HIGHLIGHTS OF THE ANNUAL STATED MEETING OF THE PRESBYTERY OF CAYUGA-SYRACUSE

25 September 2007

The Morrisville Community Church hosted the Stated Meeting of Presbytery.  Moderator Tracie Martin called the meeting to order with prayer.  The Rev. Russell Duncan welcomed presbyters to the church and pointed out the new nature trail that the youth of the church have made.

The Presbytery:

=         Was greeted by the Rev. Choong Woong Jin, Moderator of Pyongyang Presbytery in Korea, and was introduced to the other ten members of the delegation from Korea visiting in central New York as part of our Presbytery's international partnership with Pyongyang Presbytery;

=         Welcomed the Rev. Linda Even, the new pastor of the United Church of Fayetteville, and approved plans for her installation on 11 November 2007.

=         Welcomed the Rev. Kathryn (Kazy) Hinds, the new Associate Pastor at the First Presbyterian Church of Liverpool;

=         Received the Rev. Joe Hinds, the new Designated Pastor at Elmwood Presbyterian Church and Westminster Presbyterian Church in Syracuse;

=         Heard that the Rev. Kathleen Waters has begun service as Interim Pastor for the First United Church of East Syracuse;

=         Celebrated the ministry of the Rev. Alec Wendell, who is retiring from his pastorate with the First Presbyterian Church of Mexico;

=         Heard from Tom Hall, Director of Vanderkamp Center, that participation of children and youth from churches in the Presbytery in Vanderkamp's summer program increased from 40 youngsters from 16 churches in 2006 to 72 youngsters from 24 churches in 2007;

=         Heard from the Rev. Joe Tagliaferre, the new Executive Director of Westminster Manor in Auburn, some highlights of our Presbytery's ministry to older adults through that adult residence;

=         Heard the verdict of the Permanent Judicial Commission rebuking the Rev. Raymond Gausman as it found him guilty on a charge of sexual misconduct;

=         Took several actions to address the situation at the First Presbyterian Church of Liverpool related to the judicial action.

=         Heard from the Southern Comfort M&M Team about their mission trips to the Gulf Coast and New York's Southern Tier to help with recovery efforts there after hurricane and flooding.  The PowerPoint presentation the Team showed is available at the Presbytery office;

=         Heard from the Civil Rights Connection M&M Team about the trips they sponsor for high school students, to learn about the Civil Rights Movement from participants in that struggle for justice;

=         Allocated funding for the following M&M Teams ? Southern Comfort, $3,500 for their December 2007 work trip;  Latin America Mission Project (LAMP), $6,000 for its continuing work in Mexico;  and Civil Rights Connection, $6,000 for student scholarship for their next trip;

=         Viewed a 5-minute DVD program, Mission Challenge '07 about the work of Presbyterian missionaries around the world.  The DVD is available from the Presbytery office;

=         Heard from the new Congregational Ministries Committee that 18 people from 12 of our churches attended the pre-presbytery workshop on Stewardship in 2007 led by the Rev. Fred Milligan, General Assembly Associate for Stewardship Education.  Rev. Milligan's Powerpoint slides are available through the Presbytery office;

=         Adopted a new Continuing Education and Sabbatical Leave Policy for ministers and Certified Christian Educators;

=         Adopted a new set of Guidelines for a Valid, Sustainable Call for ministers;

=         Voted to continue the Presbytery's current staffing pattern for another year, and to elect a Stated Clerk in November for a 1-year term.  Applications for the Stated Clerk position should be sent to elder Gail Banks, at banksgy@yahoo.com by 31 October;

=         Approved changes to the Presbytery's Standing Rules, redefining the responsibilities of the Coordinating Council;

=         Received the report on review of Session Records, indicating that 19 churches have not submitted their records for review in 2007;

=         Heard that the Trustees are managing the property of the former Clay Presbyterian Church and the former Calvary Presbyterian Church in Auburn, which were dissolved over the summer;

=         Received the proposed Presbytery budget for 2008 as a first reading, to be approved at the November Presbytery meeting.

submitted by Earl Arnold, Stated Clerk