South Church

PW Purpose
Forgiven and freed by God in Jesus Christ, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we commit ourselves
to nurture our faith through prayer and Bible study,
to support the mission of the church worldwide,
to work for justice and peace,
and to build an inclusive, caring community of women that strengthens the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and witnesses to the promise of God's kingdom.

PW...at South Church

The Susan Young Circle at South Church is motivated by the mission projects encouraged by Presbyterian Women (PCUSA) however they are a continuation of the Women’s Association formed several decades ago.  The late Susan Young was the moderator of that Women’s Assoc. for many years. Her fine example of Christian discipleship and witness will be forever remembered through this circle.

The Circle meets monthly to work on projects reaching out to the community; both local and abroad.
Recently South Church worked with CUMAC - Feeding People & Changing Lives Back 2 School; collecting and distributing backpacks and school supplies to local children in need just in time for the new school year.

Ongoing throughout the year the Circle is collecting donations of used (or new!) clothing in all sizes.  Please be sure items are clean and in good condition. The clothing will be divided and sent to two missions that the circle has supported for years.

1) The Chautauqua County Rural Ministry in Dunkirk, New York, an interfaith human service agency. It has been in existence for over 5 decades and has provided the basic needs of food, clothing and shelter to the less fortunate and those in crisis situations.

2) The Ganado Presbyterian Mission, in Ganado, Arizona, has served the Navajo Nation Tribe for well over 100 years. The mission grew to become the largest domestic mission of the Presbyterian Church, and includes a school for Navajo children and a hospital.

Another project being worked on throughout the year is “Little Dresses for Africa”.

Basic to circle life is the Horizons Bible study. The study group meets once a month the 4th Wednesday of the month.  The Horizons studies touch on subjects such as peace, hunger, racism or other topics from a Christian perspective. This year the group is studying "Come to the Waters", for further information please see our Adult Study Class.

In March the PW/Susan Young Circle collected 43 hygiene kits from the congregation, which were packed and sent to Church World Service in April, along with a donation of $500. During the summer, the PW has been collecting school supplies for children in Paterson through CUMAC.

PW...in our Presbytery

The Presbytery of the NorthEast serves as a link between the church and the Presbytery. They organize 2 main gatherings a year; The Spring Gathering and the Fall Retreat.  At the gatherings PW from as many as 100 churches in our presbytery come together. Presently during the pandemic meetings are held by Zoom.

PW...in our Synod

Presbyterian Women in the Synod (PWS) exists to build community, affirm women’s calls to leadership and serve as a link between Presbyterian Women in the Presbytery and Presbyterian Women Churchwide. The Synod of the Northeast provides many Leadership retreats, Moderator's training, Workshops and every 3 years meets for its Triennium where all PW in the Synod of the Northeast gather for fellowship, plenary sessions and workshops.

PW... at Church-wide

The Churchwide Coordinating Team of Presbyterian Women (CCT/PW) has primary responsibility for the ongoing life of PW and serves as the administrative body for PW between Churchwide Gatherings. These gatherings take place every three years. The Churchwide gathering this year took place in Minneapolis Minnesota, here is a short video of Peggy Brewer singing "We are one in the Spirit" sung at the first Plenary Session. Enjoy this powerful performance reminding us "they'll know we are all Christians by our LOVE!"