Greetings In The Name Of Christ Emmanuel! I pray that you and your families are well. Even as I write this message, I acknowledge that we are still waiting for the answered prayers that soon we will move beyond the Coronavirus, political divides, natural disasters, and the many questions about the future Church. The Advent and Christmas...
As we approach the holiday season, we do so knowing that some are still metaphorically standing by the waters of Babylon, grieved by the many losses over the last 18 months. Our prayers continue for those families, businesses, and communities. We pray that they will truly experience the promise that weeping endures for the night, but...
For the first time, the Synod held Come to the Table virtually. The theme was “Standing in the Breach: Rooted in Our Faith.” What a marvelous event it was. Grounded in worship, over the course of two days we had Bible Study led by Gerald Liu, Director of Collegiate Ministries, Initiatives, and Belonging for the Global Board of Higher...
The Synod Mission and Ministries Commission met on September 17-18 via Zoom. Although a hybrid meeting had been planned, the Leadership Team determined that it was not safe to gather with the Delta Variant. We will continue to monitor the situation and determine when we can meet once again in person – certainly a desire...
From Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 the United States celebrates National Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month. During this period the country recognizes and honors the rich history and contributions made by Hispanic and Latinx Americans. Our Latinx brothers and sisters are the largest people of color (POC) group in the United States and the third-largest POC group in the Presbyterian...
On July 20-21, 2021, a five-person delegation from the Synod will visit the Shinnecock Nation, SanDawna Gaulman Ashley, Transitional Synod Leader, Nancy Talbot, Stated Clerk, Lori Hylton, Administrative Coordinator, Lisa Baker, Convener for Connectional Ministries, and Paul Rack, member of Long Island Presbytery. In part, the visit is in response to the 222 General Assembly mandate...
Back in April, the Mission & Ministries Commission of the Synod awarded New England GLOW a $10K networks grant to support the development of their Regional Youth Ministry Network. This week, Lisa Baker, Convener of the Commission’s Connectional Ministries Working Group, sat down for a conversation over Zoom with Jen Slater, the Youth Ministry Coordinator from...
The following question crossed my mind many years ago: What makes some churches grow by leaps and bounds while others decline? The obvious answers to this question lie in a clear sense of mission, spiritual health, resources, context, and leadership. Without including the multi-layered factors of place, timing, readiness, context, and culture this answer is too...
The Synod Mission and Ministries Commission is excited to announce the availability of Synod grant funds for Youth Leadership Development. The dedicated funds – $30,000 in total – were set aside from Innovation grant funds with the purpose of supporting initiatives to empower youth as leaders within their congregations and beyond. The funds available for 2021...
On June 22, 2021, the Wurffel-Sills Application Review Working Group met to finalize their review of all the 2021-2022 Wurffel-Sills scholarship and interest-free student loan applications received. We are happy to announce that the Synod was able to provide scholarships and interest-free loan offers totaling more than $230K to members from 15 of the 19 presbyteries of the Synod of the Northeast. Each year the application process begins in January with a deadline of...