Synod Mission and Ministries Commission Meeting Actions
April 30-May 1 Synod Mission and Ministries Commission Meeting Actions
The synod honored the life of Rev. Dr. Harold Delhagen. His memorial service was the second day of the commission meeting and was attended by several commission members. Rev. Stephen Park Choi, Synod Moderator-Elect, attended on behalf of the Synod.
Elder Mark Bennett was introduced as the Synod’s new part-time Communication Specialist. He described his mission as helping those who have a strong and good message to tell their story, making it as inviting as possible.
The synod also honored Elder Alan Ford on his retirement as Synod Treasurer. His service to the synod has spanned over 30 years in many different capacities.
Administrative Working Group
The following actions were recommended by the Administrative Working Group and voted upon by the full commission:
Appointed Rev. Scott DeBlock, Rev. Sue Smith, and Elder Lisa Gray, to serve with Elder Ford as the team to receive the audit.
Approved a presbytery support grant intended for presbyteries that have limited non-restricted donor funds to complete their goals as a presbytery.
Approved a plan to hold the biennial Synod Assembly meeting in person at the Desmond Hotel in Albany, on October 21-22, 2022.
Concurred with the following GA 225th Overtures --
a. Environmental Justice – ENV-11 -- On Protecting the Diversity of Creation, from Heartland Presbytery.
b. Health, Safety and Benefits – HSB-07 -- On Amending G-2.0804 Regarding PC(USA) Paid Family Leave, from Hudson River Presbytery.
c. Mid Councils – MC-06 -- On Amending G-3.0401 to Facilitate Full Participation and Representation in Synods, from Lake Huron Presbytery.
d. Mid Councils – MC-10 -- On Establishing a Task Force to Explore the Theology and Practice of Ordered Ministry for Ruling Elders, from San Fernando Presbytery.
e. Race and Gender Justice – RGJ-08—On Offering an Apology to African Americans for the Sin of Slavery and its Legacy, from Giddings-Lovejoy Presbytery.
Appointed Rev. Jeniffer Rodriguez as Overture Advocate from the synod for Overture TWE-13, concerning initiating the process to add a new confession to the Book of Confessions.
Authorized the synod Leadership Team to approve an Overture Advocate from the synod for Overture POL-08, on amending G-2.0301 to allow congregations to elect members as ruling elders for service to the larger church.
Mission Working Group
The following grants and grant amounts were recommended by the Mission Working Group and voted upon by the full commission:
Innovation
INV-22-01-04 Year 1 Starting Out Strong (S.O.S.) Recommended: $2000
Albany University at Albany
Starting Out Strong (SOS) seeks to engage new students (freshmen and transfers) at U Albany in
opportunities for community building that will result in authentic relationships while also providing leadership development programs. SOS is a new program with the goal of providing an opportunity for new students (freshmen & transfers) to engage in community building and leadership development. The first-year experience can be overwhelming on a campus with over 18,000 students. Freshmen often struggle to find their place and to "fit in" while staying true to their beliefs. This new program will address that need by providing programming that is specifically directed at first-year students.
INV-22-02-04 Year 1 Closing the Digital Divide in Christian Education Recommended: $5,000
Northeast New Jersey First Presbyterian Church of Irvington
First Presbyterian Church of Irvington seeks to create an innovative program for young children of immigrant families. By bridging the worlds of technology and Biblical exploration, this program hopes to break down barriers in access to technology and spark the biblical imagination of children. From the applicant: “My vision of producing lifelong Christians through bringing the Bible to life can be achieved by nurturing the curiosity of youths as they are shown that the Bible is real. There is no better way to achieve this than by using technology. As children view Google Maps about the various places mentioned in scripture, they will see that the Bible stories are not derived from a fantastical construct but is the real living word.”
INV-22-03-04 Year 1 Sustaining Congregations through Female Clergy Retention Recommended: $7,500
Albany Young Women’s Clergy International, Antioch University
This community research project seeks to build pathways of advocacy for pastors, congregations and church governing structures to collectively support female clergy retention within the PC(USA). Through a 2-year needs assessment, this initiative identifies contributing factors to the rise in female clergy attrition during early and mid-career stages. The vision for this project is to promote congregational vitality by supporting long-term vocations for female clergy as they seek to faithfully serve their local congregations.
INV-22-05-04 Year 1 Hybrid Micro Outreach to Help Small Churches Grow Recommended: $5,000
Coastlands Hybrid Micro
This project personalizes church-supported hybrid micro outreach activities for small congregations. Instead of focusing on reaching many people at one time, the congregations focus on hybrid micro outreach activities that are direct response campaigns emphasizing relationship development, faith journey and individual personal networks to attract new members. The outreach focuses on providing opportunities for members to live out their faiths, inviting friends, family and neighbors to join them in community service, and volunteerism to strengthen relationships. Consultant John Fong will work directly with a cohort of small congregations to pilot this hybrid outreach program within the Synod of the Northeast.
INV-22-06-04 Year 1 Community Outreach Center Recommended: $10,000
Utica First Presbyterian Church of Oneida
This project is focused on establishing a Community Outreach Center and historic bowling alley alternative hosted on the campus of the First Presbyterian Church of Oneida. This represents an expansion of existing outreach efforts that the congregation has long provided to the larger community. The vision for the Community Outreach Center has been formed and refined in partnership with other agencies, school districts, and city government officials. The long-term vision includes the hope that this versatile space could be used by new worshiping communities looking for a space that does not feel like a traditional sanctuary.
INV-22-07-04 Year 1 Bending the Moral Arc Courageous Conversations Recommended: $15,000
Coastlands Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church and Nassau Presbyterian Church Joint Partnership
The congregations of Witherspoon Street Presbyterian and Nassau Presbyterian Church co-created a brave and innovative program for congregations to engage and take action for racial justice. The program, Bending the Moral Arc Courageous Conversations, is helping Witherspoon and Nassau members interested in “dismantling systemic racism” to convene and pursue social justice initiatives advocating for people experiencing incarceration, homelessness, immigration, voter suppression, and poverty. Based on their own experience of running the program as a joint initiative of their congregations, they are working now to expand the reach of the program and share the model more broadly.
INV-22-09-04 Year 1 First Presbyterian Church of Chili Food Cupboard Recommended: $4,000
Genesee Valley First Presbyterian Church of Chili
The First Presbyterian Church of Chili has a small congregation of forty attendees on an average Sunday. Increased awareness of the reality of local families lacking in nutritional needs, led to this project to establish a Food Cupboard to serve the residents in the community in a consistent manner. This project was officially launched in June of 2021 and works in tandem with FoodLink of Rochester whose mission is to end hunger and build a healthier community. The vision of the First Presbyterian Church of Chili Food Cupboard is to follow Jesus’s words in Matthew 23:35 “I was hungry, and you fed me, thirsty and you gave me drink”. This Food Cupboard will provide food, hope, and a bridge to self-sufficiency.
INV-22-10-04 Year 2 Neighborhood Day Center and Outreach Ministry Recommended: $9,000
Northern New England Eliot Presbyterian Church
This is a 2nd-year application to fund the efforts of the Neighborhood Day Center and Outreach Ministry based in the Eliot Presbyterian Church facility. The applicant writes: “After a challenging year for staffing the Day Center, having positions now filled will allow us to go beyond addressing immediate physical needs and do more to help our guests reach their full potential. Our Chaplain has begun a weekly prayer group for our guests. Our Director of Social Services recently added a weekly art session led by a local artist, as well as online and in-person recovery groups. We hope to create additional programs and make new connections with local people who may have skills to offer.”
INV-22-11-04 Year 2 MATE Tiny House Pilot Project Recommended: $15,000
Northern New England Mission at the Eastward (MATE)
This is a 2nd year application for MATE initiatives to alleviate housing insecurity. They hope to continue to address the needs of housing insecurity/affordable housing in Franklin County and other areas in Maine. To do so, MATE will launch an innovative pilot project to build a tiny house (less than 400 square feet) for use in the community. The first house will be built in partnership with the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies (CES). The house will be used for MATE’s clients transitioning out of McCleary House (MATE’s temporary housing) or for use by a MATE Housing Ministry client, whose home has been determined to be beyond repair.
INV-22-12-04 Year 2 First 1,000 Days Recommended: $9,000
Geneva The Presbyterian Church in Geneva
This is a 2nd-year application to continue a program initiated by The First Presbyterian in Geneva and a consortium of other community organizations with the goal of supporting new babies and their families in the first 1,000 days after they are born. The program offers much-needed supplies, access to gym time at a local community center, free breakfast, and laundry support to families with infants and toddlers.
INV-22-13-04 Year 1 The Lighthouse Counseling Network Recommended: $13,500
Eastern Korean American
The Lighthouse Counseling Network (LCN) is an innovative, collaborative ministry among local churches to educate, promote, and provide professional counseling for the members in our community. Its vision is to help people in their journey toward wholeness through Gospel-centered counseling, and its mission is to provide accessible Christian counseling services to the greater northern New Jersey region, supported through a network of local churches.
Campus Ministry
CM-22-01-04 Protestant Campus Ministry at Albany Recommended: $2500
Albany University at Albany
The highlight of the Protestant Campus Ministry at Albany during the past year was their ability to maintain ministry in the midst of a world-wide pandemic. Over the last two years they have gone back and forth between virtual and in-person. The Campus Ministry was one of the few ministries on campus with an active presence and as such it filled a void for many students who were craving social interaction after spending so much time in their dorms participating in mostly on-line learning. The Protestant Campus Ministry was able to maintain almost all of their programs including worship, mid-week Food and Faith, Mid-Week Meet Up, Bible Study and Community Service Projects. They celebrated the graduation of 20 of their seniors. In the fall of 2021 all of the students returned to campus fully vaccinated and have returned to the “new normal.”
Approved an additional $950 be granted to each of the 13 Campus Ministries that applied for Higher Education from excess Higher Education funds for a total of $12,350.
Youth Leadership Development
Triennium 2022 Social Justice Summit Recommended: $7,500
Consortium Johnsonburg Camp and Retreat Center from Triennium Funds
As a follow-up to Johnsonburg’s Social Justice Cohort pilot program, Johnsonburg is offering a conference for teens to explore the intersection of their lives, their faith, and the problems in their world. This conference will dig into the issues and events that high school kids need to talk about: racial reconciliation, gender issues, gun violence, climate change, and more. The students will participate in small groups, have fun at camp and join in worship together. This program will take place during the week that would have been occupied by Triennium had it not been canceled.
Connectional Ministries Working Group
The following action was recommended by the Connectional Ministries Working Group and voted upon by the full commission:
Approved a $13K grant to Iglesia Presbiteriana Utuado to fund hurricane repairs to doors and windows. The money will come from operating restricted funds and designated Maria Recovery Fund for Puerto Rico.
In addition, the Connectional Ministries has begun visiting First Nations churches within the synod including the Shinnecock Nation last summer and Brook Church in March. The church had been flooded, and the roof is not secure. They requested a $10K grant for emergency repairs. The Working Group will partner with the church to develop hands-on mission opportunities for these repairs. The synod provided $5,000 for new vents in the kitchen to help with the church’s food ministry. The money came from the Peacemaking budget and was approved by the Synod Leadership Team.