Programs & Events

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.

Bible Study

Mondays, 1–2pm, in the Pastor’s Office or the Zoom room

We’ve been reading from Marcus Borg’s Evolution of the Word: The New Testament in the Order the Books Were Written. We are on a break until August 12; when we resume, 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.

Zoom Happy hour

Friday evenings, 5–6pm

After nearly four years of “Zooming” together, our weekly social-distance gathering is still going strong. 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 with friends near and far.

Hartwick Seminary Summer Institute of Theology

Sunday July 28 to Friday August 2 at Hartwick College, Oneonta

Hartwick Seminary Summer Institute of Theology is a Christian education opportunity for laity and clergy that is open to all for personal enrichment and continuing education. People of every faith (and those seeking) are welcome. Two types of classes are offered:

Courses meet for one hour each day Monday – Friday
Seminars are 2½-hour single sessions held Monday–Thursday (afternoons and evenings). Two-part seminars do not require attendance at both parts.

The Theologian in Residence this year will be the Rev. Patrick (Paddy) Rooney, Senior of the Society of the Holy Trinity (STS) — a delightful Irish American who will be teaching three classes. Faculty faith traditions include American Baptist, Assembly of God, Lutheran, Orthodox Church in America, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, and United Methodist.

This year Rev. Cynthia Walton-Leavitt (pastor of Red Door Church in Oneonta) is offering a seminar entitled Palestinians on Monday, July 29, at 6:30pm. The seminar will offer historical background to a conversation about The Other Side of the Wall: A Palestinian Christian Narrative of Lament and Hope by Munther Isaac, Pastor of Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem. Other seminar topics include Christian spirituality, forgiveness, pastoral visitation, prison chaplaincy, and more.

Look over the list of offerings in the HSIT Brochure (bit.ly/4cm6vpJ) to see if there is a course or seminar that piques your interest. The registration form is at bit.ly/4cGpn2q. Individual seminars cost $60 each, week-long courses are $90 each, or commuter tuition is $275 including all meals. Scholarships are available for active members of UPC through the Gladstone Christian Scholarship Trust fund; contact the church office for more info.

For further details about HSIT, please contact Paul Messner, Pastor of the Otsego County Lutheran Parish, and Administrator of the Hartwick Seminary Institute of Theology at prpaul_theoinst@hotmail.com

The Presbytery of Susquehanna Valley’s Commission on Christian Leadership Formation encourages everyone in church leadership to consider Christian enrichment opportunities. May God bless our ministries of education and faith formation.

News from the Presbytery of Susquehanna Valley

Our presbytery’s newsletter, “Thursday Thoughts”, is published every week and includes announcements from our partner congregations in the region, news from the PC(USA) denomination, and links to webinars & resources available to us through the presbytery.

Thursday Thoughts often announces classes and retreats offered by churches, seminaries, and other agencies, some in person and others online.

We are all invited to expand our understanding of the church and its mission through a broad variety of topics. Check it out, you might find something that sparks your interest.

Practical Resources for Churches

Practical Resources for Churches (prcli.org) is a resource that the Presbytery of Susquehanna Valley’s Commission on Ministry subscribes to so all congregations in our presbytery can access their programs. You’re encouraged to check out all they have to offer and take advantage of the abundance of programs and information. Many of their programs and webinars are available at no charge to you through our paid subscription, and most of their webinars are recorded and available for later viewing if you missed attending it live.

Here are three webinars from PRC that are coming up soon:

Responding Effectively to Christian Nationalism — Thursday, July 18, 2–3pm: The dangers that Christian Nationalism poses to both church and state are increasingly understood, but it is hard to know what you and your congregation can do about a problem so big. This webinar will explain what Christian Nationalism is (and isn’t), how many mainline and progressive Christians inadvertently advance its cause, and how individuals and communities can practically respond. Registration for this webinar is required: bit.ly/4cHN36j.
The Gifts They Bring: How Children and the Gospels Can Shape Inclusive Ministry — Tuesday, August 13, 2–3pm: Explore familiar Gospel stories together envisioning afresh the experience of childhood in Jesus’s world and what they might mean for children and families in ministry today. We will reconsider the age and relationship of well-known and lesser-known Bible characters, and read each of these stories in conversation with experiences of real children in the church today, revealing the varied gifts that children bring in a practice of inclusive ministry — such as participation, proclamation, advocacy, listening, sharing, and partnership. Participants will grow more attuned to recognize the gifts that we each bring — children and adults — as essential members working together as one community in the body of Christ and so to share in the gift of Christ together. bit.ly/3Sb29Kn
Managing Stress Before It Manages You — Thursday, September 12, 2–3pm: In this webinar you’ll learn an evidence-based tool to better combat stress and develop your resilience. Webinar leader Charles Stone coaches and equips pastors and teams to effectively navigate the unique challenges ministry brings. By blending Biblical principles with cutting-edge brain-based practices, he helps them enhance their leadership abilities, elevate their preaching/teaching skills, and prioritize self-care. For more info and his blogs, visit charlesstone.com. Register at bit.ly/3XE1Pap.

These webinars are free to you, funded through the Presbytery of Susquehanna Valley’s subscription to PRC.

The “Pew to Pulpit” series is for church folks who find themselves leading worship — whether stepping in for a pastor on leave, helping during a transition, or moving to stronger congregational leadership. The series is part practical support, part art, and part encouragement. Recordings of workshops in the series are available on PRC’s website.

They also have links to resources on a wide variety of topics including caring ministries, spiritual practices, small church life, social justice, and environmental stewardship.

Just One More Page — A monthly book review blog. prcli.org/prc-book-review-blog

Cultivate: growing in faith — Christian Education and faith formation resources, ideas, and anecdotes for adults, children, youth, families, and multigenerational ministry. The June 2024 letter is at bit.ly/4eLwnwU

Youth Ministry Design Workshop — Sunday, August 25, 2–6:30pm (dinner included)
at Johnsonburg Camp and Retreat Center in New Jersey

Facilitated by Liz Moore, Assistant Director, IYM, Princeton Theological Seminary
Sponsored by the Young Leader Formation Team, Presbytery of the Highlands

Are you interested in trying new forms of youth ministry? Join us on August 25th for a Youth Ministry Design Workshop run by the Institute for Youth Ministry at Princeton Theological Seminary! Bring a new idea or project that you would like to see come to life or bring an existing activity/program in your ministry you would like to reimagine. This workshop seeks to help you refine your ideas, identify the resources and support you will need, and encourage you as you partner with God for the care of young people in your context!

Come early or stay late and enjoy the beautiful grounds of Johnsonburg Camp and Conference Center either before or after the scheduled workshop time!

There is no charge for the workshop — Freewill donations are welcome.

Dinner cost is $18, payable at the gathering. Deadline for registration is August 11.
Register at highlandspresbyterynj.org/young-leader-formation-team

Workshop Leader: Liz Moore — Liz Moore is the assistant director of the Institute for Youth Ministry, where she oversees the Certificate in Youth and Theology Program and develops training and resources for youth workers. Liz has more than a decade of experience in youth ministry and pastoral leadership. A sought-after teacher and preacher, Liz is passionate about listening prayer, sustainable ministry, and social change. She holds a BA in Religious Studies from Trinity College in Connecticut and an MDiv from Duke Divinity School.

Frontier Fellowship

As part of God’s mission to the world, Frontier Fellowship invites believing communities to engage people groups where the Good News of Jesus and his Kingdom is not yet known.

Read their summer newsletter bit.ly/3VLSzOH, and check out their summer prayer guide, Called to Pray, at issuu.com/frontierfellowship/docs/called_to_pray.

Announcing a new opportunity for fellowship through prayer: Beginning August 1 at 8:00pm EDT, Frontier Fellowship will host Called to Prayer gatherings via Zoom on the first Thursday of every month. We would love to have you join us each month (or as often as you are able!) to focus our hearts on God and His love for all peoples. We want every person on the frontier to know Jesus and experience the blessing of knowing Him personally. You can learn more and register at frontierfellowship.com/called-to-prayer.

Starting as a mission of the United Presbyterian Church of Portland, Oregon, for more than 40 years Frontier Fellowship has been following a call to engage the Church — inviting, educating, inspiring, gathering, and equipping followers of Jesus to embrace their God-given roles in making his name known among every nation, tribe, people, and language. Unreached people groups are ethno-linguistic communities with little or no access to the Gospel. Researchers estimate there are over two billion people from more than 6,500 unique groups in the world today who’ve never heard about Jesus. Learn more about Frontier Fellowship at frontierfellowship.com.

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