Programs & Events

Bible Study: Evolution of the Word

Mondays, 12:30 pm, Chapel or Zoom Room

We started reading Marcus Borg’s Evolution of the Word: The New Testament in the Order the Books Were Written during the pandemic, to learn about how Christianity developed in the early centuries and see how it affects our understanding of the New Testament. We stopped in June of 2021 because we were feeling overwhelmed by life (not by the book).

We’ve started again at the beginning, and everyone is welcome to join us in person or on Zoom. 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. Copies of the book are available in the church office.

Donate to keep books flowing into the Broome County Jail

“Thank you, it is SO good to have books.”

It’s amazing what a simple used $5 novel can do. It is, after all, desperate times in our COVID hotspot jail. Most sections are locked down, meaning women and men often spend 20 hours or more locked in their cages. The jail’s mass solitary confinement endangers everyone’s health and sanity. Seeking freedom now, persons inside most often ask for books. Science fiction, novels of every description, history books, dictionaries, large print bibles, and Korans. The joy they bring is incalculable:

“Having crossword books is wonderful… I get to actually engage my brain and think! It is a mindless, sad existence here… thank you again.”

The Book a Month Club, through Justice and Unity in the Southern Tier (justicest.com), provides one book at $15.00 or under by request for those incarcerated in the BC Jail. The program takes requests from the JUST visiting/calling crew, letter, or the GettingOut website, and has the books sent, according to jail mandates, directly to the individual at no expense to them. The program has been supported solely by donations.

You can donate by using JUST’s PayPal or Gofundme for Books, or by check paid to “Justice and Unity for the Southern Tier”, JUST, PO Box 93, Bible School Park, NY 13737. Please specify you want your donation to go to books. If you want to request a book for someone inside BC Jail, please write to Victoria Delaney c/o JUST, PO Box 93, Bible School Park, NY 13737.

All donations to the book drive in 2022 are tax-deductible.

Sacred Sites Open House, Sunday, July 24

The Preservation Association of the Southern Tier (PAST) is co-sponsoring with The New York Landmarks Conservancy a Sacred Sites Open House on Sunday, July 24, at various times between 11am and 4pm. This state-wide event is free and open to the public. To obtain a listing of the twenty Sacred Sites open in the Southern Tier, Binghamton, Johnson City, Endwell, and Endicott, go to pastny.org, or to local libraries, history centers, or religious sites. The theme this year is “Re-Opening Our Doors”. This is an opportunity for the public to be a tourist in their own neighborhood and view the interiors of these magnificent buildings.

The Landmark Church, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Binghamton, and the Masjid AL-TAwheed Islamic Awareness Center are amongst the religious structures featured in this year’s Sacred Sites Open House.

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 #
press # again, then enter the passcode: 42456 #

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

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.

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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