Hi First Presbyterian Church,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! Well… we’re done! We’ve been reading through the whole Bible over the last year, and, if you’ve been reading along, you’re finished! You read the whole Bible! Congratulations! I know some of you haven’t quite finished. Keep at it! Reading through the whole Bible is quite an accomplishment, and just because our reading plan ended on Monday doesn’t mean you can’t keep reading. You can do it! And don't forget to pick up your "I Read the Whole Bible" bookmark in the church lobby!

It was great seeing so many of you at Kick-Off Sunday! It’s always great to settle back into our regular routines after time spent over the summer traveling and vacationing. Now that the one-year Bible journey has officially ended, our worship focus each Sunday will return to following the Revised Common Lectionary. That means over the next few Sundays, we will be reflecting on some of the teachings of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke. I hope to see you in worship!

It’s been a month since you heard the news from the Session about the possibility of First Presbyterian Church taking over operations of the Christ Clarion Presbyterian Church property. You might be wondering if there are any updates. The short answer is: “There is no update.” Our church leadership is still in the process of negotiating the terms of operation with our Presbytery to see if this opportunity even makes sense for us. There have been some questions from the congregation since last month, and it might be helpful for me to reiterate and clarify some of what I wrote to you previously. (Please refer to my Mid-Week Meet-Up from August 13, 2025, to read the full announcement.)

Would we be buying Christ Clarion’s property? No! We will not be buying their property. The terms being negotiated with our Presbytery pertain to simply taking over the operations of their property.

If we are satisfied after our negotitaions with the Presbytery, is there a good reason to move forward with taking over operating Christ Clarion’s property, or would we simply be doing our Presbytery a favor? The easiest thing for our Presbytery to do with the Christ Clarion property would be to sell it, which they frequently have done with other church property when a congregation dissolves and closes. If First Presbyterian Church were to move forward with operating their property, it would be because we see it as an extension and expansion of our own ministry and mission in Pittsford. Our Presbytery did not invite us into these negotiations to do them a favor but to discern whether this might be a fruitful opportunity for us, which the Session is still discerning. (See my email from August 13 for an initial idea the Session is hopeful will lead to fruitful mission and ministry, if the way be clear.)

If we are satisfied after our negotiations with the Presbytery, will our whole congregation have a voice before the decision to move forward or not? Yes! If we are satisfied after negotiations and before a final decision is made, the Session will host a meeting (or meetings) for the congregation to discuss it.

The Session will continue to keep you updated as this situation develops. In the meantime, please keep your church leadership in prayer as we seek God’s wisdom and guidance.

Peace to you,

Pastor Aaron