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October 26, 2017 Issue 110
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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
Rock Lake Presbyterian, South Charleston
Salem Presbyterian Church, Ronceverte
Sugar Grove Presbyterian, Morgantown
In Kenya: Ndugamano (Doh-gah-mah-NO') Presbyterian Church
Week 45 - November 5
First Presbyterian Church, Williamson*
Chattaroy Chapel**
(*denotes sponsoring church and ** denotes chapel of that church)
In Kenya: Wand Presbyterian Church
Week 46 November 12
Bream Memorial Presbyterian, Charleston
Church of the Covenant, Grafton
First Presbyterian Church, Dunbar
In Kenya: Githakwa (Git-AH'kwah) Presbyterian Church
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Nurturing Faith Ideas
Oct. 29, Nov. 5 & 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 them 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 near the end of the documents page of wvpresbytery.org.
Today is Reformation Sunday, and it is not just Reformation Sunday but the 500th Anniversary from when Martin Luther posted his "95 Theses," calling for change in the church of his day. Take time today to read about Martin Luther's life. What difference is the Protestant reformation still making on the Church?
November 5
In Matthew 23:1-12, Jesus criticizes the Pharisees for laying heavy burdens on others and then not lifting a finger to help. He says they do this by accusing others of doing things they are guilty of themselves. Can you think of a time when you
inadvertently might have laid a heavy burden on another? Have you lifted a finger to help?
November 12
In Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25, the people recommit themselves to God by reminding themselves of all the ways God has taken care of them. In times of doubt and distress, we can learn from their example. We can remember that God will be with us now and in the future for the simple reason that God has always been with us in the past.
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A Word from our General Presbyter
Ed Thompson
Did you know that October is Adopt a Dog Month, Church Library Month, Emotional Intelligence Awareness Month, Feral Hog Month (I don't think Hallmark makes a card for that one), Learn to Bowl Month, and National Go on a Field Trip Month? This was all news to me. One website I visited listed 123 such celebrations for this month, including Squirrel Awareness Month. (I could be wrong, but I don't think we really need that one. I think everyone who lives in West Virginia is aware of squirrels.)
To my surprise, that list did not include Pastor Appreciation Month, although it did include Photographer Appreciation Month. If you want to do something special for your favorite photographer, that's up to you. I would encourage you, though, to show some appreciation to your pastor. Even if you can't quite sneak it in before Halloween, it's still a good thing.
Being a pastor is hard work. It involves more than writing sermons and takes far more than one hour a week.
Click here to read more
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We invite you to print and include this newsletter in your bulletins, give it to your congregation and distribute widely. We hope it is helpful for your congregation and community.
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Older Youth Retreat: Climbing Mountains
Nov. 17-19 at Bluestone. Register by Nov. 2.
High school youth and their adult advisors are encouraged to join together at the Older Youth Retreat at Bluestone Conference Center Nov. 17-19. Seth Lovell, the Associate Pastor for Youth and Family Ministry at Olivet Presbyterian Church in Charlottesville, VA, will be the keynote presenter. Through keynote and small group discussion, participants will explore together the paths we walk throughout our lives and those with whom we share these paths.
Information regarding this retreat was sent to pastoral leaders, educators, clerks of sessions and youth ministry and Christian education contacts by email in September. Please share it with your youth and the adults who live/work with them.
If you need this information or any additional information, including how we might include a youth with special needs, contact Susan Sharp Campbell at
susan_sharp_campbell@hotmail.com or 304-645-4568. Complete registration information can be found
here.
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Thank you to all the congregations and organizations that participated in hosting our International Peacemaker, Ebun James-DeKam from Sierra Leone. It was a gift to have her for 10 days and to find our vision of the world widened by her story.
If your congregation is interested in participating in the hosting of another International Peacemaker in the fall of 2018, please contact the Presbytery office today.
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| Ebun James-DeKam with Kari Preslar and Derek Hudson |
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News from the Stewardship of Creation Ministry Team
 Earth Care Congregations
Both Glenville Presbyterian Church and Riverlawn Presbyterian Church in St. Albans have achieved the status of Earth Care Congregation
. Earth Care Congregations have
committed to the "Earth Care Pledge" and accomplished a specific number of actions toward caring for God's earth in four categories: worship, education, facilities, and outreach.
Additionally, Huntington's Highlawn Presbyterian Church established a Green Team to work towards becoming an Earth Care Congregation. If your congregation is interested in exploring how to become an Earth Care Congregation, click here.
Sustainable Development Goals
From the PC(USA)'s Compassion, Peace and Justice Ministry, here are the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals for 17 different categories. You can click on each numbered icon for information on how to achieve sustainability worldwide in that category. Environmental categories include clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, sustainable cities and communities, responsible consupmtion and production, climate action, life below water and life on land.
Faith Hope Love: Our Common Home event
What does it mean to "care for our common home" in West Virginia? This free event, which focuses on sustainability and justice, is a gathering to discover the answer together. It runs 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Nov. 4 at Blessed Sacrament Church, 305 E St., South Charleston. There will be two interactive breakout sessions, plus a panel discussion, guided meditation walkthrough and more.
Click here
to register.
Care of the Earth that Feeds Us event
This program in Ohio by Faith Communities Together (FaCT) for a Sustainable Future features Green Edge Organic Farm owner/operator Kip Rondy. It begins at noon Nov. 11 at The Grange, 16 State St., Amesville, OH. There is no cost to attend, but RSVPs are requested to factohio@gmail.com.
FaCT welcomes people of all faith traditions, as well as those not affiliated with one; it works from a moral perspective to preserve the web of life that sustains us all.
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Pornography: A Serious Relationship Problem - What Clergy Need to Know
Nov. 3 in Morgantown. Register by Tuesday.
The 17th Annual Pastors Workshop, presented by the Morgantown Pastoral Counseling Center, focuses on how pornography affects relationships and how clergy can help couples. Addiction therapist Robert Edmundson is the keynote speaker, and a guest speaker will share from his personal struggle.
The workshop runs 8:45 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. Nov. 3 at the Mon Health Medical Center (Pastoral and Spiritual Care Division), 1200 J.D. Anderson Dr., Morgantown. Cost is $15.
Click here for more information, including a registration form.
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Deep & Wide: Boundless Hospitality
2018 Association of Presbyterian Church Educators Annual Event at The Galt House, Louisville, KY
The event's theme encourages you to open your heart, mind and doors. With 80 workshops, 6 mini-plenaries, imaginative worship, keynote presentations and a marketplace, there is something for anyone engaged in educational ministry who wants to learn more about being welcoming in their ministry and congregation.
The early registration deadline is Dec. 8, for which the cost is $350 for APCE members and $525 for non-members; after that, it goes up by $50 through Jan. 5 and another $50 after that. Joining APCE, even if only for a year, will help lower your cost. Also, please be aware that workshop sizes are limited, and some fill up quickly.
If you are interested but not sure about attending, please contact Susan Sharp Campbell at susan_sharp_campbell@hotmail.com or 304-645-4568. Several of our educators have already registered, and we would welcome more to join us. Also, the presbytery has some money available for scholarships, and APCE also offers some scholarship (for which you must apply by Sunday). Please be in touch if you need more information about this as well.
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Spotlight on: Edgewood Presbyterian
Church hosts International Peacemaker dinner
On Oct. 2, Edgewood Presbyterian Church hosted an event featuring Sierra Leonne's Ebun James-DeKam, an International Peacemaker with the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program. People from at least five churches in the Greenbrier Cluster attended the covered dish supper followed by her presentation, which included the response of churches of the world to the troubles in Sierra Leonne, including their civil war, famine, and the recent Ebola epidemic. Her description of the effects of the Ebola outbreak was heartbreaking. She told of the courage of the people working to contain it and help those affected.
Ebun James-DeKam
lives with her family in Freetown, Sierra Leone. With her MA in Education, she taught in the classroom for a number of years. She served as the Director of the Human Rights and Social Services Department of the Council of Churches, and in 2011, she was appointed to the position of General Secretary for the Council of Churches in Sierra Leone, leading them in the implementation of a variety of activities to counter and defeat the Ebola virus epidemic
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Her trip to the United States began with a meeting in Louisville, KY, right before her visit to West Virginia. Her next stop will be in San Francisco.
At the end of the evening's program, Pastor Larryetta Ellis brought everyone together in the center of the hall and led a prayer for Ebun James-DeKam and her work.
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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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*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 and Nurturing Faith Ideas 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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