|
A Word from our General Presbyter
When's the last time you checked out the Presbytery website? Hop on over to
www.wvpresbytery.org and
take a look! If you are on a mobile device, hit the plus sign on the top right of your screen
to access the full menu.
|
General
Presbyter
Sightings!
Catch the General Presbyter at the following churches and events:
- Sunday, 4/17, Teays Valley Presbyterian, preaching at 10 AM worship
- Sunday, 4/24, Highlawn Presbyterian, St. Albans, preaching at 11 AM worship
- Saturday, 4/30, Small Church Conference, Fayetteville Presbyterian
|
|
Ed Thompson
General Presbyter
Maureen Wright
Stated Clerk
Rocky Poole
Financial Administration/Treasurer
Barbara Chalfant
Associate Presbyter for Mission
Susan Sharp Campbell
Associate for Educational Ministry
Nellie Howard
Resource Center Director
Mark Miller
Bluestone Camp Director
Mark Parsons-Justice
Office Administrator/Communications
|
|
Prayer List For Churches
Week 16 - April 17
Arthurdale Community Presbyterian Beverly Presbyterian
Buffalo Presbyterian
Church: Gititu
(GAY'tee-toe)
Parish: Gura (GOO'rah)
Week 17 - April 24
Clifton Presbyterian, Maxwelton
Elk Hills Presbyterian, Charleston
Glenville Presbyterian
Church: Thageini (
Thah-GAY'ee-nay)
Parish: Gura (GOO'rah)
|
|
|
 |
|
Notice: Email Difficulties
|
Please note that Presbytery office staff with email addresses ending in "@wvpresbytery.org" are experiencing difficulty receiving and sending email to Suddenlink customers. If you have a Suddenlink email address and have tried to email the office staff, you have likely received an error message.
We are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. If you use Suddenlink email and have an urgent matter, please call the Presbytery office at 304-744-7634. An announcement will be made once the matter has been resolved. Please accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience this is causing!
|
|
by Ed Thompson, General Presbyter
This year I had the best Holy Week I have ever experienced. It started out at the Bridgeport Presbyterian Church. For the past few years they have had an Easter Celebration for children following worship on Palm Sunday. This year they had an Easter Egg Hunt as well as opportunities for children to make pretzels, color Easter Eggs, and do a few other things at different tables in their Fellowship Hall. The place was packed with kids and their families. I think everyone was smiling. You could feel the energy. It was a great day. Continue reading.
|
Ministry Highlight:
First Church, Buckhannon
The First Presbyterian Church of Buckhannon, WV is a small church with a big
heart. Over the years it has proudly worked with the community to support the people
of Upshur County. As the church has changed to meet the needs of an ever evolving
society, it has found a strong passion in mission. Much of the church's current ministry
and education programming
is centered on being a "mission focused" church. Read more! 
|
The Eleanor Presbyterian Church is recovering from significant property damage after a water line burst on Saturday, April 9. The burst line caused flooding in the sanctuary, narthex, hallway, and other rooms of the church. Pastor John Yeager reports that the ceiling, walls, and floors sustained significant damage from the water line break. In the process of trying to restore the damaged areas, asbestos tiles were discovered. Once those tiles were professionally contained and removed, the building was reopened for usage on Tuesday, April 12. Pastor Yeager stated that the company handling the restoration, First Response, expects to begin restoration efforts again in the next week. Winfield Nazarene Church provided the congregation with worship space last Sunday. This week, Eleanor will worship in their Fellowship Hall. They expect to return to the restored sanctuary for worship by late May. Pastor Yeager expressed the congregation's gratitude for the loving witness of other churches and individuals in their community during this time. To view the news story which aired on WCHS TV 8, click here.
|
Planning Calendar Orders
NOW IS THE TIME to order your Presbyterian Planning Calendars! Email your orders to [email protected] or
click here to print the form. Orders must be received on or before Thursday, April 21, 2016.
|
Session Records Review
|
Session Records Review events will take place throughout the Presbytery in the coming months. Clerks are invited to attend any of the Session Record Review gatherings in order to complete the Minutes Review requirement (G-3.0108a). A complete checklist is available here:
Session Records Review Checklist 2016. Here is the schedule of remaining reviews:
- Parkersburg Cluster - 04/17/16 at Beulah Humble Presbyterian Church, Elizabeth, WV, at 3 PM
- Beckley Cluster - 04/24/16; Beckley Presbyterian Church, at 3 PM
- Greenbrier Valley Cluster - 05/01/16 at Oak Grove Presbyterian Church, at 3 PM
|
First Church Charleston to Host Rev. Dr. Stanley Ott, April 16-17
Dr. Ott will be speaking at First Presbyterian Church of Charleston
(16 Leon Sullivan Way), on Saturday morning, April 16, from 9:30 - 12:00, in the church dining room. A continental breakfast will be served from 9-9:30.
Sunday morning, April 17
, beginning at 9:15 Dr. Ott will lead an Adult Education hour in the church dining room and preach at worship which begins at 10:30.
Rev. Dr. Ott is founder and president of the Vital Churches Institute, a ministry dedicated to the renewal of the mainline church. Stan has taught the processes that grow congregational vitality to dozens of presbyteries and hundreds of congregations through the programs known as the Acts 16:5 Initiative.
|
The Guys Weekend 2016
Now's the time to register! Every year, men from all over the Presbytery of WV gather for The Guys Weekend, a men's retreat designed to encourage you in your faith in Jesus Christ and give you an opportunity to serve making Bluestone Camp the best camp possible, all in the midst of an incredible retreat experience, filled with lots of laughs, great grub, time to hang out, and much more. Join us April 22-24 at Bluestone Camp. Our guest speaker this year comes all the way from Flower Mound, Texas, Alf Laukoter, who will focusing on "Becoming Fools for Christ." You can find more information and the registration forms at
http://bluestonecamp.com/guys-weekend/
.
|
Small Church Conference
Ministry Molded by Mountains
Year III: Mustard Seed Ministry
Saturday, April 30, 2016
Fayetteville Presbyterian Church
Want to know a bit more about what to expect?
|
Bluestone Golf Tournament
The Friends of Bluestone 6th Annual Golf Tournament will be held on May 14 at Scarlet Oaks in Poca. In addition to needing golfers to support the event, the Friends of Bluestone are soliciting sponsorships from businesses and churches. For all the details,
click here!
|
New Elder Training May 22
The Elders at Summersville Presbyterian invite any elders to join them as Susan Sharp Campbell leads Elder Training on Sunday, May 22, 3-6 PM. This is for "new" elders or even "old" elders who could use a refresher! If you are interested, please contact Rachel Isabel at Summersville office at
304-872-2371
.
|
Pianist Needed at Grace Covenant, Charleston
 Grace Covenant Church, Charleston, is seeking applicants for a church pianist after the retirement of their long time pianist, Stanton Kay. The pianist is required to play for 11 AM worship each Sunday, as well as three special services each year (Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, and Christmas Eve). Talent and expertise are expected as the congregation especially values vibrant music. Pay is competitive and commensurate with experience. Interesting applicants should call Elaine Anderson at 304-344-5331 (home).
|
Riverlawn St. Albans Certified as Earth Care Congregation
Riverlawn Presbyterian Church in Saint Albans, WV, was certified as an Earth Care Congregation by Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Environmental Ministries through February 2017. This honor speaks to the great commitment that this congregation has to caring for God's earth.
To read the full story, click here!
|
WV Ministry of Advocacy News
|
The Brush Creek Presbyterian Church has 19 church pews available. For more information, please contact Doug Heidt [email protected].
|
PWV Prayers
-
We lift
Kathryn Maddy
in prayer at the recent passing of her mother. Kathryn is the Christian Educator at First Presbyterian, St. Albans, and is a member of the Youth Council.
- We lift in prayer the Eleanor Presbyterian Church as they recover from a flood that damaged their sanctuary.
- We lift in prayer the ministries of our Presbytery, including our congregations, pastors, educators, ruling edlers, committees, and staff.
- We lift in prayer the preparation work of the 222nd General Assembly, which will take place in Portland, OR, June 18-25.
|
New Resources Available!
|
|
|
Adult Vacation Bible School and Summer Study Ideas
By Nellie Howard, Resource Center Director
In our last Presbytery Newsletter I gave you some ideas for stewardship centered children's Bible
School. Well how about if you want to plan a stewardship study for adults?? Is there anything good out
there? YES! There is! The resources below challenging, inspirational and informational studies for
adults who would like to learn how to better take care of our Earth and why we should want to be good
Earth stewards. Read more!
|
|
Earth Day Sunday 2016:
Care for God's Creatures
Every year, Creation Justice Ministries releases a free Christian education resource for Earth Day (
April 22).
This year the Creation Justice community is focusing on the needs of God's creatures. Species are vanishing at a rate faster than any time since the dinosaurs' demise. Now is the time for Christian communities to better understand, and respond to, our Genesis call to dominion. For free resources, visit Creation Justice Ministries online!
|
Bluestone Summer Camp
|
Bluestone Camp Needs You
Bluestone is seeking Counselors in Training for the upcoming summer camp season. Rising high school juniors and seniors can visit
http://bluestonecamp.com for more information. Adult volunteers, including key leaders, and pastoral leaders are also needed.
|
Got Good News?
Does your church have good news to share? Let us all celebrate with you! Share it with us so the whole Presbytery can rejoice! In God's economy, no news is too small to celebrate! Send your Good News tidbit (a sentence or two) to [email protected] so we can include it in the newsletter.
- We celebrate with the Nurture Committee and the Festival of Faith Planning Team on a wonderfully enriching Festival of Faith on April 2! Thanks to all who participated and led!
- We welcome three new pastors! Kyle Key ([email protected]) and his wife Chris come to us most recently from Shenandoah Presbytery; Kyle is pastoring the Teays Valley Presbyterian Church, Scott Depot, WV. Rebecca Mihm ([email protected]) comes to us from Beaver-Butler Presbytery and is serving as pastor of Fleming Memorial, Fairmont. Rachel Shepherd ([email protected]) and her husband James come to us from Arkansas Presbytery; Rachel is pastoring the Marlinton Presbyterian Church. Installations are currently being scheduled for all three. More information to come!
|
|
Editor's Note:
|
In order to keep the
PWV Newsletter
fresh, articles sent for publication will generally run for two consecutive issues. If you wish for a piece to continue to run, please resubmit. We encourage you to reword, add a photo (or different photo), or change the piece in some way so that the news stays fresh and interesting.
|
|
| |
|
