It didn’t feel right. We had four staff members at the office at the same time on Monday, probably the highest number we’ve had at any one time since the pandemic started. It was good to see everyone, especially Barbara Chalfant, our Associate for Mission, who had been off recovering from shoulder surgery. Yet even though the map used by the State of West Virginia showed Kanawha County as being green, meaning there was minimal community transmission, it didn’t feel right. (...) On another topic, October is Pastor Appreciation Month...

The final 2020 Expanding Your Ministry Toolbox course, “Becoming an Intergenerational Church,” led by Presbyterian Mission Agency Associate Coordinator for Christian Formation Stephanie Fritz, will be held on Zoom on Saturday, Nov. 7. Intergenerational ministry occurs when two or more generations are engaged together, and sometimes if not often in our presbytery, those generations are all adults. The focus will be on how we might engage all generations in our churches. Cost is $15. The registration deadline is MONDAY, with materials snail mailed to participants in advance and the Zoom login shared on Nov. 4. Click here for an event flyer.

Four Session Record Review events were held on Zoom in October. If Clerks of Session missed those events, a last chance event will be held Nov. 1 at 3 p.m. An email with the Zoom information will be sent to clerks and pastoral leaders late next week. Prior to the event, each clerk should complete the Session Record Review Checklist and invite another session member to review the 2019 minutes, complete the checklist's report section and sign. All clerks must also provide Stated Clerk Maureen Wright with an electronic or hard copy of the completed checklist. Once it is received and the clerk attends the review event, a letter will be sent stating that the 2019 records have been reviewed; it should be included in the 2020 minutes.

The presbytery has a responsibility for “authorizing and training specific ruling elders to administer or preside at the Lord’s Supper when it deems it necessary to meet the needs for the administration of the Sacrament.”(G-3.0301b) One way the presbytery seeks to fulfill this responsibility, is with training events. This year’s training event will be 2-6 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 8 on Zoom. The registration deadline is Monday, Nov. 2. Click here for an event flyer with registration details.

Many congregations elect ruling elders and deacons towards the end of the year. The Book of Order says, “When persons have been elected to the ordered ministry of ruling elder or deacon, the session shall provide a period of study and preparation, after which the session shall examine them as to their personal faith; knowledge of the doctrine, government, and discipline contained in the Constitution of the church; and the duties of the ministry." (G-2.0402) To assist pastors and Session moderators with this period of study and preparation, Susan Sharp Campbell, Associate for Educational Ministry, will be offering Officer Training that focuses on the above topics over two Sunday afternoons, Nov. 15 & 22, from 2 to 5 p.m. on Zoom. The registration deadline is Monday, Nov. 9. Click here for an event flyer with registration details.

Upcoming PWV events that have been cancelled

In light of continued concern over Covid-19, some upcoming Nurture Committee-sponsored events have been cancelled.

Next year’s Festival of Faith, a day of learning, worship, and fellowship, will be Saturday, March 20, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Zoom. Diana Butler Bass, an award-winning author and internationally-known public speaker and thought leader on issues of spirituality, religion, culture, and politics, will be our keynote presenter. Committee chairs, presbytery staff, and others interested in presenting a workshop should submit their workshop application by the deadline of Monday, Nov. 16, so the Planning Team, at its meeting in late November, can review them and select those to be offered in March.

As most graduation ceremonies went virtual this year, one small liberal arts college in West Virginia made good on its promise to give the Class of 2020 an in-person commencement. The ceremony for Davis & Elkins College graduates took place in the fall instead of spring, it wasn’t on campus, and the whole class didn’t share one single stage. What did occur was the week-long, 11-stop “D&E Journey Tour,” where administrators took the ceremonies to the road.