Presbytery News

Our Presbytery works busily throughout the year to live out its mission to serve and encourage congregations as we together seek to be faithful in our calling to Jesus Christ. Here are some highlights of the ministry that is being done in the presbytery:

Rev. Dr. Greg Garis, our Lead Presbyter for Transformation, has introduced a new Presbytery Prayer Calendar (susvalpresby.org/Prayer-Calendar) which runs from December 1, 2024, to November 23, 2025 (the Liturgical year), cycling through each of the various congregations of the presbytery, as well as the committees of the presbytery and the staff of the presbytery, synod, and offices of the General Assembly. We’re all encouraged to take some time each week to pray for our siblings in Christ.

The budget for 2025 was approved by the Presbytery Assembly in November, with expected expenses of $378,499 next year. Nearly 30% of the budget will be funded by drawing on the Presbytery’s reserve funds, while 22% is funded through Per Capita assessments and 10% comes from a grant provided by the Synod of the Northeast to support the Lead Presbyter position.

The presbytery will welcome a special guest in April, the Rev. Tony Larson, Co-Moderator of the PC(USA) General Assembly. Rev. Larson will lead worship at the Presbytery Assembly meeting on April 12, location to be determined.

New officers were elected for the Presbytery for the 2025 calendar year: Moderator, Rev. Paul Huh (Walton); Vice-Moderator, Elder Dorothy Troike (Cortland); Cabinet Chair, Rev. Dave Johnson (Cortland). Many people were elected to serve on committees and commissions of the Presbytery, but there are still several open seats. They’re looking for female Ruling Elders to serve on the Cabinet, the Commission on Ministry (COM), and the Commission on Christian Leadership Formation; male Ruling Elders for COM, the Committee on Representation, and the Committee on Nominations; and additional members to serve on the Permanent Judicial Commission. If you’re interested in learning more about the work of the Presbytery, contact the Co–Stated Clerks (Rev. Becky Kindig and Elder Chris Burger, both from UPC) at statedclerk@susvalpresby.org.

Frontier Fellowship has been and continues to be focused on going wider, deeper and farther with the Good News. Along with all our partners and mission colleagues, we are passionate about reaching the least-reached. This isn’t just our passion; it’s God’s passion and the reason he sent Jesus, Immanuel (God with us).

We hope this year’s Advent Devotional, Grace to Come (frontierfellowship.com/media/advent-devotional-2024), will encourage and inspire you, your family and friends to set aside time to reflect on Jesus’ presence throughout Scripture, throughout the ages and throughout the world. We also encourage you to read through our 2024 Christmas Gift Catalog, When Grace Appears (frontierfellowship.com/christmas-gift-catalog). Please take time to pray and consider how your contribution can help spread the news of God’s love and grace, nurture frontier mission partnerships and make it possible for more people to be involved in making Jesus known.

Starting as a mission of the United Presbyterian Church of Portland, Oregon, for more than 40 years Frontier Fellowship has been following a call to engage the Church — inviting, educating, inspiring, gathering, and equipping followers of Jesus to embrace their God-given roles in making his name known among every nation, tribe, people, and language. Unreached people groups are ethno-linguistic communities with little or no access to the Gospel. Researchers estimate there are over two billion people from more than 6,500 unique groups in the world today who’ve never heard about Jesus. Learn more about Frontier Fellowship at frontierfellowship.com.

Greetings from the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations!

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), along with Presbyterian Women, will form a joint delegation to attend the UN’s 69th Commission on the Status of Women to be held March 10–21, 2025. Although it is only December, our office is already busy preparing for next year’s Commission on the Status of Women which is held every March at the UN headquarters in New York City. The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. 

We are proud to be a part of this community of over 5,000 participants from around the world, including UN Member States, UN programs, agencies, and civil society who come together to further gender equity. The main focus of the sixty-ninth session will be on the review and appraisal of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcomes of the 23rd special session of the General Assembly.

The review will include an assessment of current challenges that affect the implementation of the Platform for Action and the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of women and its contribution towards the full realization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

We are reaching out to you to nominate people from your presbyteries and synods to participate in CSW69. If you know anyone who would benefit from this learning and leadership opportunity, please have them fill out this application form before January 3rd, 2025. Due to high demand and limited spots, we recommend submitting the application before the deadline. Individuals selected as delegates should have some knowledge of or interest in the issues addressed by the 69th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women. In addition, efforts will be made to select a delegation that reflects the diversity of the PC(USA) including age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity, and geographical distribution. 

More information on CSW, expectations of delegates, the tentative schedule, and more can be found on the application form. In addition, here is an overview from CSW68 for a flavor of what CSW looks like each year.

We look forward to having delegates from your Mid Council join us here in New York in March! If you have any questions regarding CSW or the CSW application, please do not hesitate to reach out to Clare Balsan, our Advocacy Associate, by email (clare.balsan@pcusa.org) or phone (502-612-6130). 

Grace and Peace, 

Sue Rheem (she/her/hers)
Head of Office & Representative to the United Nations
Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations
presbyterianmission.org/ministries/un

Practical Resources for Churches

Practical Resources for Churches (prcli.org) is a resource that the Presbytery of Susquehanna Valley’s Commission on Ministry subscribes to so all congregations in our presbytery can access their programs. You’re encouraged to check out all they have to offer and take advantage of the abundance of programs and information. Many of their programs and webinars are available at no charge to you through our paid subscription, and most of their webinars are recorded and available for later viewing if you missed attending it live. 

Their “Pew to Pulpit” series is for church folks who find themselves leading worship — whether stepping in for a pastor on leave, helping during a transition, or moving to stronger congregational leadership. The series is part practical support, part art, and part encouragement. Recordings of workshops in the series are available on PRC’s website.

They also have links to resources on a wide variety of topics including caring ministries, spiritual practices, small church life, social justice, and environmental stewardship. Other resources include:

What’s Next — A biweekly sharing of timely resources and upcoming webinars. The current (11/20/2024) letter is at conta.cc/3CBBJMN

Just One More Page — A monthly book review blog. prcli.org/prc-book-review-blog

Cultivate: growing in faith — Christian Education and faith formation resources, ideas, and anecdotes for adults, children, youth, families, and multigenerational ministry. The December 2024 letter is at bit.ly/4gknTwR