Highlights from Session

by Cynthia Burger, Clerk of Session

The members of Session have taken the following actions in recent months:

• Voted to participate in Preservation Association of the Southern Tier’s “Sacred Sites” tour, May 6 from 2pm to 4pm.
• Rescheduled our May 6 worship service to 4:15pm, to be followed by a potluck dinner. (We cannot have morning worship on May 6 because of road closures for the annual Bridge Run.)
• Heard a presentation from our investment officers at NBT Bank regarding the various funds the church owns.
• Voted to send a resolution regarding the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival to our presbytery assembly meeting on February 24.
• Agreed that Truth Pharm, a local non-profit organization working on advocacy and raising awareness regarding the opioid addiction crisis, could share office space with the Workers’ Center in our building.
• Learned that the Property Team is soliciting bids to do an emergency repair of the roof over the Chapel, Terrace Room, and Library Lounge.
• Approved a request from Lourdes Hospital Mobile Mammography to come to UPC and provide screening mammograms to those in need within our local community.
• Voted to take a stand for dealing with gun violence in support of “March for Our Lives”, and that UPC will provide a rain venue for this march, if needed.
• Approved renting a color copier from ProCare Copier Systems, to replace our aging black & white copier and color laser printer.
• Approved a motion to be listed on the More Light Presbyterians registry, part of the PCUSA; this will help to inform the LGBTQIA population that we are a welcoming and affirming church.
• Approved a request from the Children of Abraham interfaith organization to have a worship service at our church, in which all three of the Abrahamic faith groups could participate.
• Learned about the annual Miller Summer Youth Institute to be held in June in Pittsburgh, PA. This is for high school students graduating in 2018 or 2019 to consider “Who is God calling me to be?” and “What is God calling me to do?”
• Voted to accept the proposed kitchen redesign layout and to share it with the congregation while the architects develop a cost estimate. A final decision whether to proceed has not been made.
• Agreed to host a Small Church Support event on June 2, which is being organized by Presbytery’s Committee on Ministry.