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January 24, 2019 Issue 138
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An Opportunity for Conversation
Session Record Reviews, Treasurer Talks & More
- March 10 - Kuhn Memorial, Barboursville at 3 p.m.
- March 20 - Beechwood, Parkersburg at 6:30 p.m.
- March 24 - First, South Charleston at 3 p.m.
- April 3 - Clifton, Maxwelton at 6:30 p.m.
- April 10 - First, Buckhannon at 6:30 p.m.
- April 28 - Bradley at 3 p.m.
- May 5 - Church of Our Saviour, Clarksburg at 3 p.m.
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Use the QUICK LINKS at the bottom of this column to be directed to additional news.
Email Presbytery staff using the directory below.
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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 Facilities Director
Sarah Specht
Bluestone Program Director
Amy Robinson
Office Administrator/Communications
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Prayer List for Churches
Pineville Presbyterian Church
Rock Forge Presbyterian, Morgantown
In Kenya: Gaaki (GAH'key) Parish
Week 5 - February 3
Red Sulphur Springs Pres., Ballard
Summerlee Presbyterian Church
Winfield Presbyterian Church
In Kenya: Kiawaithanji (CARE'wha-eeTHA-JEH) Presbyterian Church
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Nurturing Faith Ideas
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. In 2019, they are organized around a common theme each month. Ideas for the entire year can be found
here.
History records how even nature shared in proclaiming
God's revelation in Christ.
All of nature bows in adoration. Our worship should demonstrate that we have found our Savior as God promised. Take this message with you throughout this week, month, year, and always
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and share it with others.
February 3
"Lord, even as we enjoy the Super Bowl football game, help us be mindful of those who are without a bowl of soup to eat." That simple prayer
in 1990 from a seminary intern at the Spring Valley Presbyterian Church in Columbia, SC
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sparked a youth group, who then invited other area youth groups to join them to collect dollars and canned food for the needy. Today is Souper Bowl Sunday
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and this offering continues. The first one
, with 22 churches participating,
raised $5,700. In 2018, 3,769 groups participated and raised $8,127,435 for local food
pantries. Let's give thanks for all those who are willing to give back to their communities.
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(Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster)
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On our Home page
You will find located on the Home page of the website (scroll down past the banner, introduction and grant buttons) direct links to recent newsletters, the Pray For church list and Nurturing Faith Ideas for the year 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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Click on an underlined title to go to the full article
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We may not think of Jesus as a "fun guy," but at least according to the gospels, he does spend a lot of his time eating and at dinner parties. He's willing to enter into deeper discussions about God and about faith and about life. Overall, I think Jesus enjoys, life and I think he wants us to enjoy life and to enjoy God.
That raises the question: how much do you enjoy church?
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Advance registration deadline, which is the date by which childcare and lunch reservations are due, is February 6.
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Clerks of Session received a letter outlining year-end information in mid-December. The letter includes information on covenant renewal for Temporary Supply Pastors, Commissioned Pastors and Lay Supply Pastors, including annual reports for Commissioned Pastors. All covenant renewals are due by tomorrow, January 25. Clerks of Session can also find the updated Pastor's Compensation and Necrology Report forms; both reports are due January 31.
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Information on:
Important dates for employee tax forms
2019 IRS standard mileage rates
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April 6 at First Presbyterian Church, Charleston
"Being Church Today"
is the theme of this year's Festival of Faith, a day of learning opportunities, fellowship and worship. Brian McLaren (right) will present the keynote on "
Being Church in a Time of Division." There will also be workshops, a Presbyterian Publishing House bookstore, several mission/ministry partners and more.
Complete information and registration information is here and on the Presbytery website.
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Feb. 2 in four Presbytery regions
Registration deadline: today!
This event
runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Church sites are First Presbyterian, Clarksburg; Highlawn Presbyterian, Huntington; Old Stone Presbyterian, Lewisburg; and Village Chapel Presbyterian (with assistance from South Park Presbyterian), Charleston. Free, but bring a brown bag lunch.
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Feb. 18-19 in Charleston.
"When the Bible Raises Your Blood Pressure: Faithful Wrestling with Challenging Texts" is the focus of this retreat for Christian educators, pastors and authorized lay preachers. Frances Taylor Gench of Union Presbyterian Seminary will be the retreat leader. The retreat will be held at Saint John XXIII Pastoral Center in Charleston, beginning with lunch on Monday and concluding with lunch on Tuesday. Registration deadline is Jan. 31.
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Souper Bowl of Caring
Need additional resources for your Souper Bowl of Caring Sunday? Check out these prayers and worship resources.
And remember: send us photos and short, informative comments about your congregation's Souper Bowl Sunday! We will include some in the Feb. 21 newsletter.
How did the congregation help Charleston's homeless population on Martin Luther King Jr. Day?
Can you donate any of these supplies to the Presbytery office for area schools or to your local school?
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March 2, 9 and 16 at sites around the Presbytery
This Presby Prep course is offered three different Saturdays in three different locations in the Presbytery - the choice is yours! C
ost is $10. Registration deadline is Feb. 21 to allow time to complete the advance assignment, which is not required but is helpful.
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4 p.m. Sunday at Kanawha United, Charleston
Music Director Chris Engel will be joined by six other performers for
a celebration of the church's long history as a community of faith. S
elections include Bach's
"'Badinerie' from Suite No. 2 in B Minor,"
"Battle Hymn of the Republic" and Charles Marie Widor's "'Finale
' from Symphony No. 6 in G Minor." Free. For more, call Engel at 410-251-6587 or Roberta Fowlkes at 304-545-9775.
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 The Wesley House, which is a ministry of the United Methodist Church and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), takes seriously Matthew 25: "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink..." It seems that all our ministries center around food.
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4:30-8:30 p.m. Feb. 28 in Pittsburgh
This event, hosted by and at the Pittsburgh Presbytery, seeks to connect leaders to one another and equip them for their roles in ministry with the next generation
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Register as a church, small group or individual; cost varies by selection. Deadline is Feb. 22. Contact Brian Wallace at 412-323-1402 or [email protected].
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"Awakening to God's Beauty" is a Lenten invitation to pray with art. It features
text, meditations and original photography by Rev. Krin Van Tatenhove. Individual copies are $5, with discounts available for orders of 2 to 100 or more.
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Does your church need a small piano?
Don Springer, a member of Highlawn Presbyterian, St. Albans, is getting rid of a piano because it is no longer being used, and he is offering it to any church that might be interested. It is a spinet piano (a very small upright) with a modern design, in good condition and only a few years old. Contact him at 304-727-7877.
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By Mike Ferguson | Presbyterian News Service
Compassion fatigue - that malady that many pastors, first responders and others in helping professions suffer that can leave them feeling isolated, tired, trapped or worse - can be overcome, and there's help for those who, as the Rev. Dr. Dana Sutton put it, "are healing the world and need to heal themselves."
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The
Presbyterian Planning Calendar
is seeking photo submissions for its 2019-2020 edition. Focusing on congregational vitality, fighting poverty, dismantling racism and other mission activities, the request also asks, "Who are the unsung heroes of your congregation?"
Submission deadline is Feb. 14.
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This kit has been released in advance of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting anniversary on Feb. 14 and the Universal Day of Prayer for Students on Feb. 17. It contains prayers, scriptures, hymn suggestions and more.
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March 1-3 at Cedar Lakes Conference Center
This retreat for youth in grades 6-8 and their adult advisors will use images and aspects of gaming to explore who they are as children of God and the resources their faith and faith communities have to offer as guides along the way. Presbytery Youth Council youth will lead the weekend.
Registration deadline: Feb. 18.
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These programs
are for interested church leaders, particularly those who may have limited resources for continuing education, though all are welcome to attend.
Each course, led by a leader in the field, is an independent opportunity to gain skills in particular areas of ministry.
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This summer's Presbyterian Youth Triennium will be held July 16-July 20, on the campus of Purdue University. Our presbytery's delegation will gather the evening of July 15 for community building and preparation before leaving early on July 16.
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Information from your Resource Center
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The following items are available at the Presbytery Office: an older edition of the Book of Common Worship, a congregational set of hymnals and fellowship rolls.
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Background check consent form updated
The provider we use for background checks has updated their
consent form and reporting due to updated federal and state requirements. Our consent form, located in the Documents section of the website, has been updated.
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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 update (with fresh content, new wording and/or a new or different photo) and resubmit,
so that 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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