Early registration & lunch ordering deadline is next Friday, March 17!

Festival of Faith 2023

9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 1 at Charleston First Presbyterian Church

Teri McDowell Ott, Editor of The Presbyterian Outlook, will be the keynote presenter for this year's Festival of Faith, which will have the theme "Necessary Risks." Her keynote will focus on "Embracing a Love Ethic," which can guide us in these divisive, polarized days of "purple" churches, where listening well, embracing humility, and encouraging vulnerability in our conversations with people of diverse perspectives are important. Additionally, she will lead two workshops. The first will be on "Living a Love Ethic," which will build on the keynote's "whys" of embracing a love ethic and focus on the "hows" of living a love ethic in everyday life, including practices and strategies to engage with others across lines of difference. The second will focus on the work and vision of The Presbyterian Outlook. Plus, there will be several other workshops, a time of worship, and fellowship throughout the day. Get full information and register here!

"A More Loving World" spring youth retreat

April 14-16 at Jackson's Mill, Weston

While all middle and high school youth are invited to this retreat, the focus is on having a retreat that will be closer to our youth in churches in the northern part of the presbytery. The retreat will be led by members of the presbytery's Youth Council. Get full information and register here. Questions? Contact Susan Sharp Campbell at [email protected] or 304-667-9428. 

News from the Presbytery's Treasurer

• Gov. Justice signs tax package into law
• The Presbytery has a new Treasurer
• 2023 Shared Mission Pledge Request
• Presbyterian Disaster Assistance in Turkey
• Employee or Independent Contractor

• Sending Benevolence to the Presbytery
• 2023 IRS mileage
• 2023 Per Capita
• 2023 Special Offerings

Getting to know our newer pastors: John Nelson

How do you know when you have been called by God to be a pastor? John Nelson struggled with this question and finally concluded that he needed to make himself available to God, to put himself out there and find out.

John grew up in Fayette County in the little coal town of Beards Fork. His parents did not attend church, but John and his siblings would occasionally go to one of the United Methodist Churches in the area. When he was 19, John was encouraged to answer an altar call and give his life to Christ. He wasn’t really sure what that was about at the time or what he was doing. About a month later, he was moved to make a serious commitment to Christ. He became active in the Page Church of God in Page, WV, and remained active for about 10 years.

Grant workshop opportunities from Synod of the Trinity

6:30-8 p.m. March 22 and 29

The Synod is excited to provide to its churches and presbyteries a pair of workshops that will arm participants with the tools and knowledge to approach funders and apply for the financial support that will push your initiatives to the next level. On March 22, Grant-seeking: Creating Relationships with Funders will provide research tools to pinpoint potential funding resources, as well as how to establish contact with a potential funder and what to say in your various discussions with them. On March 29, Writing the Grant: How to Start and What to Share will teach following a writing formula, finding and sharing solid data, and using some basic persuasive writing skills to give you a framework and confidence to apply for grants. Register here for one or both of the workshops.

Alan Dale Capehart

Dale, the longtime Director of Music at Huntington First Presbyterian Church, passed away Feb. 23 at age 76 after a short, sudden illness. He had recently retired as Director of Music on Dec. 31, 2022 after 35 years and was named Director of Music Emeritus. Click here for an obituary. A memorial service was held March 2 at the church.

Roy Holstein

Roy, a Ruling Elder and Session member at Elk Hills Presbyterian Church in Charleston, passed away the night of March 8 at age 87. He served the presbytery as a frequent member of the Stewardship Committee, having just been re-nominated to the committee in November. A memorial service will be planned for a later date.

Eastern APCE Conference to feature Amy Wallace Parker

April 24-26 in Chambersburg, PA

Rev. Dr. Rebecca L. Davis will be the main conference leadership for the Eastern Association of Partners in Christian Education Conference, and our very own Amy Wallace Parker from Village Chapel Presbyterian will be the Worship Leader. The conference includes plenaries, workshops, a Spirituality Center, and more. Register here by April 3.

Summer employment at Chautauqua

The Presbyterian House at Chautauqua in southwestern New York is seeking summer employees. They are open to hiring young adults, couples, and older adults. They are asking for a 10-week commitment, though they understand some workers may need to leave early for school or other reasons, and they will be flexible and entertain half-summer commitments as well. The variety of positions they offer include salary plus tips, room and board, a gate pass, and a parking pass. For more information, contact Jo Wolfe at [email protected] or Kathy Taylor at [email protected].

Enslow Park celebrates PDA on Blue T-Shirt Sunday

Sunday, Feb. 26, was Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Blue T-Shirt Sunday. Enslow Park Presbyterian in Huntington celebrated by dressing in blue as an appreciation for the $5,000 grant PDA gave the church for damages caused by the May 2022 flood.

Request a copy of the 2023 Presbytery Directory

Once we get the directory prepared, we will put together a hard copy version that will be mailed out by early April to any church or individual requesting one. If you would like to be on the request list, please email [email protected] or call Amy Robinson at 304-744-7634 by March 15. Remember, the directory is also on our website; if you need the password to access it there, contact Amy.

Amendment voting totals

A question was asked at last Thursday's Presbytery meeting regarding where to access voting totals on the Amendments Proposed by the 225th General Assembly. To view current totals, visit PC Biz. Using the ribbon across the top of the page, click on Resources, then scroll through the links listed under the word Title; the voting links should be the first two on the list. The voting may be tracked by Presbytery or by total votes. If you have questions, contact the Stated Clerk or General Presbyter.

Bream Memorial seeks a part-time office administrator

Bream Memorial Presbyterian Church in Charleston seeks a well-organized, resourceful, and trustworthy part-time (15 hours/week) office administrator. Responsibilities include general office duties, incoming and outgoing communications, preparing bulletins and newsletters, recording building use, scheduling vendors, and assisting treasurer with bookkeeping. $13-15/hour depending on experience. For more information or to apply, please contact Gail Lauerman at [email protected] or 304-346-0426, ext. 2.

Learn more about FEMA Nonprofit Security Grants at upcoming free webinars

FEMA invites nonprofit organizations to participate in upcoming webinars regarding the Fiscal Year 2023 Nonprofit Security Grant Program. The webinars, which begin at 2 p.m., will introduce the grant program and the application process. (Each webinar will present the same content, including key changes from 2022 to 2023.) Advance registration is required. Each of the following dates is a registration link; click on the date to register for the webinar of your choice - March 30, April 4, April 25 or May 4. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Adobe Connect meeting. Check your junk/spam folder as some email filters may redirect the attendance confirmation email there. 

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance kit delivery in April

Dr. Joseph Reed, a ruling elder of Buckhannon First Presbyterian Church, is traveling to Little Rock, Arkansas on Sunday, April 9, and is willing to deliver Presbyterian Disaster Assistance “Gift of the Heart” kits to Ferncliff Camp & Conference Center. If your church or group has any kits for delivery, please contact Dr. Reed at [email protected] or 304-472-2146 to make arrangements.

A report from the Presbytery's Resource Center

Thank you to all who attended the Resource Center Open House Tuesday at Bream Memorial Presbyterian Church. If you were not able to attend in person, we invite you to check out the video tour, which can be found here. We wanted to highlight some of the new resources that have recently been added to the collection. If you would like to check out any of the titles listed or find out what other resources are available in our catalogue, you can find us at www.wvpresbytery.org/resource-center. Among our new resources are Outspoken: Conversations on Church Communication by Tim Schraeder, Part-Time is Plenty: Thriving without Full-Time Clergy by G. Jeffrey MacDonald, The Social Media Gospel: Sharing the Good News in New Ways, Second Edition by Meredith Gould, and A Bigger Table, Expanded Edition with Study Guide: Building Messy, Authentic, and Hopeful Spiritual Community by John Pavlovitz.

Davis & Elkins College: Reflecting along the journey

All associated with Davis & Elkins College know the names of Henry Gassaway Davis and Stephen Benton Elkins, both United States Senators and the founders of the Presbyterian College in Elkins. However, according to Davis & Elkins College Diamond Jubilee History by Dr. Thomas Ross, there is a third founder of the college. Learn more about Rev. Augustus Houston Hamilton.