Dear Friends and Members of Albany Presbytery, A "Required" Blessing I wish to share with you all a blessing that is been a part of my life because of Albany Presbytery and the Synod of the Northeast. Rachel Mastin and I have just completed our third year of the Early Ministry Institute (EMI). This program is for those who are newly ordained and serving in the Synod of the Northeast. It is … [Read more...]
2018 Ecumenical Advocacy Conference by Rev. Dr. Barbara Floryshak
April 30, 2018 by
The annual Ecumenical Advocacy Conference for Global Peace and Justice in Washington D.C. was well attended this year with over one thousand participants from many faith traditions and interested participants. The theme “A World Uprooted: Responding to Migrants, Refugees and Displaced People” contributed to the outpouring of voices across communities and religious organizations. It is no wonder … [Read more...]
Everyone Belongs and is Needed in the Body of Christ by Connie Vooys
April 25, 2018 by
1 Corinthians 12:25-26 The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part dependent I every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don’t, the parts we see and the parts we don’t. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part … [Read more...]
Reflections from the April 21 Presbytery Meeting at Cambridge
April 25, 2018 by
Please share this information with all those interested in the work and opportunities happening in the Albany Presbytery. You may use the following URL to embed directly into your communications: https://albanypresbytery.org/april-21-presbytery-meeting/ The 317th Stated Meeting of the Albany Presbytery was held on April 21, 2018 at the United Presbyterian Church of Cambridge. Below are a few … [Read more...]
Albany Presbytery Concurs with Overtures for 223rd General Assembly by Dan Rogers
April 24, 2018 by
Overtures to the 223rd General Assembly of the PC(USA) meeting in St. Louis, Missouri, from June 16-23, 2018. Albany Presbytery acted in February and April 2018 to concur with the following overtures that had been submitted by other presbyteries to the Office of the General Assembly and referred to GA committees as noted: Committee 06 – Church Polity and Ordered Ministry Overture 06-04 … [Read more...]
Collaborating for a Better Future! Convocation: May 8th
April 24, 2018 by
"What can we all agree upon, that we should look to Presbytery for?" Please voice insights - and listen to others - at a special non-voting Convocation. Tuesday, May 8, 6:30 to 8:30 pm Stillwater United Church 747 Hudson Avenue, Stillwater NY, 12170 Light refreshments available. We welcome folks not familiar with Presbytery, as well as regular attenders. We encourage members … [Read more...]
Pentecost Offering: Children at Risk • Youth • Young Adults by Church Mission Committee
April 3, 2018 by
What do you do with your Pentecost special offering? More specifically, what do you do with the 40% that is retained by your congregation? The focus for the Pentecost offering is youth at risk. So, what happens if the youth have all grown up? What if we have no youth in our church? Or, we are not sure what to do with our offering in our community. This year, youth have started to take center … [Read more...]
Building Relationships: A Neglected Opportunity by Terry Diggory
April 3, 2018 by
Photo by Natalie Pedigo on Unsplash I first became involved in the life of Albany Presbytery in the late 1990s, when I was asked to join the Theology and Leadership Development Committee. That committee no longer exists—I hope I didn’t cause its demise!—but I still treasure the friendships I formed with other members of the committee. Those friendships continued as I extended my service to … [Read more...]
Eco-Reformation: A Book Study by Larry Deyss
April 2, 2018 by
Every now and then a book comes along that is “spot on” for the times. “Eco-Reformation: Grace and Hope for a Planet in Peril,” is such a book. Bill McKibben writes a very urgent but hopeful foreword followed by a fine preface by the editors, Lisa E. Dahill & James B. Martin-Schramm. Both are affiliated with Lutheran schools, as are many of the sixteen contributors to the book. Dahill … [Read more...]
Easter: Shivering Awe by Rupert (Bo) Harris
March 30, 2018 by
Mark 16:1-8 When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which … [Read more...]
