Our Church Family
Join Us for Worship on Facebook Live
We live-stream our worship services on our public Facebook page. (You don’t need a Facebook account to see the videos.) The videos are available for several weeks after they are posted, so if you missed out on watching live, you can view it later on our website or our Facebook page.
Online Giving
We now have the ability to receive tax-deductible contributions online through our website (upcbgm.org/giving/donate). Contributions can be made by check or credit card, and can also be set up as a recurring gift. We encourage you to lift up in prayer how God will use you to bless UPC in fulfilling our mission to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.
Get Involved!
Our church teams are always welcoming new team members. If you’d like to help with or learn more about the workings of the church, talk to one of the pastors or one of the team leaders: Communications, Sally Hunt; Deacons, Allison Nyamuame or Aaron Whitney; Property, George Cummings; Spiritual Formation, Doug Jones; Worship & Music, Suzie Raboy.
Coffee Fellowship Refreshments
Want to provide refreshments one Sunday? Sign up on the church bulletin board across the hall from the sanctuary.
Tablecloths, napkins, plates, and serving dishes are in the kitchenette, off the Library Lounge, for your use.
All offerings are welcome!
In Memoriam
Jack Carl Budd, 93, formerly of Johnson City, passed away July 24, 2019, at Shady Grove Hospital in Rockville, Maryland, after a brief illness. He was a loving husband, father, and grandfather. He will be remembered for his kindness, generosity, and sense of humor. He was always in a good mood and his favorite saying was “it’s better to laugh than cry”.
He is predeceased by his wife Martha Hammond Budd of Johnson City and a sister, Betty Johnson of Brandon, Florida. He is survived by his son David Budd (Julie) of Poolesville, MD, and three grandchildren, Kirby, Justin, and Patrick Budd; also many nieces, nephews and dear friends.
Jack served in the Army Air Corps during World War II, completing more than 31 bombing missions over Japan as a tail gunner on a B-29 bomber. While serving, he received the Air Medal with 3 OLC as well as the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism. Jack worked for New York State Electric & Gas for 25 years, after which he dedicated his time to family, travel, and golf. He was a member of the United Presbyterian Church of Binghamton.
William Frederick Hickling, 93, died on July 17, 2019, at Good Shepherd Village Nursing Facility. Fred was born on November 25, 1925, the only child of William Greaves Hickling and Marguerite Earlenbaugh Hickling, who predeceased him, as did his step-father, John Kerslake, and infant granddaughter Allison. He is survived by his wife and college sweetheart of 70 years, Barbara J. Abt (Bobbie); his children: Dr. William (Mary) and Jeffrey (Kathleen) Hickling and Nancy H. (John) Winstead; eight grandchildren: Robert (Korey), Christopher (Alice), and William Matthew (Kelly) Hickling, Nancy H. (Jake) Sulovski, and Scott (Kendall), Frederick (Kelly), John Jr., and Marguerite Winstead; nine great-grandchildren; John Robert, Mary Abigail, Caroline, Zachary, Charles, Brooklyn, and Makena Hickling, and Barrett and Luke Sulovski; as well as two step-sisters, Shirley Anne Kerslake Southmayd (Alan) and Margery Kerslake Robertiello, a brother-in-law William Abt (Dorothy), and several nieces and nephews.
Fred graduated from Binghamton Central High School in 1943, finished a year at Cornell University, and enlisted in the Navy in June of 1944. He returned to Cornell in the fall of 1945, graduating in February 1948 with a Bachelor’s of Electrical Engineering. He attended Case Western Reserve for a semester before beginning 40 years of employment with New York State Electric and Gas, starting as a cadet engineer. In his years at NYSEG, he held a number of different positions, most notably as Manager of Power Supply and System Operations. He also attended graduate programs at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Michigan.
Fred’s avocations were numerous. Late in his thirties he took lessons in oil painting from the curator of the Auburn Museum; from oils he moved into watercolors, and during his retirement years while traveling extensively with Bobbie he was constantly sketching the sights he was enjoying. He found new interest after retirement in waterfowl carving and devoted hours to creating both decoy size and full-size models of ducks, geese, and loons. When his eyesight began to fail, he shifted to acrylics.
He loved reading, especially U.S. history, and most particularly he became something of an expert about the Civil War years and World Wars I and II. In the years after he moved to Good Shepherd Village, he entertained residents with PowerPoint talks about early New York State history.
Fred’s greatest joy came from fishing Canadian waters, conditioned by a father who was raised in Dawson Territory and fished all his life. He relished hours in a boat trolling for speckled trout and walleye and canoeing in small Canadian lakes. He “chased the blues” many a summer, deep-sea fishing off the Jersey Coast. When he wasn’t on the water, he chased that little white golf ball.
Fred loved all things “Cornell”. For 40 years or more he could be found, with Bobbie, sitting in the “Crescent” on Saturday afternoon following the plight of Cornell’s “eleven”. Throughout his adult years he & Bobbie made many friends playing bridge, traveled, and reminisced about the sights they saw.
Fred also served at various times on the Boards of Deacons, Elders, and many years as a Trustee for the former First Presbyterian Church of Binghamton (now United Presbyterian).
The family would like to thank the staff and administration at Good Shepherd for the loving care they provided Fred the last three years of his life.
Susan H. (Burger) Mitchell, 99, passed away on March 2, 2019, at the United Methodist Homes Hilltop Campus in Johnson City, NY. She was born December 29, 1919, in New York City. She was predeceased by parents Wilhelm and Gretel Van dem Emster; her sister Helen Dickens; and two husbands, Egbert Burger and Edmond Mitchell.
She is survived by three children: Chris (Cynthia) Burger, Whitney Point, NY; Barbara (Edgar) Stevenson, Carmel, NY; and Raymond (Elizabeth) Burger, Ithaca, NY; six grandchildren: Jennifer (Deanna) Wickes, Westbrook, ME; Deborah (Matthew) Mitchell, Tappan, NY; Amanda (Chris) Nelson, High Point, NC; Mark Stevenson, Elijah Burger, and Winter Burger; three great-grandchildren: Ryan Wickes, James Mitchell, and Lucas Nelson; two nephews: Ronald (Karen) Burger and Richard Dickens; and many cousins.
Sue was a strong advocate for education, serving as chair of the Brewster, NY Parent-Teacher Association, Brewster Central School Board of Education, and PEO (Philanthropic Educational Organization). Active in her community, her leadership included serving as Chair of the Brewster Chamber of Commerce and Co-Founder and President of the Southeast Players, a community theater group.
She was a true “people” person, welcoming everyone with open arms. She encouraged her family and friends to always do their best and took great pride in their accomplishments. A talented embroiderer, she also loved to sew, knit, garden, walk on the beach, and always enjoyed a good joke.
A note of thanks: Dear UPC Family,
Our family is so grateful for the love and support you all have shown us when Chris’s mother, Susan (Burger) Mitchell, passed away. It was truly a joy to have so many of you join us on June 22 to celebrate her life. We especially appreciated the efforts of the pastors, the musicians and choir, Ann Cobb and Jean Hill for the refreshments, and Scott Kindig for his technical expertise that enabled others not able to be present to see the service online.
We are blessed. —Chris and Cindy Burger