Albany Presbytery

"We are Doing a Great Work and We Cannot Come Down!" ~ Nehemiah 6

Welcome to Albany Presbytery! Serving 71 Churches and Fellowships across 11 counties in Upstate New York and Rutland County on the Vermont/New York Border

Since shortly after 1609, when Henry Hudson sailed up the Hudson River into the Albany area, the Presbyterian Church has grown and developed into a strong and influential presence in the Capital/Saratoga Region of Upstate New York. Four hundred years later, Albany Presbytery is an exciting mix of rural, suburban and city churches and fellowships with a rich cultural and ethnic diversity and a membership passionate for social, environmental and mission work.

Effective January 2008, Albany Presbytery is a paperless office

ALBANY PRESBYTERY GOALS 2008-2012
Goal #1	Developing Vital Congregations
Goal #2	Strengthening Our Relationships
Goal #3	Increasing Participation in Mission
Click here to view the Presbytery Goals in their entirety


MEET THE STAFF!

	The Rev. Cass L. Shaw, General Presbyter Since April 1, 2000
Cass served as pastor to several congregations before coming to Albany Presbytery. Ordained in 1980, her ministry has been in various presbyteries within the Synod of the Northeast except for four years as pastor of a church and chaplain of an international school in Tamil Nadu, India. Cass enjoys visiting her daughter, Grace, a freshman in college, and in her leisure time enjoys hiking, kayaking and pottery classes.

	Elder H. Daniel Rogers, Stated Clerk Beginning December 1, 2009
Dan has been a member of First United Presbyterian Church in Troy since 1972. He was ordained an Elder there in 1974 and a Deacon in 2005. He served as Vice Moderator and then Moderator of Albany Presbytery in 2001 and 2002. He has just completed six years as a member of the Committee on Ministry which he served as chair from 2005 through 2007. Dan served as an elder commissioner to the Synod of the Northeast meeting in Oswego, NY, in the early 1990s and as an elder commissioner to the 218th General Assembly of the PC(USA) in San Jose, CA in June 2008. He was a Parliamentarian Reader at the 219th General Assembly in 2010 in Minneapolis. Dan and his wife, Laura, live in Latham. They have two children and three grandchildren.

	Elder Bill Ramage, Financial Manager Contract Staff Since June 2008
Bill brings experience as an accountant and auditor to Albany Presbytery. He has served on the Budget and Finance Committee and is an active volunteer, having served as Treasurer of several not-for-profit organizations in the Capital District. Most recently he served as Treasurer at SASH, a not-for-profit organization providing Support for AIDS Services and Housing. Bill recently retired from the Research Foundation of SUNY. He and his wife, Gwyn, live in Loudonville and have two grown children and one grandchild.

	The Rev. Dr. Tim Coombs, Congregational Transformation Contract Staff Since Summer 1989
Tim loves music and working with youth. He has a passion and affinity for storytelling and media in worship. In 2006, he earned a D. Min. in Biblical Storytelling in Digital Culture at United Theological Seminary, Trotwood, Ohio. He is skilled in Natural Church Development and Congregational and Pastoral Coaching. Tim currently chairs the Youth Events Task Force, serves on the Pakistani Fellowship Task Force and Presbytery Worship committee, and advises the Transformation Strategies Task Force of the Committee on Ministry. He is also on the Board of Directors of the Network of Biblical Storytellers, International, where he serves as their “digital guru.” He and his wife, Kathy Gorman-Coombs, are the Co-Pastors of Scotia's Trinity Presbyterian Church. They have two sons.

	Elder Norma C.Brown Dean, Commissioned Lay Pastor Program Contract Staff Since November 2005
Since her ordination as an elder in 1975, Norma has been actively engaged in the work and mission of the church on the local, presbytery and synod levels and has been privileged to serve as Moderator of Albany Presbytery and Moderator of the Synod of the Northeast. The current focus of her ministry is the future church as it strives to meet the needs of a changing world. She and her husband, Dale, live in Niskayuna. They have two grown daughters and four grandchildren.

	Kelli Rogalo Assistant for the Stated Clerk and Journal Clerk Since July 2008 Kelli is from the Capital District. She and her family just bought their first home and enjoy spending time making it their own.

	Norma C. Burwell Assistant for the General Presbyter and Webmaster Since August 2008
Norma is a farmer's daughter whose family has been in the Northeast since 1648. She was happily raised in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) family on Fifteenth and Hoosick in Troy. As a professional church musician (classically trained), she has played in every mainline protestant denomination. A Cultural History buff, she has a passion for animals, protecting habitats and ecosystems, music and theatre, the four seasons, the British Isles, sunny days, starry nights and dreams of tropical getaways. She and her wonderful son, Sean, a senior in college, live on an island in Albany County with their aging sealpoint siamese cat, Tatiana.

This website features the watercolor New Testament prints of Kirsten Malcolm Berry, daughter of Presbyterian missionaries. For more information or to purchase cards or prints, click here.