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