Presbytery of Western New York
E-Newsletter

June 8, 2010

Stewardship Workshops
It is not too late to register for the Stewardship workshops to be held on June 12 at Hamburg Presbyterian Church from 9:30 -2.  Click here for a registration form.

Four complete “How Your Church Works”
Four people completed "How Your Church Works" class of the Lay Academy. Fred Cooly and Bill Devine (Westminster PC, Buffalo), Lisa Nelson (Deerhurst) and Jim Sanford (Faith, Tonawanda). They were astounded at the help available on the PCUSA website for all areas of ministry and the vast areas of life and justice in which the Presbyterian Church was involved. Understanding the scope of ministry of Elders detailed ion the Book of Order was awesome.

WNY Story Tellers
There's still time to sign up for the Festival Gathering in North Carolina in August. Check out the NBS International website for details.
Click here for a brochure outlining an opportunity for storytelling and learning in the fall. The Network of Biblical Storytellers, Canada, is very excited to be able to invite members of your community to the First Canadian Festival of Biblical Storytellers, Go Tell It On The Mountain. This exciting event will take place at St John’s Anglican Church, Peterborough, on October 15 and 16, and will feature guest speaker Dennis Dewey, internationally acclaimed for his ability to bring the stories of the Bible to life. The two day Festival will be offering workshops on all aspects of storytelling and presenting an Epic Telling from the Book of Exodus.

Pooch Parade at Lewiston

What a great time was had by about 30 dogs and 60 people!   All were very well behaved!   SPCA Niagara was there with 3 dogs for adoption and 2 boxes were filled with dog food for the SPCA.

Presbyterians for Earth Care
The Presbyterian group that promotes caring for creation is now called “Presbyterians for Earth Care.” They publish a quarterly, called  PEC Update, available on-line.  This April 2-10 edition contains an article called “Eco-Justice, Haiti and Hope” by Mark Hare, PC(USA)  missionary in Haiti.  You’ll also find resource reviews, upcoming events, ideas, success stories and more.

Bible Study: Revelation as Apocalyptic Hope for Today
Presbyterian Women in the Presbytery of WNY recently sent Gladys Gifford to Stony Point for an in-depth training in the new PW Bible study.  Called "Journeys Through Revelation: Apocalyptic Hope for Today," the Horizons Bible Study engages participants in a fresh and hope-filled pilgrimage.  Gladys is ready and eager to share the insights she learned with any interested group of the presbytery.  Please contact her through the Presbytery office, to find out how your congregation can benefit from her training.

Thinking about Stewardship
Click here for the latest news from The Presbyterian Leader.

Do You Have a Heart for Global Mission?
We are excited to offer the opportunity for involvement in the latest mission trip of the newly revived South Africa Work Group.  The partnership between the Presbytery of Western New York and the Wynberg Presbytery was initiated 25 years ago and is one of the oldest partnerships in the PCUSA.  Further, it is the only one with the South African denomination that gave birth, under apartheid, to the Belhar Confession. The South Africa partnership exemplifies the WNY Presbytery’s goals of enhancing collaborative mission and communication, and in equipping lay leaders and pastors who make the trip to South Africa.
    We have been invited by the Wynberg Presbytery (Cape Town, South Africa) for a late October-early November 2010 trip.  In a recent conversation with representative pastors from the Wynberg Presbytery, a number of topics for shared learnings were mentioned.  Christian education for young people, youth work, Sunday school, music for choirs, and AIDS education projects were mentioned.  In addition, there was the hope for sharing views on theological issues in an afternoon-evening conference. The focus of our trip is to formally complete our previous covenant obligations or (preferably) renew the ecumenical partnership for a new era- both in the life of our Presbytery and in post-apartheid South Africa, the “rainbow nation”.  The deadline for submission of an application is June 21, 2010. Questions or concerns?  Email- mlhgeorge@verizon.net - or 316-6968. Click here for an application.

East Aurora Native to Enter Seminary
Kimberly Smith Rogers, daughter of Laurie and the late James Smith will be attending Austin Theological Seminary in the fall of 2010, working toward her Master of Divinity.  She has been awarded the Crawley Fellowship by Austin Seminary, a merit scholarship for those who have demonstrated high academic achievement and a dedication to small churches. Kimberly was very active at the East Aurora Presbyterian Church in youth group and the Fellowship of the Carpenter, the former denominational youth program. She attended Duffield and served as a counselor. She is a member of Pipe Creek Presbyterian Church in Pipe Creek, TX. Kimberly lives with her husband Don and their 12-year old daughter Samantha, who has attended Duffield the last two summers and loves it as much as her mother.

Excerpts from Enviro-News
Sponsored by Daemen College Center for Sustainable Communities and Civic Engagement and the Natural Sciences Department

Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper Announces 2010 Buffalo Niagara River Tours
Buffalo Niagara RIVERKEEPER announces their 2010 summer and fall schedule of hike, bike, and canoe-and-kayak paddle trips designed to connect people to Western New York’s extraordinary waterways, featuring the Buffalo and Niagara Rivers. From June through October, trained guides will lead groups to places they’ve never been, all the while enjoying Buffalo-Niagara’s glorious summer and fall weather. New this year, RIVERKEEPER is offering private tours which can be customized to meet your time needs, location, activity level, and interests of your group.

Most tours are suitable for ages 12 and up, but some tours and Miss Buffalo tours are family-friendly and suitable for children 5 and up accompanied by an adult. For prices, starting times and maps to starting points, registration (pre-registration is required), visit our website www.bnRIVERKEEPER.org or call 716-852-7483, ext. 19             

Household Hazardous Waste Drop-off Day
A waste drop-off is planned for June 19, 2010 from 9 AM - 2 PM at Erie Community College South in Orchard Park. (enter from Big Tree Rd-Route 20A via Abbott Rd.). Items which can be brought to the site for free, proper disposal include: Pesticides, fertilizers, pool and household chemicals/cleaners - limit 2 gallons or 20 pounds, Oil-based paints, spray cans - limit 10 gallons, Paint thinner, stripper and solvents - limit 2 gallons, Batteries - lead acid and rechargeable, oil, gasoline, kerosene, antifreeze - limit 10 gallons, Mercury - thermometers, thermostats, metal, Propane tanks and cylinders -full or empty. For info call 858-6800 or visit www.erie.gov/environment/compliance/hazardous_waste.asp.

WNY Earth Day Family Expo at the Buffalo Zoo
The WNY Earth Day Family Expo will be held on Saturday, June 19, 2010 from 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM at the Buffalo Zoo (Expo activities included in Zoo admission). For kids, enjoy a scavenger hunt by visiting each of our interactive exhibits and receive a bag of prizes!!! Entertainment by Mama Earth’s Kitchen Band and others. A family membership to the
Buffalo Zoo will be given away!! For more info, visit http://www.wnyearthday.org/.

Prescription Medication Drop-off
Proper disposal of expired and unused medications is a community-wide issue. A free drop-off event for prescription medicine is planned for 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, June 19, in the parking lot of Eastern Hills Mall, 4545 Transit Road, near the Transit Road entrance. The event is being coordinated by Eastern Hills Mall; West Herr Automotive; Kids Escaping Drugs; the Erie County Sheriff’s Department; Erie County; Drug Enforcement Administration; Independent Health Association; the Town of Clarence, including the Clarence Youth Bureau, which recently sponsored an educational series on the issue of substance abuse; Chris Collins as county executive, and the county Department of Health, as well as the district. Those with unwanted prescription drugs can pull up in their car, get rid of their medication and leave. The process is confidential.

Southtowns E-waste Collection and Document Shredding
Senator Stachowski’s office is sponsoring an Electronics Waste Drop-off and Document Shredding for residential waste on June 26. The event is from 11am-3pm at Hamburg High School, 4111 Legion Dr., Hamburg. There is a five box limit of documents for shredding.

Farmer’s Markets Offer Local Produce
Our Western New York growing season is here and time to make plans for your fresh veggies. If you didn’t plant your own garden or join a CSA (community-supported agriculture), you can still get fresh, locally grown produce from the many New York farmers. For a listing of the regional markets and their schedules, visit http://www.agmkt.state.ny.us/AP/CommunityFarmersMarkets.asp.

Memorial Day
First Presbyterian Church (Lockport) celebrated Memorial Day by having members bring in memorabilia from their or relatives' service in a war.  We had items from the Revolutionary War to the Modern Day displayed in the sanctuary.  We also had an Army Colonel present the flag at the beginning of the service.  Here are some pictures.