Programs & Events

LUMA returns to Binghamton UPC!

LUMA Projection Arts Festival was started in 2015, and our congregation has been a sponsor of the Festival since 2017. In 2018, we hosted the first ever indoor event of the festival, “Transfiguracio”, featuring the Binghamton Philharmonic and a team of creators from Barcelona. In 2019, we hosted “Sviatovid,” a 360-degree projected sculpture created by Akira Wakui of the BARTKRESA Studio.

This year, we are hosting a very special performance by Snow Raven (Haar Suor), an indigenous Siberian wisdom-keeper. At 10pm on Friday September 9 and Saturday September 10, Snow Raven will present “NEOshamanism: The Arctic Siberian Sound Journey,” a 30-minute performance of her unique combination of authentic Sakha (Yakut) traditional shamanic sounds deeply rooted in nature, and modern, cutting-edge, electronic musical forms.

Snow Raven is passionately engaged with activism on behalf of the rights and lands of all far northern Indigenous peoples. You can see videos of her work and learn more about her unique gifts at https://genekeys.com/contributor/snow-raven/

This will be offered as a first-come, first-served event, but organizers are reserving a few seats for UPC members.

You can learn more about the LUMA Festival at https://lumafestival.com/

Workshop on International Migrants

Saturday, October 1, 1:00–4:00pm at the Ruston-Patinkas’ cabin in Harpursville

Rain date: Saturday, October 8

Currently, international migrants comprise 3.5% of the global population, compared to 2.8% in the year 2000. In 2019, regionally, Europe hosted the largest number of international migrants (82 million), followed by Northern America (59 million) and Northern Africa and Western Asia (49 million). You are all invited to join us for a discussion about migration patterns around the world, how UPC is currently providing assistance to migrants, and what more we might do in the future.

We hope you’ll join us for an afternoon of relaxation and contemplation at the Harpursville mountain cabin of Dave Ruston and Greg Patinka. Please RSVP with the church office so we can plan accordingly. (When you RSVP, we’ll also provide you the address so you can find the cabin!)

Observations from the Kitchen

by Sherry Conklin, Community Kitchen Coordinator

The Community Meal and Pantry have been very busy over the summer. The number of guests we are serving for the meal and in the pantry is continuing to rise. More and more people are living on the streets due to evictions and a lack of affordable housing. Binghamton still has developers that are creating more student housing and luxury apartments. The emphasis seems to be on beautification of the area at the expense of the housing-insecure people. The development and beautification of the block around the Mirabito/Rumble Ponies Stadium has displaced another large group of low-income people. Serving this population is overwhelming at times and sometimes seems hopeless. I thought I would share a few stories of gratitude from the guests that we serve.

Volunteers prepare servings of desserts for the Community Meal. We serve an average of 220 meals each week. Around ⅓ of those are served to guests who eat in Fellowship Hall; the rest are take-out meals.

Our pantry works on the honor system, so our guests get to shop and only take what they need. I do have a few restrictions on the number of certain items that they can take. Most people are very appreciative of this system. I have had several women be almost in tears when I tell them they can shop on their own and I don’t need to watch. People are so surprised when I tell them I do not need to check their bags when they leave.

We have families come in with children and I try to keep a special treat for them sometimes when they leave. They love getting ice cream or candy or cookies — special things that mom or dad cannot afford to get them. I always ask the parents first. I get lots of smiles and hugs that way.

The Muslim families that come in often do not take our meat offerings, so I keep frozen fish for them and again they appreciate this so much.

One of our guests always brings a gift first. This guest found a pair of shoes and then asked if it was okay to take the shoes and still get peanut butter and jelly.

We have been able to give out a few donated microwaves and toaster ovens to some of our guests that had no way of cooking in their rooms. We also supply dishes, glasses, flatware, and can openers to those that need these items.

We maintain a limited clothing giveaway for anyone. We are always looking for new underwear and socks to give out to the homeless. In the winter months we give out gloves and scarves, most which are knitted by the First Ward Knitting Group.

We have enrolled in a future program from the Food Bank which will supply both baby and adult diapers and will be available soon.

We have a supply of toys that parents may choose from for birthday presents.

I want to give a big “thank you” to the volunteers that keep the program going: Laurie, Ann, Karen, Suzie, Julie, Tomika, Tory, Bob, David, Randy, Tina, James, Cindy, and Andy. Some volunteers are here each week, and some have special days. Suzie has become the main dishwasher. Dishwashing is a 2-person job, so I am always looking for that extra person to help her.

Our pantry is always in need of: T-shirts that can be made into bags, reusable grocery bags, can openers, and hygiene items, especially for women.

Empowering Parents Group

Thursdays, September 22 – November 10, 11:30am–1:00pm at First Presbyterian Church of Johnson City

The Empowering Parents Group is designed for parents, grandparents and other caregivers who provide guidance to children and young adults. It is a peer-supported group funded in part by the United Way of Broome County and the Community Foundation of South Central New York.

What is an Empowered Parent? An empowered parent has value as a caregiver to children of all ages. Empowered parents seek to understand and practice moral and spiritual nurturing. Parents are empowered through a continuously supportive community.

What you can expect: Parents and caregivers of all ages, with or without children, will find a loving, respectful, non-judgmental environment where we will discuss the concepts of:

Self
Relationships
Boundaries
Communication
Discipline
Peacefulness

Practices include group participation, homework, and presentation skill-building.

Reservation is required. The group is limited to eight participants. Enroll early. Contact the Outreach Coordinator in one of the following ways to answer a few short questions. Office Phone: 607-797-0836; Email: amessa2020@gmail.com

Save the Date: “A Season of Hope” with Joe Jencks

Saturday, December 3, 6pm, at First Presbyterian Church of Johnson City

Enjoy the profound voice and acoustic talents of internationally acclaimed musician Joe Jencks in this free concert event. First Pres JC is hosting this concert as a gift to the community and a celebration of their “This Day” project, the name for their weekly community meal on Wednesdays.

UPC’s “Zoom room”

Modern technology is marvelous! Thanks to the Zoom meetings system, we can gather virtually even when it’s difficult to be together in person. We’ve used our “Zoom room” for worship but also for prayer groups, book studies, hymn sings, and social times.

You can join our meetings and worship services online via your computer, tablet, or mobile device by going to https://upcbgm.org/zoom. If you’ve never used Zoom before, you’ll be prompted to download the Zoom meetings app, which will ask for permission to use your microphone and your camera. We use our “Personal Meeting ID” for worship and most of our programs, so they’re always in the same familiar place.

You can also call in over the phone, if you don’t have a microphone on your device or you can’t join online. To join as a phone, call dial 1-646-558-8656, then enter our Meeting ID: 865 274 8433 #

If you have questions or need help using Zoom, feel free to call the church office for assistance.

Bible Study

Mondays, 12:30–1:30pm, Chapel or 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. Copies of the book are available in the church office.

The general format is to read the introductory material for each section, then to read through the Biblical texts and talk about what it meant for early Christians and what it might mean for us today. We try to discipline ourselves to keeping the conversation to an hour every week.

Zoom Happy hour: Friday evenings, 5–6pm

Bring your own beverage, “Zoom in”, and join the fun as we catch up on the events of the week and share how we’re doing. It’s a great way to keep in touch while it remains complicated to be together in person.

Sewing Group: Wednesdays, 10am–1pm
(with Zoom lunch hour, 12pm–1pm)

The Sewing Group meets every week in the Upper Lounge on the 2nd floor, working to create crib-size or lap quilts, decorative pillows, and walker “carry bags,” as well as knitted hats, sweaters, mittens, scarves, and baby items. Anyone interested is encouraged to join them on Wednesday mornings starting at 10am. No special sewing skills are needed for cutting squares, design layout, pinning, tying, setting the table for lunch, or heating water for tea. Sewing machine and hand hemming skills are a plus.

Our donations are given to:

Charities including

Mom’s House
the YWCA
Rescue Mission
Birthright
Meals on Wheels
Camp Sunshine (for families affected by life-threatening childhood illness)

Care facilities including

Willow Point
Fairview Good Shepherd
United Methodist Homes (Elizabeth Church & St. Louise Manor)
Hilltop
Bridgewater
Absolute Care

as well as our homebound members, and guests in need who come to our UPC lobby. Any newborns in our congregation receive a quilt gift.

Pictured: Cindy and Chris Burger delivered three quilts to Camp Sunshine in April. The camp was thrilled to receive the quilts. They reopened for families in March of this year after having been closed for two years due to the pandemic.

Each Wednesday at noon, those who can’t join the Sewing Group in person at the church are invited to “Zoom in” for their lunchtime social hour. Everyone is welcome; bring your lunch and enjoy the company.

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