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January 26, 2017 Issue #91
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Quickly go to the articles listed by clicking on the title below.
Use the QUICK LINKS at the bottom of this column to be easily directed to additional news.
Email Presbytery staff using the directory below.
When's the last time
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Ed Thompson
General Presbyter
Maureen Wright
Stated Clerk, Associate for Congregational Support
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
Amy Robinson
Office Administrator/Communications
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Prayer List For Churches
Week 5 - Jan. 29
Summersville Presbyterian Church
Winfield Presbyterian Church
In Kenya:
Kiawaithanji (CARE'wha-eeTHA-JEH) Presbyterian Church
Week 6 - Feb. 5
Alexander Mem. Presbyterian Church, Stony Bottom
Bethlehem Presbyterian Church, Shinnston
First Presbyterian Church, Clarksburg
In Kenya: Mutathini (Moh-tah-THEE'nay) Presbyterian Church
Week 7. - Feb. 12
First Presbyterian Church, Huntington*
Cabwaylingo Chapel **
In Kenya: Giakanja (Gie-uh-KAH'juh) Parish
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Nurturing Faith Ideas
Jan. 29, Feb. 5 and 12
Nurturing Faith Ideas are weekly suggestions and activities from the Presbytery's Nurture Committee to link worship and home and to nurture faith development in the family. They are intended for all ages and family types. Add one to your bulletin each week or put in your monthly newsletter. They could also be sent via email or added to a Facebook page.
Ideas for the entire year can be found on the documents page of wvpresbytery.org.
Micah 6:8 reminds us of what the Lord requires of us and that is "to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God". With this new year, God gives us another chance to get it right. Seek to not only do justice, but also speak out against injustice. Seek to not only love kindness, but also to do acts of kindness especially to the least of these in your community. Walk humbly daily with God in prayer and study of the word of God.
February 5
Matthew 5:13-20 says you are the light of the world, and lights aren't meant to be hidden. We must let our light shine so others will see our good works. What can you do to shine your light and help make someone's day better?
February 12
In the text from 1 Corinthians 3:1-9, we are told that we are all God's servants working together. What are ways that you can work with God's servants? Gather a group of people and volunteer at a food pantry or visit a nursing home together or help someone with their chores.
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A Word from our General Presbyter
Ed Thompson
Three times a year the executives of the presbyteries in our Synod get together. I enjoy the fellowship, and it is fascinating to see how much we have in common. I usually come away inspired by how well my colleagues are facing the various challenges before them, as well as feeling grateful that I am in the Presbytery of West Virginia rather than somewhere else. We may have our problems, but in comparison, we are doing pretty well.
The last time we met, however, the best part of our meeting was the Bible Study that we did together. At the beginning of each day we spent time reflecting on the story in Mark 2 where Jesus heals a paralyzed man whose friends had lowered him through the roof in order to get him to Jesus. It is a rich passage.
Two things stood out for me... Click here to read more
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A Note from the Stated Clerk
The Presbytery of West Virginia will gather at First Presbyterian Church, Charleston on Saturday, Feb. 25 for a Stated Meeting. The proposed amendments to the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) sent to the presbyteries by the 222nd General Assembly will be presented for consideration, debate and voting. In past years, a printed booklet of amendments was available to all commissioners; however, the Office of the General Assembly has chosen to be good stewards of available resources and per capita dollars, so printed booklets are not available. The booklet has been prepared and posted electronically to
pcusa.org/amend/
. M
embers of the presbytery have one more opportunity to attend the Equipping Disciples event, held from 3-6 p.m. January 29 at Bridgeport Presbyterian Church and Westminster Presbyterian Church in Charleston. It will look closely at the proposed revision of the Directory for Worship, which will be voted on during the presbytery meeting.
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From the Presbytery's Treasurer
Important Financial Info
2017 IRS Standard Mileage
On Dec. 13, 2016, IRS announced the following changes to the standard mileage rates. Beginning Jan. 1, 2017, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car (also vans, pickups or panel trucks) is:
- 53.5 cents per mile for business miles driven, down from 54 cents for 2016
- 17 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes, down from 19 cents for 2016
- 14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations
Important Dates for Employee Tax Forms
W-2:
Beginning with
2016 forms
, employers will now have one filing deadline for all Federal W-2s,
Jan. 31
. This is true for both employee and agency copies, or whether filing paper or electronic returns.
1099:
The new Jan. 31 deadline also applies to certain types of 1099s. If you're filing Form 1099-Misc and reporting amounts in
Box 7
:
Nonemployee Compensation
, then you will need to meet the new filing deadline of Jan. 31. If you don't have amounts in Box 7,
then the deadline remains Feb. 28 for paper filings or March 31 for electronic filings.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact Rocky Poole, PWV Treasurer/Financial Administrator, at (304) 744-7644 or at [email protected].
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Sympathies
Sympathy to the family of Rev.
Gerald Jackson
"Jerry"
Maynard, a former pastor at Glenville Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Dunbar, on his death on Jan. 12. Please keep them in your prayers.
Sympathy to Rev. Kathryn Weed, the Parish Associate at First Presbyterian in St. Albans, on the death of her mother, Mary Ann
Willoughby, on Jan. 20 in Greensboro, N.C. Please keep Kathryn and her family in your prayers.
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News from the Associate for Educational Ministry
Susan Sharp-Campbell
St. John's Bible Workshops
Friday, March 31 and Saturday, April 1 at First Presbyterian Church, Charleston
The St John's Bible (SJB) is the first handwritten, illuminated Bible of its scale in more than 500 years. Written in English, using the NRSV translation, the SJB took an international team of six artists and six calligraphers fifteen years to complete (1995-2011). With 1,150 pages of handwritten calligraphy, plus 160 major illustrations, the SJB is the only full-scale, illuminated, fine art edition of the Bible.
Click here to read more
Educator, Clergy, CRE Retreat
Feb. 27-28, Hawks Nest State Park. Register by Feb. 9.
The focus of this event is
Challenges for the Church in a Time of Change.
Carl Horton of the Peacemaking Program of the PC(U.S.A.) will be our leader. This retreat provides a setting to consider challenging issues we face in our nation, communities of faith and families. Click to read more
Montreat Youth Conference IV
July 15 - July 22. Register by Feb. 16.
A Montreat Youth Conference is a special place for nurturing faith through worship, keynotes, fellowship, small groups and recreation. In July, the Presbytery will be taking up to 16 youth, rising 9th graders in fall 2017 - those in the class of 2017, and 4 adults to Youth Conference IV.
Due to limited space and the desire to have as many churches represented as possible, there will be a two-tier registration process; this is fully described in information sent to churches in December. The cost per youth is $350, which includes conference costs, housing, transportation and most meals. Registration deadline is Thursday, Feb. 16. For more information, please contact Susan Sharp Campbell.
Self-Care Workshop
(Part 2 of Expanding Your Ministry Toolbox)
March 17-18
In addition to the stress of providing comfort and spiritual guidance in response to the recent natural disaster, church professionals are intimately involved with the normal emotional roller coaster of people in their community. How can we be intentional about addressing our own health needs so we both model and guide people in loving self and neighbor?
Click here to read more
Younger Youth Retreat
March 3-5. Register by Feb. 20.
The Presbytery's Younger Youth Retreat, "Super" Heroes: Ordinary People who do Extraordinary Things, will be Friday, March 3-Sunday, March 5 at Cedar Lakes Conference Center in Ripley. This Youth Council-led retreat is for those in grades 6-8 and their adult advisors. Complete information and registration forms have been sent to church leaders to distribute to youth and those who work with them. Registration deadline is Monday, Feb. 20. For more information, contact Susan Sharp Campbell.
Festival of Faith
April 1 - Mark your calendar!
Jessica Tate, Director of
NEXT Church (
www.nextchurch.net
),
will be our keynote presenter for Festival of Faith, April 1, at First Presbyterian Church, Charleston. In addition to her keynote presentation and workshop, the festival has several other workshops, including
Treasurer's Roundtable, The Nearly Childless Church, Our Pastor Left: What's Next, St. John's Bible, The Spiritual Journey of LGBT Christian, Healthy Living for Your Body and Brain, Godly Play and Session Records Review.
Click here to read more
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MISSION FAIR
The Mission Co
mmittee of the Presbytery of West
V
i
rginia will pre
sent
"Mis
sion Fair: Passport to Ministry," an inform
a
tion fair regarding the ministries supported by the presbyter
y and its congre
gations, fro
m 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, F
ebruary 25 at First Presbyterian
Church, 16 Leon Sullivan Way, Charleston.
If you have a min
istry to share and would like to reserve table space at the fair, p
lea
se call Barbara Chalfant at the Presbytery office, 304-744-7634.
Click to learn more
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Revealing Hope: Eleanor Presbyterian
The Synod of the Trinity released a Revealing Hope video on Eleanor Presbyterian earlier this week.
Click here to see it
Eleanor Presbyterian, celebrating 80 years this year, has been rejuvenated following a renovation project after a water-pipe break flooded the building. In addition to the new building, the renovation has given the church a new energy, positive outlook and strength that it didn't have previously, Pastor John Yeager says.
Revealing Hope" is a series the Synod is sharing this year as part of its 300th anniversary. It is seeking stories of hope about people maintaining faith while overcoming obstacles. If your church has a story, whether from the whole church, a member or someone your church helps through social services and/or ministry, contact the Synod at [email protected] or 1-800-242-0534.
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Sign up for The Beech Tree
The Beech Tree, the Friends of Bluestone newsletter, is now electronic. If you wish to receive it, go
here to sign up!
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Lent: A New Study and Devotion
Our two newest resources for Lent are Walter Brueggemann's "Devotions for Lent: A Way Other Than Our Own" and Rowan Williams' "The Sign and the Sacrifice: the Meaning of the Cros
s and Resurrection."
Click here to read more
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Introducing New Resources
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Ministry and Coaching
If you've been in ministry for at least six months, I'm guessing you've either bumped gently against or, perhaps, smacked full speed into an obstacle you never noticed. You know - like suggesting getting rid of that old piano in the basement only to find out that it was donated by a saint of the church and is considered a holy relic. Or showing frustration in a committee or session meeting - a completely understandable human response... just not for "the pastor!"
If you're lucky, it's a kind of an "oops" moment and you're able - after a brief awkward time - to move on, to laugh at/with yourself. If, on the other hand...
Click here to read more
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Can your church uses these items?
Old Stone Presbyterian Church has 100+ red hymnals and RSV Bibles it does not want to store. If any church is interested in them, please contact Pastor Anna Pinckney Straight at apstraight@oldstonechurchwv.
The offer might even include delivery if the receiving church is not too far away from Lewisburg. You may also call the church at 304-645-2676 to find out more information.
The Ordinary Times green paraments with an embroidered Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) symbol from Montgomery Presbyterian Church are available to begin a new life in a new church. If you would like to provide that home, please call Maureen Wright at the presbytery office (304-744-7634).
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PCUSA Seeks Feedback from Presbyterians on Future of Shrinking Denomination
Presbyterian Church (USA) has launched an online form for members of the mainline denomination to provide comments on the future of the PCUSA.
The comments will be directed to the General Assembly Way Forward Commission, which was created to discern what changes need to be made to church structure. The online form comes at a time when the PCUSA's membership has been in continuous decline for the past three decades.
Click here to read more
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Do your pews need help?
Pad-A-Pew is a company from Jackson, OH that offers pew pad upholstery and installation with a 15-year warranty. For more information, visit
www.padapew.com or email [email protected].
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*Also on the webpage
You will find located on the Home page of the website (scroll down past the photo) direct links to recent newsletters, Equipping Disciples events, Ministry Toolbox events, the Pray-For church list for 2017, e-news Archives and more. Please let us know how we can improve the website and whenever you encounter any problem with it. Thank you.
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Editor's Note:
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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.
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Presbytery of West Virginia,
520 Second Avenue,
South Charleston, WV 25303
Phone (304) 744-7634, Fax (304) 744-7649,
Office Hours: Monday -Thursday 8:30AM-5:30PM
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