Spreading God's love from the city of Syracuse

to the villages of Uganda

Park Central Presbyterian Church supports elder's annual mission trip

Elder Marissa Saunders, of Park Central Presbyterian Church, embarked on a mission trip to Uganda from December 28, 2024 to February 17, 2025. This trip was hosted by Dr. Mark Kitende of Worship Tabernacle Church and the Director of First Care Hospital in Kalambi, Uganda.

During her time there, Marissa traveled across the country, visiting and ministering to men, women and children in eight different churches located in villages in the central, northern, and eastern regions of Uganda.

Marissa provided a short presentation with highlights from the trip after worship on April 6th.

Since 2018, she has been making this journey each year, with support from Park Central.

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:

• This Mother's Day weekend please keep those in your prayers who have lost their mother or mother figure, and those mothers who have lost their children. Please also pray for those who long to be a mother.
• Pray for Rita Hooper who fell and broke her femur not far above her replaced knee. Please send healing prayers to Rita for a speedy and pain-free recovery.
• Please keep the Rev. Steve Thomas, former pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Cazenovia, in your prayers. Steve was diagnosed cancer and is undergoing a month of chemo and radiation. He will be at the Hollings Cancer Center until May 20th. Please email the Cazenovia church - office@cazpres.org - for the address to send cards.
• Please keep Camille Bach (Whitelaw Presbyterian) in your prayers during her breast cancer treatment.
• Please pray for Jerry Armstrong (Whitelaw Presbyterian) Jerry is 15 years old with recurrent bone cancer. He is now at Sloan Kettering in New York City and they are doing very aggressive treatments. His leg was recently amputated. Donations can be made online here. Cards can be sent to: Jerry Armstrong, 245 E. 63rd St. # 35G, New York, NY 10065
• Let us pray together for justice, peace and unity, especially during these times of turmoil and uncertainty.
• Prayers for peace for the people and country of South Korea.
• Pray for those who are grieving the loss of a loved one.
• Pray for all those who are struggling with current events in our community, in our country and around the world.
• 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.
• 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

Read the "HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS" (Final Sermon on Easter)

This is the message of Easter: we must look for him elsewhere. Christ is risen, he is alive! He is no longer a prisoner of death, he is no longer wrapped in the shroud, and therefore we cannot confine him to a fairy tale, we cannot make him a hero of the ancient world, or think of him as a statue in a museum! On the contrary, we must look for him and this is why we cannot remain stationary. We must take action, set out to look for him: look for him in life, look for him in the faces of our brothers and sisters, look for him in everyday business, look for him everywhere except in the tomb. - Pope Francis

The Annual Stated Meeting of the Presbytery of Cayuga-Syracuse will be held on Saturday, May 17, 2025 at 9:30 a.m. at Northminster Presbyterian Church and on Zoom. Registration will begin at 9 a.m. Northminster Presbyterian Church is located at 7444 Buckley Road in North Syracuse.

Requests to be Excused and Prayer Requests should be sent to the Stated Clerk (statedclerk@cayugasyracuse.org) by Friday May 16, 2025.

Please read all supporting documents prior to the meeting.

Register for Zoom

We look forward to a productive time together!

A copy of the Guide for Commissioners can be found here.

The Rev. Paul Huh will be providing the message during worship. Lunch will be provided.

Papers for the Meeting:

Docket

Letter to Presbytery Members

Report on Synod Mission and Ministries Commission

2025 Innovation Grant Recommendations

Committee on Representation

Finance and Property Committee Annual Report

We Call Out Genocide

Per Capita Report

Statement of Financial Position Prev Year Comparison

Statement of Activity - Previous Year Comparison

Budget Report

Dear Members of Cayuga-Syracuse Presbytery and Susquehanna Valley Presbytery,

This letter is written for the purpose of communicating with the Presbyteries about the progress made concerning the idea of a merger. Both presbyteries have voted to proceed with exploring merging together. As those motions begin to take root and movement begins to happen, it is important to understand what that means.

Several committees of each Presbytery have met to discuss ways to collaborate. There is

a desire on the part of the committees to work together to help one another in a more intentional way. This grassroots reaction to exploring a merger is encouraging and exciting as committees find ways to do together what we are finding hard to do alone.

The leadership of both presbyteries have appointed three individuals (Susquehanna

Valley: Rev. Dave Johonson, Elder Jeff Smith, Elder Robbie Jean Rice; Cayuga Syracuse: Rev. Lorrie Cooney, Elder Steve Eidt, Rev. Steve Plank) plus Rev. Greg Garis (Lead Presbyter for Transformation) as staff resource, to be a team of seven to work as a Vision Team to move the presbyteries forward toward a merger that would make us stronger at being a witness for God.

This Vision Team is tasked with forging a path toward merger. As we continue to

explore, guidance is being sought from the Synod, from other presbyteries that have merged and possibly a consultant with experience in bringing ecclesiastical entities together. The possibilities are wide open as far as what a merged Presbytery’s mission would be, how it woul function, how it might be structured and how we move into the future.

To this end, the Human Resource Committee of Cayuga-Syracuse Presbytery and the

Personnel Committee of Susquehanna Valley Presbytery have met several times since the fall of 2024. They have proposed an idea to the leadership councils of both presbyteries to share Rev. Dr. Greg Garis between them and to hire an Assistant to the Lead Presbyter to work with Greg in serving both presbyteries.

The idea of sharing Greg is beneficial to each presbytery: Greg working with both

presbyteries will offer consistent and continued leadership, guidance and support to Cayuga-Syracuse who does not have a Lead Presbyter at this time and to Susquehanna Valley as they explore a fresh approach to ministry.

On a practical side, Susquehanna Valley’s Synod grant, which supports 28% of the Lead Presbyter’s compensation package, ends in April 2026 and Cayuga-Syracuse Presbytery would benefit from staff support.

Both presbytery “councils” (Coordinating Council/Cabinet) have given permission to the Human Resource/Personnel committees to work out an agreement, in essence a “new call”, outlining this shared presbyter idea. Finance committees will be consulted during this process about the compensation package. We have proposed a start date of September 2025 for this to begin. In the meantime, there will be a vote on pursuing this path of a shared Lead Presbyter role and an Assistant at the May presbytery meeting of Cayuga Syracuse and the June meeting of Susquehanna Valley.

It is exciting and encouraging to know that some committees of each presbytery are

already working together. The possibilities are great for a future single Presbytery in the central New York area to join in the work that God is already doing in our communities and in each presbytery. We do not know what the future will hold nor exactly what it will look like, but we sense the strong movement of the Holy Spirit and are excited to move forward trusting that the way will be made known. We are hopeful you will join in this excitement and become actively involved as opportunities arise in seeing what “new thing” God is doing in our midst.

Grace & Peace in the name of our Risen Christ,

Vision Committee

Rev. Lorrie Cooney, Elder Steve Eidt, Rev. Dave Johnson, Rev. Steve Plank, Elder Bobbie Jean Rice, Elder Jeff Smith

Korea Peace Journey: Have You Heard Our Cries?

The Presbyterian Peace Network for Korea (PPNK) invites you to join the Korea Peace Journey: Have You Heard Our Cries, October 21-30, 2025, led by Rev. Kurt Esslinger and Rev. Unzu Lee, former PCUSA mission co-workers. Participants will travel through South Korea from Jeju Island off the southern coast, north to cities, military bases and the Border Peace School along the DMZ. Participants will learn about the origins of the conflict and the effects of war on the country 70 years post armistice, will hear personal stories and connect with families affected by the war, will learn about ongoing peacebuilding efforts and barriers to peace, and will connect with U.S. and Korean peacemakers in our partner Presbyterian denominations in Korea. The trip is expensive, but programs and leadership are of the highest quality. Cost (not including round trip airfare to Korea) covers all programs, ground travel, hotels, meals, and in-country flights in Korea. A brochure, additional information, and registration can be found here. Registration deadline is May 1, 2025. For more information visit PPNK.net or contact Linda Russell at 315-730-6930.

Peace Journey Brochure

Peace Journey Description

Registration Form

In July 2025, the Presbyterian Church (USA) will welcome thousands of its high school age youth and their adult youth workers to Louisville, Kentucky for four days of worship, recreation, bible study, outreach, and faith formation all around the theme of “As If We Were Dreaming”. New this year are two tracks for young adults.  Young Adults (YA) who are 19-23 years old can participate as part of the “Service Track,” (formerly known as Work Crew) working behind the scenes of the event, or “Leader Lens Track,” focused on developing leadership skills, theological exploration and experiences for a new kind of church leader.

The Presbytery of Cayuga-Syracuse is currently coordinating a delegation alongside other presbyteries in Central and Upstate NY. It is the expectation of this delegation to do a 2-day bus trip going to and from the event, departing on Sunday, 7/27 and returning home on Friday, 8/1. 

The Rev. Courtney Steininger has created an interest form for individuals to fill out if they have a youth or young adult interested in attending Triennium. This is not a commitment, but is necessary for coordinating with the other presbyteries.

Here is that form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1pHaHWbelyMFtxassjzg2Yft84RbdIof0IfrOr7Op4G8/edit

RUMMAGE & BAKE SALE

Friday, May 16th

9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Amboy Belle Isle United Church

6190-92 Airport Road in Syracuse

WE ARE THE CLAY, GOD IS THE POTTER: Westminster Presbyterian Church in Auburn had a wonderful experience at Saturday morning's "Jeremiah Pottery Workshop," with Pastor Paul Huh reminding them that they are clay in the hands of the potter and that our mistakes and cracks can be reworked into something beautiful.

Legacy Giving 101

Thursday May 8, 2025

2:00 – 3:00 pm EDT

Leader – Cesie Scheuermann

Legacy giving is often called “low-hanging fruit.” People usually want to leave a gift to an organization they love – once they have gone to their great reward – but they don’t know how. Or worse, they aren’t asked. Universities, hospitals, and animal shelters do a great job of reminding and asking people to leave a gift in a will. But what about the church? In this one-hour webinar, you’ll learn how to start a basic legacy program for your congregation. It’s easier than you think..

Cesie Delve Schuermann - As a consultant in stewardship, development, and grant writing, Cesie has helped raise more than three million dollars for numerous non-profit organizations. For more than 20 years, she’s been working with churches and non-profits to increase and celebrate generosity.  She is a Senior Ministry Strategist with Horizons Stewardship and her Inspiring Generosity blog helps clergy and lay people learn about fundraising and overcome their fear of asking for money, and she loves thanking donors

Mandatory New York State Sexual Harassment Prevention Training Webinars

You can take this training any time during the year

charlaine@prcli.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.

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.

Stand Up for Sudan: Act Now to End the Genocide!

Sudan is in the midst of a humanitarian catastrophe. More than 60,000 people have been killed, and over 12 million have been displaced. Famine is spreading. Entire communities have lost access to food, health care, and education. Every day brings more suffering—more deaths, more injuries, and more women and girls subjected to rape and sexual violence. This is not a crisis in the making—it’s a crisis unfolding right now.

The U.S. cannot look away. The U.S. government has determined that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are committing genocide, and that both the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces are responsible for widespread war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Read more...

When words fail

A webinar featuring a longtime memory care chaplain is a how-to on offering spiritual care to people experiencing dementia

As a spiritual care provider for 25 years — the last 16 as a memory care chaplain — the Rev. Kathy Fogg Berry was a great choice to present a webinar on “When Words Fail: Spiritual Care and Dementia,” which aired Wednesday. The Schlegel-University of Waterloo Research Institute for Aging at Conrad Grebel University College offered the webinar, which can be viewed here.

Berry’s 2018 book is “When Words Fail: Practical Ministry to People with Dementia and Their Caregivers.”

To begin her presentation, Berry displayed a clip of dandelion petals being blown off in a breeze. She called it “a good analogy for what it’s like to have dementia. You lose memories kind of randomly, and it’s unique for every individual experiencing dementia,” Berry said. As such, “we need to be creative in how we communicate with them and relate to them, and build a relationship of trust and care.”

When communication is compromised, it can cause frustration, anger, fear and confusion to people experiencing dementia. That can also be true for those who have had a stroke, suffered head trauma or have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

It’s “a double-edged thing,” she said, since people visiting or building a relationship with someone experiencing dementia “can feel awkward not knowing what to say.”

“We need to learn to practice more than words,” Berry said. “We need to be creative sometimes.”

Continue reading...

Embracing Christian minimalism

‘It’s going to be an emotional journey,’ says guest on the ‘New Way’ podcast

In the latest episode of the “New Way” podcast, host the Rev. Sara Hayden explores the topic of Christian minimalism with Lutheran minister and spiritual director the Rev. Dr. Becca Ehrlich. Hayden explains how “taking stock of what is truly important and eliminating that which is not important” is a great place to start when exploring practices that ground people as human beings.

Grounding spiritual practices like sabbath, contemplation and pilgrimage have been the focus of Hayden’s conversations with this season’s guests, and future conversations center on practices of intentional, beloved communities. In her conversation with Ehrlich, who wrote the book “Christian Minimalism: Simple Steps for Abundant Living,” Hayden delves deeper into how the action of subtracting uncovers the fear of emptiness, revealing a spaciousness in which spiritual lives may flourish.

Ehrlich, who lives with chronic illness, started her minimalism journey in 2017 after watching the Netflix documentary “Minimalism” and felt God calling her to a minimalist lifestyle. When her husband, Will, watched it later that evening, he also felt the call. She began blogging about it when she didn’t find deep theological reflection or support for Christian minimalist lifestyles online.

Continue reading...

Have a Blessed Week!