Programs & Events

Great News and a Challenge from our Community Ministries!

The great news is that, through a new partnership formed by the Broome County Council of Churches, CHOW now offers its partners a range of nutritious foods for free! Sherry Conklin, the coordinator of our community meal and pantry, reports that some Tuesdays she is able to pick up and bring back up to 900 pounds of food that we can make available to pantry clients or cook for the meal!

… and that is the challenge. She needs help unloading the food on Tuesdays at about 10:15am for about half an hour. She’s got CHOW workers to assist her in loading her vehicle, and it would be great if there were UPC workers here at the church to help her unload.

We’ll put a sign up sheet in the sanctuary to encourage you in taking turns at this important brief ministry, or you can contact Sherry at meal@upcbgm.org or 607-722-4219. We’ll try to let volunteers know on the weeks that there isn’t a large order so you don’t have to be here.

Any help you can give will be gratefully received.

Mission Work at the Mexico–US Border

Sunday, February 12, special guest Gail Cocourek will be “zooming in” from Tucson, Arizona, to talk about the Samaritan ministry and the work that she does with Casa de la Esperanza and the migrants at the Arizona border. She will speak during the Reflection time during the worship and will respond to questions and discussion after her talk, as well as be available during fellowship time in the UPC zoom room.

Gail is a longtime volunteer with the Samaritans and cofounder of Casa de la Esperanza in Sasabe, Mexico. She has assisted hundreds of travelers along the border and has saved countless lives with her hundreds of trips along the border. She is a good friend to Dave and Greg and we are grateful that she is taking the time to tell us what she knows and has experienced!

To learn more about Casa Esperanza and the Tucson Samaritans, and to support their programs with direct donations, visit their websites at:

https://salvavision.org/casa-esperanza
http://www.tucsonsamaritans.org

A Note from Dave and Greg, working with refugees and deportees in Sasabe, Mexico, and the desert outside Tucson:

Just wanted to give a brief update on the work in Tucson.

We have been to the wall a couple of times and have assisted with providing food and water to several dozens of travelers, including a group of children aged 8–17 traveling alone in the desert.

Each trip we go on costs the Samaritans $50 in gas, and then we use about a dozen gallons of water, as well as food, blankets, gloves, and hats.

Greg waiting to serve lunch to asylum seekers who will spend the night in a hotel

Currently there is an increased effort by the border patrol, which results in travelers being put into even more dangerous areas.

Casa Esperanza is seeing over 100 deportees a week, with no jackets in 20-degree temperatures.

We are searching goodwill stores for jackets for them as well as buying socks and hats.

We are also buying 200 emergency blankets to be given to travelers. They serve twofold in that they can keep in the body heat but can be reversed and used as an emergency beacon. This is an experiment, but for 50 cents a blanket, it is worthwhile if it helps one person.

We are very grateful for the support of our friends at UPC and ask for your continued support for the mission.

Con paz,
Dave & Greg

VISIONS of GLORY Concert

Sunday, February 12, 2023, 3:00pm at St. James Roman Catholic Church

The Southern Tier Singers’ Collective will present music written by Orlandus Lassus on Sunday, February 12, 2023, at 3:00pm at St. James Roman Catholic Church, 147 Main Street, Johnson City, NY 13790. The concert includes the Prophetiae Sibyllarum and sacred motets based on the Song of Songs. The concert is free and open to the public, but donations are gratefully received.

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, 12:30–1:30pm, in the Study or the Zoom room

We’re reading from Marcus Borg’s Evolution of the Word: The New Testament in the Order the Books Were Written, and everyone is welcome to join us in person or on Zoom. Those who gather at the church meet in our new “Study” (Room 102, next door to the Nursery).

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.

Sewing Group

Wednesdays, 10am–1pm (with Zoom lunch hour, 12pm–1pm)

by Cindy Chadwick

As you may recall, on November 20, 2022, the church was adorned with numerous quilts, hats, scarves, walker “carry bags,” bibs, and other items handcrafted by the Wednesday Sewing Group. The day marked “The Blessing of the Quilts.”

The quilts were removed from the sanctuary, but then what?

In support of its long-term, unwavering mission, the Sewing Group distributed eight walker “carry bags” and 43 quilts to the following local agencies and organizations for those in need in advance of the Christmas holiday:

Willow Point Rehabilitation and Nursing Center
Hilltop
Elizabeth Church Manor
Good Shepherd Fairview Home
YWCA
Bridgewater Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing
Ideal Senior Living Center
NoMa (North of Main)

These gifts were in addition to 14 quilts given to new babies and other special people earlier in the year. Hats and mittens were provided to our Food Pantry and Community Meal guests as needed.

The new year is off and running like a stich in time, with new creations already in the works for 2023 (a sneak peek reveals that a special quilt just for “Baby Backus” might be earmarked!).

Want to help spread warmth and hope? Join the Sewing Group on Wednesdays from 10am to 1pm in UPC’s Upper Lounge. No extensive sewing experience is necessary. Projects can be worked on at home if you’re unable to attend on Wednesdays. (You’ll miss the cookies, chips, pickles and tea, though!)

Even if sewing isn’t your thing, everybody is invited to join us at noon for our social lunch hour. Those who can’t come to the church in person can join us in the Zoom room. Bring your own lunch and enjoy the company!

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.

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