Issue 286 | June 26, 2025 | | Click on an underlined title to go to the full article or link | | |
A Word from our Transitional General Presbyter
I am participating in the three-year residency program of the Association of Mid Council Leaders, Presbytery Leader Formation, that seeks to support presbytery executive leaders as they begin this type of church leadership. I have completed my first two years of residency. My cohort group is reading the book Imaginable by Jane McGonigal. The subtitle of the book is How to see the future coming and feel ready for anything – even things that seem impossible today. Yesterday was the first group discussion. Some of you may be thinking, why would a group of presbytery executives read a secular book? What does a book written by a game designer have to say to the church? Here is one thing that I have learned in the 23 months I have spent as your Transitional General Presbyter and Stated Clerk – “the Church” needs to expand its toolbox in order to be faithful disciples for Jesus Christ in the world in which we find ourselves. Toolboxes and tools are resources. New tools, new skills give us new ways to be the church.
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Reserve your 2025-2027 Book of Order now
The Presbytery is now taking orders for the new Book of Order. The cost per book is $9. This price is for books picked up at the August 16 Presbytery Meeting at Fleming Memorial Presbyterian Church in Fairmont; any books mailed from the Presbytery to you will incur an additional delivery fee. Deadline for all orders is Friday, July 11.
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Three more Healthy Boundary trainings this summer
All leaders – ministers of Word and Sacrament; Certified Christian Educators; Certified Associate Christian Educators; Commissioned Pastors; candidates, inquirers, and supply preachers; officers and employees of the Presbytery; members of committees, councils, and commissions – are required to complete a Healthy Boundary Training workshop every 36 months. There are three more opportunities this year for leaders to receive the required training led by Susan Sharp Campbell and Maureen Wright. There is no cost, and lunch will be provided. Please make a reservation for the event of your choice by emailing or calling the Presbytery office.
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Monday, July 21 – Charleston area
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Thursday, August 28 – Zoom (space is limited - see information on registration requirements in the title link)
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Saturday, September 13 – Charleston area
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Worship for Such a Time as This: Commissioned Pastor/ Authorized Lay Preacher Retreat
Aug. 1-2 at Jackson's Mill near Weston
This retreat includes three workshops, focusing on the PCUSA Confessional Standards of the 20th century with Shannon Craigo-Snell, preaching with Donna Giver-Johnson, and liturgy for leading worship in times of turmoil, chaos, uncertainty, and disorder with Eric Myers. This event will begin with dinner on Friday evening and end with worship on Saturday afternoon. Spouses are invited to attend. The cost will be the room cost of $80/room, which can be shared. Register by July 14.
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Presby Prep to start in September
Presby Prep is the first, required year of the ALP/CP Preparation Program, which prepares those who would become commissioned to pastoral service as Commissioned Pastors and those who serve as random pulpit supply as Authorized Lay Preachers. It is also an opportunity to become more knowledgeable about what it means to be Presbyterian and part of the Reformed family of churches. Presby Prep is open to anyone, whether or not you’re sensing a call to serve in pastoral leadership or pulpit supply. If you’d just like to grow in your faith, understanding, and knowledge of what it means to be Presbyterian, Presby Prep is the place for you. It will consist of 8 monthly courses (September-November 2025 and January-May 2026), which are 3 hours long and offered on Thursday nights and Saturday mornings. Each course also has an assignment to be completed in advance. The dates for these courses are Sept. 18 & 20, Oct. 23 & 25, Nov. 20 & 22, Jan, 15 & 17, Feb. 5 & 7, March 12 & 14, April 9 & 11, and May 7 & 9. A minimum of 8 participants is needed for this to happen; otherwise, it will begin in January 2026. You can register online or with a mailed-in registration form, both of which are available at the title link. Questions? Please contact Susan Sharp Campbell at 304-667-9428 or susan_sharp_campbell@hotmail.com.
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Expanding Your Ministry Toolbox: Preaching the Bible for Our Times
9:30 AM-4:30 PM Oct. 18 at Village Chapel and on Zoom
While October may seem a long way away, it will be here before we know it, along with the final Expanding Your Ministry Toolbox course for 2025: Preaching the Bible for Our Times. Led by Karoline Lewis, Preaching Professor at Luther Seminary and a contributing writer for Working Preacher, this course will explore what it means to preach biblically and faithfully and how our interwoven contexts make for a sermon to be an encounter with the risen Christ. You can listen to podcasts including Karoline Lewis here. The cost per person for this course is $40, which does not include lunch. Participants may either bring their lunch or go to a local eating place. Registration deadline is Oct. 9.
| | News from our Congregations & Partners | | |
Condolences: Marlene Harrah
The Presbytery has learned of the death of Marlene Harrah, the wife of the late Rev. Dr. Jerry Harrah, on June 19. She served the Presbytery as a member of the administrative staff. Read her obituary here. Visitation will be Friday at Chapman Funeral Home, 3941 Teays Valley Road, Hurricane, WV 25526 from 5 to 7 PM, with the funeral there on Saturday at 11 AM. Please remember the Harrah family in prayer.
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Pondering God with Presbyterians: What Does It Mean to Say "Jesus Saves" webinar
7-8:30 PM July 17. Register by July 9.
Offered by the PCUSA's Mid-Council Ministries, this webinar will focus on what we Presbyterians “mean by ‘salvation,’ with particular attention to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. What does Jesus save us from? What does he save us for? And how does this happen?” It will be led by Rev. Dr. Martha Moore-Keish, Professor of Theology at Columbia Presbyterian Seminary. While this webinar is geared toward Presbyterian ruling elders and deacons, it is open to all interested persons. Funded by per-capita from congregations across the denomination, this is a free event, but registration is required. Register at the title link. If you can’t attend live on July 17, a recording, along with the recordings from a number of other Leader Formation Webinars, can be accessed at the same link.
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Wee Kirk 2025: Small Church Conference
Oct. 13-15 at Laurelville Retreat Center, Mt. Pleasant, PA
Register before Aug. 1 to save $25!
Wee Kirk is designed to inspire, equip, motivate and encourage small churches of any denomination and to provide rest and refreshment for the clergy and lay leaders. Participants may choose any 3 of the 7 workshops to attend. Cost is $200 per person for churches up to 150 members and $225 for churches 151-200 members.
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