I'm really excited that Albany Presbytery now offers regular "Open Space" opportunities for presentation or conversation before each stated meeting. In National Capital Presbytery (2009-2016), I saw this practice work to great advantage. Many came early to the host facility to engage in topics of their choice. There would be several options, making it hard to decide. Everyone is Invited - … [Read more...]
The Committee on Representation & Nominations Needs Your Help by Jerry McKinney
October 15, 2018 by
The Committee on Representation & Nominations (CRN) is working diligently to complete our work so that we can present a full slate of nominations to our committees. As we looked at our current committee membership, we learned that only 25% of our congregations are represented on Presbytery committees. That’s why we need your help! We need suggestions of folks who might be willing to … [Read more...]
Want to Save the Republic? by Debbie Fagans
September 10, 2018 by
Give the gift of literacy to a child. Our free, after-school, one-on-one tutoring program in the South End of Albany is called the Wizard’s Wardrobe and ended its first full year of tutoring in June. We are now getting ready to start the 2018-2019 school year. And we need more tutors. This past year was a successful one. Most of the children gained more than a year’s growth academically. One … [Read more...]
The World at our Doorstep – Welcoming the Stranger by Sharon Denney Lobel
July 10, 2018 by
Did you know there are more than 60 million displaced people in the world today? These are men, women, and children who cannot return to their homeland due to war, persecution, or disaster. Less than 1% will become resettled as refugees in a handful of benevolent countries who will take them. Since the 1980s, the Capital Region has received thousands of refugees, many from Burma, Nepal, Bhutan, … [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...]
Thank You! Results of Combined PDA/Guatemala Water Filter Offering by Kathy Gorman-Coombs
February 21, 2018 by
Last week I attended my first meeting of the CEDEPCA USA Board, which is a USA branch of CEDEPCA whose purpose is to interpret the mission of CEDEPCA in the US, and to raise funds to help in their ministry. The meeting was in Galveston, TX, so it was a nice respite from the cold (though I am writing this on Wednesday, February 21, and it’s 70 in Scotia, same as it was a week ago in Galveston) . . … [Read more...]
Presbytery-wide Training: Bridges out of Poverty by Kate Kotfila
January 22, 2018 by
I grew up in suburban Milwaukee during the ‘60’s. I knew where the “bad part of town” was, even if I didn’t understand what made it bad. My father was second generation immigrant who valued education, moderation, planning and savings. Much in my life was focused on the future. What will I be when I grow up? I needed to go to College just in case my husband (no question that I would marry) was … [Read more...]
Guatemala Partnership Invites You to Join Us in Aiding those Affected by Natural Disasters in Guatemala & Elsewhere
November 13, 2017 by
In 2015, the Albany Presbytery Guatemala Partnership invited congregations and others in the Presbytery to give funds to provide for Water Filters for Guatemalan families. These filters, called “Eco-filters” were designed and are made in Guatemala. This means that they were created specifically for the kind of purification needed in Guatemala, and that their manufacture and sale provides jobs … [Read more...]
Reflections on the Nov. 1 Special Meeting of Presbytery by Samantha Brewer
November 6, 2017 by
The air temperature had cooled, the leaves had changed to brilliant shades of red and orange, and SPAT, the Staffing Process Advisory Team, was “at it” again. This time, the venue was First United Presbyterian in Troy on Wednesday, November 1st for a Special Meeting of Albany Presbytery. Being that it was All Saints Day, much of the worship elements throughout the meeting touched upon that … [Read more...]
Cornerstone Campus Ministry at the University at Albany
October 10, 2017 by
Albany Presbytery supports Cornerstone Campus Ministry at the University at Albany. Learn more in this fun video! Would you like to get connected? The purpose of the Albany Presbytery Blog is to share information, tell stories, and promote the mission and ministry of the presbytery, synod and beyond. While the breadth of this medium is intentionally broad, it is not a platform for opinion … [Read more...]
