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! 

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: minister members of the Presbytery who are engaged in specialized ministries, who are at-large members, or who are retired.

Spotlight on First Presbyterian Church of Chittenango from the Assistant to the Lead Presbyter, the Rev. Mary Anderson

Rooted in Chittenango:

Two Centuries of Faith, Community, and Change

The story of the First Presbyterian Church of Chittenango is inseparable from the story of the village itself. Settlers first arrived in the 1790s, and by 1812 the growing community had taken the name Chittenango. One of its most influential early residents, John B. Yates, arrived in 1816 with a vision of transforming the area into a thriving commercial center. He purchased extensive land, built several mills, and helped establish both a school and a church for the community.

With Yates’ encouragement, his brother Andrew became pastor of the newly formed Dutch Reformed congregation, which officially organized in 1826 and built its stone church facing the village green in 1828. After John B.’s death in 1836, both the town and the church experienced slower growth, and by 1888 the congregation —struggling to secure Dutch Reformed pastors — chose to become a Presbyterian church.

Through the decades, the congregation remained small but resilient, often sharing pastors with neighboring churches. Twice —i n 1918 and again in 1943 — fires destroyed the interior of the historic stone building. Each time, the congregation chose to rebuild, reaffirming its commitment to ministry in the heart of Chittenango.

Following World War II, both the village and the church experienced renewed growth, leading to the construction of a Christian Education wing in the early 1960s. As the 21st century unfolds, the congregation finds itself returning to its roots, exploring shared pastoral leadership once again — continuing a long tradition of adaptability, faithfulness, and community partnership.

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

The new study guide for the Kairos Palestine II (KP2) document is now available for download. Three Christians organizations – The Palestine Justice Network (PJN) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), United Methodists for Kairos Response (UMKR), and our own Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA) – have developed a congregational study guide for the new Kairos Palestine document, "A Moment of Truth: Faith in a Time of Genocide."

Staff of the Unified Agency are coming together to offer a church-wide film study, “Evicting the American Dream,” on Mondays, 7:30-8:45 p.m.: Feb 2, 9, 16, 23. 

We invite you to join the ministries of the Unified Agency for a church-wide film study on this excellent documentary about homelessness, the U.S. housing crisis, and its impacts on children produced by Counter Stories Production. We will meet weekly online after watching each week’s film segment. Together, we will hear from featured speakers and discuss redlining, housing commodification, eviction, the impact of housing insecurity on children, and ways to take action in our communities. Advanced registration is required to receive the meeting links and instructions to view the film segments each week. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with these instructions.

Read more from Presbyterian News Service: https://pcusa.org/news-storytelling/news/2026/1/22/evicting-american-dream-inspires-february-housing-justice-series

Register on Zoom using this link: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/-MkTwcSBSUqT2p7F24TaWg#/registration

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

 Using Artificial Intelligence to Create Stewardship Campaigns

Tuesday, February 3, 2026

2:00 – 3:00 PM EST

Leader - Charlie Kuchenbrod

Mandatory New York State Sexual Harassment Prevention Training Webinars

You can take this training any time during the year

This training is 90 minutes

charlaine@prcli.org

Anti-Harassment & Sexual Harassment Prevention Training

 Leader - Patti Berner

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

7:00 – 8:30 PM EST

Wednesday, March 4, 2026

10:30 AM – 12:00 PM EDT

Thursday, April 9, 2026

2:00 – 3:30 PM EDT

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

More information is linked below:

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

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.

A time for hope

New Clean Water Sunday resources spotlight efforts to support healthy drinking water in places including Cuba

For Living Waters for the World, a ministry of Synod of Living Waters, hope is found every time a cup of clean water is shared between partners — a simple act that becomes a promise of health, dignity, and new beginnings. With 600 million people worldwide still waiting for safe water, the need remains great. Yet across the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), congregations, presbyteries and partner ministries continue to help communities write a different story.

One of those stories belongs to Saachi, a little girl from Placetas, Cuba. When she was three years old, her community’s raw water source contained worms. Illness was a constant threat, and clean drinking water was not available. Today, Saachi is eight — healthy, thriving, and drinking safe water from a Living Waters for the World purification system operated by trained local leaders and supported by long‑term church partners. Her family no longer fears sickness from water. Her community has a fresh start.

Saachi’s story is featured in a new video titled “A Time for Hope,” which Living Waters for the World is encouraging congregations to share in worship, mission committee meetings, and educational settings. The video is part of a broader initiative that includes Clean Water Sunday, a set of worship and educational resources now available to all PC(USA) churches. 

Read more...

‘Evicting’ film study kicks off to spur Presbyterians to organize and advocate

Discussion on housing justice issues continues throughout February



Nearly 180 people turned out for the first session of a weekly study inspired by “Evicting the American Dream,” a documentary that highlights the systemic issues that contribute to many families and children losing their residences.

The Presbyterian Investment and Loan Program is among the entities helping to plan and promote the February film study inspired by "Evicting the American Dream."

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) film study is being offered on Mondays throughout the month of February to discuss, debrief and provide resources on issues such as homelessness, eviction and redlining that relate to the film, which was released last year and is now available for streaming. 

“It’s an amazing film, but it's also a very sobering film, and as you all can attest, as you watch it, you recognize the issues that come to the surface in our society,” said the Rev. Dr. Alonzo Johnson, who manages the Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People.

Johnson was joined by other representatives from the national office of the Interim Unified Agency (IUA) of the PC(USA) for the Feb. 2 study. The session served as an introduction to the series and provided participants with information on U.S. policies related to housing and homelessness.

Read more...