This Week’s Announcements

On Sunday, September 24, at approximately 11:15am, there will be a special meeting of the congregation for the sole purpose of electing a ruling elder to replace Aaron Whitney, who resigned from the Session with one year remaining in his term. The Nominating Committee has nominated Margaret Davis.

    This meeting will be hybrid, immediately following the worship service, in the sanctuary and in the Zoom room, https://upcbgm.org/zoom.


“Finding Common Ground” monthly interfaith conversations: 3rd Monday each month at 7:30pm at Binghamton University, room UUW 324 (above the bookstore). Although specific doctrines may differ, many common themes run through our religious and spiritual beliefs. Join Pastor Becky and the Binghamton University Interfaith Council as our members and the campus community explore common ground together — no expertise needed. All are welcome!

  • September 18: Traditions
  • October 16: Art through Show and Tell
  • November 20: Sacred Stories

September’s Common Ground topic is “Traditions”. What traditions are meaningful to you in your religion or faith practice, and why? 

What questions do you have about other traditions in other religions? Come and learn together!


Presbyterians for Earth Care 2023 Hybrid Conference, “The Climate Crisis & Empowering Hope”: September 20–23. It’s not too late to register and join Presbyterians and others around the country for an inspiring earth-care focused conference! Through fellowship, worship, study, and in-depth educational opportunities, we want you to learn more about the current climate crisis and how we as individuals, congregations, and a denomination can make a difference. The cost to attend online is only $25 per day or $60 for the entire conference. Registration and more information at presbyearthcare.org/2023-conference. 

    Questions? Contact Owego Pastor Bruce Gillette, PEC Moderator, at pastorbrucegillette@gmail.com or 607-744-0761.


CHOW Hunger Walk — Saturday, September 23, 3pm at Factory by Beer Tree Brew in the Oakdale Commons. The annual Hunger Walk is CHOW’s biggest fundraiser of the year. This year donations have been down, and CHOW did not receive the government HNAP grant that they usually get, so the need is even greater.

    Our Community Kitchen Director, Sherry, says: I’m putting together a team from the kitchen with the volunteers, and would like others to join our team and donate to CHOW. I pick up between 300 and 600 pounds of food items from CHOW each week for the pantry and meal. These supplies mean so much to our program, so let’s help them out by giving back. Please sign up with Sherry at 607-218-4636 or meal@upcbgm.org.

    And if you can’t do the walking but would like to support CHOW with a donation, you can give donations to Sally Hunt.


Immigration Issues at the Border & in New York State: Tuesday, September 26, 7–8pm. The Presbytery of Susquehanna Valley’s Justice in Mission and Ministry Team presents this Zoom online Q&A forum with David Ruston.

Join Zoom Meeting: https://bit.ly/45SKImw

Meeting ID: 884 9910 6722      Passcode: FPUC

A Ruling Elder at UPC, David volunteers together with his husband Greg Patinka with the Tucson Samaritans (tucsonsamaritans.org), providing humanitarian aid to migrants traveling through southern Arizona. This mission program is supported by our congregation who, with the assistance of Rutgers Presbyterian Church in NYC, provided over 150 personal care kits to migrants. The kits included, amongst other things, emergency blankets, soap, toothpaste, tooth brush, and dental floss. UPC funds have also helped to provide fresh socks and underwear to migrants passing through Casa de la Esperanza (salvavision.org) in Sasabe, Sonora, Mexico. UPC also supports the Tucson Samaritans with financial assistance to help cover expenses of putting water in the desert.

     David has traveled to Guatemala on three occasions and recently accompanied a mission trip providing health services to the underserved Mayan population in the highlands of Guatemala. Being a retired social worker and having a Master’s Degree in Social Sciences, David has examined some of the reasons people from Guatemala choose to risk their lives to travel for work in the US.


News from the Presbytery of Susquehanna Valley: Our presbytery’s newsletter, “Thursday Thoughts”, is published every week and includes announcements from our partner congregations in the region, news from the PC(USA) denomination, and links to webinars & resources available to us through the presbytery. Thursday Thoughts often announces classes and retreats offered by churches, seminaries, and other agencies, some in person and others online. We are all invited to expand our understanding of the church and its mission through a broad variety of topics. This week you can find information on programs from:

  • Three churches in Bainbridge (Health & Wellness Fair)
  • Presbyterian Mission Agency
  • Presbytery of Susquehanna Valley
  • American Civic Association in Binghamton
  • Presbyterians for Earth Care
  • Practical Resources for Churches
  • Rural Health Network
  • Synod of the Northeast

Check it out, you might find something that sparks your interest. susvalpresby.org/thursday-thoughts


Ongoing Church Announcements

Bible Study: Mondays, 1pm, in the Study or the Zoom Room. We’re reading from Marcus Borg’s Evolution of the Word: The New Testament in the Order the Books Were Written, and everyone is welcome to join us in person or on Zoom. Our general format is to read the introductory material for each section, then read through the Biblical texts and talk about what it meant for early Christians and what it might mean for us today.


Sewing Group: Wednesdays, 10am–1pm. The Sewing Group meets at the church on Wednesdays starting at 10am. At noon, those who can’t join them in person are welcome to “Zoom in” for their lunchtime social hour. Everyone is welcome; bring your lunch and enjoy the company.


Zoom Happy hour: Fridays, 5–6pm. All are invited to bring your own beverage and join the conversation on Friday evenings for this social hour in the Zoom room. It’s a great way to keep in touch while it remains complicated to be together in person.


Music at UPC: Music is an important part of our coming together at United Presbyterian Church. We are excited to make music with every resource that we have, and to use a variety of styles, not all at once but intermingled. What emerges is a vibrant worship service with music that includes everyone who wishes to participate.

     UPC Choir: Wednesdays, 6:30–7:30pm in the Music Room. The vocal choir provides music for worship most every Sunday. We welcome new members at any time, and we would love to have your participation. It would be good to have you with us!

     United Ringers handbell choir: Sundays, 11:30am–12:30pm in the Sanctuary. Our handbell choir plays 2–4 octaves of Malmark handbells and handchimes, providing music for worship about once a month. If you’re interested in learning how to play handbells, please inquire. New members are always welcome! No previous experience needed. No auditions to start. If you can count to 4, you can learn to play!

     We also invite instrumentalists and vocalists who’d like to share their gifts to talk with any of our music leaders about providing special music for worship — you can call the church office, email music@upcbgm.org, or speak with them in person after worship.


Children in Worship: “Let the little children come to me…” —Matthew 19:14

We hope you know that children are welcome and encouraged to be in worship with you. We truly believe that a community of faith is made up of people of ALL ages. There is a PrayGround space with coloring sheets and quiet toys in the front of the sanctuary to use there or can be taken to another pew, if that suits your family’s needs. Sunday school materials are mailed to our families once a month to do together at home.

     There is also a nursery space at the end of the hall at the front of the sanctuary that is open for use with a parent or guardian. It has a changing table, a rocking chair, and some toys appropriate for age two and under. There is a speaker in the room so you can listen to the service. Please let us know if you have questions.