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 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: Port Byron Federated; First, Scipioville; Sennett Federated Church; First, Skaneateles
| | Heads of major American religious traditions issue landmark statement supporting trans, intersex and nonbinary people. Interfaith leaders — including the PC(USA) — affirm transgender, intersex, and nonbinary people as holy, beloved, and worthy of full dignity. Read More... | | |
2026 Estimated Per Capita Amounts
If you would like to know what your estimated Per Capita bill will be for 2026, Please contact the bookkeeper Kristin Schierer (finance@cayugasyracuse.org), and she’ll be happy to let you know.
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Public Statement of InterFaith Works Roundtable of Faith Leaders
As faith leaders in Central New York, we unite to support people who are poor, oppressed, and vulnerable, people who are pushed to the margins of our society and who now face losses of great magnitude.
Our faith traditions affirm the dignity of all people, and we seek to build understanding by caring for children who have lost their parents, providing food for people who are hungry, defending those who suffer oppression, and offering shelter for people who have no place to rest. We echo this universal ethic of compassion in our call to seek human-centered solutions to the divisions among us and to care for each other.
At this challenging time when people are experiencing anxiety, fear and instability, we offer our resources of peace, wisdom and courage, seeking truth and working for justice. We encourage all people to embrace these values that shape our humanity, and call upon us all to promote solidarity, community, and love. View Press Release.
| | During the recent Korea Peace Journey sponsored by the Presbyterian Peace Network for Korea, Linda Russell visited the headquarters of Okedongmu Children in Korea (OKCK), an NGO dedicated to preparing a peaceful future for the children of North and South Korea. OKCK has been granted special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) since 2008 and is currently holding an exhibition at the UN in NYC. Titled “Drawing Hope: Children’s Art for Peace”, the exhibit features artwork inspired by the 1998 project “Hello, My Friend!”, which connected children from South Korea with children in North Korea during cross-border visits. More information here. | | The Bible Study Experiment Continues | | |
The first Bible Study with Gail Banks, certified lay pastor, retired, was deemed a success by those attending, so Gail is willing to do a 3-week Advent Bible Study called Awaiting Love!
The Bible Study will meet on Wednesday evenings for 3 weeks beginning on December 3rd and ending on December 17th from 7 to 8 p.m.
The study will be done via Zoom. Everyone is welcome to attend but it is hoped that churches without pastors will take advantage of this opportunity. Contact Rita Hooper, text 315-706-3564 or email twohoops2@gmail.com, and let her know you would like to be included.
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The next "Can We Talk?" gathering will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, November 21, 2025 in the lounge 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!
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Steeple Coffee House presents Ashley Cox!
Music with a Mission
United Church of Fayetteville
Saturday, November 22, 2025
7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
$15 cash at the door
Includes concert, dessert & coffee or tea
Supports outreach programs
www.theucf.org
Accessible!
Ashley Cox is a seasoned musician hailing from Syracuse, New York. With five recordings under her belt, she's a versatile artist who plays keyboards, guitar, and sings from her heart. Over the past 20 years, Ashley has been a vibrant presence in the Central New York music scene, earning two SAMMYS ( Syracuse Area Music Awards) along the way. She’s very active in the Silver Arrow band, and Alt Rock duo Professional Victims (with husband Shawn Sullivan). She can be seen performing a handful of solo shows each month as well, now that she recently left her day job to pursue music full time again. Whether on stage or in the studio, her passion for music shines through in every performance.
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Amboy Belle Isle United Church
(6190-92 Airport Road, Syracuse, NY 13209)
will be having their annual
Christmas Bazaar
{NO Luncheon this year}
Bake Sale, crafts, Basket Raffle and more
Saturday, November 22nd
9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
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CNY Interfaith Sanctuary Coalition presents:
Welcoming the Stranger
What Our Faith Traditions Teach and Call Us to Do
Tuesday, December 2, 2025
7:00 to 8:30 p.m.
May Memorial Unitarian Society
3800 E. Genesee St.
Syracuse, NY 13214
Speakers from Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions will present perspectives with brief time for comments and questions about how we respond, especially during this troubled time. Tabling by groups involved will present concrete opportunities for involvement. All are most welcome!
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United Church to Host Family Holiday Brass and Bells Concert
To Benefit Programs in Haiti and F-M Food Pantry
Sunday, December 7 at 3 p.m.
Come and enjoy the music of the season as the United Church of Fayetteville Handbell Choir and the award-winning 35-piece Syracuse University Brass Ensemble present a concert for the entire family.
UCF Director of Music Ministries, Jonathan Bergman, will lead the UCF Handbell Choir in renditions of Lo, How a Rose, Hymn for the Innocents and Joy to the World. The audience will hear handbells, tone chimes and interesting sounds made by hitting, shaking, plucking and waving the bells creating tremulous, vibrating effects with vibrato, echos and staccato sounds.
SU Brass Co-directors Dr James Spencer and Mr Craig Elwood will conduct the ensemble in such pieces as: The Guiding Star, Northern Lights, Nabucco, Fire in the Blood, Advent Hymn, White Christmas (a sing-along), Let the Bells Ring and Stars and Stripes for Christmas among others.
Guests are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items for the F-M Food Pantry. A free-will offering will be also be taken to help fund pre-school books and supplies for two pre-schools in the village of Paulette in northeast Haiti.
The United Church of Fayetteville (village clock in the tower) is located at 310 E. Genesee Street, Fayetteville, NY 13066 and is accessible. Visitors can enter the parking lot off E. Genesee Street or from Chapel or Warren Streets in the village of Fayetteville. For more information call 637-3186.
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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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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.
| | SPECIAL GUEST: The Rev Dr Greg Garis, the Lead Presbyter for Cayuga-Syracuse and Susquehanna Valley presbyteries, was the guest worship leader on Sunday at the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Auburn. Greg also led a formum on the merger in which we are engaged, highlighting the reasons, the process, and the hopes for the new partnership with our southern neighbors. | | Around the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) | | |
The Rev. Jihyun Oh is among faith leaders opposed to the Trump administration’s new policy on admitting refugees
Church World Service, a partner of the PC(USA), condemns efforts to abandon the nation’s historic refugee program
The Rev. Jihyun Oh, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and Executive Director of the Interim Unified Agency, is among the faith leaders to sign a Church World Service statement opposed to the Trump administration’s policy to limit refugees entering the United States mostly to white South Africans.
“As people of faith, we have watched with growing alarm the White House’s ongoing efforts to undermine this country’s proud tradition of welcoming the stranger,” according to the statement, which is here. “In our congregations, our communities, and our pews, we have long worked, advocated, and prayed in support of refugees, asylum seekers and other vulnerable people fleeing persecution around the globe.”
“This spring, as the Administration moved to close the legal pathways that have for decades offered protection and support to refugees and asylum seekers, Church World Service and its partners banded together to sound the alarm through an Ecumenical Declaration in defense of refuge,” the statement reads. “Issued in faith and in love, the Declaration affirmed our commitment to the centuries-old practice of Christian communities walking alongside refugees and immigrants in their pursuit of safety and dignity. Together, we pledged to restore and promote hospitality and welcome to those seeking refuge —regardless of where they are from, how they pray or what language they speak.”
Continue reading...
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Presbyterian Hunger Program hosts global partners for webinar discussion on colonization today
The Global Solidarity Collective panel included partners from Peru, Palestine, Fiji, and San Ildefonso Pueblo in New Mexico
Connected by a small square screen across continents and oceans, four global partners gathered via Zoom Tuesday to reflect on the ongoing realities of colonization worldwide and the localized movements of resistance that are pushing back and reclaiming power through shared stories. The webinar, called “Colonization Today,” was organized by the Presbyterian Hunger Program as part of its Global Solidarity Collective (GSC) initiative.
Eileen Schuhmann, who serves on PHP staff and moderated the panel discussion, explained at the outset of the webinar that the Global Solidarity Collective seeks to connect Presbyterians in the United States with partners around the world to work together toward “decolonizing the global economy and nurture right relationships among peoples and with Creation.”
The webinar brought together three speakers from different communities across the world.
Corinne Sanchez of San Ildefonso Pueblo in New Mexico is the executive director of Tewa Women United, which has been working for more than 30 years to build indigenous knowledge, particularly in the areas of gender, reproductive, environmental, and healing justice. Jorge Arboccó Gallardo is an anthropologist and the director of Paz y Esperanza, an organization that is part of the Peru Joining Hands Network in Peru. Ahmeed Faleh is a member of the Good Shepherd Collective in Palestine and writes about the Palestinian condition through the lens of political and social analysis.
Continued 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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