2022 Ministry & Mission Budget Allocation

Nourishing Worship

The vital center of our life as a congregation is the Sunday morning worship service, when we gather as a family of faith. This is where our work begins and is nurtured — in the love and worship of God, and the community we are building to glorify God.

• We welcome people of all ages and cultures, and are open and affirming of LGBTQIA+ families.

• We share the Word in a range of styles and experiences, striving to accommodate special needs.

• The preaching is practical and focused on understanding and living the gospel in our world.

• The music is varied and inclusive, featuring instruments from organ and piano to shakuhachi and drums, with a bell choir as well as a talented vocal choir to lead our singing.

• As we pray for each other in good times and hard times, we grow together in faith.

• Children are encouraged to participate in the conduct and leadership of the worship as they are able from an early age. A “Pray Ground” offers a space to play and participate in age-appropriate activities within the context of the worshipping community.

We returned to worshipping in person in on Pentecost in 2021. Interestingly, while our in-person worship fluctuates, our online worship numbers have remained high. The flexibility to choose whether to worship at home or in the sanctuary has been a gift to many of our members! We continue to send Sunday School packets to 23 children each week. They include the story from scripture and activities that can assist the children to understand the message or theme of the day.

Radical Hospitality

Early in our life together as United Presbyterian, the Session decided that we will welcome anyone who shares our vision of a place to grow, to gather, and to build each other up. Every encounter is challenging, and every day we learn more about how to love God’s people and provide a safe place for people to come together and grow together.

• Training programs for community activists in the housing crisis and the work of anti-racism in Binghamton.

• A chance to start again for adults who did not finish high school at the usual time.

• A community coming from all walks of life, to serve and share a meal around tables every Tuesday night.

• A community garden and food pantry that help to supply nourishment for those in need.

• A venue for arts groups such as LUMA and Tri-Cities Opera to share their work in the downtown area.

This may be the place that we have felt the impact of the pandemic the most. We have adapted the lobby, the bathrooms, and the building use guidelines to be as welcoming as possible. We have returned to serving our community meal in person, but in a modified form, and we continue to provide many “carry out” meals for those who prefer not to sit in an enclosed space. The food pantry that we started at the beginning of the pandemic served 89 people in 36 families on the day that this report was created, and the need is increasing as supplemental aid has been cut back. We are still experiencing change in who we welcome into our space and how, so we expect these numbers to change again when we start the budgeting process for next year.

Challenging Conversations

Our growth as Christians begins in the worship of the living God, and is grounded in common prayer, study, and conversations with each other and with those who can teach us more about our world and how we can respond to it.

This part of our life together has been deeply affected by the pandemic. Finding the time, the energy, and the passion to engage in the ways we did before has been hard. Everyone is tired from adapting to so much rapid change, and we have benefited from doing and being “less” as we all learn these new ways of being. We are trying out some new ways to re-engage with each other in the year ahead, and we hope to use all that we have learned in our time together and our time apart.

The potluck picnic we shared when these reports were presented is a symbol of our transition to more in-person social gatherings, and with the help of God we will find many ways to keep connecting and challenging each other.

Transforming Mission

We work to transform our community through alliances and outreach to people at risk in our society: the formerly incarcerated, the homeless, people with addictions. We share space, support PC(USA) mission programs and offerings, and:

• Support two case managers in the “Walk with Me” program, helping people returning from incarceration.

• Minister to the incarcerated through the Jail Ministry of Broome County Council of Churches.

• Support community arts programs such as Tri-Cities Opera, LUMA, and PorchFest. This year we also supported both Juneteenth and the Black Excellence Awards.

• Work together with NAACP, PLOT, Justice and Unity for the Southern Tier, STAP, and A4TD to end racism, confront violence, and bring new possibilities for life together in Broome County.

• Participate with VINES, CHOW, and the Food Bank of the Southern Tier to ensure that everyone has access to nourishment. Through our pantry, we offer hygiene products not covered by government assistance as well.

• We have been active in the effort to bring Hazara families from Afghanistan so that they may live in safety. The Hazara are a religious and ethnic minority in Afghanistan who have been targeted by the Taliban since 1996. We are partnering with others in a support circle to help settle four families that have come to the Southern Tier.

• We continue to support the Whuti-Sgroboe congregation in Ghana, sending gifts each year. This year we supported Dave Ruston and Greg Patinka in working with immigrants at the Mexico–U.S. border, and hope to build our awareness and our partnership with them. And we have participated in relief efforts for Ukraine as they are battling the Russian invasion.