Programs & Events

Women of Distinction are an exceptional group of women who exhibit outstanding leadership through mentoring, community service, and/or business; leadership that embodies the Girl Scout mission of building girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.

This year’s honoree, Shanel Boyce, is a practicing clinical therapist and licensed practical nurse. A seasoned community organizer, activist, advocate, and consultant, Shanel specializes in intersectional anti-racism education and advocacy. She holds a breadth of personal and professional experience in housing, criminal justice reform, and education. A founding member of BAWSE (Black Activist Women for Social Equity), Shanel is also the proud mom of a Girl Scout.

UPC has partnered with Shanel and BAWSE on a number of community events, and we’re proud to see her receive this prestigious honor! NYPenn Pathways covers 13 counties in the region, and Shanel is only the second Black woman to receive this honor from them.

Proceeds from this celebration support scholarships for GSNYPenn Gold Award Girl Scouts. The Gold Award is Girl Scouting’s highest achievement.

Contact Angela at asmith@gsnypenn.org to reserve your ticket, or register at gsnypenn.org/wod

Presbytery Worship Service and Assembly Meeting

Saturday, September 9, 9am at Northminster Presbyterian Church, Endwell, and on Zoom

All are invited to gather together as a community of faith for our quarterly Presbytery gathering. The Rev. Dr. David Anderson will lead worship (brief bio is at bit.ly/47ZDrCW), and our own Dave Ruston will report to the presbytery about his work on the migration crisis at the Mexico–US border with the Tucson Samaritans in Arizona and here in New York state. Further info, registration, and Zoom link are at susvalpresby.org/Next-Assembly. Pastor Kimberly, Pastor Becky, Chris & Cindy Burger, Sally Hunt, and Scott Kindig will all be attending, and we’d love to see you there too.

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.

We need YOU!

• Do you have cotton fabric that you or others would like to donate? We’ll use it!

• Would you like to share your designing, cutting, sewing, tying, or hemming skills? Please join us!

• Do you have an interest in distributing quilts and other items to community organizations during the holiday season? If so, we can assure you it will bring smiles to you and the recipients!

The group is always seeking new members, regardless of prior experience or skill level. You can meet in person with the group each Wednesday in the Upper Lounge from 10 am to noon, with lunch from noon to 1 pm. If you can’t make the meeting in person, you can work from home and Zoom in for the social time at noon if you wish. 

Please reach out to one of the current members (Pastor Kimberly Chastain, Pastor Becky Kindig, Cindy Burger, Cindy Chadwick, Ann Cobb, Ellen Hancock-Berti, Jean Hill, Janet and Len Hoover, Margaret Sands, Marion Timson, and Nancy Walter) or the church office for further information or if you’d like to join us. 

Attend a Small Church Leaders’ Conference with Funding from Presbytery

Here in the Susquehanna Valley, all of our congregations are small congregations (with less than 100 in worship weekly), so the Presbytery is offering funds this fall to encourage pastors and leaders in our congregations to participate in conferences for small church leaders. These conferences aspire to provide Christ-centered opportunities for inspiration, encouragement, and community among leaders of small-membership churches, so they can do the same in their congregations and regions. The Commission on Christian Leadership Formation will reimburse up to $100 when you register for one of the following:

• Sept. 24–26, “Looking Forward: Church, Hope, and the Future of [Small] Congregations”, Henderson Leadership Conference at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary: online $25, in-person $100 (lodging not included). pts.edu/henderson-2324. Rev. Dr. Will Willimond’s keynote lecture 9/25 @ 7pm will be streamed online and is FREE to attend. Willimon has been listening to pastors and congregations in hundreds of American churches and has a hopeful, Christ-centered word for small churches and their leaders. And after the Tuesday morning lecture “Pastoral Imagination: Developing, Nurturing, and Sustaining It”, Rev. Greg Garis will host a Zoom discussion group for those of us who attend online. Contact greg@susvalpresby.org for the Zoom link.

• Oct. 9–11, Wee Kirk Northeast Small Church Conference at Laurelville Mennonite Church Center, Mt. Pleasant, PA: online $50, in-person $175 (includes lodging, double-occupancy). wee-kirk-ne.org

• Oct. 16–18, Wee Kirk Montreat Conference at Montreat, NC: in-person only, $380/person or $405/couple. montreat.org/events/wee-kirk-23

Reimbursement info is at susvalpresby.org/small

Coming soon, Presentations on Small Church Vitality: Also this fall, the Presbytery is working to engage speakers for several Zoom presentations that will be offered this fall. Dates and topics will be announced soon. We’d like to arrange hybrid “watch parties” in a few locations so people can gather in small groups to attend the presentation and engage in discussions together. If you would like to host such a gathering at your church (or even at a member’s house), please contact Scott Kindig at cclefchair@susvalpresby.org. 

The Small Church Vitality initiative is funded by proceeds from the sale of the Ross Memorial Presbyterian Church.

Sept. 29–Oct. 1: Wilderness Prophets and the Climate Crisis. Come explore how the wilderness prophets are relevant to spiritual care and action in a time of climate crisis and discern your own prophetic call for this time. We’ll read scripture, engage scripture and spend time in contemplation in the more-than-human world.

Oct. 6–9: Wild Gender. Come engage questions like “What do creatures, plants, landforms and waterways have to teach us about stealth and fabulousness? How does the more-than-human world invite us to authentic gender expression? And how can trans and genderqueer reclaim wilderness as safe space?”

Oct. 13–15: Playing and Praying with Clay. Potter, sculptor, philosopher M.C. Richards said, “It’s not pots we are making; it’s ourselves.” Come to the mountain at the height of Autumn colors. Take some clay in your hands and listen to your life. Listen to the wind and leaves. Walk the stony paths. We’ll listen and wonder and create as we reflect on our lives and our place in family of things. Along the way we may encounter wonder, grief, gratitude, and a sense of coming home to ourselves. No prior experience necessary. 

Oct. 27–29: Walking Awake into the Celtic New Year. Come learn about Celtic spirituality at this particularly potent time of year. Practice listening for the seen and the unseen. Engage in ritual and ceremony. Wander the beautiful lands at the turn of the Celtic year.

Nov. 3–5: GEEZ Magazine presents Communing Across the Veil. Aligned with the Fall 2023 issue of GEEZ Magazine on ancestors, this retreat in the woods of the Appalachian mountains will offer altar building, storytelling, and listening for the guidance of those who came before us and continue to guide our work and lives today.

Nov. 10–12: A Raft in the Storm. Join Bill Wylie-Kellerman and Joe Reilly for a conversation about the still-timely book by Thich Nhat Hanh and Dan Berrigan. The book is a record of their conversation over tea about such topics as memory, Eucharist, prison, exile, self-immolation, & communities of resistance.

We’re also excited about our EVEN MORE ROBUST 2024 retreat schedule, which will likely include everything from decolonizing the psyche and unlearning white supremacy to writing and yoga retreats to straw bale construction and beyond. More information and registration are at kirkridge.org