Embedded Files
Mission and
We are committed to the practice of hospitality, offering space to initiatives and groups that share our priorities.
We are committed to building up Binghamton, including our own neighborhood, through alliances and outreach to the formerly incarcerated, the homeless, people with addictions, and the working poor.
We seek to employ our resources of money, time, and talent in a variety of ways to accomplish the first two goals.
We have been challenged to live into these goals during the pandemic. The need for physical distancing and concerns about ventilation made it difficult for us to use our building as the focus of our hospitality like we have in the past, and so we have had to adapt our programs and exercise creativity and stewardship to continue reaching the community.
Mission Projects
Mission Projects
The three biggest mission projects in terms of time and energy invested were the Community Meal & Food Pantry, the Sewing & Knitting Group, and the Afghan Resettlement project.
Community Meal & Food Pantry: The Community Meal and Food Pantry continue to serve a large number of guests each week. We have continued to be flexible throughout the pandemic. After serving meals as takeout only for more than two years, we reopened Fellowship Hall for inside eating in April 2022, and that option is becoming more popular with our guests. The volunteers and staff continue to adjust how we serve. Everyone — guests and volunteers — seem to enjoy the present system of serving the guests restaurant-style. The guests come in and are served drinks, then their order is taken, and the food is brought to them at the table. Since the guests can choose what is put on their plate, we seem to have less food waste. Any guest can have seconds and may take home a few meals for later or for the rest of the family. A few of our guests do take meals to other apartment residents. We delay takeout meals until 5:15 now so those who are dining in can get served first. For the month of May 2022, we gave out 956 meals to 386 people.
Ann Garcia’s refried beans made a tasty addition to our taco casserole recently.
April 26, 2022 was the first time we served the meal indoors since the start of the pandemic. Our guests are doing a good job observing safe distancing while they eat.
The pantry stays very busy. Every Friday, Sherry, Carol, and Alex go to CHOW for orders and pick up anything extra that is available. We get a truck delivery from the Foodbank of the Southern Tier about 2–3 times a month. Each food delivery is over 1,000 pounds of food. This keeps the pantry stocked with choices. Our guests are allowed to come once a week to shop on their own, making their own choices. The pantry is open Monday and Wednesday, 12–5pm. We stock the pantry with multiple choices of dairy, protein, grains, vegetables, and fruits. In the month of May we served 169 households; this includes 50 seniors, 148 children, and 248 adults, for a total of 446 people served. The third Monday and Wednesday of every month the pantry also offers and provides hygiene products and detergents to anyone in need. This has replaced the Care and Share program. We also provide emergency food boxes including dishes, flatware, a can opener, and microwave food to people who are placed in temporary housing following incarceration, rehabilitation, or emergency housing. We joined the Healthy Pantry Initiatives at the Foodbank of the Southern Tier to provide the healthiest food selections possible. Other service groups, such as Mothers and Babies, YWCA, and Project Hope, have been invited in to educate and assist our guests.
We provide some clothing to anyone in need. There are household items available to distribute to anyone in need. Binghamton University had a “drop off” drive for exiting students. Instead of taking things to the curb, students could drop off any items and food they would not be taking home with them. On Thursday, May 26, Sherry picked up an entire carload of food and items from this drive. So far, we’ve given away five microwaves, three toaster ovens, and various other household items.
And last but not least, we cannot forget the congregational egg-dyeing event that was so much fun and will now be a yearly event. Decorated eggs were given to our meal and food pantry guests in celebration of Easter.
Families in our congregation gathered after worship on Palm Sunday to decorate eggs for the guests of the Community Meal and Pantry.
Quilts produced by the Sewing Group go through many steps: choosing fabric, cutting blocks, designing and formatting, stitching blocks in rows, sewing rows together, adding a backing and batting, tying, and hemming. Teamwork makes all the difference!
Sewing & Knitting Group: Throughout 2021 and thus far in 2022, members of the Sewing & Knitting Group have continued to meet, crafting quilts and other items for distribution to the community. The Sewing Group’s mission hasn’t changed in the more than half-century that the group has been active: to help others by providing functional items of comfort throughout Greater Binghamton and beyond. Even with restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the group made quilts, blankets, walker “carry bags,” hats, scarves, mittens, stuffed animals and other items for donation to new babies, community groups, nursing homes, and those in need.
The inability to meet in person for part of this time didn’t hinder the group. Sewing Group members worked on projects at home and met every Wednesday at noon via Zoom to keep in touch with each other and provide updates on current happenings within the church family. The group resumed in-person meetings in the fall of 2021 for those who are able to do so. The Zoom option for the lunch hour continues, with members tuning in from far and wide, including Florida and Philadelphia, PA.
January 2021–May 2022 Activities:
Members worked at home and/or met in person at the church when possible, creating approximately 50 quilts, 19 walker bags, fleece and crocheted blankets, assorted pillows and stuffed animals, and dozens of mittens, hats, and scarves
Items were displayed in the sanctuary and dedicated in November 2021
In December 2021, the items were distributed to local organizations such as the YWCA, Willow Point, Elizabeth Church Manor, Bridgewater, Hilltop, Good Shepherd, and the Relocation Assistance Program
Quilts were provided to Camp Sunshine in the state of Maine, a program that assists children with life-threatening illnesses, delivered by Chris and Cindy Burger
Hats, mittens and scarves were provided to our UPC lobby community, and to guests at the Food Pantry
Others in the congregation and friends of congregation members donated hats, scarves, and mittens to supplement the Sewing Group’s offerings. A generous donation of more than 60 handmade hats was provided by crafters at Susquehanna Nursing Home.
Top: Sewing Group members Cindy Burger, Cindy Chadwick, Ellen Hancock-Berti, Janet and Len Hoover, Ann Cobb, Jean Hill, and Kathy Preston arranged handmade items in preparation for the “blessing of the quilts” in November 2021.
Bottom: A small sample of the quilts, walker bags, stuffed toys, hats, scarves and other items crafted by the Sewing & Knitting Group.
Each quilt has its own personality, from sophisticated to fun. A Gumby and Pokey quilt would bring a smile to any recipient!
Future Plans: The group will continue its mission of providing comforting and functional items for those throughout the community. Gratitude from recipients continues to be strong. The group is always seeking new members, regardless of prior experience or skill level. For more information, please contact the church office or one of the group’s members.
Current Members: Cindy & Chris Burger, Cindy Chadwick, Ann Cobb, Ellen Hancock-Berti, Reeta Hayes, Jean Hill, Janet & Len Hoover, Kathy Preston, Margaret Sands, Nancy Walter, and Pastors Kimberly Chastain & Becky Kindig.
Afghan Resettlement project: Among our mission projects this year, we had one that literally walked through UPC’s door. An Afghan man who has resided in the Southern Tier for 30 years came to our church, asking for help in getting his family members out of Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover in the summer of 2021. They were in danger by being both an ethnic and a religious minority that the Taliban persecutes. So our pastors put out a call to area churches, temples, mosques, the American Civic Association, and Journey’s End Refugee Services, asking for help. It was a joy to see so many people unite to aid in this endeavor! The first hurdle was to figure out the enormous amount of paperwork to file for Humanitarian Parole through the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Service. We then had to recruit sponsors and submit fees for each application. The community came together with an overwhelming response, and 137 applications for Humanitarian Parole were submitted! We owe a great, big thank you to Pastor Becky and Scott Kindig for all of their efforts and hard work in organizing all of the above!
We then waited for weeks, hoping for some action to occur after filing all the paperwork. We were eventually told, though, that there was no movement on these applications by the USCIS because military bases around the United States were already filled with the Afghan families who had been evacuated by the U.S. military before our withdrawal in August. So, our community responded again with help, through “Sponsor Circles” set up in our Southern Tier area to resettle some of the Afghan families who were on these military bases.
The Sponsor Circles Program is a program set up by the government whereby groups of volunteers can seek to become mini-resettlement groups, who work with one of the nine national resettlement agencies in the United States. They raise money, get background checks, and take some training to get approved to host a family from Afghanistan that was evacuated to a U.S. military base. The circle helps the new family directly by resettling them into the area. Some of the volunteers in our area from Temple Concord, Temple Israel, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation, and UPC set up a sponsor circle going by the name of “Binghamton Regional Afghan Immigration Network” (BRAIN). Sponsor circles were also established in Johnson City and Owego.
BRAIN raised the minimum amount of money required to sponsor an Afghan family, completed the other requirements, and sent in the application. After doing this, we were informed that we would be receiving a family of five on February 10th: a father, a mother, a 27-year-old son, an 18-year-old daughter, and a 13-year-old son. Many people from temples, mosques, and churches committed their time and resources and helped to make this happen. With these resources, the sponsor group helped the family find a place to live, painted and cleaned the new residence, and set up their household. After they arrived, we helped to set up social services and medical benefits, enrolled the children in schools, took them to doctors’ appointments, and are presently helping them find jobs. We have been blessed to work with and get to know this wonderful family! We also are so blessed to be in a community that has contributed time, talents, and financial resources to make this family thrive and feel welcome!
Our work will continue with this family and possibly others yet to come. There is also still the hope that the Binghamton man who first came to UPC’s doors for help might be able to bring his loved ones here from Afghanistan as well.
Thank you for all your support and prayers in this mission!
After locating a suitable apartment for the Afghan family, volunteers helped clean and paint it in advance of their arrival on February 10.
On February 10, members of our Sponsor Circle drove up to Syracuse Airport to greet the Afghan family and take them back to their new home in Binghamton. They said they never expected such a warm welcome!
Other Projects
Other Projects
Support for individuals returning from incarceration: Through the “Walk With Me” program, we partner with the Family Enrichment Network and Justice and Unity in the Southern Tier to better the conditions of people returning to our community from incarceration. We fund two part-time case managers, and we reach out to community agencies to develop training, support, and job development as the reentry process progresses. We also provide space for the Southern Tier AIDS Program’s “Ready-Set-Work” class, which helps returnees to learn the skills necessary for finding and holding a job.
Presbyterian Mission: The Presbyterian Mission Agency is the ministry and mission agency of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The PMA strives to inspire, equip, and connect all Presbyterians for the church’s work. Our congregation actively supports the PMA through four special offerings:
The One Great Hour of Sharing offering supports hunger and disaster relief, and self-development of people.
The Pentecost offering supports children at risk, and youth & young adult ministry.
The Peace & Global Witness offering supports peacemaking and reconciliation.
The Christmas Joy offering supports church leaders — past, present, and future — with contributions divided 50% to the Assistance Program of the Board of Pensions and 50% to Racial/Ethnic Education at Presbyterian-related schools and colleges.
Broome County Council of Churches: Projects UPC is involved with include CHOW/Broome Bounty, Faith in Action (trains volunteer caregivers), Hospital Ministry (serves both UHS hospitals with 24/7 pastoral care, and trains volunteers for support and advocacy), and the Broome County Jail Ministry.
International Gifts: We are blessed to have a mission relationship with Whuti-Srogboe Evangelical Presbyterian Church (in the South Volta region of Ghana) through our member and their son, Dr. Elikem Nyamuame. The church runs the only elementary school in the region. We pledge $1000 every year to support the work and periodically collect special offerings and donations of school supplies and musical instruments that Elikem brings to them when he visits his family there.
In the winter/spring of 2022, UPC members David Ruston and Greg Patinka spent several weeks working with the Tucson Samaritans, a ministry of the Southside Presbyterian Church. This program searches for travelers in the desert in an effort to save lives at the Mexico/U.S. border. Dave and Greg learned about the migrants who come to our borders seeking refuge and safety, and participated in the humanitarian missions that offer water and other life-conserving services to the people who are in desperate need. Two of their mission co-workers, Dora Rodriguez and Gail Kocourek, started the Casa Esperanza resource center in Sasabe, Mexico, to aid travelers after the U.S. began deporting busloads of travelers into a community with very limited services. In Dave’s video messages about their work, he told of meeting a small group of Guatemalan kids in Sasabe, ages 10–17, who were “unaccompanied minors” planning to try and cross into the U.S. to reunite with their family members who are already living in the States. We took a special collection and provided mission funds to support the Casa Esperanza center.
The Casa Esperanza center in Sasabe, Mexico, offers a place where migrants dropped off by the Border Patrol can get a meal, clean clothes, and shoelaces — the Border Patrol confiscates them when they process migrants but does not return them when the migrants are released.
Support through Providing Space
Support through Providing Space
Our building is used for so much more than worship and church programs. UPC maintains many integral community partnerships to create the largest impact on our friends and neighbors. We engage with the community around us by offering space to gather and socialize, by providing information and resources to help as we are able, and by serving as a meeting space and home to other agencies whose missions align with our own. By keeping various programs going, we are creating trust and friendship with people from downtown Binghamton and all the surrounding neighborhoods. In measuring the church’s impact on the local community, we are able to make note of that change. We as a congregation are blessed to see change in the lives of those we serve, and change in our spiritual lives for the better.
Associates for Training and Development (A4TD), with a handicapped-accessible office on the second floor, administers the U.S. Department of Labor’s Senior Community Service Employment Program in central New York and northeast Pennsylvania. The SCSEP is a work-based job training program for income-eligible, unemployed job seekers age 55 or older.
We continue to host the Binghamton City School District’s Adult Education and Alternative High School, which occupies most of our second floor. This spring they graduated 20 students, including our own Jazmine Meade. (Congratulations, Jazmine!)
For several years, one of our major partners has been VINES (Volunteers Improving Neighborhood Environments). Housed in the basement office suite, VINES makes it possible for people of all incomes to grow their own food or access locally grown produce. VINES serves over 2,000 families through its community gardens, Grow Binghamton youth program, and Farm Share veggie subscription program, as well as offering cooking and gardening classes for the community.
We support advocacy and civil rights through our partnerships with the Labor/Action Coalition Workers’ Center of the Southern Tier, whose office is located in our building, and through the Justice and Unity for the Southern Tier’s “Walk with Me” support system for people who have recently been released from the Broome County Jail. We regularly work with Citizen Action of New York, providing them space and use of equipment for their community programs such as anti-racism training.
We partner with many individuals and groups in our local arts community, including the Binghamton chapter of the American Guild of Organists, the Classical Pianists of the Future, and local piano studios who use our space and instruments for their recitals.
Our partnership with the Presbytery of Susquehanna Valley continues as we house the Presbytery’s records archives and provide storage for equipment used for events and assembly meetings. Since the departure of their office administrator this spring, we have also served as their “post office”, receiving their mail and faxes and passing them on electronically to the appropriate committees or to the presbytery’s Co–Stated Clerks (who are our own member Chris Burger and Pastor Becky).
We are so happy that we can partner with so many organizations that are helping to make a real, positive impact on the lives of people in downtown Binghamton and the surrounding area. Thank you for your support in welcoming all of these groups into our building to do ministry with us!
Future Plans: It is our hope that we will be able to continue expanding our programs as we move forward into 2022–23. We are grateful that God has given us the resources to be a mission center in downtown Binghamton. We would be glad to hear from you about the priorities you hold as we begin to envision the future anew.
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