This concert is the annual fundraising concert for New York Bible Conference (NYBC) which will be held on Jan. 9-11, 2025 at Camp of the Woods in Speculator, NY. This concert has been held since 2006. 

NYBC focuses on its mission for Christian students and adults to reestablish their faith in the Word of God through Jesus Christ. It is targeted for those in Upstate NY in areas like Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, Ithaca, Rochester, and Syracuse to revive the Gospel in this area.

This concert is performed mainly by the HESED of Eastman music school (Rochester, NY) and recently other music schools have joined.

PRC's Fall 2024 Online events

All webinars are recorded. Click the title to register or read the description.

This is a follow-up webinar to

Responding Effectively to Christian Nationalism RECORDED

Leaders -Brian Kaylor, Beau Underwood

The Art of Hospitality

Thursday, November 21, 2024

2:00 – 3:00pm EST

Leader – Yvonne Gentile

New York State Sexual Harassment Prevention Training Webinars

You can take this training any time during the year

charlaine@prcli.org

Wednesday, December 4, 2024

7:00 – 8:30 pm EST

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

Help Wanted: Church Organist for Rural Country Church



Position: Church Organist/Pianist

Location: Whitelaw Presbyterian Church, Canastota NY

Job Type: Part time - 5 hours weekly

"Whitelaw Presbyterian Church is seeking a skilled and dedicated organist to enrich our worship services with music. This role involves accompanying weekly services, special ceremonies (such as weddings and funerals), and family choir rehearsals 6:30 pm on Thursday. We are looking for someone who is musically proficient, dependable, and passionate about enhancing the worship experience through music."

Key Responsibilities:

• Play organ for weekly services and special church events
• Select and arrange hymns and music pieces in coordination with church leadership
• Support choir rehearsals 6:30 pm on Thursday
• Perform basic maintenance of the organ and report any issues

Qualifications:

• Proficiency in organ performance, sight-reading, and music selection
• Previous experience in a church setting is preferred
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Commitment to regular attendance and participation in church services and events

Compensation: Depends on Experience

How to Apply: Interested candidates are asked to call Donna Chapman, CLP at (315) 447-9196. Auditions will be part of the selection process.

Scipioville Presbyterian Church seeks Organist/Choir Director

Scipioville Presbyterian Church is a small, vibrant and welcoming congregation in search of an Organist/Choir Director.

Scipioville Presbyterian Church is located at 3428 State Route 34B in Scipio Center/

Interested candidates are asked to call or text Barbara Adams at 315-246-7955 or email resume or questions to baamoravia@aol.com.

Northville United Presbyterian Church seeks pastor

Northville United Presbyterian Church (NUPC), nestled in the bucolic village of Northville, New York is searching for a vibrant, compassionate part-time to full-time Pastor to lead and accompany us on our quest to becoming better Disciples of Christ. Located on the Great Sacandaga lake in the beautiful Adirondack Park of Upstate New York, we are a small but active congregation serving the Lord and community in various outreach and inhouse programs who desire a forward-thinking pastor to preach the teachings of Christ and relate them to our daily lives. Our pastor will also shepherd our efforts in our music program, develop programs to attract youth and minister to the needs of the elderly in our midst. Read More...

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.

The past and future world we thirst for

A Maskoke ecovillage in rural Alabama

By Andrew Kang Bartlett

Special to Presbyterian News Service

Two rampaging squirrels break the silence of the thick forest as our group of 30 walk on a road made from tens of thousands of hand-laid bricks recovered from a landfill.

Ahead of us, on the crest of the road, stood another group. Under a canopy of long-leaf pines and hardwood trees was an old woman in a wheelchair, a young girl, three adult women, a boy, two young men, and Marcus Briggs-Cloud, who I had only met virtually before. All were wearing clothing incorporating multi-colored Maskoke patterns.

The two young Maskoke men held their two-foot-long wooden stickball sticks in front of our group, gently enforcing an invisible barrier. Across the gap between our groups, Marcus gave a traditional welcome speech in the Maskoke language for 10 minutes. Then we were asked to state the intentions behind our presence on their land. Two women leaders from our group who had visited before explained our purpose — to humbly learn about their ecovillage and them, and to explore ways to create and strengthen our relationships. We were a group of 30 individual and institutional funders with a history of directing funds to the Ekvn-Yefolecv ecovillage over the past years, some newer and others like the Presbyterian Hunger Program going back to 2018.

Continue reading...

Conquering money shame to reshape your stewardship mindset

Stewardship Kaleidoscope workshop identifies rising up and starting over as a blessing

By John C. Williams

Special to Presbyterian News Service

Teaching how to budget, save, eliminate debt and start investing should become essential life skills, Katherine Lankford says. Don’t wait until you are 30, 40, 50 or 60 years old to learn hard lessons. Instead, look at the experience and the mistakes of others and take charge of your financial habits now.

“There are studies that say children start forming their opinions about money as early as age four,” she said. “As leaders, it is important for us to get to a point of self-awareness in our own lives.”

Lankford, a presenter at Stewardship Kaleidoscope 2024 in Portland, Oregon, is an associate pastor of Christian education and community engagement at Liberty Community Church in Minneapolis. She also brings 20-plus years of experience in financial management and mortgages.

Continue reading...

The transition taking place at the White House has prompted an interfaith coalition that includes the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to issue a statement reaffirming its commitment to advocating for immigrants, refugees and other newcomers seeking to make a home in the United States. Read more.

Have a blessed week!